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Lemon Drop Pepper Plants

Lemon Drop Pepper Plants

Medium Hot Live Plant Seedlings

SKU: Seedling-LemonDrop-INV
  • Heat Level:
  • Grower Experience Level: Intermediate
  • Seedling Size when Shipped: Approx. 4" or 3 sets of true leaves
  • Mature Plant Size: 4-6 Inches
  • Origin: Peru
  • Species: Baccatum
  • SHU: 15,000–30,000

17 total reviews

Size
Regular price $ 9.49
Regular price $ 0.00 Sale price $ 9.49
Sold Out For Season
Shipping calculated at checkout.

Description:

Lemon Drop peppers, also known as Aji Limón, are a highly productive variety prized for their bright citrus flavor and medium heat. Originating in Peru, these peppers are a favorite among home gardeners and chefs alike for their versatility and heavy yields.

Grown hydroponically in a controlled environment, our Lemon Drop pepper plants arrive healthy, pest-free, and ready to establish once transplanted.

What You’ll Receive

  • Lemon Drop (Aji Limón) pepper plant hydroponically grown in rockwool (no soil)

  • Plant height at shipping: Approx. 4–6” tall

  • Actively growing with a strong, well-developed root system

  • Care instructions included

  • Bonus: 4-pack orders include a FREE sample compost tea fertilizer

Because our plants are grown hydroponically, they will require an adjustment period and it will take a few weeks for them to acclimate when transplanted into soil or containers. To learn more about our methods and to ensure success, review the sections below Our Live Plant Growing & Shipping Process and When Your Live Pepper Plants Arrive.

About the Lemon Drop Pepper

The Lemon Drop is a Capsicum baccatum variety known for its extreme productivity and signature citrus-forward flavor. Plants typically grow up to 3 feet tall and can produce hundreds of slender peppers per season.

Peppers grow 2–3 inches long, ripening from green to bright yellow, and feature thin walls with slightly crinkled skin. Heat is comparable to serrano or cayenne peppers, but the flavor is distinctly tangy and lemony.

  • Heat Level: Medium hot (approximately 15,000–30,000 Scoville Heat Units)

  • Flavor: Bright, citrusy, and tangy

  • Pepper Appearance: Slender yellow pods with lightly wrinkled skin

  • Culinary Use: Hot sauces, powders, flakes, salsas, seafood, chicken dishes, and fresh use

Growing & Care Information

  • Grower Experience Level: Intermediate

  • Growth Habit: Tall, highly productive plant

  • Mature Plant Size: Approximately 3 feet tall

  • Pepper Pod Size: Typically 2–3 inches long

  • Days to Maturity: Approximately 85–100 days from transplant

  • Ways to Grow: In-ground garden beds, raised beds, and containers with proper drainage

If you’d prefer to start from seed, we also offer Lemon Drop (Aji Limón) pepper seeds and seed starting supplies, a great option for growers who enjoy raising plants from the very beginning or planning ahead for future seasons.

Our Live Plant Process

Our Live Plant Growing & Shipping Process

At Pepper Joe's, our live pepper plants are grown with care from the very beginning to ensure customers receive strong, healthy plants ready to thrive.

All of our pepper plants are greenhouse grown hydroponically in rockwool, allowing for consistent nutrition, controlled growing conditions, and strong root development. Many varieties are started as early as December, giving plants ample time to mature before shipping season begins in April.

Each plant is grown to approximately 4 inches before being prepared for shipment. Prior to shipping, every plant is individually inspected by a member of our greenhouse team to ensure it meets our quality standards.

Plants are shipped in a protective mini greenhouse made from recycled material, specially sourced to help safeguard live plants during transit. This packaging helps maintain plant structure and reduce stress while traveling to your door.

Want to learn more? Check out our FAQ page or, our blog on how we ship live pepper plants.

When Your Live Pepper Plants Arrive

When Your Live Pepper Plants Arrive

Your live pepper plants are shipped in custom packaging to protect them during transit. Some mild wilting after shipping is normal and usually resolves quickly.

Upon arrival:

  • Gently unbox your plant and inspect it.
  • The roots are surrounded by rockwool, a lightweight, soil-free growing material that helps retain moisture and protect the roots. Do not remove the rockwool.
  • Some drooping after shipping is normal. Water immediately upon arrival and allow up to 24 hours for recovery.

  • If your plant arrives with significant damage or doesn't improve after 24 hours, please contact us immediately via our contact form.

Transplanting:

  • Plant the rockwool end 2–3 inches deep into well-draining potting soil using a container at least 1 gallon in size.
  • Water thoroughly after planting and allow excess moisture to drain.

Before moving outdoors:

  • Soil temperatures should be 65°F or warmer
  • Nighttime temperatures should remain above 55°F
  • No risk of frost

Once conditions are right, harden off your new plants gradually by introducing them to outdoor conditions over several days before full sun exposure.

For detailed, step-by-step instructions, visit our Pepper Plant Care page.

If you have any concerns, please reach out through our contact form and our team will be happy to help.

FAQ's

When will my pre-order live plant ship?

  • Pre-order live plants begin shipping in April. Orders are fulfilled based on the shipping week you selected at checkout.
  • Not sure which week you chose? Log in to your account (or create one using the same email) to view your order details.

All non-Pre-order live plant orders ship the next business day.

Live plants ship only to the contiguous U.S.

Live Plant Refund & Replacement Information

Refund & Replacement Policy

We offer a replacement or refund for live plants reported as damaged or unsatisfactory within a reasonable timeframe, typically 48–72 hours after delivery. Clear photos of the plant(s) and packaging may be required to process a claim.

