Tim: I'm in the same boat as you. Lot's of pods, no color yet. I'll take it though -- I'd much rather have it this way than to have blossoms/pods dropping left and right as a result of temps soaring. I do have ONE that's changing, but I just think it's because that pod is a bit deformed. My Guajillos are turning though. Kevin

You think the possible permanent damage you could do to yourself while reacting these acids and chemicals isn't worth the couple bucks it cost to buy it? What are you going to do with the possible toxic stuff left over after you made your boric acid or whatever? The ingredients are probably more costly to get than just buying the finnished product I'd think. Either in gas,starting material $ or just in time. How are you going to know what impurities etc. you have in your starting ingrediants and what the possible reaction some impurity has on these chemical reactions? Pool acid isn't made to be pure/regent grade for chemical reactions or whatever. You shouldnt be messing with this stuff because it's on the internet and some yahoo says it's cool to do. Just water added to sulfaric acid can boil up and burn you badly. Some of the reactions could make flamable or possibly poisonous gasses if the wrong stuff mixes together. What is your FREE heat source (1600 degreesF) to make expanded Perlite...Probably cost more to make than buy. I don't know about you but my time is worth more than taking hours to save a couple dollars by hauling rocks or whatever and dodging acid/bleach fumes or whatever. There is a reason people sell and buy it rather than make this stuff at home. Houses are always burning down after some guy screws up trying to make illegal drugs... Fuel for their car etc. Nothing wrong with making your own pots and soil mixes. But messing with reactions of acid and who knows what else isn't worth it. If I found out you were playing with that kind of stuff in the apartment or house next door to me I'd stop you real quick. Just thinking about the smell of Fish emultion from the nursey (stinks real bad) I can imagine what it smells like fermenting. LOL I guess you do have access to lots of fish guts etc. though where you live. Making Seaweed extract sounds about as aromatic too. The people in the general vicinity are gonna love ya. Lungs burned by acid fumes,skin burns can't be fun... I can think of a ton of reasons not to mess with half the stuff you are thinking of trying with no knowledge of chemistry at all. I think you could be more self sufficient by spending a few bucks to get started and scrounge what you can from dumpsters or wherever. Growing stuff to sell to buy whatever you have to or isn't practicle (too stinky) or dangerous to make. Containers to grow stuff in can be scrounged-empty food grade plastic containers from the local scarf and barf(food grade buckets,bottles or whatever is the size you need). All sizes from Mayonaise jugs to 5 gal. + sized buckets. Cut them to size... Free is better than firing pots and messing with clay. People use liter soda bottles for mini greenhouses for plants-cut the bottom to size and use the top for the cover.Since it's top is funnel shape you cut it slightly smaller than the bottom so it fits snug. Old vegetable packages can be used for starting seeds. Cardboard Egg containers work for starting seeds. Cut the top off and use plastic wrap for a cover until they are big enough for pots. Cut the sections apart and put the cardboard cell in the pot.cardboard breaks down quickly and lets the roots spread. The clear plastic containers vegetables come in have air holes for drainage and snap close covers-good greenhouses too. Vegetable scraps , coffee grounds etc. for compost gathered from resturaunts and grocery stores. Make a small compost bin out of a plastic tub or just make one out of wood. I'm sure you can google plans for most of the stuff you need-same as you did for your chemical reactions. A lot of places will set the stuff aside (whatever you are collecting)if you ask them to.Especially Mom and Pop type places. I know lots of people who grow stuff and sell it to pay part or all it cost them to get by. You can be somewhat self sufficient and not risk your health at the same time. You could probably raise extra plants etc. to sell at swap meets or wherever.

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:

In my home (indoor) in temperate Europe, there are around 80 Fahrenheit all day long, for the next 5 months, but there are no conditions for direct sunlight (still, natural light is available all over the day). I use a special fertilizer for peppers, 2 times in a months. Is it enough for the peppers to become mature ? Or should I try to get it outdoor ? The problem with outdoor conditions is that in the night the temperature is (not much) bellow 75 Fahrenheit, the direct sunlight is for about 3-4 hours, and sometimes there are windy conditions (not to mentions that the temperature in the middle of the day will be around 105 Fahrenheit)... Is will be very difficult for me to change the position every day (during the day - outdoor, and during the night - indoor).. What do you suggest ? Indoor there are more stable conditions (and no direct sunlight), outside there are a little bit shifty conditions...