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Messages - Daintree

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1
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Banana variety tastes
« on: March 27, 2024, 05:58:35 PM »
Gadzooks, I'm a good 30 miles north of you, kudos to you for being a determined fruit nut! :-)

You think THAT'S a long haul? We flew from Idaho into Tampa, drove down to the Keys, shopping along the way, then mailed our clothes home and filled four carry-ons with plants.  The guy at the x-ray machine asked my husband to "blink twice if you're carrying against your will..."   ;D

2
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Banana variety tastes
« on: March 27, 2024, 10:57:11 AM »
Going Bananas has a huge variety of plants.  When they were still doing mail order I got some things from them.  Now they are local only, by appointment. They are in Homestead.
I really like their stuff, and am sad I have to travel there to get corms.

Carolyn

3
Well, it's not like I bathe in it.  :o

4
As a general rule, plant seeds to a depth of  1 1/2 times the size of the seed. Tiny seeds I put right on top of the soil and sprinkle a little vermiculite on top, then keep the vermiculite damp.

5
Very cute little setup!
I always use seed starting trays, lights and heat mats.
Most tropical seeds are going to want warm soil, so definitely go with heat mats! They are designed to not cook the seeds, so work indoors or in a greenhouse.

As far as light, I would go with about 12-15 hours of light, just put the lights on a timer.
 
All species are different, but most tropical seeds are similar - don't plant them too deep, keep them warm and put a light on them.

Most (but not all!) seeds need light and warmth to germinate. Not that you are growing these, but for example, brassicas like broccoli seeds want cool soil temps and darkness to germinate. Tomato seeds want light, and can tolerate up to 100 degree soil temps.

Just make sure it doesn't get too humid and you start growing mold, etc. I like to spray my seedlings and the soil with Consan or Physan (brand names), diluted according to the label, to prevent damping off.

Cheers,
Carolyn

6
Ok, a couple of things. I think you might be killing it with attention.

The pot is probably too big. It is holding a lot of water. Forget the top two inches and stick a spoon clear to the bottom of the pot and pull out a bit of soil. I bet it is sopping wet. I am guessing the leaves look like that because the roots are drowning and can't pick up enough nutrients.

Organic fertilizer doesn't work in potting soil because there are no beneficial micro organisms in the soil to break them down and deliver them, months later, to the plant.

I don't know how on earth almost straight peat moss can be giving you a pH of 6.8. Are you measuring the pH of the water??? Stop the RO water. pH is too high. Just use rainwater. Rain water should be about 5.5 or so.

 I would repot in a smaller pot, in 2/3 peat, almost 1/3 perlite, and a bit of regular potting soil. I always put some small chunk bark on top of my pots as a water breaker, to keep all the perlite from floating to the top.  Mix some Osmocote Plus into the top inch or so of soil and quit putting everything else on it.

Don't worry about the red leaves, you are probably not giving it too much light. Mine always come in with red leaves and they are pretty big and fruit like crazy.

Carolyn

7
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Seed prices are silly
« on: March 12, 2024, 09:25:05 AM »
Yeah, I like to collect the actual fruit as much as possible, then I have all the seeds I want.
But when I buy seeds, I usually go for the $1 each ones, so I can order a handful.  Sometimes they all come up and I have extras, but I prefer that over buying ONE seed and it never germinates.

Carolyn

8
bought some seeds from this website about 8 days ago and till today they didnt ship my seeds nor they responded to my emails
i dont who bought from them but i think i got scammed



Patience, Grasshopper. You may be expecting instant gratification, but be careful before dissing someone.  Could hurt your reputation!

Carolyn

9
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: help about this issue
« on: March 08, 2024, 08:31:42 AM »
I dump seeds out to check on them all the time. All different kinds of seeds. Never seems to bother them.

Carolyn

10
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / SOLD Babaco cuttings for sale!!
« on: March 06, 2024, 02:14:43 PM »
These are all now SOLD.

I have some fresh babaco papaya cuttings for sale!
US only
$5 each plus postage

Carefully packaged with bubble wrap, all cuttings are marked as to which direction is "up"

Shipping depends on length of cutting and how many I can fit in a box, as listed below.  Will ONLY send Priority.
Priority shipping for up to six 8 1/2 inch cuttings is $10.40
Priority shipping for up to ten 12 inch cuttings is $18.40

PM me if interested

Thanks!
Carolyn

11
The only ones I have ever seen that get that big are the Panama Red.  They can get huge.
Maybe your original fruit was crossed with it?

Carolyn

12
Definitely best to get recommendations, like those above, from areas that have your same basic weather.
Here in the high desert and almost 3,000 ft in elevation, "full sun" has a whole other meaning than a humid, cloudy place closer to sea level.
Things that are labelled as full sun can fry to a crisp here out in the open, but when planted in shade or dappled sun they thrive.

Carolyn

13
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cacao questions
« on: March 01, 2024, 09:00:39 PM »
Never had cupuacu, but the pulp of theobroma cacao is tasty. Sort of lemony and sticky. You have to suck it off the seeds.

14
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Indoor bananas
« on: March 01, 2024, 08:58:27 PM »
You are probably stuck with a cavendish type, such as super dwarf. However, the difference in taste between a fresh grown banana and a store bought one is like night and day.

15
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cacao questions
« on: March 01, 2024, 05:30:35 PM »
Others may correct me if I give wrong information, but here is what I have noticed -
I have several mature cacao trees in my greenhouse.  They all flowered by year two.  They are in 25 gallon pots.

