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Messages - greenman62

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1
what i do is wait till they are fairly large (like yours) and pull them (or cut them)
and mix  them in with leaves... greens+browns = compost

they will probably grow back from the roots, but the roots are so small it shouldnt bother the tree.
and yes they probably also help fix a small amount of N.

2
New Orleans....
this is the first year i am not getting any fruit (well, i think i saw a handful semi-ripe, but they had uneven ripening)
and thats on tree #1
Tree #2 and 3 had zero fruit ripen.
My 2 neighbors that have loquat trees have zero fruit also.
i would see a few here and there but they all fell off before even being close to ripe.

For New Orleans, this is the first time we had a freeze in late Feb in a decade or more.
i think it must have just been the timing.


3
Hi
i am in New Orleans
if its not too late to order, i would love to get 2 plants
not real picky about which ones, but i usually like black fruit over reds.

let me know if its possible, and if it can be mailed to New Orleans ??


thanks
brad.team8@gmail.com
504-905-1681


4
Tropical Fruit Discussion / ID please (psidium family or relative ?)
« on: April 11, 2021, 04:05:00 PM »

this guy has no tag - ive gotten about  200+ species of seeds, so, it could be anything (edible.)
looks like Psidium family to me, but ??...

ID please ??



5
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Papaya
« on: August 18, 2020, 11:49:04 AM »
there are several reports of people stressing the plant to change its sex
i dont think it works every-time, but it may be worth a shot.

some people drive a nail in the trunk, some just cut the top 6 inches off.
there are reports of them changing sex with lack of water also.

also, while these look like male flowers, its not impossible that you will get fruit.
there are something like 7 types of flowers (3 main types = male, female and Herm)
the others are more rare, but still happen on occasion...
papaya sex can be complicated. LOL

6
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Bees or Wasps on Myrtaceae
« on: May 30, 2020, 02:37:58 PM »
What?! I love wasps! They eat pests like aphids. I also have jumping spiders that hang out on certain plants. I always thank them for protecting my plants so diligently.

The wasps have been on yours this week more than before as well? It only started for me a few weeks ago. I wonder if it could be some chemical Myrtaceae emit during certain times of the year.

yeah the more bees and wasps the better.
certian wasps control aphids and other bad insects and bees are excellent pollinators.

its spring time... birds and bees and all that...

i have jumping spiders on my Myers Lemon. love them. They trap and eat aphids, leaf miners, and that damn chinese bug that attacks citrus.



7
Honey Locust (and black locust) are good nitrogen fixers. so is pigeon pea.
they grow fast and honey locust has usable pods for food.
papaya isnt bad either, fast grower and succulent leaves/stems.
and of course comfrey has the most nutrients.

you can go to https://getchipdrop.com/ and, if lucky, they will bring a truck of wood chips.

pineislander
 Longevity Spinach (Gynura procumbens) YES !
it grows fast, has medicinal and anti-cancer properties.
and excellent for mulch, especially when adding to dry matter.

dont forget grass clippings, fruit peels , coffee grounds, etc...

8
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: What happened to Carambola?
« on: May 30, 2020, 02:17:22 PM »
they seem to be fairly hungry trees. and especially like lots of organics.
lots of compost and mulch definitely help.
iron, magnesium and/or nitrogen are usually the basis for chlorotic leaves.
watch PH, they like acidic soils.
a little Epsom salt can help. it has magnesium and the sulfur lowers the PH.
dont use too much, it can lockout calcium, but epsom also washes through quickly.
1 tsp per small tree 3 times per year (soil test is best to see magnesium levels though)

i use a citrus fertilizer at 1/2 strength but also compost, and fish emulsion.

Carambola trees generally develop iron, magnesium, and manganese deficiencies when grown in soils with a pH above 7. Symptoms of iron deficiency are interveinal chlorosis (green veins with yellowing in between), reduced leaflet size, and, with severe deficiency, leaflets may become almost white.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg269#:~:text=Carambola%20trees%20generally%20develop%20iron,leaflets%20may%20become%20almost%20white.


Soils: The carambola is not too particular as to soil, but will grow faster and bear more heavily in rich loam. It prefers a moderately acid soil (pH 5.5 - 6.5) and is sensitive to waterlogging. The plant often becomes chlorotic in alkaline soils.

Irrigation: The carambola need moisture for best performance. This means regular watering during the summer months and must be watered even in winter during dry spells.

