I started growing bhut jolokias a couple of years ago. They do have a low germination rate. It is very important to use fresh seeds that were dried properly. Last year I spent close to $20 on about 30 seeds and had good germination from them. They came from a company called "seed man". I have read good and bad about the company. I had very good germination rates from most of it, but low on a couple of them and none of the Vietnamese Hot peppers germinated at all. So you spend your money and take your chances I suppose. Seeds are living things and some just don't do well. The seeds I saved had much lower germination rates. I'm still learning how to handle them and prepare them properly. This year I bought live plants, mostly for convenience and I suspect my own had bred with other varieties. But these Jolokies do not like the cold, they prefer high temperatures. And bugs love the leaves so you have to keep them dusted. Also, they are very late season, so people in northern latitudes have to get started indoors really early if you expect to get anything ripe. On the positive side, they apparently do well indoors. I brought one plan in for the winter. After loosing some foliage from the shock it took off and grew really well all winter. Lots of foliage under no light other than a 26 watt CFL (100W equivalent), but didn't produce any flowers or peppers all winter.

That is for sure not a Bhut Plus side is you gained working experience thru all this Bhuts are an OK strain to work with,hardly at the top of the Super ranks but still respectable heat. There are many other strains out here that will put even the best of bhut strains to same at the SHU level. Someone mentioned it back up the thread somewhere and it is very much incorrect,for novice eaters "its good enough",but both the heat and flavor are comparatively lacking compared to many other super strains currently available. Primo Bubblegum Butch T BrainStrain Moruga Look for them

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:

I believe i'm in Zone 8, there are 3 plants in the picture... amaryllis to the left bhut in the center and a long stem rose to the right. As for how much soil... well i dug a hole in the ground and coated it with Miracle grow garden soil, then placed some on top once transplanted. After a while it grew big and full but all the flowers fell. It wasn't getting enough sun last time so i figured i'd place it somewhere were it'll get more. As for fertilizer i haven't been using one but now and then i replace some of the soil with fresh garden soil. Maybe it is getting too much sun now, i'll try giving it some shade.