P. Dreadie Memorial Group Grow 2016

Long-time THP veterans mourned the loss last August of Amarillo, Texas musician/songwriter/silversmith/chilehead Erin Mason, known to us here on the boards as P. Dreadie. Erin was an enigma, one of the most interesting and creative, yet gentle and loving guys I ever knew. Many of us may be unaware that he played harmonica in one of the original Austin, Texas bands of the early 1970s "Cosmic Cowboy" era, Alvin Crow and the Pleasant Valley Boys. When Erin decided to step off of Alvin's perpetually-touring bus and return to Amarillo, he travelled to Jamaica, fell in love with the Reggae beat, collected the best Scotch Bonnet fruit he could find, and his alter-ego Papa Dreadie was born.

In 2013 Erin sent me a few pods of the Scotch Bonnets he had been breeding, carefully selected descendants of the original fruit he brought back from the Caribbean all those years ago. I harvested every single seed from those pods, and stored them away, as I focused increasing attention on other varieties. When his wife Liz gave us the news last August that Erin had passed, I knew what I had to do with those seeds: a community grow in his memory. I have already shared about half of them, and I will continue to share them with experienced growers of the Scotch Bonnet until they are gone.

Papa Dreadie Scotch Bonnet Select, grown by Erin in 2013:

Lifetime memories posted by Liz Mason on Erin's FB page. Liz is an extremely talented professional photographer:

The legendary bus:

 

[Malarky]

 
PERFECT DREADIES NEIL!!! 
 
 
 
Sorry about that, Matt...Looks like it's time for me to start isolating my seed plants. On the other hand, you might have a real nice new cross there...Looks to be Papa Dreadie x Forbing Naga. I'm glad to hear they taste good...How's the heat level?

Don't worry Gary! I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to munch some Grade A fruits. I've got a whole bag of seed still. Just a bit of a lottery.

The red pods I'm getting are probably hot hab level.

 

[stettoman]

Mmm boy, I got my Dreadie seed from Matt too. Looking for Peachy then, am I?
 

 
The papery flower petals are neat.
 
 

 

[Devv]

I planted a month or so late this season, so I'm a bit behind y'all, but my Dreadie plants are podding up nicely now...I'm so ready to bite into one of these juicy chunks of Caribbean happiness!!!
 

 

 
 

 
Great happy gals there Gary! And loading up!
 
I'm very impressed with the pods that I've harvested from my 2 plants. I've saved the seeds, as I had them quite away off from the rest of my grow. My garden WILL be loaded up with them next year. They simply out perform the MOA's, and, I like the pepper more as well. A great pepper Gary. Once again. I'm humbled by your kindness in sharing these fantastic seeds!
 

 

[peppamang]

Here's an update on my Dreadie plant.

Dropped the only pod it had on it today. I think I might be having some pest problems based on the leaves but hopefully it gets better. 
Looks like my pods are a little off pheno but it seems to have the spikey bumps like the selected pheno does. 

 

[Malarky]

Here's an update on my Dreadie plant.

Dropped the only pod it had on it today. I think I might be having some pest problems based on the leaves but hopefully it gets better. 
Looks like my pods are a little off pheno but it seems to have the spikey bumps like the selected pheno does. 

that pheno looks great! congrats! you'll be pumping out pods soon.

 

[windchicken]

Here's an update on my Dreadie plant.
Dropped the only pod it had on it today. I think I might be having some pest problems based on the leaves but hopefully it gets better. 
Looks like my pods are a little off pheno but it seems to have the spikey bumps like the selected pheno does. 

 
 

that pheno looks great! congrats! you'll be pumping out pods soon.

 
 
+1 what Matt said, peppamang...That's a perfect Dreadie! Keep doing what you're doing...

 

[windchicken]

 
Great happy gals there Gary! And loading up!
 
I'm very impressed with the pods that I've harvested from my 2 plants. I've saved the seeds, as I had them quite away off from the rest of my grow. My garden WILL be loaded up with them next year. They simply out perform the MOA's, and, I like the pepper more as well. A great pepper Gary. Once again. I'm humbled by your kindness in sharing these fantastic seeds!
 

 
I'm so glad you think so, Scott, and I have to agree...The Papa Dreadie is the best Scotch Bonnet around, and it was bred by a Lubbock cowboy hippie with a deep love of all things Jamaican!!! You can't make this stuff up!!!

