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 - Gary Greenfingers

Pages: [1] 2
1
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Importance of UV in fruit ripening, essential oil production, pigmentation
« on: February 12, 2016, 01:34:29 AM »
Quote from: Gary Greenfingers on February 12, 2016, 01:33:17 AM
Nice plants Nullzero. Are you a Northern grower by any chance?

Those who are lucky enough to live in more Southerly (subtropical and tropical) latitudes are blessed with UV radiation. The winter UV index here in England is a pathetic 1 (even on a sunny day); whereas Florida it is currently at around 7 (the European UV index ranges from 1 to 11). The UV level in England on a sunny summer's day reaches a maximum of 7 to 8.

From what I have read the coloured pigments in plants, which often consist of carotenoids, act as antioxidants and prevent the leaf structure being damaged by UV.

Considering that plants growing outdoors are naturally bathed in UV on a daily basis, I am convinced that some UV is essential for their healthy growth a productivity. Apparently, fruit and edible herb plants grown indoors with insufficient UV exposure give rise to bland-tasting produce that is deficient in health-promoting antioxidants, such as lycopenes and carotenes. Hence, I wish to increase the UV levels in my growroom, which are mediocre at the moment (a 600W MH does not emit nearly enough UV for plants).

From watching a few YouTube videos I have learnt that weed growers- masters of indoor growing- swear by UV supplementation (it apparently improves concentrations and diversity of taste-influencing phytochemicals in their produce). If UV supplementation helps them, then why not tropical fruit growers?

2
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Importance of UV in fruit ripening, essential oil production, pigmentation
« on: February 12, 2016, 01:33:17 AM »
Nice plants Nullzero. Are you a Northern grower by any chance?

Those who are lucky enough to live in more Southerly (subtropical and tropical) latitudes are blessed with UV radiation. The winter UV index here in England is a pathetic 1 (even on a sunny winter's day); whereas Florida it is currently at around 7 (the European UV index ranges from 1 to 11). The UV level in England on a sunny summer's day reaches a maximum of 7 to 8.

From what I have read the coloured pigments in plants, which often consist of carotenoids, act as antioxidants and prevent the leaf structure being damaged by UV.

Considering that plants growing outdoors are naturally bathed in UV on a daily basis, I am convinced that some UV is essential for their healthy growth and productivity. Apparently, fruit and edible herb plants grown indoors with insufficient UV exposure give rise to bland-tasting produce that is deficient in health-promoting antioxidants, such as lycopenes and carotenes. Hence, I wish to increase the UV levels in my growroom, which are mediocre at the moment (a 600W MH does not emit nearly enough UV for plants).

From watching a few YouTube videos I have learnt that weed growers- masters of indoor growing- swear by UV supplementation (it apparently improves concentrations and diversity of taste-influencing phytochemicals in their produce). If UV supplementation helps them, then why not tropical fruit growers?

3
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Importance of UV in fruit ripening, essential oil production, pigmentation
« on: February 11, 2016, 06:00:26 PM »
Any Northern/indoor growers who could offer me some advice?

4
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Importance of UV in fruit ripening, essential oil production, pigmentation
« on: February 11, 2016, 02:28:19 PM »
Good to see you again, ladies and gentlemen! It's been some time since my last post.

Having tried metal halide lighting and experienced the pro's and cons first hand, I want to give LED lights a try. The model I have in mind is a 'Mars Hydro' 1200, which has a true wattage of 552W: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5X-Mars-II-1200-LED-Grow-Light-Hydro-Plant-Panel-Full-Spectrum-IR-Lamp-True-552W-/252109373367?hash=item3ab2e3bfb7:g:9PEAAOSwKtlWlMEj

Having watched a video on YouTube featuring tropical fruits grown under LED (the model was called 'Black Dog', if I recall correctly), I am rather excited about trying LED lights for indoor tropical fruit growing. Unfortunately, unlike the Black Dog LED (which is not readily obtainable in the UK- I would have to import one from the USA), the Mars Hydro (which is available in the UK) does not have UV-emitting LEDs incorporated into it. IR LEDs yes, but no UV whatsoever.

