Making cider help

Hello, I want to make some good cider and I would like to clarify some things to make sure I end up with a good product.
I have got wine yeast, a 5 litre jug, 5ltr apple juice and little plastic 500ml bottles(sparkling water bottles that I recycled).

I am not 100% about Carbonation and also I want to know if it is possible to backsweeten without glass bottles(pasteurization method) or Kmeta.

How long after I pitch the yeast should I bottle and carbonate? If I do the 3rd week when it's still cloudy I will end up with a lot of sediment.

If I bottle and carbonate on the 4th week carbonation is a lot slower as I have observed.
Also, should I follow any recipes? I might try the caramel one(I guess I could divide the ingredients by 5 for 1 gallon batch)

Now, how long should I age? I waited 1 month and 2 weeks when I tried my 2 gal batch and it was okay but there was no apple flavor and it was dry and really bitter.
Sorry if I am asking too much, it's just I would like to get this perfect on my first shot if possible

Backsweetening is possible in plastic but make damned well sure of there being NO yeast activity going on or you will end up with bottle bombs.
I think some people use the campden tablets for this.

weeks in primary before racking/force carbing.....now i'm sure everyone has a different take on this but i let EVERYTHING sit in primary for at least a month..I do this to give the yeast time to remove any diacytel that was produced during the fermentaion.After the month i rack to 2ndary and use a clearing agent called K.C.-Super Kleer (keisiol and chitosan) it's easy to use and works overnight,does a really good job of clearing the cider. Rack to your bottling bucket after using the KC and letting it sit for a few days, this will solve your sediment issue.

Recipes....the simpler the better to start with. Try what you like.

Aging......1 month primary, 2-14 days 2ndary, 3 weeks + in bottles before drinking.

Using a strong wine yeast will get you a `dry` tasting cider unless you backsweeten. ( or like my recipe overload the yeast with more sugar than it can convert to alcohol )
If you want a sweeter cider perhaps you should try using an ale yeast strain and not have to worry about backsweetening/bottle bombs as much.
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Cheers

Hello, I want to make some good cider and I would like to clarify some things to make sure I end up with a good product.

I have got wine yeast, a 5 litre jug, 5ltr apple juice and little plastic 500ml bottles(sparkling water bottles that I recycled).

Plastic bottles do not always reseal well, be careful. These bottles might not hold carbonation long. I have not tried using them myself, but many forum members are adamant about not using them.

I am not 100% about Carbonation and also I want to know if it is possible to backsweeten without glass bottles(pasteurization method) or Kmeta.

Backsweetening without pasteurizing or dosing it with chemicals is possible. You will need some non-fermentable sugar. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/non-fermentable-sweetener-305530/

How long after I pitch the yeast should I bottle and carbonate? If I do the 3rd week when it's still cloudy I will end up with a lot of sediment.
How long depends on a lot of factors. The best way is to watch the SG to know when it is done. And yes, still cloudy = sediment. But it is hard to bottle carb and avoid sediment.

If I bottle and carbonate on the 4th week carbonation is a lot slower as I have observed.

The more yeast you have floating around in your cider (more cloudy), the faster it will bottle carb. However, there are other things that can slow down fermentation/carbonation.

Also, should I follow any recipes? I might try the caramel one(I guess I could divide the ingredients by 5 for 1 gallon batch)

For your first time I would try to keep it simple. But don’t let that hold you back if you want to try a recipe. Some newbies will even come up with their own original recipe to start with.

Now, how long should I age? I waited 1 month and 2 weeks when I tried my 2 gal batch and it was okay but there was no apple flavor and it was dry and really bitter.

Aging might bring back some flavor, but your choice in juice, yeast and other ingredients will have an effect as well. If it was too dry and bitter, maybe try an ale yeast and/or a little more backsweetening sugars. No apple flavor? Then stay away from the stronger yeasts like EC 1118 and try to ferment at a lower temperature to prevent flavors from disappearing.

You can also add some apple juice concentrate to add apple flavor. It will however up your alcohol content if you add more sugars.

Sorry if I am asking too much, it's just I would like to get this perfect on my first shot if possible

That’s what the forum is here for. However, there is a lot to be learned from previous posters as well. Try reading through old post and you might find you learn a lot. You might answer your next question before it even becomes a question…

If your cider seems to have stopped fermenting after two days can you add yeast to if to get it started again. I am going the wild yeast way

Sorry to butt in

Sometimes fermentation will be VERY rapid the fisrt few days. If you ferment in a warm climate this definately holds true. HOWEVER just because the airlock isn't bubbling once every other second DOES NOT MEAN THAT FERMENTATION IS COMPLETED. Use your hydrometer. `Finished would be a reading of 1.000 or less in most cider cases. I personally let everything sit in primary for a month to aid in removal of diacetyl and recommend doing this for ALL brews (beer/wine/cider/mead/anythingelseyouferment) this diacetyl rest becomes more important if you fermented warm/rapidly. If indeed you do have a stuck fermentation then pitch a stronger yeast (lalvin ec-1118 is pretty damned strong) to get it going again.

Hi . Thanks for your advice . I will measure the sg everyday as you suggest . There are still bubbles on the side of the glass but little movement. I am using wild yeast. The colour has changed from light brown to a dark almost green colour. Tastes good.