Fertilization: In soils of low fertility young trees should receive light applications every 60 to 90 days until well established. Thereafter, they should receive one or two applications a year in deep soils or three or more applications in shallow soils where nutrients are lost by leaching. Application at the rate of 2 lbs per year for every inch of trunk diameter is suggested. Fertilizer mixtures containing 6-8% nitrogen, 2-4% available phosphoric acid, 6-8% potash and 3-4% magnesium are satisfactory. In the more fertile soils of California, this program can be reduced. The tree is prone to chlorosis in many western soils but responds to soil and foliar application of chelated iron and other micronutrients.
https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/carambola.html


9
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: space for Passiflora roots
« on: May 30, 2020, 02:06:35 PM »
ive had Incarnata fruit in a 3gal container before.
just 3 fruit, but very tasty. they need lots of sun and keep the container from getting too hot
( i will put containers inside other larger containers, or paint them white)
and also something to climb.
the vine only grew to about 6ft, but flowered and fruited.


this is my current incarnata , in-ground though.
there can also be a pollination issue if you dont have the right kind of insect
 (usually large bees like carpenters), but you can hand pollinate.



10
i use fish emulsion and compost, and in spring about 1/3 to 1/2 dose of citrus fert (6-3-3 i think)
and a teaspoon of epsom salt...
epsom is magnesium +sulfur which kinda depends on your PH and soil, i dont think it would hurt in your case. a little iron is probably wise as well.

11
mine always drops leaves in spring and puts out new shoots.

it actually doesnt look too bad... if that is white sand, i would add compost and more mulch.
they like a lot of organics... and the mulch keeps moisture even.
i was under the impression they liked some shade, yours seems to be doing better than i would have thought given the sand and full sun.

12
i have a few now that are just a couple of months 5-6 leaf stage.
they were under part-shade for a few weeks at first, but now take full sun like a champ.

also have  white sapote seedlings in full sun (after hardening off)

i am in New Orleans and sun can be brutal here. i do put them in oversized containers with mulch on top.
sometimes i will put a 1gal container inside a 3gal container
so the sun doesnt directly hit the black plastic near the roots...
I find small black containers can cook roots in direct sun.
so be careful with that.

13
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cherry of the Rio Grande Blooming
« on: March 09, 2020, 03:52:18 PM »
last year i got 40-50 flowers if i remember right
it was its 1st flowering and i got about 5 or 6 fruit
only tasted 2 the squirrels got the rest.
this year i hope to see lots more fruit.

i did nothing to pollinate, but i do have lots of insects.
maybe try growing basil, milkweed, local flowers... to attract local insects.




14
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Jabo deficiency
« on: March 09, 2020, 03:42:52 PM »
im not an expert on Jabo's
but in general , often i see either yellow leaves, or veins, and its usually caused by
too much or too little water, PH is wrong, or too much other nutrients.
too little magnesium can cause yellowing, but too much can cause lockout of other elements as well.

Yellow-vein chlorosis is usually (not always) indicative of nitrogen deficiency.
 The difficulty is figuring out why your plant isn't taking up nitrogen.

https://blog.extension.uconn.edu/2019/11/04/interveinal-chlorosis/

https://i.redd.it/9vk0883bcc701.jpg

https://i1.wp.com/newcastlegardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/unnamed-26.jpg

15
jujube and citrus are some of my favs that take cold.
my kumquat just fruited, and man, its a lot more flavorful and sweet than i thought it would be.
i could eat 100 of them.

also, mulberry feijoa, loquat,

my Cherry of the Rio Grand took 20F 2 years ago
and didnt lose a leaf.

16
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Paver Base in Potting Mix?
« on: January 19, 2020, 02:46:43 PM »
i use lava rock for the bottom of my pots, and builders sand as about %20 of my mix
the rest being mostly potting mix (peat+perlite) and about 10-15% compost.
i actually like the sand. it provides good drainage and the roots can branch out to a fine mesh.

i remember pulling out a 7-gallon container i had a papaya in, and it seemed to LOVE the sand.
there was a ton of fine roots that grew a very healthy papaya plant for several years.
i had grown it in pure sand just to start the seeds, i removed all but one, and just let it grow.

17
i just pruned a regular red guava, o psidium acutangulum ,
and also Surinam cherry about a month ago
all 3 are flowering
 (the P acutangulum has not been holding fruit, but i think thats another matter)

18
can anyone tell me what this is ?
lost the tag, but i think it was from a trade, and it was supposed to be either purple forest guava
or, Myrcianthes pungens, but i dont see a "point" at the tips of the leaves ?
i only got 2 fruit so far, and they both went from green, straight to purple, no red coloring.
seeds (only 3 in each fruit) seem to be larger than regular guava, or strawberry guava.
it did have a sweet, very nice flavor.