My question is: just how important is UV for  vegetative growth, fruit development & ripening, pigment production (e.g. carotenoids, lycopenes) and the production of essential oil flavour components (e.g. terpenes) in the leaves and fruits?

Considering that the LED light I am interested in does not produce any UV, could I supply UV externally using a reptile lamp?



5
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Mango at latitude of 51 degrees North (UK)
« on: June 06, 2015, 06:49:48 PM »
Quote from: treefrog on June 06, 2015, 10:17:11 AM
have you considered the day length differences?  neat the equator, winter and summer daylight duration does not vary from summer to winter.  in the temperate zone, it does.  in the northern portion of the temperate zone, the variation can be large.

i don't know if mangos are sensitive to this.  some plants are, and use the variation to time their annual functions.  has anybody done any research on this?

Having conducted a search on this forum for northern growers who push the boundaries, I have found out that there are quite a few northern growers, including a Canadian who managed to get his mango to bear edible fruit. This gives me some hope. There are anecdotal reports of a fruiting graviola/guanabana/soursop in Moscow (grown indoors under lights, of course). Now, if one can get an ultra-tropical like soursop to fruit at such a northern latitude, then I imagine that mango, which is not as cold-tender, would be relatively easy. I've never seen any reports of mangosteen bearing fruit in northern latitudes, though.

At Kew Gardens, England, the seed-grown mango in the iconic Victorian Palm House recently fruited for the first time; apparently, the soil bed it was growing in was allowed to dry out more than usual, which provoked the tree to flower and fruit. I've seen fruiting carambolas, avocados, citrus, bananas, tamarinds, coffee and cacao in Kew's hothouses, so it appears that the UK's sun is strong enough after all. The main issues are providing heat and humidity, particularly during the winter months. The fruiting tropical trees at Kew do not receive any supplementary lighting, even during the short, dark days of the UK's winter months, yet they seem to pull through until the longer days of spring arrive.

In one of the biomes (domed-shaped hothouse) at Cornwall's Eden Project, there is a fruiting soursop tree.

Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of a heated tropical glasshouse; I have to make do with an indoor growtent and supplementary lighting. But, such is my enthusiasm, that I will give it a go.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/5857472/Royal-Botanic-Gardens-mango-tree-bears-fruit-after-20-years.html

https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/plant-profiles/soursop

6
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Mango at latitude of 51 degrees North (UK)
« on: June 06, 2015, 09:13:31 AM »
Thankyou for your replies; it's really appreciated!  :)

7
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Mango at latitude of 51 degrees North (UK)
« on: June 05, 2015, 06:39:42 PM »
Hi all,

Having finally come to terms with the fact that a supermarket mango seed (variety: 'Kent') will yield nothing more than an exotic foliage houseplant at best, I plan on getting a grafted dwarf mango. My hope is to get the plant to bear at least a single fruit to full maturation in the less than ideal climatic conditions of England, 51 degrees North. Hardly equatorial, I know, but I want to give it a shot! What would be the main obstacles to getting the plant to bear ripe and edible fruit?

My other tender/subtropicals, such as my 'Wonderful' pomegranate (seed), bergamot orange (grafted), kaffir lime (seed), yuzu (grafted), pineapple (top off a supermarket fruit) and tamarillo (seed), are doing OK outside at the moment, but I was surprised to learn that new leaf growth is easily sun scorched even at my northern latitude, where the summer UV levels never exceed 7. It's not just the sun that's causing the damage, but a combination of wind exposure and the UK's less than ideal humidity levels compared to the equatorial tropics. I am thinking of erecting a vertical clear polythene screen (like a wind breaker) around the plants, grouped together to conserve moisture, to protect them against the drying effect of the prevailing southwesterly wind.

I have 600W HPS and MH growlights for overwintering and a couple of ultrasonic humidifiers ('Mist Makers'). However, no matter how strong my growlights are, their UV-A and UV-B output can never match that of the sun- even at my latitude. I've heard that UV-A or UV-B is required for essential oil production and leaf pigmentation, but what about fruit ripening? Should I just call it quits and stick to growing strawberries and apples instead? Am I wasting my time in trying to grow a dwarf mango at my latitude?