 

[windchicken]

The Dreadies are beginning to hit their stride now:
 

 

[stickman]

Here's a mystery: I have a number of various peppers growing on the property, a total of 6 that I have potted, the rest in the dirt. I have no aphids or other pests that I know of on ANY of them except one: My potted PDreadie. Something is dining on the leaves, but only on the PDreadie plant. I have a Rocoto Amarillo and an Aji White Lightning Bolt directly next to it, and an Aji Amarillo, Aji Lemon Drop and an Aji Mango in pots within a few feet, but none of them infected.
 
I can visually not find a worm or mite or other pest on these leaves. The other PDreadie, out in the garden about 30 yards away has no sign of infestation.
 
Is there a chinense-specific pest that prefers Scotch Bonnets? This little bastard takes large chunks out of the leaves, then moves on to another leaf without finishing the one it was on.
 
Befuddled on the tundra.....me.
 

 
 

 
This looks just like the beetle damage we've been getting here. There are two types of nocturnal-feeding beetles that do it. Here's one... and it looks like this. https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/asiatic-garden-beetle

 
The other one is a more minor pest called the Oriental Beetle. https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/CAPS/pestInfo/orientalBtl.htm
 
Their feeding behavior is to come out after dark and feed until just before sunup, then bury themselves in the soil until the next night. That's why their damage looks so random. They tend to like soils that are easy to dig in. Your clay would make it harder for them unless you added lots of compost to lighten the soil.  There's a lot of color variation on the Oriental Beetle.. they can go from all-black to black and gray or brown on brown like a pinto bean. That's the color they get here. If your plants are big and healthy enough, they should only be a minor nuisance. Hope this helps...
 
My own P. Dreadies are finally starting to kick in here. I'm glad the wait is finally over!

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

Mine are coming along as well.
 

 

[Trident chilli]

Very impressive Chris you Gary and Rick are setting the benchmark... I am way behind tortoise and the hare scenario I hope

 

[Plantguy76]

20170727_150139 by Golden Retiever, on Flickr
20170727_150155 by Golden Retiever, on Flickr
Papa Dreadie

 

[windchicken]

 
This looks just like the beetle damage we've been getting here. There are two types of nocturnal-feeding beetles that do it. Here's one... and it looks like this. https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/asiatic-garden-beetle

AGB.jpg
 
The other one is a more minor pest called the Oriental Beetle. https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/CAPS/pestInfo/orientalBtl.htm
 
Their feeding behavior is to come out after dark and feed until just before sunup, then bury themselves in the soil until the next night. That's why their damage looks so random. They tend to like soils that are easy to dig in. Your clay would make it harder for them unless you added lots of compost to lighten the soil.  There's a lot of color variation on the Oriental Beetle.. they can go from all-black to black and gray or brown on brown like a pinto bean. That's the color they get here. If your plants are big and healthy enough, they should only be a minor nuisance. Hope this helps...
 
My own P. Dreadies are finally starting to kick in here. I'm glad the wait is finally over!

Dreadie.jpg

 
Beautiful Dreadie fruit Rick!!!
 

Mine are coming along as well.
 

 
Perfect porn there, Chris, as always!
 

Very impressive Chris you Gary and Rick are setting the benchmark... I am way behind tortoise and the hare scenario I hope

 
Thanks John!!! You will have Dreadie fruit this year, I know it!
 

20170727_150139 by Golden Retiever, on Flickr
20170727_150155 by Golden Retiever, on Flickr
Papa Dreadie

 
 
Looking real good, PG!!!

 

[windchicken]

First reaping of the season, an almost-full Medium Flat Rate Box of Papa Dreadie Scotch Bonnet, going to my pal Tim Krucker in South Louisiana. There are this many more green pods on the plants (video uploading now):
 

 

[Superhot Sim]

First reaping of the season, an almost-full Medium Flat Rate Box of Papa Dreadie Scotch Bonnet, going to my pal Tim Krucker in South Louisiana. There are this many more green pods on the plants (video uploading now):
 

That's a real box of beauty there Gary, stunning pods.

Sent from my VFD 900 using Tapatalk

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

Nice box of pods! I'm starting to get some flowers on my P. Dreadie. Hopefully the pods grow true.

 

[windchicken]

That's a real box of beauty there Gary, stunning pods.

Sent from my VFD 900 using Tapatalk

 
Thanks Simmy!
 

Nice box of pods! I'm starting to get some flowers on my P. Dreadie. Hopefully the pods grow true.

 
 
Thanks Dale!
 
Here's the aforementioned video, taken just before I picked the above box of pods:
 
[media]https://youtu.be/LYv-mB9krhI[/media]

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Nice work guys!

 

[windchicken]

Nice work guys!

 
Thanks THP!

 

[Malarky]

i love how tall the plants are before they even fork