Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - BajaJohn

Pages: 1 ... 4 5 [6] 7
126
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Accurate weather tracker?
« on: February 22, 2017, 10:04:10 AM »
Besides the forecasting aspect, i am always looking for a website that keeps the track of the temperatures of the last days.
https://www.wunderground.com/history

127
Cold Hardy Citrus / Re: Solar power generator for space heater
« on: February 21, 2017, 12:40:48 PM »
You need a bigger greenhouse! I thought you were talking about enclosures for single plants but solar electric heating still seems a burdensome option.
There are solar water heater panels available that you could use to heat water in 55 gallon drums if you have the space. One example is https://www.amazon.com/EZ-37-Solar-Water-Heater-Heliatos/dp/B007F54PUY. You could also look into insulating your greenhouse - even a removable cover for nighttime.
Google insulated greenhouse kits and insulated greenhouse covering for more ideas.
A fine wire mesh box will isolate combustion as a fire precaution. There are also small kerosene, propane and solid fuel heaters available (5000 BThU / 2's) that are completely enclosed (http://www.go2marine.com/category/14757/marine-boat-heaters-for-boats.html) at around $600. The kerosene models use about 1 gallon per 24 hours but they may produce too much heat for you.

128
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Accurate weather tracker?
« on: February 21, 2017, 11:35:30 AM »
I've used forecasting sites for more than 10 years and found wunderground.com to be most reliable. If you are in coastal areas passageweather.com has great wind forecasts.

129
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Best battery backpack sprayers
« on: February 19, 2017, 11:49:57 PM »
There are reviews for these sprayers out there if you Google them. I use a Greenwood 4 gallon hand sprayer from Harbor Freight - about $30 which is $10 less than Amazon. It works very well for me although I get my spraying done with just one fill.

4 gallons of water weighs about 32 pounds. The battery sprayers weigh about 60 lbs when full. If you need a heavy duty sprayer maybe think about something bigger as spaugh suggests.

130
Cold Hardy Citrus / Re: Solar power generator for space heater
« on: February 19, 2017, 10:20:03 PM »
The problem is storing the energy to generate heat overnight. LaCasaVerde has one solution. There are others ways to store heat directly.
Other thoughts would be candles, a kerosene lamp or heater or even a tiny wood or charcoal stove using trimmings from your trees although you may need to rig a thermostatically controlled blower to keep the temperature in a good range.
As for solar electricity, as with all methods, you need to figure the energy you will need. I will assume that a 100w incandescent light bulb would fit your needs. If you burn it for 12 hours you will consume 1.2 kWh of energy, equivalent to 100Ah at 12 volts. That determines the battery you will need. It needs to be double the energy you will us - in this case 200 Ah - at a cost of around $600 for an appropriate deep cycle battery. Solar panels run around $1 per watt. If you get 10 hours of usable sun per day, you need a minimum of 120 watts. With losses and cloudy days you should at least double that. A 250 W panel would cost you $250. A 20 amp charge controller runs around $100 and a 300 W inverter to produce the 110 volts for the light bulb would run under $50. That is about $1000. The battery is the limiting piece here (other than usable sun) and is also the most expensive.
Prices are from Northern Arizona Wind and Sun (https://www.solar-electric.com) which also has an awesome online forum with many real experts to answer any solar power questions you may have.

131
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: soil ph
« on: February 19, 2017, 06:35:25 PM »
Here is a list with pH of common items you could try as a quick test.
http://chemistry.about.com/od/acidsbases/a/phtable.htm

132
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Advantages of Eating Apples Every Day
« on: February 19, 2017, 02:27:01 PM »
For me I will continue to avoid pesticide exposure where it is meaningful, and especially for my kids.
That is good, and is your choice because you can afford it, but to influence the choice of others by misrepresenting apple juice as a "neurotoxin cocktail" is inappropriate, especially given the conclusion of the EWG. The concern about autism related to vaccinations is a similar issue. Did you have your kids vaccinated?

133
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: soil ph
« on: February 19, 2017, 02:05:48 PM »
All those readings seem rather high. You might want to check your pH meter.
Rain is generally under 6 but can be affected by local conditions. Higher pH usually arises from dust in the atmosphere which washes out fairly quickly. Did you test immediately the rain started and was your second test after a dry, windy spell when more dust could have been loaded up?
As he said, sulphur intensifies the "heat" of onions which isn't what sweet onions are grown for.