Garry Greenfingers


8
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Leaf Issues
« on: April 05, 2015, 06:38:12 PM »
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could possibly identify the cause(s) of these leaf issues some of my plants are having. All of my plants are currently grown under T5 fluorescent lighting. I am thinking of switching to a Dual Spectrum HPS Sunmaster brand of  growlight, connected to a dimmable ballast. My only concern would be the heat issue. Yes, a fan would help to dissipate excess heat, but would the constantly moving air lower the humidity too much?

Containerised Bergamot Orange, grafted, pictures of mature foliage. Note the yellow discolouration on leaf margins and the dry appearance of the leaves (the plant is well-watered, by the way):







Bergamot, new growth. Note that it looks pale green in colour, with a straggly appearance:





Graviola/soursop seedling:











Coffea Arabica seedling:







Note the very anaemic-looking (chlorotic) foliage of this coffea arabica seedling:



Tamarillo, young plant. Overall, very healthy, but I wonder what is causing the raised, discolured bumps on the leaf surface:



9
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Synsepalum dulcificum - Flowering 13 months from seed
« on: March 26, 2015, 07:33:11 PM »
Nice! And I see that you are a Northern grower, too! Your comment on my post RE: the the hazard of electricity in a humid environment made me think: how do you manage to keep the humidity favourable for your humidity-loving tropical plants when using lights like HPS or MH, whose generous heat generation can dry out the air too much and lead to leaf damage? Are you growing indoors in a growroom or in a greenhouse? Do you put your plants outdoors during the summer? I've heard that Sweden's summers can be hot in the southern part of the country.

PS: miracle berry plants, as you probably know, are acid-loving (acidophilic), so chlorosis can be an issue if the pH is not low enough. My miracle berry, which is only a small seedling, is grown in ericaceous compost and watered with either rainwater or deionised water. Never tap water.

10
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Advice from Northern growers on the best supplementary lighting
« on: March 26, 2015, 07:00:55 PM »
Hi,

I am growing tropical fruit trees indoors in England, UK. Hardly a tropical climate, I know, but I have to make do with what I have, unless I emigrate to sunnier climes. Among others, I have a 7ft tall 3 year old seed-grown carambola (not sure exactly which variety, but it was grown from a grocery store fruit imported into the UK from Thailand or Malaysia, if I recall correctly), a seed-grown grocery store lemon (variety:' Primofiore'), and a recently acquired grafted bergamot orange (c. berrgamia), which has recently finished flowering (only 1 flower, but it's a start).

Yes, I know that my seed-grown containerised trees may not bear fruit for some time yet, or if they manage to do so at some point in the future, the fruit may not be true to type, but I am keeping my seed grown lemon and starfruit for sentimental reasons. Anyhow, the leaves of my seed-grown lemon are deliciously fragrant when crushed. Plants grown from store-bought fruit first got me into this hobby; nowadays, however, I am more interested in getting fruit, so I try to hunt down grafted fruit trees.

I am also growing Ceylon cinnamon, Arabica coffee, tea tree (melaleuca), sapodilla, tea (camellia sinsensis), miracle berry, and the ultra-tropical soursop/graviola, all of which are very young plants and have a lot of growing up to do. 

My plants are gown under two T5 HO growlights: one 216W and one 432W, 33,200 lumens, 6,500 Kelvin. Light intensity at a distance of 30cm (1ft) away from the tubes is 20,000 lux. Whilst these growlights are very good for seedlings, I feel that they are not strong enough for getting containerised fruit trees to mature and bear fruit. The pale, straggly new growth with long internodes on my lemon and bergamot is probably indicative that the light they're getting is not enough.

