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First time growing (indoor in apartment)

So I'm starting this a bit early, but I'll be getting in some seeds in a day or two. Background info, student in college, living in apartment with no balcony. Will have the plants right next to my bed on a windowsill to provide some natural light, will also supplement with the following lights: https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Reptile-Habitat-Lighting-Fluorescent/dp/B000QFROMQ (for the time being) and then move onto the https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKUD3Y/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza once it reaches a few inches. This all will be rested on books so I can adjust the height as they grow. Heat mat will also be provided at 79 degrees to ensure that it doesn't get too cold. The reason for 79 as well is because the I expect the lights themselves to give off some heat as well. And as they'll be by the window, they'll get some warmth from there as well.
 
Photo of the (model) room:
 
Okay, so here's the plan:
  • Germinate the seeds in ziploc bags with a folded over moist paper towel (seeds will be placed on top of the towel so I will be able to see if they germinate or not). The plastic bag will be placed onto some newspaper which will be on a heat mat to regulate the temperature at 80.
  • Once the plants germinate and sprout leaves, they will be transplanted into solo cups (Yay for being in a college town) with holes in the bottom. The solo cups will have the same medium as the adult plants will have, Pro-Mix HP with Tomato Tone. Not sure how much to water at this stage so I'll stick my pinky finger down in the substrate and if it is not moist, I will water. In this stage they will still be on the heat mat.
  • After they outgrow the solo cup, planning to either transplant in a 2-gallon or 5-gallon (permanent) pot. Still may keep them on the heat mat.
  • Last, but not least, give them the least amount of TLC possible and hopefully profit!
These are the seeds so far (going to be coming from Midwest Chileheads):
  • Bhut Jolokia
  • Foodarama Scotch Bonnet
  • Peruvian White Habanero
  • Carolina reaper
Not too sure how many will germinate, but I'll put around 7 in each ziploc bag to see how many will. Hoping for at least two to make it to adulthood.
 
Will keep this thread updated as I progress (and I'm very open to suggestions)! Thanks for looking!
 
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Don't forget to mix in your perlite. Peppers like a good draining soil. 7 is probably too many, if you're going to baby them with heat and whatnot Im sure you'll probably have at least 90% germination rate, being that the seeds were from a reputable shop. Personally, I just do the little seedtrays, toss in mix and two seeds per tray-pod around February and stick them in a windowsill and they still have a good germination rate. 
 
I'd go with 5 gal pots, 2 seems kind of small. I don't understand how/why you'd keep them on a heating mat once you potted up? It's only really needed for germination, plants like to keep their roots fairly cool. 
 
Also, what purpose will the reptile light hold? May be wrong on this but seems unnecessary. 
 
peppamang said:
Don't forget to mix in your perlite. Peppers like a good draining soil. 7 is probably too many, if you're going to baby them with heat and whatnot Im sure you'll probably have at least 90% germination rate, being that the seeds were from a reputable shop. Personally, I just do the little seedtrays, toss in mix and two seeds per tray-pod around February and stick them in a windowsill and they still have a good germination rate. 
 
I'd go with 5 gal pots, 2 seems kind of small. I don't understand how/why you'd keep them on a heating mat once you potted up? It's only really needed for germination, plants like to keep their roots fairly cool. 
 
Also, what purpose will the reptile light hold? 
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Thanks for the reply! I'll make sure to mix in some more perlite. 2 was just going to be used as a 'stepping stone' as I've heard to not directly transplant a plant from a cup to a 5 gal, but then again I'm reading otherwise on here.

The reptile light, from what I was told by a neighbor, is what they use to grow their plants. I just have one laying around and thought I would use it as a supplement lighting along with the SunBlaster.

Sorry if some of my questions sounded pretty silly and all, I'm pretty new to this and know I'm making quite a few mistakes.
 
 
InsectMan said:
 
Thanks for the reply! I'll make sure to mix in some more perlite. 2 was just going to be used as a 'stepping stone' as I've heard to not directly transplant a plant from a cup to a 5 gal, but then again I'm reading otherwise on here.

The reptile light, from what I was told by a neighbor, is what they use to grow their plants. I just have one laying around and thought I would use it as a supplement lighting along with the SunBlaster.

Sorry if some of my questions sounded pretty silly and all, I'm pretty new to this and know I'm making quite a few mistakes.
 
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No worries man! No such thing as a silly question. Personally, I go from solo cups to 5 or 7 gal buckets. The solo to 2, then to 5 is just running the risks that come along with transplanting. Plus, who really wants to pot up twice? 
 
I feel like if reptile lights worked, indoor growers wouldn't be spending 10x the amount for grow lights. Indoor growing isn't my expertise, so hopefully someone with more indoor experience can chime in on what they think of the reptile lights. Same goes for the heating mat, I've never heard of keeping a mat on the plants unless it's freezing. 
 
peppamang said:
No worries man! No such thing as a silly question. Personally, I go from solo cups to 5 or 7 gal buckets. The solo to 2, then to 5 is just running the risks that come along with transplanting. Plus, who really wants to pot up twice? 
 
I feel like if reptile lights worked, indoor growers wouldn't be spending 10x the amount for grow lights. Indoor growing isn't my expertise, so hopefully someone with more indoor experience can chime in on what they think of the reptile lights. Same goes for the heating mat, I've never heard of keeping a mat on the plants unless it's freezing. 
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Gotcha, I'll just move to 5 gal then!
 
And that makes sense, didn't really think it through. Question regarding temps. though, once a seed germinates, would the plant be able to grow and produce pods at around 75 degrees?
 
Thanks again man!
 
InsectMan said:
 
Gotcha, I'll just move to 5 gal then!
 
And that makes sense, didn't really think it through. Question regarding temps. though, once a seed germinates, would the plant be able to grow and produce pods at around 75 degrees?
 
Thanks again man!
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Yes, for sure. I don't use a mat at all for my seeds and they do just fine in ambient room temp, even after they've sprouted. Peppers ideally grow at around 80~ and will tolerate night temps ~50. If you're worried about the temp, it isn't heating mats on the soil you want, you want to heat the air around the plants. If you're tent growing and concerned about low temps, do some research on a safe heating method for keeping a grow tent warm. 
 
peppamang said:
Yes, for sure. I don't use a mat at all for my seeds and they do just fine in ambient room temp, even after they've sprouted. Peppers ideally grow at around 80~ and will tolerate night temps ~50. If you're worried about the temp, it isn't heating mats on the soil you want, you want to heat the air around the plants. If you're tent growing and concerned about low temps, do some research on a safe heating method for keeping a grow tent warm. 
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Will do, thanks!

Quick question, do you think this fluorescent light would work well?:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DP6P1NG/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
 
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