Your best tree at the moment

[zands]

My best----

I get such a kick from looking at this Nam Doc Mai #4 tree with its classic Nam Doc Mai low spread out shape. It was bought at Home Depot a few years ago with a Pine Island Nursery tag on it. I got little from it last year...various fungus killed off panicles and bb sized mangoes. But is looking good this year. This is in my front yard.

When the fruits get larger people are going to do a double take as they drive by. Thinking, "What the heck are those strange elongated fruits on that big bush? "

Of course it will not hold all these mangoes. I might thin them out on a few branches. This tree is saying, "How do like me now!"  Last photo is a few Kari caramola I found on the ground. They are as ripe as carambola gets with very minimal green edges

[bsbullie]

Hate to burst your bubble but MANY people know the shape of a NDM.  The only double take that may go on is when you look at the tree admiring the fruits one day and take a double take the next to discove they have been pilchered. 

[nullzero]

I don't really have a best tree atm yet. I have been container growing for years and between moving and lack of space always seem to have to thing out the collection. However, finally got some tree planted in the ground. The plants that have always given me some fruits in containers and are undemanding have been from the Opuntia sp. collection.

So far from the in ground trees Glenn and Lemon Zest both seem to be pretty vigorous and excellent growers (No mangoes from either). The in ground mango tree I believe is a Keitt but out some decent mangoes. Also the Lisa atemoya already produced its first tasty fruit, have high hopes it will increase production this year. I am looking forward to the grafted selection of Annona reticulata, the scion is from PR seeds.

[savemejebus]

My Glenn is a champ.

[SWRancher]

At this moment my best tree is a Kaimana Lychee that decided to finally bloom. 

[From the sea]

my breadfruit tree!

[zands]

Great looking breadfruit tree. Nice shape and huge leaves. I have never seen one before

@sw rancher
At this moment my best tree is a Kaimana Lychee that decided to finally bloom.

I have three trees that are in their first bloom. Its always very nice. One is a seeding mango. I will get to see how it turns out compared to the mother tree which was huge. The guy I bought it from pulled out a sample fruit he kept in the freezer. Green like a Carrie. I bought this seedling tree based on his claims how good the fruit is and how he had been selling the seedlings for years. His young sons would do it to too make some spending money.
Down in Davie BTW....

[From the sea]

Thanks, the leaves are my favorite part. I got one fruit last year, but there are 4 on the tree now.

[BigIslandGrower]

Wish my mango trees would look like that.  Only one that has produced for me so far is Odorata, which has very attractive red flowers and red new growth.  Of course, the fruit has a strong odor.  The best thing about it is that the fruit drops when ripe, so no picking necessary.  Not a very good fruit though, as mangoes go.   

Beautiful breadfruit, and exciting news about Kaimana Lychee.  They're the best!

[LivingParadise]

My god, how many mangoes is that, like a thousand?

I would definitely guess some thinning may be necessary so all the branches don't break off!

Can only hope for the day when my mangoes will produce half as many! Two are just starting their first fruiting year now (Mallika and Maha Chanok).

[BigIslandGrower]

More photos necessary for this thread.  I would always identify my producing durians as my best trees, but have already shared photos of them.  So, here's my fruiting mangosteen.  It looks better than this in person-should have taken more photos.  About 12ft tall. 

[jcaldeira]

BigIslandGrower, how tall was your mangosteen when you found it preferred full sun?

I have 1-2 year old mangsteen seedlings in 50%-90% shade now, but am unsure when to ease them into more sunlight.  The tallest ones are near 40 cm (16").

[BigIslandGrower]

I planted it out in that location straight from a nursery at about 1 ft tall.  Where I'm at typically sees a lot of cloud cover, so the nurseryman said it would be OK to do so. A friend of mine in the area also planted his two mangosteen straight out in the sun and they have also done well. However, some people choose to cage them with shade cloth anyway. I've seen mature Puna mangosteen growing in quite shady conditions, where they also seem to do fine.  Actually they look better because the leaves are darker green, but I suspect they may not produce as much fruit.
If in doubt it couldn't hurt to wait, though 50% shade sounds like plenty of protection.

[mangokothiyan]

Torn between my Lemon Meringue and Mallika; both have flowered heavily.

[apresser]

I planted it out in that location straight from a nursery at about 1 ft tall.  Where I'm at typically sees a lot of cloud cover, so the nurseryman said it would be OK to do so. A friend of mine in the area also planted his two mangosteen straight out in the sun and they have also done well. However, some people choose to cage them with shade cloth anyway. I've seen mature Puna mangosteen growing in quite shady conditions, where they also seem to do fine.  Actually they look better because the leaves are darker green, but I suspect they may not produce as much fruit.
If in doubt it couldn't hurt to wait, though 50% shade sounds like plenty of protection.