Would you recommend that I switch over to a 400W metal halide or a powerful LED? The disadvantage of Metal Halide is the excess heat, which is why I would opt to have a few 400W units than a single powerful 1000W unit. If cost was not an issue, I would go for a powerful (400W and upwards) LED unit. I have heard good reviews of Black Dog LED (in fact, one guy on this forum has managed to get his carambolas and miracle berry plants to bear fruit under them), but this particular brand of LED is not available here in the UK. I am cautious about buying LED lights from Ebay- the poor grammar and spelling errors of the China-based suppliers only serves to embolden my suspicion that I would be paying a lot of money for useless junk that is no better than T5 fluorescents or CFL's

My plants get some natural sunlight from my west-facing window, but it is nowhere near enough as being outside in a greenhouse. Unfortunately, I don't currently have the outdoor space for a greenhouse, but I do have the option of putting my containerised plants outside during the summer months to soak up as much sun as they can. It's the best I can do when I am stuck with living in a Northerly latitude (if I had the opportunity, I would move to somewhere like Florida in an instant! You equatorial  growers are lucky!).

One thing my plants do get a lot of is humidity- thanks to the clear plastic growtent, which traps moisture.
















11
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Looking for Bay Rum (pimenta racemosa) or Lemon Bay Rum seeds or seedlings
« on: March 25, 2014, 12:51:19 PM »
Hello,

Apart from tropical fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, I am also a big fan of tropical spices, herbs and medicinals. I am hoping that someone might be able to ship some pimenta racemosa (Bay Rum) or pimenta racemosa var. citrifolia (Bay Rum 'lemon scent') seeds or seedlings to England, UK?

PS: is slow growth a characteristic of seed-grown allspice? I have a 4 month old seedling that is barely 1.5cm tall. Despite ample 30 degree C warmth, light and high humidity, its growth rate is unbelievably slow- far slower than my sapodilla. I have a long wait before I can harvest the aromatic leaves for use in my recipes! My allspice seeds were imported from a grower in Hawaii.

Regards,

Gary

12
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Tropicals in Northern Latitudes (cool temperate climates)
« on: March 22, 2014, 11:51:57 AM »
Logees have a very interesting selection of grafted container-friendly tropicals, but they unfortunately do not ship internationally. I live 'across the pond' in England. I wish that importing plants from the US was not such a complicated, tedious process.

13
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Tropicals in Northern Latitudes (cool temperate climates)
« on: March 19, 2014, 11:07:00 AM »
Dear fellow tropical fruit enthusiasts,

I would really appreciate some advice on:

GROWING TROPICAL FRUITS SUCCESSFULLY IN NORTHERN COOL TEMPERATE LATITUDES. IS IT POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN RIPE, EDIBLE FULL-SIZE FRUIT?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO WATERPROOF GROW LIGHTS TO ELIMINATE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WHEN OPERATING IN A HIGH HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT?

I like to keep humidity levels high (at least 90% relative humidity) in my indoor mylar foil-lined plastic grow tent. My carambola, avocado, sapodilla (as featured in the photo), citrus and soursop (all grown from seed, since I find grafted plants impossible to import into the UK, especially from Florida) have put out an abundance of new growth since I maximised the humidity. I've never had fungal problems, but if I did, I would spray the affected areas with a very weak hydrogen peroxide or copper sulphate solution.

The humidity is so high that there is a lot of condensation. This poses an obvious safety risk when using electrical equipment, such as grow lights. However, my growlights, which consist of two T5 HO fluorescent units (each rated at 216 Watt, 16,600 lumens, 6500 Kelvin) are mounted outside my grow tent, which eliminates the electrical hazard, but light can still penetrate the clear PVC plastic of the grow tent. Mylar foil surrounding the T5 units and the grow tent maximises light availability to the plants. Do you think that my two current T5 units, which are run simultaneously, can generate enough light to induce not only flowering and fruit set, but also ripening/maturation? I live in a cool temperate climate (England, UK, latitude: 50 degrees 52' N) and plan to move many of my containerised tropicals (except ultra-tropicals, such as my soursop) outside from mid-April until late September. I overwinter them indoors.

I intend to buy a grafted 'Keitt' mango and Canistel ('Fes' or 'Bruce'- which is better for container culture?). Both will spend their lives in 30 litre size (equivalent to 7 US gallons?) containers. Do I stand a chance of obtaining fully ripe, edible fruit from them in my climate, and with my current T5 light set-up?

I've noticed that the light from my T5 fluorescent units only registers on my light meter when in close proximity, yet the supposedly weak sunlight of the March sunset gives a very strong reading!