19
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: ID's please ?
« on: August 22, 2019, 11:34:02 AM »
not 1 guess ?

20
D-Grower
how does it do with cold/frost ?

i have one from seed. just started getting fruit last month
3 to 4 yrs. - nice flavor, not sweet though. tastes a lot like Gin...
not a lot of flesh, but there always seems to be a couple of ripe ones on the tree
and it doesnt take up much space. in a 5gal bucket, but i plan on putting it in ground in the spring...

21
Tropical Fruit Discussion / ID's please ?
« on: August 19, 2019, 02:25:06 PM »
lost tags.
i did have E Repanda seeds, and i thought maybe the bottom pics were Repanda
but the leaves are very narrow and long. ??
i have no idea on the rest...
-

plant 1


plant 1


plant 2 (same species as P1 ?)


plant 3 


plant 4


plant 5 (same species as plant 4?)


22
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Nitrogen Fixers
« on: August 18, 2019, 02:10:18 PM »

certain fungi can remediate herbicides.
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/using-fungi-clean-pollutants

you could call Paul Stamets company (fungi.com) and tell them the issue...
they might have a suggestion or 2 for you



  Really useful information as always!
  We planted peanuts as well and they reseeded themselves for several years. I think they "nitrogened" themselves out. Enterolobuim.... Another one I'll have to try. Awesome!
  With all of the non native plants and trees that I have introduced to our place I wonder sometimes if any of them will become invasive over time. The state maintains a list of invasives, but I haven't seen the ones I've brought in on it. Some may not have had a chance to become invasive here before. Several of the fabaceae etc. Like exactly the climate we have (think Australia). Right now my place is overrun with mesquite. We keep about 1/4 of our place mowed down in pasture and senderos cut through at intervals and along fence lines. I'm not sure adding another prosopsis, acacia etc into the mix would really matter. Most of my neighbors use a ton of herbicide to control mesquite. I don't use that stuff. Makes the manure and silage poisonous as well. I have about 500 cubic feet of old cow manure that I would love to use, but it was there when we bought the place and I'm sure has herbicide in it. I'm concerned about what it will eventually do to the ground water.

23
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: How to get Monstrea to fruit?
« on: March 25, 2019, 08:47:56 AM »
i agree with pineislander
logs at the base help keep the ground moist.
i use cardboard and woody mulch, and bits of rotted logs.

and unless you have rich soil i would add a bit of iron and epsom (or other magnesium)
it darkens the leaves , i use that combo on all plants with  a lot of shade.
and i doubt you would get fruit, or a decent plant in anything under 7-10 gal,
and it would need constant water

24
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Gomera Mango Seeds Finally !
« on: December 08, 2018, 01:26:53 PM »
Hello everyone, if anyone has some seeds for any mango hardy to zone 9b, such as gomera 1, gomera 3 or 4, please send me a message. Of course I shall send you some money for the seeds and postage.
Currently I have a mango plant grown accidentally by a seed and it thrives, but during the winter I think that only the roots will survive, as it has happened another time with really tropical mangoes in my tiny garden.
Thank you!


i am in 9b and did some research a while back.
i looked at mango groves in India, and there are a few in Northern India which may be more cold tolerant.
i had even gotten seeds of 2-3 varieties, but this Jan we had a 100yr cold snap to 20F
it killed every mango except 1 in ground that had to come back from the roots.

i mentioned this in a couple of posts in this group,
so you might do a search for my name and cold tolerant mango
i list the name of varieties from India i thought were promising.

this is at least 1 post i mention the indian seed...
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=17247.0
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=17247.25

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=20702.0

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=22271.0






25
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Eugenia florida
« on: December 08, 2018, 01:10:39 PM »
i have 3 from seed
1 in mostly shade, the other 2 in almost full sun.
the one in mostly shade leaves are a bit darker,
which is not unusual in my experience with most tropical fruit.
the leaves will utilize more iron and magnesium for darker leaves which photosynthesize more.

the new growth on the 2 in the sun are a bit pale and once in a while do get crispy.
they are in a raised bed, and summers here can dry that soil out quick.
i use tons of organic matter, compost and mulch.

my guess is the pale new growth is due to a lack of nitrogen mainly (i dont use much in the way of chemical ferts)
ive hit it with a small amount of iron (i need to add more) and with epsom
the epsom did darken the mature leaves, but, i wouldnt use too much (1/2 teaspoonn in a 15gal or so ??)
it could make leaf burn worse, especially if it gets a lot of sun+heat and the soil dries.


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