134
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Advantages of Eating Apples Every Day
« on: February 19, 2017, 01:43:30 PM »
I never click on links in weird texts like this. Never know where I will end up.
Another "superfood" myth where "superfood" is officially regarded as a marketing term, not a food designation - and many scares about toxins equally shaky.
Many toxins break down rapidly after application and are rapidly metabolized when ingested at the low doses necessary to treat crops. True, authorities have a history of letting bad products slip through but that doesn't mean everything should be painted with the same broad strokes of impending doom. The health/health-food industry pushes all kinds of ideas that are later brought to question. Laetril was one. Here is what the National Library of Medicine says about "superfood" beta carotene and other antioxidants.... "There is growing concern that taking high doses of antioxidant supplements such as beta-carotene might do more harm than good. Some research shows that taking high doses of beta-carotene supplements might increase the chance of death from all causes, increase the risk of certain cancers, and possibly other serious side effects. In addition, there is also concern that taking large amounts of a multivitamin plus a separate beta-carotene supplement increases the chance of developing advanced prostate cancer in men." Clearly, ingestion of substances that can kill you at higher doses isn't reason alone to avoid a food. Overeating itself is now seen as a health risk. The most abundant "killer" in apples happens to be water (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill/). However, I doubt anyone would advise against eating Apple's because water can kill you. The same goes for oxygen which causes health risks at only twice the concentration we breathe (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8087571). It is lethal at ten times, that is how peroxide antiseptic works.
Even the watchdog Environmental Working Group says "The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure" (https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/faq.php#question_3). Sure, they also point out that buying organic lessens the risk, but the priority for way too many people is putting enough food on the table. The health risks of malnutrition in those cases likely trumps the risks of pesticide poisoning - especially if, as noted by some here, the product is washed and or peeled before consumption.

136
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Biggest storm in CA about to hit!
« on: February 18, 2017, 10:28:20 AM »
It looks like the storm is dying down now. Hope everyone in SoCal did OK. We're now getting fallout in Baja but only 30 mph gusts and only 0.5" of much needed rain.

137
Citrus General Discussion / Re: citrus and temperature
« on: February 17, 2017, 10:43:08 AM »
Thanks Zafra. Maybe I have a gem here and need to learn how to propagate and share my good fortune. From what I've read the Marsh is a good choice for a hot climate so may be one for you.
Good luck!

138
Citrus General Discussion / Re: The best way to clear grass under trees
« on: February 17, 2017, 10:29:24 AM »
This might sound silly but possibly worth a try. Pick a hot day and spray lightly with a strong fertiliser solution sufficient to soak the grass but not penetrate deep into the soil. The fertiliser burn should cause the grass to die back. Do it a few times as new grass appears until the roots are exhausted and die.

139
Citrus General Discussion / Re: citrus and temperature
« on: February 17, 2017, 01:21:59 AM »
Here are more pictures of my grapefruit to help figure out what it is. If March is so common, I'm sure I must have bought them in stores but I've never encountered anything as sweet and lacking in bitterness as the one I have although that doesn't sound like an issue for Zafra. It doesn't look much like the Oroblanco described on the internet. The skin seems about normal for grapefruit, it has seeds and the white fleshy parts are no more bitter than normal grapefruit.

The fruit quality is probably mostly an issue of variety compatible with your climate. I've experienced it with many vegetables where success even varies with time of year that seeds are sown. I also bought a pomegranate here that has thrived but the fruit is so acid that it is inedible. Other pomegranates around here are fine. I don't have the experience to make recommendations on varieties for you - sorry.

The climate probably influences picking time too. Although I'm only 2 degrees (140 miles) South of Lakeland (home Dr Manner's FSC) in latitude, I've been picking grapefruit since mid-January and they have been as good as they ever get. Temperature ranges seem about the same, humidity is about 15% lower and rain here is rare.





I hand-squeezed the 2 grapefruit I cut and got about 5 fl oz of juice from each, along with 4 seeds from one and 6 seeds from the other.


