Hi A.Nosch, welcome to the forum. You will learn a lot here. I am in PA so don't know about growing in FL but many members here do and I hope they comment. 75 degrees in winter months, I would be growing all year in that case. Peppers are self pollinating so one flower can pollinate itself and often does. Insects or even wind is enough to pollinate. In some cases like greenhouse or indoor growing you could hand pollinate knocking pollen loose from the flower with a paintbrush or simply turn a fan on them.

Soil and watering all depends on the type of soil/mix you are using and if you plan to plant in ground or in pots. If you have well draining soil you may find yourself watering frequently but well draining prevents the all too known overwatering situation.

Seed germination as along as the soil or environment temp (paper towel method) is 80 degrees you should have great results. Some use a heat mat for this others use devices they already have around like a DVR to get seeds to germinate. If you use lights for the seedling stage florescent are good to use. Make sure to harden them off slowly introducing to the sun.

Let us know if you got more questions.

Mark

This post was edited by habjolokia on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 12:51

Thank you habjolokia, I'm very excited to start these plants, to clarify it will probably drop below 75 for maybe a week or two but after that the weather should perk up, i'm a full time high school student so if i feel the weather take a turn for the worst in the morning i can just move the plants inside, of course. my seeds should be coming in any day now, it would be early if they came in today, but they should be here anywhere from now, till friday. your information is greatly appreciated, something i forgot to ask is how do you plant the actual seeds? my friend mentioned you just leave them on the top of the soil. however in my gardening experience the seeds are usually completely covered by soil. obviously i've never grown peppers before though. i know this is a hard pepper to start with, but that's why i'm asking questions. thanks again!

I live in florida as well (tampa), and I grow bhuts.

a couple things to keep in mind. when you hear people in northern states talk about sun requirements, you need to keep in mind the sun shines brighter and hotter here in florida. northern states want full sun, down here 4-6 hours of direct sun is in my experience the optimal amount. too much and the leaves start getting sunburned. also, pods won't set when it's above 90 degrees, which it often is here. plants need more water down here too, namely because of the heat, and you'll want to get plants into big pots early to keep the roots from cooking.

also, those seeds are gonna take a long time to germinate. longer than many other pepper seeds. mine took over 2 weeks to break thru the soil. I just put mine in small pots with normal potting soil (or you could use plastic cups with a few holes poked in the bottom) placed on the porch until the sprouted, then moved out into the sun. if you have a hose nozzle with a mist setting, use that to water them a little bit every day. if you just use a hose or something, it'll move the seeds around, and you'll get a seed sprouting on the edge of the pot/cup, and you'll have to repot sooner.

move up to a gallon pot when they get their 4th set of true leaves, move up to a 5 gallon pot (or bucket with a bunch of 1/2" or larger holes drilled in the bottom) when it's about a foot tall. I waited too long to do it, and it set me back. the best soil available locally for a beginner is the "Just Natural" brand potting soil available at lowes. learn from my mistakes and don't over compact the soil. plants hate that.

don't over water either. if it's rained more than 2 days in a row and looks like it's gonna rain again, move them to the porch. your plants will thank you. if any heavy rain is on it's way when the plants are still young, move them in or they'll get shredded.

also, bhuts take longer than many other plants to begin setting pods. I first started seeing pods set a few weeks ago, after other varieties had already produced fully ripe pods. patience is key. it's safe to assume you won't get ripe pods until next year, but there's nothing wrong with starting early. and honestly I'd suggest growing other varieties as well, that way you don't get discouraged by how long it takes. I'd suggest growing habanero as well, as they're relatively low maintenance, produce a lot of pods, and don't take nearly as long (in fact my hab was one of the first plants to have pods ripen, second only to the thai peppers).

just for kicks, here's my bhut plants:

judo_and_peppers, Thank you for the regional information, and those plants look harmless, i'd hate to be lost in India and find one though! haha. hope all goes well with your next set of pods.

Hey judo I'm in saint Pete! Thanks for the good info, I'm germinating some ghosts right now for the first time so your intel really helped! wish me luck.