BigIslandGrower, how many years ago did you plant the mangosteen and when did you see the first flowers/fruit? did you do any special foliar spraying or fertilizing regimen? I have a seedling that I planted about 3 years ago and it went from 2ft tall to now around 7ft tall and still caged in shade cloth, wondering when I should remove the cloth and expose to full light. I have been applying foliar sprays of liquid seaweed and give it plenty of organic fertilizer (earthworm castings, etc) The leaves are very dark green but the tree still pretty slim.

[fruitlovers]

More photos necessary for this thread.  I would always identify my producing durians as my best trees, but have already shared photos of them.  So, here's my fruiting mangosteen.  It looks better than this in person-should have taken more photos.  About 12ft tall. 

Nice looking mangosteen tree. I've got plenty that size, but the leaves are getting badly munched by mangosteen caterpillar. Are you spraying your trees? What do you use?

[Doglips]

More photos necessary for this thread.  I would always identify my producing durians as my best trees, but have already shared photos of them.  So, here's my fruiting mangosteen.  It looks better than this in person-should have taken more photos.  About 12ft tall. 

What kind of production do you get out of it?

[Doglips]

I planted it out in that location straight from a nursery at about 1 ft tall.  Where I'm at typically sees a lot of cloud cover, so the nurseryman said it would be OK to do so. A friend of mine in the area also planted his two mangosteen straight out in the sun and they have also done well. However, some people choose to cage them with shade cloth anyway. I've seen mature Puna mangosteen growing in quite shady conditions, where they also seem to do fine.  Actually they look better because the leaves are darker green, but I suspect they may not produce as much fruit.
If in doubt it couldn't hurt to wait, though 50% shade sounds like plenty of protection.

I'm sure relative humidity and wind are factors in the sun formula.

[BigIslandGrower]

BigIslandGrower, how many years ago did you plant the mangosteen and when did you see the first flowers/fruit? did you do any special foliar spraying or fertilizing regimen? I have a seedling that I planted about 3 years ago and it went from 2ft tall to now around 7ft tall and still caged in shade cloth, wondering when I should remove the cloth and expose to full light. I have been applying foliar sprays of liquid seaweed and give it plenty of organic fertilizer (earthworm castings, etc) The leaves are very dark green but the tree still pretty slim.

It's now 15 years old and has fruited  the past 3 years.  I planted another one nearby about a year later and it's only about half this size.  One reason it's not doing so well is that the planting location isn't as good, the other reason is that about 4 years ago wild pigs chewed  a lot of bark off the trunk. Because I only get back to my orchard for a couple weeks twice a year, I've just given these trees chicken manure pellets during my visits. 
Interesting that your tree is slim.  That may be a function of the shade cover.  I'm remembering one of the mangosteen planted in a shady location in my area and it's also lanky, not bushy like this one. But, 7 ft. tall in three years is darn good!

[BigIslandGrower]

Nice looking mangosteen tree. I've got plenty that size, but the leaves are getting badly munched by mangosteen caterpillar. Are you spraying your trees? What do you use?

Thanks.  Yeah, the caterpillars hit mine a bit, though it's never been real bad,  and damage this past year seems to be down for some reason.  I haven't sprayed them so far.  Guess that's a disadvantage (or advantage) of not being on the farm enough.

About production, I'm not too sure since my visits haven't coincided with ripe fruits.  I  got ONE fruit over the winter holiday.  All the rest were brown and dried out in the tree or on the ground.  I would say it's shown light to modest yields so far, maybe 25-50 fruits max.

[naturelover]

Lemon Zest and Baileys Marvel are loaded

[FruitFreak]

Naturelover.  Where are you located?  Congrats on the LZ and BM bounty to come!

[fruitlovers]

Nice looking mangosteen tree. I've got plenty that size, but the leaves are getting badly munched by mangosteen caterpillar. Are you spraying your trees? What do you use?

Thanks.  Yeah, the caterpillars hit mine a bit, though it's never been real bad,  and damage this past year seems to be down for some reason.  I haven't sprayed them so far.  Guess that's a disadvantage (or advantage) of not being on the farm enough.

About production, I'm not too sure since my visits haven't coincided with ripe fruits.  I  got ONE fruit over the winter holiday.  All the rest were brown and dried out in the tree or on the ground.  I would say it's shown light to modest yields so far, maybe 25-50 fruits max.

You're lucky your trees didn't get munched at your locations, especially since you're not around most of the time to deal with it. I have mangosteens planted both in Opihikao and Pepeekeo, and at both locations they get badly munched by mangosteen caterpillar. They eat all the new leaves. Fortunately on this species they don't eat the flowers. I notice on Garcinia benthamii they also munch all the flowers, so it doesn't fruit. 

[fisherking73]

mangokothiyan would like to see your lemon meringue. I have one and want to see a mature version!

[luak]

Since i live in zone 7,i can only come up with my asian persimmons,i have about 40 or so tree's and my wife and me eat a ton of these things from septembre till last week. No spray, no thiefs, two legged or four not much fertilizer.Hard to beat.