On a different matter, I have a tiny, tiny 4 month old allspice (pimenta dioica) seedling, which is barely more than 1cm tall. It has hardly grown at all ever since it germinated- 4 months ago!. Is this extremely slow growth typical of seed-grown allspice? Could it be due to weak genetics of this particular seed? Out of 40 seeds, two germinated. One died, and I have one left, which I don't want to lose, since subtropical allspice shrubs/small trees are impossible to obtain here in England. Temperature inside my grow house is sultry 32 degrees Celcius when my T5's are on (they do emit some heat, which has a tendency of driving away moisture from the leaves of humidity-loving tropicals when it is too close to them).

Gary








14
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: canistel seeding, fruiting in a 25gal pot...after 7yrs
« on: March 17, 2014, 10:35:36 AM »
Wow!  :)

Could I achieve this in England? Would it be possible to get the fruit to ripen completely? I have found a supplier of grafted Canistel (Bruce and Fes cultivars). What is the minimum temperature tolerance of Canistel? I plan to keep one outside in a container and overwinter it indoors during winter, with supplementary lighting (T5 fluorescents).

I have become so fascinated by tropical plants that I wish I lived in warmer climes, such as Florida, Hawaii or subtropical/Mediterranean Southern Europe  8)



15
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Fruit set, maturation and ripening in non-tropical climates
« on: March 16, 2014, 09:59:36 PM »
Thanks for your reply, Mark.

Do you think that 6,000 f.c. is achievable with T5 fluorescents?

I'm going to buy myself a decent digital lightmeter. I am determined to get edible fruits from my containerised tropicals!

16
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Fruit set, maturation and ripening in non-tropical climates
« on: March 16, 2014, 09:41:16 PM »
Hi Mark,

I am not familiar with the term 'footcandles'. When you say '10K footcandles', are you implying a light intensity of 10,000 Kelvins per square foot? Each of my two T5 units are rated at 6500 Kelvins. I run my T5 units simultaneously, so the combined Kelvin output is 13000 K, right? Here's an illustration of my T5 units: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxibright-T5-LightWave-lamp-Light/dp/B00CMPQIJS/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1395020888&sr=8-8&keywords=lightwave+t5

I use mylar foil to maximise the light availability to my plants. To measure light intensity, I use one of those cheap analogue dial light meters (see: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00543JR8E/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00139XRSO&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=03MF0X6ASQ9D3T2AFMMJ), which, I suppose, is nowhere near as accurate and sensitive as a digital light meter. What I have noticed is that the light output of my T5 units does not register on my light meter unless it is literally a few centimetres away from it.  :( Whereas even the weak light of the evening sunset registers very strongly on my light meter!

If I was a millionaire, I'd make this greenhouse my home: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kew.gardens.palm.house.london.arp.jpg  ;D

17
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Fruit set, maturation and ripening in non-tropical climates
« on: March 16, 2014, 07:26:18 AM »
I am thinking of getting a container-compatible grafted dwarf or 'condo' mango variety, such as a Pickering, Nam doc mai, Julie, Ice Cream, and so on. As someone who lives in the not-so-tropical United Kingdom, I plan to keep the containerised mango outside in my garden from late spring to early autumn, then return it indoors before the night time temperature starts to dip below 7 degrees C.

I can provide supplementary artifical light in the form of two 4-tube, 4ft, 216 Watt, 16,600 lumens, 6500 Kelvin T5 HO fluorescent units (brand: "Lightwave T5", marketed by Growth Technology). These two T5 units are running simultaneously, so that's a total lumen output of 33,200 lumens.

Is this sufficient lumen/light intensity output to assist the mango during the colder months? What about fruit set and ripening?

These growlights emit heat, but less so compared to HPS. With my two T5 units running simultaneously, the temperature in my conservatory reaches a sultry 35 degrees C. I keep the relative humidity high, at 90+%. My plants love these high humidity levels, especially my seed-grown carambola, which has put out an abundance of new growth. At lower humidity levels, I found that the heat from the T5 was driving moisture away from the leaves of the carambola, causing yellowing and twig die-back. Even my avocado plants like the high humidity levels and have put out a flush of new leaves. Despite such high humidity levels, I rarely encounter fungal growth on my plants. I think the high temperature discourages fungal growth.

