I bought some Bhut Jolokai seeds and some Orange Habanero seeds on eBay a
couple of weeks before Christmas, but was unable to plant them when the
weather became cooler and wet on the Gold Coast. Last Sunday I went to
Bunnings, after the promise of warmer weather, and bought a mini green house
with twenty four segments for planting seeds, plus a small bag of seed
raising mix, and set about planting twelve of each seed. From what I'd read
via Google, they should sprout after two to four weeks.

As I've never done anything like this before, I approached the venture with
failure foremost in my mind. Today, however, a little baby Bhut Jolokai
popped its head above the soil from the seed known as BJ10 - just a couple
of hours more than a week since it was planted. I'm hoping that its eleven
siblings and twelve cousins won't be too far behind.

After that long-winded preface, I have a few questions:

Does anyone here have experience with growing these chillis, particularly
the Bhut Jolokai?

I have the vents closed on the mini green house to keep in the heat and
moisture. My little green friend probably has different requirements now,
such as a fresh supply of oxygen. My concern is that the mini green house
can only provide one environment at a time, so I don't want the seedlings to
suffer while I wait for the stragglers to catch up. At what point should I
transplant the seedlings?

What should I transplant into? I'll be using pots, and I read a page that
said to have a pot at least 60cm wide. Is that correct?

Apparently they prefer soil with pH around 6. What sort of soil or potting
mix should I use, and what additives would you suggest to get the pH to the
desired level?

Should I actually measure and monitor the pH level, or am I just being an
over-protective "parent"?

As I'm not endowed with a green thumb or two, I'd appreciate any guidance
you could give me.

Thanks

--
Lawrence
"You can just hang outside in the sun all day tossing a ball around, or you
can sit at your computer and do something that matters." - Eric Cartman - 4
October 2006