140
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Selecting mature fruit from the tree
« on: February 16, 2017, 12:05:08 PM »
Some fruits more than others are at their best when left to mature on the tree. I'm also guessing that some fruit keeps better on the tree than if they are harvested and stored, unless you have special storage facilities.
My question is how to harvest and/or treat fruit for the best eating quality. One issue for me is how to select fruit on the tree that is mature/ready for picking. I'm sure that it depends on the fruit and non-commercial growers have much more leeway for getting that perfect fruit, so I'd like to hear how people do this.
I was never able to pick good apricots from the tree and noted that the best tasting were the ones that had fallen, so I rigged up a cloth to catch the fruit when it fell. I couldn't see/feel any difference between the fruit still on the tree and the fruit I caught in the cloth, but the fallen apricots were way juicier and sweeter. I do the same with my mangos now - in part because because of the numbers and the trees are so high that it would be a major undertaking to check the individual fruits.
Citrus, I used to check with a gentle tug but the mandarins often sounded like I was tearing something inside. I now rotate the fruit 90 degrees to the stem and pull even more gently. That seems to work well with Valencia and Mandarin oranges and grapefruit but doesn't work with Key limes which are at their best when still green, before they yellow and they are far from their best if they are left to fall from the tree.
I also seem to find that the citrus at the top and on the South side of the trees seem to mature first, presumably because of sun exposure.

141
Citrus General Discussion / Re: citrus and temperature
« on: February 16, 2017, 11:08:42 AM »
Hi Zafra - I share a similar "cold" problem at 23 latitude in Baja California with summer highs in the 90s and winter lows generally mid- 50s. Humidity generally ranges from 25 (winter) to 65 (summer). This is a new climate to me, so I'm keen to find others to share experiences.
The citrus I have and my interest in growing them was all inherited when I bought the house 4 years ago so I'm no expert. I don't even know what varieties I have. There are Valencia and Mandarin oranges, lemons, Mexican limes and yellow grapefruit which all seem to thrive here and produce tasty, juicy fruit (again, I'm no expert on quality).
The grapefruit tree produces the only grapefruit that I've ever enjoyed eating. My wife is a grapefruit fan and says they are the best she has ever tasted. They are less sour than other grapefruit and are so sweet that they never need sugar. They are also very juicy. Maybe it is the variety but I haven't identified it. I'll add images if it can help identify it and can add more specific photographs on request to help identify it.
My wife also pointed out that pink grapefruit are usually the sweetest, so you could try growing those.
Not sure if it has anything to do with fruit quality but the tree was severely traumatised in the past. It was in very poor shape with loads of dead branches when I inherited it 4 years ago. The garden had been neglected for about 10 years and the grapefruit was overgrown by another tree which almost enveloped it.

Close-up of leaves and fruit (about 5" diameter)


The tree on Feb 16. We have been picking fruit for a couple months so it is looking a bit depleted.


142
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Vegetable Forum
« on: February 05, 2017, 01:16:47 PM »
You are correct, many veggies are botanical fruits so we have to be botanists instead of cooks. The issue went to the Supreme Court in the U.S. in 1893 (Nix. v. Hedden) where the court rule unanimously that a tomato was a vegetable. At the time vegetables were taxed higher than fruit. Money talks!
Thanks for the list. I'm new to this climate and am trying to create a productive garden that is easy to care for (moderately lazy but mostly busy). Perennials are a plus so I must give chayote a try. Store-bought turmeric has never sprouted. Ginger seems to struggle with dry leaves although some recently purchased ginger is sprouting like crazy - maybe a different variety. I'm hoping the current die-off of my ginger is just dormancy in the cold season (high 50s). Lemon grass does well here and tomatoes grow like weeds. I'm also exploring the more traditional veggies that cope with the hot, dry climate here. Swiss chard, beet and kale are surprises that do well. On the other end of the spectrum, nopal grows wild here.
I'm trying to figure out how to push into the hot season (90+ day and night). Corn grows well and tomatoes under shade but neither produce "fruit" - apparently because the summer heat reduces pollen viability.

143
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« on: February 04, 2017, 06:52:46 PM »
Wow! Some great pictures here. Thanks!

I have a nest of honeybees in a huge tamarind tree.  The nest is about 1 meter across and they swarmed about a month ago. Now I have a box full of bees too.

Also the biggest wasp I've ever met. After poking my finger at it for scale, I read that this tarantula wasp is second only to the bullet ant for the most painful sting. Hummingbirds are frequent visitors too but they don't pose for pictures.






