The Tropical Fruit Forum

Temperature has a greater effect than night or day. Pores close up to hold moisture in as the temperature rises. I try and spray in the early morning hours for that is usually the coolest time of the day. Also the underside of the leaves have more pores so it is best to make sure you wet them.

Had the same temperatures and have the same situation that you do. Last year the first bloom was a total loss but the second bloom set seven fruit.
Still to early to tell from last night.

Like many space is very valuable to me so I am starting to go through and take out plants that do not give me a good return for the space they take.
Today I removed my Solanum robustum.
Plus side it is a very fast grower. It reashed 15 feet tall in two years from 1 gallon pot. It has had many blooms and a few flowers. I may have needed a second one for better fruit set.
Minus side it has rose like thorns on all branches. The thorns also are on the back of all the leaves. All the thorns are back barded and very sharp. The fruit are smaller than a golf ball and are a nice yellow skin when ripe. To me the taste was OK but not great, but my wife did not like them.
The space will now go to three Grewia asiatica.

My Pickering had a very exstensive bloom in Jan. and Feb. but set very few fruit with the coninuous cool weather limiting polinators. It has just started another major Bloom cycle.

I got some ground Neem tree bark from (http://neemtreefarms.com/) and have great success with it in controlling ants. I mix it into my potting mix at about 1% by volume. It seems to control most pests from bothering the plant. I even sprinkle some on the surface to keep rodents away. It is not always listed on there web site so you may need to email them to get info.

I ordered 30 seeds out of hawaii and got 40 in the mail. All of them germinated and some are already six foot tall. I need to cut them back to get multiple trunks. I have been giving them away all over Central Florida.

Bottomed out here at about 34 degrees. No frost showing. Greenhouse held mid 50s so all came throudh in good shape. Getting planty of chill hours early this year for the things that need it.

Mike,

There are a number of people that have them in the ground and they are large trees. It is border line here but they will be fine as long as we do not get any of the freezes from the 1980s that killed the commercial citrus industry in Central Florida. There are a number of us that are close to lakes where we hold better temperatures than others.

Jim

33 degrees was the lowest I had. I set the greenhouse temp at 58 degrees and it seemed to have held all night. Checked the papayas and lemons that were is opens areas and did not feel any frost in them. Looks like everything came through nicely. Only worry I have is that my Mango which is in full bloom is not getting pollinized.

There are ways to release the nutrients from most any chemical. I agree with maui guy in that I would worry about what else is in the gray water.

Need to contact Adam

I have a stand of Bambo Greenstripe Vivax  (Bright yellow with green stripes, large leaves, tall and fast-growing, cold-hardy)
Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis' that is just now gotten big enough to produce large quanities of leaves.
I started using them in several planting beds and in a number of pots with tropical fruit trees as mulch/weed control. So far they are doing a great job of both.
Does anyone been using then and what should I be concerned about?

Great Photos. Such a wide selection of fruit.