Variety field guide
What to expect from Thai Dragon Pepper Seeds
Thai Dragon pepper seeds produce red hot chile pepper fruit about 3.5 in long (88 mm) on upright, erect plants reaching 25–30 in; maturity is 80-89 Days.
Open the complete descriptionHide the complete descriptionVariety traits, flavor, garden use, and the complete description
Thai Dragon pepper seeds grow into upright, erect plants reaching 25–30 in, bearing red fruit about 3.5 in long (88 mm). Heat category: Hot. It is especially suited to drying, chile flakes, hot cooking, sauces, and seed saving with documented isolation. Maturity is 80-89 Days.
Minimum seeds per packet: 25 seeds.
About Thai Dragon
Thai Dragon is a hot chile pepper grown as Capsicum annuum L. Plants have an upright, erect habit and reach 25–30 in; support is listed as stake. The principal mature or market color is Red, with fruit described as about 3.5 in long (88 mm). Reproductive classification: Open-Pollinated (OP). Maturity: 80-89 Days. Names associated with this variety include Dragon Thai Chili, Pepper Seeds - Hot - Thai Dragon.
- Scientific name:Capsicum annuum L.
- Life cycle:Annual
- Planting season:Spring
- Growth habit:Upright/Erect
- Plant height:25–30 in
- Sunlight:Full sun
- Seed depth:1/4 in
- Germination:7–14 Days at 75–90 °F
- Spacing:18 in between plants; 24 in between rows
- Soil:Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5
- Water:Moderate
- Support:Stake
- Reproductive type:Open-Pollinated (OP)
- Fruit:Red; About 3.5 in long (88 mm)
- Heat:Hot; 50,000-100,000 SHU
History and seedkeeping context
Thai Dragon appears in a 1994 Petoseed cultivar record preserved in the North American pepper archive. The entry describes prolific fruit set, very hot thin-walled pods about 88 mm long, quick drying, and use in Asian cooking. Those details are retained because they come from a dated cultivar description rather than later catalog repetition.
The trade name suggests a Thai culinary association, but the institutional record used here does not establish a village of origin, farmer selection history, or landrace status. This page therefore describes the documented cultivar and its use without manufacturing a migration story. The available sources do not establish a named person’s tribal identity.
The 1994 cultivar description used for identity documents fruit and plant performance but does not assign one precise days-to-maturity figure.
Fruit, flavor, and kitchen use
The thin walls and high pungency make Thai Dragon practical for drying, chile flakes, powders, infused sauces, stir-fries, noodle dishes, and small additions to soups or curries. Use ripe red pods when full color and dry storage are the goal. Very hot, thin-walled chile suited to drying and cooking. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not a promise for every pod. Thai Dragon is especially useful for drying, chile flakes, hot cooking, sauces, and seed saving with documented isolation. Flavor and eating quality are described as very hot, thin-walled chile suited to drying and cooking. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not a promise for every pod. Heat classification: Hot; listed range: 50,000-100,000 SHU. Pungency can shift with genetics, weather, water stress, and ripeness.
How to grow Thai Dragon
Start Thai Dragon indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last expected frost. Sow 1/4 in deep in a warm, evenly moist seed-starting mix; expect 7–14 Days near 75–90 °F. Provide strong light as soon as seedlings emerge, pot up before roots become crowded, and harden plants gradually before transplanting after nights are reliably warm.
Plant in full sun with loamy soil near pH 6.0–6.5. Space plants 18 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Maintain moderate moisture, mulch after the soil warms, and avoid excessive nitrogen. Install stake early where the upright, erect plant or fruit load warrants it. Mature height is 25–30 in.
Season care
• Warmth matters most during germination; keep Thai Dragon seed warm without leaving the medium saturated. • Harden seedlings gradually and wait for warm nights before transplanting, because cold soil and wind can stall peppers for weeks. • Install stake before branches carry a heavy crop, and keep moisture even while fruit is setting. • Harvest at the color stage suited to the recipe, but leave fruit fully mature on selected plants when saving seed. • Use 80-89 Days as a planning range rather than a guaranteed calendar date; weather and transplant stress can shift first harvest.
Harvest and maturity
80-89 Days from transplant to first representative harvest; the same value is used in every description. Peppers can often be used at an immature green or transitional color, but fully ripe color is required for mature seed.
Saving seed
Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses. To save Thai Dragon true to type, grow several healthy representative plants, isolate them from compatible pepper varieties or use blossom bags or cages, and remove clear off-types before flowering. Allow selected fruit to reach full biological color, handle hot fruit with gloves, remove the seed, dry it in a thin labeled layer until fully hard and dry, then store it cool, dark, and dry. Keep the harvest year, source, isolation method, and selection notes with the lot.
Common questions
When is Thai Dragon ready?
Plan around 80-89 Days. The listed range is a planning guide, and weather, transplant stress, and harvest stage can shift the actual date.
How long does germination take?
Expect 7–14 Days near 75–90 °F. Cooler media, excess water, old seed, or uneven moisture can delay emergence.
How large does it grow?
Expect about 25–30 in. Growth habit: Upright/Erect. Support: Stake.
How is it used?
Drying, chile flakes, hot cooking, sauces, and seed saving with documented isolation
Can I save seed?
Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses.
