chinense School me on Safi Red Scotch Bonnets

Bicycle808

Bicycle808

I'm looking to grow some red Scotch Bonnet-type plants, and these kind of intrigue me.  There doesn't seem to be a ton of info on these, though.  I know they've got their origins in W.Africa.  I know they tend to run a bit on the hot side for a Bonnet.  And, I know they've got a fruity and sweet flavor up front, before the heat hits.  I see them listed on the Semillas site, where they are said to have "a very high yield of superhot, brilliant and tasty pods."  However, it seems like every third pepper on the Semillas site is described as offering very large yields, so I'm looking for opinions/experiences from THP members in terms of flavor, productivity, overall awesomeness (or lack thereof), etc.  I'm considering other red Bonnet types as well, but I watched some pod reviews on this one and it seems like a good'n.
 
Thoughst?
 
I'm definitely looking for seeds, but I'm planning an order from Semillas and, realistically, I'm so danged limited on space that i need to be careful not to overdo it.  So, I'm not actively seeking any donations or whatever.  I'm actually trying to plan out my first season of growing chiles for myself, so I'm being a real dork about it, with careful planning and research and all the other non-active shit I gotta do before I move into my new digs and start building my beds, the indoor nursery, etc....  I'll probably be less dorky once I get active, lol.
 
At the farm, we've grown a lot of common/easy peppers (jalapeños, bells, serranos, wax, habs, etc...), but I wanna branch out to some hotter stuff, of the sort I can't find at the local market. (Nothing exotic or rare; just a step or 2 up from the most commonplace stuff...) I'm trying some superhots, but I want to focus on the Bonnets b/c I enjoy the taste, plus they look killer and i have plans for some sauces and whatnot.  A few years back, I could easily find Bonnets with the correct pod shape at the local market, but lately it's usually just orange habs....sometimes labeled as habaneros, and other times labeled as Bonnets.
 
I am not familiar with Semillas, but be warned, seeds bought on the internet often do not grow true. If I had a dollar for every time someone posted that on here I would have about 278 bucks. If you find someone here at THP that will sell/give you seeds, the chances of them growing true are a lot closer to 100% than anywhere else.
 
Just my 2¢
 
I hear ya, and from what I'm seeing, there's a lot of curveballs being thrown at growers b/c a lot of seeds have been cross-pollinated with other strains so... I guess that's half the fun, right?  FWIW, the bro from Semillas is a member here, and his outfit gets nice reviews here on THP.  That being said, with the current situation where everyone's pepper patches are home to so many different varieties, I'm not counting on ANYthing growing true, regardless of the source  :scared: ....it'd just be nice if they do, right?
 
All i'm really trying to do is get some information, get my groundation going, and MAYBE, by this time next year, i'll have half a clue.   :shocked:
 
Scoville DeVille said:
 
Really? That's cool. Do you know his name here?
 
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Yeah; strangely enough, his username on THP is "Semillas."  Ha.  His real name is Peter.  Here's the THP vendor review thread on Semillas
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29123-semillas-la-palma/
 
Scoville DeVille said:
 
Let me know your trick. :rofl:
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My basic strategy for most of my hobbies and passtimes is to make big plans, but keep my expectations low.  Sometimes, I get a clue as a result.  :oops:
 
Thanks for the input on the peppers.  In my quest to find a clue, I guess I'm going to have to try growing more varieties, just to grow/see/taste for myself.  The yard is real small, but the plan is to use like 75% of it for gardening, so maybe I'll have room.  I'm thinking I'll try the danged Safis, but order up some red Congo Trinidads (yeah, not technically a bonnet, but they got those deep grooves and a fruitier flavor than a regular Hab.... and s'posedly they produce a lot of pods, so.....) as well as a few other interesting yellow or orange SBs (MOA, TFM, try some Bahamian Goats for use with some Goat Chili.... sure, it's not like they're for using with goat meat, but I wanna enter a chili competition, and some folks go in for that gimmicky shit... :party:) 
 
I'm hoping that, what I lack in terms of cluelessness, I can make up for with enthusiasm.
 
