I just potted up some seedling Golden Pearls ( Solanum villosum) and Wonderberry (Solanum retroflexum). I have extra seedlings of both if anyone wants to pick up the seed tray. I'm in Lake Forest, CA.
I have soon black going that recently germinated. I've heard they are harder to get established then normal goji, with high die offs especially in the hardening off phase. Anyone have some experience with these with advice to share? Soil mixes etc that have worked well?
I love the fruits of my Morus nigra, but production seems concentrated on branches naturally bending down. I read that bending down branches promotes production and reduces vertical vigor. Any one know how effective this is on mulberry?
I have an in ground Rainbow that has grown from a 10 inch grafted plant to over 3ft in the last year. It's been flushing like crazy the last 5 months and is still pushing out growth now. I really want to graft Malibu #3 on it (maybe half the tree) as I got the opportunity to taste that variety and it was amazing. My question is that should I start Frankensteining this little tree at it's small size, or wait until it is more mature. And if I can, is it OK to graft White Sapote in the middle of summer?
This jaboticaba was my first fruit plant I bought, which started my obsession. A little over 4 years later it's finally about to give me my first taste. An Unnamed variety I bought from Logees, a cutting that was about 6 inches tall when I got it. Unimpressive after all the posts I've read, but it has a special place in my collection. Seeing it fruit feels great.
This was a fun project. First time building a PVC structure. 8’x5’x5’ with .6 MM “clear” plastic which is not as “clear” as I hoped. I bought some 3 ft rebar to sink in the ground and go up the pipe legs for stability and wind protection. Will use a space heater on a timer inside. I poked some small holes in the roof to prevent rainwater weight from building up. Still need to cut and build a few Velcro flaps for ventilation. Surprisingly easy but next time I might plan it out better. I used PVC glue to bind the poles into 4 large pieces. 2 sides, base, and top. I can disconnect one of the crossbars 3ft off the ground to move the tree in and out as needed. Still need to cut and build a few Velcro flaps for ventilation, and make a door so I don’t have to tip the structure to angle the tree inside. Nice thing about PVC is I can make it taller in future winters as the tree grows. I’m determined to fruit this.
I was surprised how small this plant was when it flowered. First flowered when about 6 inches tall in spring. These fruits were the results and have taken a long time to ripen. Good pollination rate, 4 for 6. Plant is probably about 2 yrs old (I got it from Ethan last Sept). Slow grower (at least for me). It's in a 1 gal if that helps gage size. It's about 8 inches tall and a little over a foot wide. Berries are small, so I had a hard time focusing on them with my camera (phone). I'm not quite sure how to gage ripeness, so I'll probably wait until this first reddish one falls off in my hand.
It's neat coming across fruit you don't expect to find in certain stores. Today found Mamey in the local Smart & Final in Lake Forest. For people not familiar with that store, its a big box type store. Unexpected. It might be cool to have a "fruit sighting" section on the forum.
Anyone growing this who can give me advice? One of my 2 young Midgen Berry bushes is producing very pink new growth, and it is oddly coinciding with flowering. It this normal or a sign of something wrong? The new growth on my other plant is only faintly red, while the flowering one is bright pink and orange.
I picked up one of these today at Mimosa Nursery in LA. Also known as Cây Nhoìt, I'm wondering if this is actually the same as So Shang, or is So Shang a "named" variety of Eleagnus latifolia? Web searches seem to use all these names as interchangable. Described by the nursery owner as a goumi like sour fruit the size of his thumb (about 2-3 inches). He showed me a seed of one, definately goumi-like but enourmous. Leaves have the same leathery feel as most Eleagnus types, top of the leaves have the grey reflective coating so common in this dought tolerant genus. Very happy to find it. Was only $35 for a five foot specimen. There's little information on So Shang but it shares the latin name as Cây Nhoìt in web searches, I'm hoping an expert on the forum can shed light on wether or not these are really one and the same.
I'm looking to get my first mango tree and need a recommendation from our California members. I'm in South Orange County, 4 miles from ocean, in zone 9B/10A. I'd like to plant in the ground in a 4 ft strip of lawn between my driveway and the neighbor's, so probably need something that will not be too invasive as far as roots growth. So moderate to Condo size that can deal with being in the ground with typical annual lows of about 35-40 degrees (not afraid of using Christmas light to stretch the boundaries a little). What's recommended? Taste trumps beauty in my book and I like a bit or tartness to balance out sweet when possible, but I'm simply not that familiar with mangos...
This weekend I was up in Sequoia Nat'l park and found some quite large wild gooseberries. The ripe ones were flavorful and sweet. Yum. I kick myself for discounting these in the past. Nasty spines but nothing gloves, a knife and a spoon cant overcome.