I have been growing tropical fruit plants as 'novelty' indoor foliage plants, but I am becoming increasingly interested in getting my plants to bear fruit. Even if my plants bear a single fruit, I would be a happy man. I have become so deeply interested in tropicals that I now wished I lived in warmer climes!

18
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Would anyone consider shipping plants to the UK?
« on: March 09, 2014, 11:41:35 AM »
Quote from: SWRancher on March 08, 2014, 07:20:09 PM
Have you looked into ordering from nurseries located in warmer areas of the EU such as Spain or Italy? I recall one of our European forum members mentioned he ordered grafted mango trees from a nursery located in Spain.

It is easy to obtain warm temperate and subtropical plants, such as citrus, pomegranates and olives, from warmer countries on the European continent (Spain, Italy), but the more cold-tender tropical fruit trees that one would associate with the Tropics are impossible to obtain from these countries. Even in the southernmost tip of Spain, winters can occasionally get too cool for comfort for truly tropical plants.

Since the inception of the undemocratic EUSSR, it appears to have become much more difficult to import plants from countries like the US, Thailand and Australia. I just want to import a few plants from outside the EUSSR for my own personal use. Provided that a phytosanitary certificate accompanies my plant shipment to satisfy UK Customs requirements, this task could be accomplished without too many headaches. I just need to find a Florida, California or Hawaii-based tropical plant dealer who would consider shipping small plants overseas.

19
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Would anyone consider shipping plants to the UK?
« on: March 08, 2014, 05:18:46 PM »
Hello,

Would anyone consider shipping small size tropical fruit trees (preferably propagated by vegetative means, as opposed to seeds), small grafted specimens or cuttings overseas to England, UK?

I grow tropicals (including tropical fruit, herbs and spices) as indoor container plants. I am keen to acquire a small sized mango, canistel or sapote cultivar and various other tropical fruit species that are capable of bearing fruit if grown in a sufficiently large (i.e. 30 litre+) container on a permanent basis. I am currently growing healthy soursop/guanabana, sapodilla (manilkara zapota, of unknown variety), various citrus, lychee (of unknown variety), Hass avocado, allspice (pimenta dioica), dragonfruit, carambola and coffea arabica, but I have doubts as to whether these seed-grown plants will ever flower and bear fruit in containers. I figure that if I can successfully import live plants (preferably grafted dwarf or container-compatible cultivars) or cuttings taken from mature fruit-bearing plants, I would stand a more realistic chance of obtaining fruit (and within a reasonable time) compared to raising plants directly from seed.

I asked Connecticut-based Logees nursery (http://www.logees.com/ ) if they can ship plants internationally; they said that it was too difficult a task, so they've made it company policy not to ship overseas. When I made enquiries with Florida-based Top Tropicals ( http://toptropicals.com/), they said that the cost of the phytosanitary certificate is prohibitively expensive (but they didn't actually quote the price).

As you can imagine, no plant nurseries in the typically cool (and sometimes cold) UK offer anything more tropical than grafted citrus and olives. Hence, if I want to acquire truly tropical plants (as opposed to seeds, which are relatively easy to acquire), I have to consider importing them from nurseries based overseas in warmer climates, such as Florida and California in the US, and Thailand in Asia. I am more than happy to meet the additional expense of a phytosanitary certificate to satisfy UK Customs. The mild weather of spring is now upon us in the UK, and I am confident that plants will survive the journey provided they are packaged well.

Can anyone help?  :)

20
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Flying Fox Fruits nursery, a source for rare seeds, scions, fruits, and plants
« on: March 08, 2014, 09:24:19 AM »
Quote from: ASaffron on December 27, 2013, 09:44:41 PM
Greetings to all,

I'm proud to announce that my nursery, Flying Fox Fruits, is open for business. (after Jan 2. 2014)

I'm currently shipping seeds, scions, fruits (miracle fruit mostly), and plants.

