Datil
Capsicum chinense
Also known as: Datil pepper, St. Augustine datil
Quick facts
- Category
- fruiting
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Days to harvest
- 90 to 110 days
- Harvest type
- continuous production over weeks or months
- Spacing
- 60 cm between plants
Environment
- Temperature
- 21–32°C
- pH
- 5.8 to 6.8
- EC (hydroponic)
- 1.8 to 2.6 mS/cm
- Daily light
- 22 to 32 mol/m²/day (strict, will fail outside this range)
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 9 to 13 (winter low around -7°C or warmer)
- Frost tolerance
- frost sensitive (dies at first frost)
- Season
- warm (summer crops, frost-sensitive)
Viable growing environments:
- outdoor in growing season (annual)
- unheated greenhouse / hoop house
- heated greenhouse
- indoor (heated home)
- indoor hydroponics under grow lights
USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.
Growing systems
Datil works in:
- drip / Dutch buckets
- media bed (ebb and flow)
- soil bed
Growing media
The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (datil works in the media listed below).
| Medium | pH effect | Water retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expanded clay pebbles (LECA) | neutral / inert | low | high |
| Coco coir (Coconut coir) | slightly acidic | high | moderate |
| Perlite (Expanded volcanic glass) | neutral / inert | very low | low |
| Rockwool (Mineral wool) | alkaline until pre-soaked | very high | low |
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies by source | high | high |
Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC target (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 |
| vegetative | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1.8 |
| flowering | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.2 |
| fruiting | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.4 |
Companion-growing notes
- Heavy uptake of potassium, calcium. Co-grown crops with the same demand will end up deficient even at "correct" EC. Plan around this in shared reservoirs.
Aquaponics suitability
Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.
Care notes
A productive Capsicum chinense for hydroponic growing, with the same basic requirements as habaneros. EC 2.0-3.0 mS/cm. pH 5.5-6.5. Temperature: 24–32°C (C. chinense species demand sustained warmth). High light (DLI 18-25 mol/m2/day). The plants are somewhat more compact than habaneros and produce heavily in DWC, Dutch bucket, or drip systems. From transplant to first ripe fruit: 90-110 days (chinense peppers have a long season). Each plant produces 30-60 fruits over a growing season under good hydroponic conditions. Harvest when fruits are fully yellow-orange. The primary use is hot sauce: blend ripe datils with vinegar, garlic, and a pinch of sugar for a fruity, hot condiment. Datil pepper jelly (sweet, with chunks of pepper) is another classic preparation. Calcium supplementation during fruiting prevents blossom end rot. The plants are perennial in warm conditions and continue producing for 2+ years. For hot sauce enthusiasts outside northeast Florida, growing your own datils is the only reliable way to access this regional specialty.
Verified against: u-florida-ifas, florida-museum-of-natural-history, datil-pepper-festival-organization. Last reviewed 2026-05-15.