The only ones that seems capable, or willing, to fruit without my intervention is forestero. And when I say intervention, I mean a full court press of tweezers, jewelers loupe, marking pen, and the ability to get out there every morning for a month.  Of course, I am a sicko and find that sort of fun...

They do not like anything below 50 degrees, and I actually keep the tropical house higher than 60 even at night if I can.

I have sold seedlings to people who kill them really fast, so I don't honestly know what the trick is, but I have very good luck with them.  I have some seeds prepping to germinate now that my son brought back from Belize. 

I have forestero and trinatario all grown up right now.  The fruit set is very low, and you can't really make chocolate out of what you could grow in a greenhouse. It takes about 100 beans to make one chocolate bar, and a pod may make 40-50 beans.
If you really want to make "bean-to-bar" chocolate, order raw beans, roast and grind them yourself. Or buy a bunch of pods and go through the whole process.

But they make an AWeSOME conversation piece!!!

Carolyn

I guess I should add that "flowering" and "ability to hold fruit" are two different things.  The trunk needs to be nice and thick or the fruit aborts, usually when it is about the size of okra.  Four years, in a greenhouse, is probably a good expectation of holding fruit.

16
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Belize chocolate!
« on: February 29, 2024, 05:24:35 PM »
Well, my kids are back from their farm in Belize, and the grandkids have been returned to them, happy and in one piece.
Before they left I had gotten a permit for some cacao pods, most of which are destined for the Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland where my son does a presentation and lets everyone taste the cacao pulp and seeds.

Here is the really nice Mayan farmer who gave him some ripe pods, and his trees. His name is Filipetech, and he wanted to make sure he got on Facebook! On his farm, they don't make the distinction between criollo, forestero, etc. It is all just a mish-mash.  They also make an interesting local chocolate out of UNfermented roasted cacao beans, sugar and allspice that they cream together with a mortar and pestle.  The result is very soft, sort of grainy, with a very deep, primitive chocolate spice flavor.


And my portion of his treasure. After all, it WAS my USDA permit that got them in. I am going to use it again on our cruise next month and try to bring back more.





17
Looks like some sort of fungal leaf spot to me.  They like to be kept damp, but not soggy. Make sure you are not over-watering. 
You mentioned the spots are purple.  There is a chance it could be Phyllosticta minima, which is ugly but fairly harmless.  Other fungal spot diseases can be more harmful.

If I have anything possibly fungal show up, I cut back on the watering. Make sure the soil is not soggy.  If it is super wet, you can pull the plant out and replace the peat-based potting soil with something a little drier and throw the old stuff out. 
If it is not overly wet, I would spray it with Consan 20.  Consan is also good for preventing damping off in seedlings, so you should always have some around.
Good luck!

18
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Fruits in American samoa
« on: February 23, 2024, 02:43:16 PM »
They have most of the "usual suspects" - banana, plantain, papaya, cocoa, pineapple, breadfruit, mango, avocado etc.

Carolyn

19
I grow bitter leaf in my greenhouse, and I make lamb curry sometimes with it -
First, wash the bitter leaf leaves at least 10 times by soaking in warm water, swishing around, squeezing it, draining water, etc.
Chop coarsely and simmer in salted water for about 30 minutes. Drain well.
Then I put the lamb curry on top of the cooked leaves.
For my lamb curry I use grated tomatoes (I just grate halved tomatoes on a cheese grater as a fast way to get rid of the skins), a can of coconut milk, red or yellow curry paste, depending on my mood, and a chopped yellow onion and a cube of the plain Maggi seasoning. Then I simmer the chopped lamb in that.  If I am in a hurry I put the lamb in the pressure cooker first.

That is about all I can think of that doesn't have weird stuff in it.  I am not a fan of dried prawns or dried fish - REALLY salty.

You can also use the above recipe for the cooked bitter leaf as a substitute for cooked spinach in just about any recipe.  I have tossed the cooked bitter leaf with a bit of vinegar and cooked bacon and just treated them like cooked collard greens.

The big thing is that if you treat it right ahead of time, they should not be very bitter. No more than spinach.

Cheers,
Carolyn

20
I have found that the leaves get bigger as the plant matures.

21
I had one that went all across the floor of my greenhouse. The only problem I had was that the aerial roots, once they touch the ground, tunnel and spread like crazy.  Ripping it up was a challenge.  Then I trained it up some 2x4s to keep it out of the way.
So yeah, does fine as a ground cover but can be hard to remove once it takes hold.  And it is probably deliciosa, don't know of anything else commonly available with leaves that big.

Carolyn

22
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 1 Mango, 1 Rat, 2 Cats
« on: February 21, 2024, 10:08:35 AM »
Yeah, rat, not an opossum. We used to raise baby opossums from roadkill moms. Great summer project for the kids.
Feral cats can be deadly hunters, for survival. Good thing he attached himself to your yard!

23
Ok, FloridaManDan, I think you nailed it.  The leaves and the fruit look the same and the range is right. Description of the ripe fruit matches also, after spending a bit of time looking at different sites.  I am telling him it is probably philodendron jaquinii.

Thanks!!!

Carolyn

24
Definitely not monstera. Don't eat it until you get a positive I'd please!!! What part of Belize was this? I am Belizean(both parents were born there).

Hi Iceman, they are near Belmopan. East of town, off George Price Hwy.

25
Hi All,
My son just sent me these picks from their farm in Belize. Any idea what this is and whether it is edible, poisonous, or an innocent vine of no harm. They are growing up some of their cashew trees.
He said they smell slightly of sweet corn.
No ID from the local yet either.

Thanks! Carolyn








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