My website www.FlyingFoxFruits.com is under construction, but you can still access some photos of what's in my collection.

I specialize in plants that can be fruited in containers.  My offerings consist primarily of Myrciaria/Plinia (jaboticaba varieties), Eugenias, Annonas, Garcinias, and Pouterias.

If I've posted pictures on the forum of a fruit or plant that you might want, chances are I have access to that species.

Sorry I CAN NOT SHIP PLANTS to certain states right now (CA, TX, AZ, LA, and HI), although most seeds, scions, and airlayers may be shipped to these states.

For those of you in FL, shipping charges will be cheap, and in some cases free shipping can be arranged for wholesale orders (to nurseries on our route North to AL, and South Homestead).

Thanks for your patience as I build my webpage, and start my business.   

Please feel free to contact me via email at: FlyingFoxFruits@gmail.com
or just send me a PM through the forum.

Sincerely,

Adam





click images to enlarge:

Great Seal of Flying Fox Fruits

Red (Hybrid) Jaboticabas, Miracle Fruits, Eugenia uniflora (pitangas), and a Eugenia neonitida (Starcherry)

Plinia edulis (Cambuca)

Myrciaria vexator, Blue jaboticaba

Starcherries (Eugenia neonitida),  Red Jaboticaba, Rainforest Plum (Eugenia candolleana)

Pouteria sp. Ross sapote


Big Red, Annona squamosa

Lisa (48-26) Atemoya






Myrciaria spirito-santensis (Grimal jaboticaba), Myrciaria glazioviana (yellow jaboticaba)

Red (Hybrid) jaboticaba, Myrciaria caulifora x aureana

Myrciaria trunciflora


Myrciaria glazioviana

Myrciaria glazioviana


Hi there,

Would you (or any other forum member, for that matter) be willing to ship young plants overseas to England in the UK? I grow tropicals (includng tropical fruit, herbs and spices) as indoor container plants. I would love to acquire a small sized mango, canistel or sapote cultivar that is capable of bearing fruit if grown in a sufficiently large (30 litre+) container on a permanent basis. I am currently growing healthy soursop/guanabana, sapodilla (manilkara zapota, of unknown variety), various citrus, lychee (of unknown variety), Hass avocado, allspice (pimenta dioica), dragonfruit and coffea arabica, but I have doubts as to whether these seed-grown plants will ever flower and bear fruit in containers. I figure that if I can successfully import live plants (preferably grafted dwarf or container-compatible cultivars), I would stand a more realistic chance of obtaining fruit.

I asked Connecticut-based Logees nursery (http://www.logees.com/ ) if they can ship plants internationally; they said that it was too difficult a task, so they've made it company policy not to ship overseas. When I made enquiries with Florida-based Top Tropicals ( http://toptropicals.com/) said that the cost of the phytosanitary certificate is prohibitively expensive (but they didn't actually quote the price).

Can anyone help?  :)

21
Citrus General Discussion / Re: My Citrus collection
« on: February 17, 2014, 06:47:51 AM »
That's an impressive collection of container-grown citrus plants! I have a question: if I were to grow citrus plants from seed (as opposed to cuttings or grafted scions), is it at all possible for them to bear fruit in containers whilst at a small size (i.e. 3-4 feet tall)? I live in the UK and have no choice but to grow in containers because of our rather cool and wet winters. I would love to import some cuttings or grafted scions into the UK!

22
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Importing cuttings or grafted plants into the UK
« on: February 17, 2014, 06:32:49 AM »
Would anyone be willing to ship PLANTS, CUTTINGS or GRAFTED specimens to England, UK? As someone who is VERY keen on growing rare and unusual tropicals as atypical indoor container plants/houseplants, I find it frustrating that nurseries/growers over here in the UK offer nothing more exotic than grafted generic citrus, pomegranate and olive. I'm under the impression that I would generally stand more chance of getting container-grown woody tropical trees/shrubs to bear fruit if they were propagated by VEGETATIVE means (i.e. cuttings or grafts derived from MATURE parent plants), rather than by seed.

