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Muchos gracias.
Overthinking stuff to ocd levels is generally my go to response to most situations…I have a bit of a background in ‘indoor farming’ shall we say ;) so understand nutrient levels, fans and the joys of grow lights. Depending on what else is going on there’s a chance I might be able to put them under grow lights but no guarantee on that. Would daylight bulbs in a desk lamp do, or better off with something a bit more dedicated?
Have just found a guy called ChilliChump on yt, uk based and lots of overly detailed videos for me to obsess over…
edmundro-
I used to use a T5 day light bulb and heated mat when I was in to growing chilli's and really made a difference allowing them to be started much earlier and get really strong by the time it was to move them outside. I use to grow them in self watering pots and really aerated soil with perlite and vermiculite mixed in
greentricky
Don't overthink it, it's not rocket science.
Chillies like fluffy (not dense / compacted) soil, and roughly the same nutrients as tomatoes do.
I always did very well with tomato soil, sometimes added extra perlite (like Perligran, the white little pellets), also tomato / bell pepper type fertilizer is great.
Let the soil dry out to the point where the leaves look a bit "sad", this will let air get to the roots, don't water everyday, don't let them sit in water or else the roots will rot..
It's great to start early as mentioned above, indoors, with artificial light (daylight bulbs / tubes are just fine), lots of light close to the plants will give you nice and compact (non-leggy) little plants that are a perfect start for putting them outdoors when it's warm enough (over 10°C most nights).
Having a little fan nearby while they're indoors (turn on for half an hour a day) will help them become strong!