144
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Vegetable Forum
« on: February 04, 2017, 10:06:40 AM »
I'll add my voice to the votes to resurrect the Tropical Vegetable Forum. I'm no internet expert but will volunteer to help sort it out if there is enough interest and other help.

I recently moved to a place just a few miles north of Tropic of Cancer and need to learn about cultivation in a climate that is totally different from my previous gardening experiences.

145
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Пожалуйста о
« on: February 04, 2017, 09:56:37 AM »
Careful! Tried to check out the author and got a suspicious action. When I clicked on his name on his profile page, it downloaded a file named "tropicalfruitforum/index" to my device. Deleted it immediately without opening it. Not 100% sure the link was from his name on the profile page but I'm not going to try it again to verify.

The Tropical Vegetable Forum is overrun with pornography posts in Russiuan. Hope that isn't migrating to here.

146
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Newbie - Bug ID and bark peeling on my Jabo
« on: February 01, 2017, 08:34:08 PM »
Hard to tell from the image. A close-up may help. Looks like 6 legs so not spiders, antennae but hard to tell if they have wings. Barklice? http://www.knowyourinsects.org/barklice.jpg Check out the website to get an idea of critical features for insect ID. Never tried them, but there are also services like http://pestproapp.com that offer to ID bugs over the internet.
Sounds like they could have been newly emerged juveniles that have now moved on.

147
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: I need help with lychee and mango tree
« on: February 01, 2017, 12:17:13 PM »
I had the same leaf tip browning on my lychee for about 3 years after I planted it. Sometimes half of every leaf would turn brown. I dug compost in the bed a couple of years ago. The big improvement though coincided with when I began a daily soaking, filling a 4" deep trench around the tree with water. More new leaf flushes appeared after a couple of years of almost no growth and the new leaves are staying green. Still hasn't fruited.


148
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: is this nopal/prickly pear?
« on: February 01, 2017, 11:50:08 AM »
There many different varieties of nopal (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nopal, http://www.naturalista.mx/taxa/47902-Opuntia). Some are tastier than others. You don't have a scale so it is tough to guess the size. It looks like the pads and fruit are quite small. Your first picture looks like the pads originate from stalks which I haven't seen on the nopal I've encountered. There is a guide to identify nopal varieties at http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Opuntia and taste of different varieties are described in http://luv2garden.com/prickly_pear_varieties.html.
My first picture is one from a nopal pad I planted from the local grocery store. I love them grilled although the slightly jellified (snotty!) texture can be off-putting to some. They have a pleasant hint of lemon. The second one is a different variety which doesn't taste so good. It is bland and I was told by locals that the fruit (locally called tuna) was inedible. They also told me that the fruit of the variety providing nopal pads sold in the stores are not good to eat either. The tasty fruit comes from another variety of nopal.
Fruits on both my nopales are about 3 cm diameter and 8 cm long. The edible fruits sold here are about the same size. Neither pads nor fruits have visible spines but both have nasty hairs around the "eyes" (Glochids) that get into your skin and irritate for hours if you don't remove them - and they are difficult to see! The parts that may look like spines are quite soft, originating from each glochid of the pad. They fall off as the pad matures.




149
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Mulching for New Orchard - Good or Bad?
« on: January 25, 2017, 04:49:35 PM »
Not suggesting mulch shouldn't be used - or that tree trimming mulch is bad (I was thinking branches rather than leaves, so yes, type is important). Just suggesting there may be other things to consider for soil improvement - pretty much along the lines Jeff suggested in one of his earlier posts. I wasn't sure if the plan was for an organic orchard which is why I made the comments on compost. I've been surprised at the rapid pace of composting here - including (but not exclusively) chipped woody tree trimmings. I'll try to put things together and post a description of what I do in an appropriate thread.

150
Citrus General Discussion / Re: My mandarin harvest looks promising
« on: January 25, 2017, 03:13:42 PM »
Thanks Mick and Millet. Yes the mandarins are juicy and tasty this year. My first thought on the dry crop was lack of water too and I soaked them a couple of times a week but then I read that the problem also occurred in well watered citrus and backed off the watering last year. My (Valencia?) oranges have not had the same problem. The other thing I did last year was throw a load of compost around the trees. The link Millet kindly provided seems to verify the conclusion of my efforts to remedy the problem - no-one seems to know why it happens so I doubt I will figure it out either.

Pages: 1 ... 4 5 [6] 7