Additional limits:

  • We can’t offer refunds or replacements for issues reported more than 7 days after transplanting, as plant health can be affected by factors outside our control.
  • No refunds or replacements will be issued for dead plants more than 30 days after delivery, under any circumstances.
  • We offer one replacement per order for all products, including seeds and live plants.
  • If a replacement is needed but the item is out of stock, we’ll provide a gift card or refund equal to the item value.
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Browse more Live Hot Pepper Plants
  • 5 stars: 10 (59%)
  • 4 stars: 2 (12%)
  • 3 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 2 stars: 1 (6%)
  • 1 star: 4 (24%)
S
Stephen N.
Replaced with a Smile!

Great customer service. My original shipment was diverted 3000 miles away from my home by a UPS error. Pepper Joe’s gladly resent healthy plants which are doing great. I recommend them highly.

Hi Stephen,
Thank you for your kind words! We're so glad the plants are doing well! . We’re happy to have been able to help. Enjoy your lemon drop peppers!

J
John B.
Plants in poor condition

Of the 9 plants I ordered. One died within a few days. A second died a week later. I eventually planted 7 and 2 of those died. The remaining 5 seem to be progressing, but since the plants are extremely small it will take quite some time to get a harvest.

Hi John,
We're sorry to hear about your experience with the Lemon Drop Pepper Plants. We strive to provide healthy plants. Please contact us @customerservice@pepperjoe.com directly so we can assist further.

Thank you for your feedback.

K
KEVIN C.
Travel stress and aphids are a bad combination

My Lemon drop peppers, and later Fatali’s arrived with massive aphid infestations. I treated them, but the aphids and the travels stress doomed these seedlings. Sadly, I had aphid infestations in my Pepper Joe’s seedlings last year as well.

Hi Kevin,

We're sorry to hear about the issues you experienced. We strive to provide healthy plants and appreciate your feedback. Please contact us directly at customerservice@pepperjoe.com so we can assist you further. Thank you

J
Joseph A.
One of 8 different varieties from Pepper Joes

Arrived in great shape, potted them in 5 gallon grow bags, hardened them off for about a month and then moved it outside. So far so good. I only gave a 4 star waiting as I still need to harvest, taste and see overall output.

Hi there!

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Lemon Drop Pepper Plants. We're glad to hear they arrived in great shape and are doing well. We hope the harvest exceeds your expectations—happy growing!

A
Anthony

Something different so looking forward to growing this Lemon drop pepper plant

E
Erik R.

Lemon Drop Pepper Plant Seedlings

K
Katherine S.
They’re my healthiest plants

I bought several seedlings this year, but only two from Pepper Joe’s. While the rest of them are very sadly producing fruit but not looking at all healthy, the PJ’s peppers have grown larger and have only JUST started producing flower buds. They are just all-over healthier, happier plants. Looking forward to harvesting some lemon drops this fall!

H
Howard R.
Healthy seedlings

Received two healthy lemon drop seedlings, with roots wrapped in a wool starter to keep them moist. Treated them gently at first. They’ve grown great!

O
O.B.
Great Yield and Flavor

These took about 100 days to actually start ripening but once it did it was great. Amazing yield and flavor was great. Will order again.

L
Lisa C.
My favorite pepper this year

I've planted these a few different places to find the ultimate spot. Full sun with lots of water is the winner. The flavor of this pepper is amazing!

C
Customer

Lemon Drop Pepper Plants – Live Hot Aji Limón Seedlings

D
Dan H.
Not good

Plants arrived- appeared be in good shape. When transplanted- 3 of 4 main stems broken. Plants died.

A
Antonis P.
Hot Pepper plants

Plants arrived on time and healthy. Definitely will be ordering more !

M
Mikey B.
Gross

They died before they got to my house

Thank you for providing us with feedback and we are sorry to hear about your experience with this plant. If you could send us a picture of what you received as well as your order number to customerservice@pepperjoe.com we'd be happy to look into this.

c
charles v.
Lemon Drop Peppers

Plants arrived nicely packaged with thorough instructions to transplant and how to care for them once hardened. They are growing great.

B
Brandon S.
Little guy didn’t make it.

I bought four different pepper plants, and unfortunately the only one that didn’t make it was the lemon drop, my favorite and reason for ordering in the first place. I think main stem was bent during shipping. All others are doing well, shipping and packaging were also great. However, the review specifically asked about the lemon drop. Would definitely order live plants from PJs again.

Hello Brandon, we are happy to help if you could reach out to your customer service team with photos and order number! Thank you!

k
kathyinqc
Fast Shpg of 2 HTF Lemon Drop Pepper Plants!!

I tried twice to germinate my Lemon Drop Pepper plants from seeds, but it didn't happen. I found Pepper Joe's in a Google Search and ordered the 2 live plants. They arrived w/in 2 days!! Great price and both were in healthy condition and are now thriving in my garden. I REALLY like this variety of hot pepper and Pepper Joe's came thru for me!! Thx Sooo Much Pepper Joe's!! *****5 Stars Retailer I Highly Recommend!!

Only the Healthiest

Growing pepper plants is what we do best. For each order, our greenhouse experts thoughtfully select thriving plants with strong stems and developing root systems. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, we're here to make sure your plant journey is a success.

Our Custom Live Plant Packaging

Our live pepper plants are safely shipped in our 100% recyclable custom plant packaging. Rock wool is used to keep a protective layer around the seedling's roots for close-to-ideal levels of moisture and oxygen.

Live Plants Shipped Straight to Your Doorstep

Our Commitment - to ship live plants carefully and efficiently – Monday through Friday. With our streamlined processes, your plants spend only a short time in transit before arriving right at your door. This ensures that your plants get from our greenhouse to you quickly and healthy.