I grew SAFI red bonnets a couple of years ago and absolutely loved them. Ordered more seeds this year for next season as I mistakenly thought I still had some saved.
From my experience with them, I can say they do have great yields and the flavour is outstanding. Heat is higher than MoA bonnets, and based on memory alone I'd put it close by the P. Dreadie bonnets I'm growing this year. Now that I have seeds again it'll be a definite grow every year.
 
MeatHead1313 said:
I grew SAFI red bonnets a couple of years ago and absolutely loved them. Ordered more seeds this year for next season as I mistakenly thought I still had some saved.
From my experience with them, I can say they do have great yields and the flavour is outstanding. Heat is higher than MoA bonnets, and based on memory alone I'd put it close by the P. Dreadie bonnets I'm growing this year. Now that I have seeds again it'll be a definite grow every year.
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That sounds really promising; glad to hear that you like'm so much, and even better if they're really productive like that....
tctenten said:
I have ordered from Semillas a couple of years ago and it was a good experience. The only issue you may have is with customs. The SB's are quickly becoming one of my favorites.
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SBs are just all-around rad chiles.  They're hot, but they don't melt your face off.  The flavour is definitely there, they look awesome if the pods're true-to-type and, as a jerk chicken and reggae enthusiast, I'm basically obligated to appreciate the Bonnets...
 
As far as customs goes, do you think it'd be a delay, or an upcharge, or both?  I can stand to wait a bit, but I hate paying extra for bullchit.... :rolleyes:
 
I have not been on his site in awhile, but last time he recommended filling out some sort of paperwork to ensure no customs issues. Or you can just hope they make it here.

I just harvested a bunch of MOA's and Baha goats today. They do very well here...I am in NJ too.
 
peppamang said:
Im in NJ and I've got MOA Bonnet and 7 pot seeds. I can hook you up for free around December/January when the seeds are being sent around!  :welcome:
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That'd be rad... I could trade you for some Paper Lantern seeds, maybe some other goodshit by then.... keep me in mind; definitely looking for MOAs.
 
Bicycle808 said:
That'd be rad... I could trade you for some Paper Lantern seeds, maybe some other goodshit by then.... keep me in mind; definitely looking for MOAs.
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I'll probably forget by then, although as long as you PM me around whenever you start seeds I'll send em your way. It shouldn't take long and I've got loads of MOA SB seeds.
 
peppamang said:
I'll probably forget by then, although as long as you PM me around whenever you start seeds I'll send em your way. It shouldn't take long and I've got loads of MOA SB seeds.
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Appreciated.  As a fellow Jerseyman, I was curious as to when you start your chinense. I tend to start anuum pretty late, b/c I'm  natural procrastinator, but I'm thinking the chinense will be far less forgiving of that habit.  FWIW, I'm in Camden County, but I'm pretty sure that NJ is small enough that we're all in the same "zone."
 
Bicycle808 said:
Appreciated.  As a fellow Jerseyman, I was curious as to when you start your chinense. I tend to start anuum pretty late, b/c I'm  natural procrastinator, but I'm thinking the chinense will be far less forgiving of that habit.  FWIW, I'm in Camden County, but I'm pretty sure that NJ is small enough that we're all in the same "zone."
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http://thehotpepper.com/topic/58541-tcs-2016-pepper-patch/

There is a link to my Glog. It has all the dates that I started various seeds and you can see the size they were when planted out. This year I started middle of January. I think the latest you want to start Chinense is mid Feb for our climate.
 
MeatHead1313 said:
I grew SAFI red bonnets a couple of years ago and absolutely loved them. Ordered more seeds this year for next season as I mistakenly thought I still had some saved.
From my experience with them, I can say they do have great yields and the flavour is outstanding. Heat is higher than MoA bonnets, and based on memory alone I'd put it close by the P. Dreadie bonnets I'm growing this year. Now that I have seeds again it'll be a definite grow every year.
Click to expand...
 
curious , where did you order your safi reds from ? looking to tune down the heat for next year , sounds like a good pepper to start with . 
 
frank
 
tctenten said:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/58541-tcs-2016-pepper-patch/

There is a link to my Glog. It has all the dates that I started various seeds and you can see the size they were when planted out. This year I started middle of January. I think the latest you want to start Chinense is mid Feb for our climate.
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Checked out your GLog; you're getting some incredible results.  I'll use the dates and benchmarks from your GLog as my blueprint for 2017...Thanks for sharing!
 
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