I'd love to grow cinnamon (nice aromatic foliage), miracle fruit, acerola (Barbados cherry) as indoor plants, but nobody in my country is able to provide seeds, young plants or even cuttings (not surprising really, as the UK's climate is hardly tropical!). I'm growing soursop (from imported fruit), arabica coffee, allspice (I managed to obtain seed from Hawaii!), sapodilla (from a grocery store fruit), dragon fruit, Australian finger lime (seeds obtained from Australia), starfruit (from a grocery store fruit), citrus bergamia (from imported Calabrian bergamot fruits), citrus hystrix (from a Thai food store), Marsh grapefruit, Hass avocado, and various other tropicals and subtropicals as somewhat atypical/unusual (by UK horticultural standards!) houseplants. However, ALL of them were raised from SEED, and for this reason I have doubts that my seed-grown containerised tropical fruit trees, which will have to be pruned in order to maintain a manageable size, will ever mature enough to bear fruit. Yes, they are nice foliage houseplants (and the citrus and allspice have aromatic foliage as a bonus), but it would be great if they could ever bear flowers and fruit in years to come!

I read somewhere that seed-grown tropical fruit trees have to reach maturity (and gain many feet of vertical height in the process!) in order to become capable of bearing fruit. Pruning, which is essential for indoor plants, apparently keeps the tree in the juvenile stage, which means that it will never bear fruit. Is this a true assertion, and does it apply to ALL woody tropical fruit tree/shrub species?

I wish I could somehow import cuttings from MATURE parent trees, or grafted potted plants that are capable of bearing fruit if they're kept in containers on a permanent basis. I would like to import plant material (other than seeds) in a legal manner, and through the proper channels so that I don't get into trouble with UK Customs. I assume that I would need a phytosanitary certificate and permission from UK Customs before I can import plant material? Of course importing seeds is much easier, but not all seed-grown tropical fruit trees are capable of bearing fruit in containers.

If UK climate was warmer I could fully unleash my greenthumb potential; I think I'm living in the wrong country! 

Regards,

Gary

23
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Wanted: a small quantity of fresh, viable coffee (coffea) seeds
« on: January 26, 2014, 08:52:49 PM »
Hello,

It's been a while since my last post.
I'm on an endless quest to procure some VIABLE coffee (coffea arabica, canephora, liberica, etc) seeds. I'm not a comerical grower; I just like growing tropical plants as a hobby. Tropicals are something of a novelty in the cool, temperate parts of the world. Much to my frustration, the desiccated-looking coffee seeds bought from Ebay seed suppliers here in the UK never germinate, probably because they've been stored for so long that they are no longer viable. Can anyone suggest sources of viable, fresh coffee seeds? Seeds from recently harvested berries/cherries have the highest germination rate.

Also, I am considering selling seeds as a small home-based online business. I'd be very grateful for tips and advice from those who have relevant experience. Is selling seeds and plants profitable? Does anyone know of wholsale seeds uppliers in the UK/Europe?

Best Regards,

Gary

24
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Fresh, viable seeds wanted.
« on: October 24, 2013, 07:42:48 PM »
Quote from: Mike T on October 24, 2013, 04:51:23 AM
GG most of those are pretty common in tropical places. You may not need fruit trees to unleash your phytochemistry on botanic subjects.My kaffir is pretty 'citrus tame' and oil free compared to wild bush trees I stumble across like Evodiella muelleri and lemon aspen.

I am quite intrigued by the native Australasian citrus/rutaceae species. I'd love to grow a finger lime.

25
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Fresh, viable seeds wanted.
« on: October 24, 2013, 07:39:32 PM »
Quote from: plantlover13 on October 24, 2013, 05:49:36 PM
Quote from: ASaffron on October 24, 2013, 05:44:10 PM
you should grow the Red  jaboticaba (hybrid) that Oscar sells.  It's the best fruit tree for growers like yourself...who push the limits.

btw, if you need miracle fruits, I have plenty to sell.

I keep noticing this word used with this jabo. Is it really a hybrid?

Hi ASaffron,

Could you possibly supply me with whole, ripe miracle fruits or freshly harvested seeds? I've read that miracle fruit seeds are recalcitrant and have a short storage viability.

Pages: [1] 2
SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk