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Messages - HIfarm

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1026
Tropical Fruit Discussion / balata / ausubo
« on: June 16, 2013, 01:50:19 PM »
I have seen this identified as Manilkara bidentata or Mimusops balata.  I had seen posts by our own Murahilin a few years back on another forum expressing doubt that the two species are the same.  Murahilin, at the time, also felt that the taste of the tree he had was not wonderful.  Would be interested in comments from him (& others) about this fruit.  I have seen reports of the fruit being very tasty but the flesh was limited.  Most reports also say the fruit is small (~1 -1 1/2") while another site listed it as 2".  Comments?

John

1027
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cannonball Trees Put on a Show
« on: June 15, 2013, 01:13:45 PM »
The salak was on the trail down by the shoreline.  It was close to the ulu as I recall, maybe 200-300 feet before the variegated pandanus they used to have.  Not sure if I noticed it last time there, maybe they pulled it or moved it.  Lots of changes last time I was there (maybe a couple of months ago now).  I notice that they greatly expanded the anthurium collection.

John

[/quote]

I didn't see the salak, but yes they don't like salt spray.
[/quote]

1028
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Clymenia polyandra
« on: June 14, 2013, 03:30:38 PM »
Just wondering if anyone is familiar / growing this citrus fruit.  It sounds like it would do well in Hawaii, being a true tropical.

John

1029
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Extending Mamey season
« on: June 14, 2013, 03:26:58 PM »
I have not tasted select cultivars of mamey but green sapote compare well to the mamey sapote we used to have access to -- taste was pretty much the same and, being a two person household, it was a lot easier to use the smaller green sapote fruit than the big mameys.

John

Quote from: koryph on June 14, 2013, 02:54:02 PM
No that is a great suggestion I want to do that too. I like it because it is supposed to be more cold tolerant than mamey. Never have tasted it yet

1030
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Extending Mamey season
« on: June 13, 2013, 10:52:52 PM »
It might be a stupid suggestion, but how about growing mamey and green sapote (Pouteria viridis).  I believe that the seasons are typically quite different in most areas and the flavor is similar.  I actually prefer the green sapote -- mamey has a lot of fruit to deal with whereas the green are easier to use in a small household.

John

1031
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cannonball Trees Put on a Show
« on: June 13, 2013, 06:57:25 PM »
Oscar,

Good news about the fruit.  My neighbor works there & I surprised he didn't mention.  However, visitors should be aware that they do not allow collecting seeds or cuttings so don't plan on a visit here being a collecting trip. 

I recall the salak palm there is pretty pitiful looking -- seems to be growing very slow.  Is this just because it is so close to the water & salt spray bothering it?

John

Quote from: NewGen on June 13, 2013, 12:33:24 PM

Good news is that this garden is just now adding a fruit tree section. They contacted me to try to get some of the rarer stuff to plant. Better late than never?  :)
Right now the only large fruit trees they have are jackfruit, breadfruit, mango, malay apple, and coconuts. So yes...rather ho hum. But they plan to add a whole bunch of really exotic fruit trees.  ;D
All this said, if you're coming this way this garden is a must see. It's an incredibly beautiful place, tons of flowers, waterfall, and the garden is located right next to beautiful coastline. Their specialty are heliconias, gingers, orchids, and palms. The garden is very beautifully laid out. The admission price is high ($15) but totally worth it.

1032
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cannonball Trees Put on a Show
« on: June 13, 2013, 01:56:42 PM »
Oscar, can you comment on edibility?  I had heard that the fruit was edible but the smell was not pleasant  (the same has been said of durian but I suspect the flavor of this is not in the same class as durian).

These trees are in the HTBG in Papaikou, just north of Hilo on the 4 mi scenic loop.  The trip is highly recommended although they are a lot lighter on fruit trees than I would like (mainly ornamentals).

John

Quote from: NewGen on June 13, 2013, 12:33:24 PM
The sign at the Fairchild tree says its not edible.

Oscar,
Is this tree in Honolulu? I went to a garden there in 2010, saw a huge cannon ball tree, as well as a ginormous baobab tree. Amazing place with lots of interesting things growing.

1033
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Tethering branches to shape a tree
« on: June 12, 2013, 01:12:37 PM »
John, I am skeptical that you will get the tree to change its growth habit but it might work.  I had tried this in the past with an ornamental cherry that tended toward upright growth.  I tethered the branches to give it a more spreading shape.  It worked with those branches and I altered their shape.  However, the tree reverted to its upright growth and I just ended up with a broader base but branches still swept up as it grew.  You can't really change what is in the genes.

John

1034
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Soursop...in a new light?
« on: June 11, 2013, 09:25:18 PM »
Oscar, do you have the fiberless or other select cultivars of soursop?  I didn't notice them on your cultivar scion list.

I haven't eaten a lot of soursop but I have noticed huge variation in them here.  I have had some that were quite good but not as good as atemoya or cherimoya (although I don't doubt that there are some that are as good or better) and one that was horrible.  I guess that is the problem with seed grown fruit, you don't know what to expect quality-wise.  People who would probably never buy an "apple" without a varietal name (like a Delicious or Mutsu) will buy tropical fruit with no varietal name.  No wonder some tropical fruits have such widely varying reviews.

John

Quote from: fruitlovers on June 11, 2013, 06:55:16 PM


Jay, you should suspend further judgement till you get a chance to try fiberless soursop. Looks and tastes almost like a different species or sub species, with its bluish cast leaves. To me it was equal to or even better than some cherimoyas. Truly a delightful surprise. I've yet to find one though that is a good bearer. The Whitman fiberless makes very few fruits here.
Even regular olde soursop is quite excellent in juices or ice cream! Just not so great out of hand due mainly to all the fiber--NOT the taste. Some have quite good sweet/sour taste.

1035
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: barbel palm seeds for trade
« on: June 11, 2013, 05:55:04 PM »
Samuel,

Does this tree sprout new trees from the base so that when the palm heart is harvested, a new tree is generated (like peach palm)?  Or is the palm heart just harvested, killing the tree?

John

1036
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Look for Eugenia aggregata seeds & Eugenia subterminalis seeds
« on: June 11, 2013, 01:36:52 PM »
Jim West has mulchi (E. subterminalis)
http://www.guaycuyacu.net/seed_sell.html

He was supposed to be stopping new customers a while back but not sure if he really did.

John

1037
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Vangueria infausta African Medlars (and a few other african fruit seedlings)
« on: June 11, 2013, 01:31:44 PM »
Most references I have seen compare the flavor of Vangueria to apple -- I don't know if that is accurate or just an attempt to compare it to something most people have tried.  Anyone have any experience with Lagynias lasiantha?  This is a relative of Vangueria and supposedly tastes at least as good.

John

1038
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Black sapote (Diospyros dignya) cultivars
« on: June 10, 2013, 03:50:50 PM »
Just wondering if anyone is aware of a seedless black sapote cultivar?  I have heard that seedless trees exist (in Morton, I think) but have heard of no seedless cultivars.  I got a couple of black sapotes at the Maku'u market in Puna.  Only one has ripened so far but it was absolutely seedless, had nice size fruit, and flavor was not bad (although I tend not to eat them "out of hand" but usually make mousse or smoothies with them).  Is it plausible that this was just a fluke seedless fruit (seems unlikely to me as there were no seeds or even "aborted" seeds)?  It would be worth looking this vendor up to try to get scions but I don't frequent that market and didn't really make note of where I got them.  The same woman had absolute garbage green star apples, the worst I have tasted by far.

John

1039
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: What is the hardiest Salacca species that has edible fruit?
« on: June 08, 2013, 11:14:39 AM »
Recher, have you tried any of the Eleodoxa pickles?  I think I had read it is also used in cooking.  I had been considering ordering some seeds earlier but not sure how useful it would be.  I wasn't aware that this was previously a Salacca sp, makes sense, there certainly is a resemblance!

John

1040
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Some pics in the yard
« on: June 05, 2013, 01:09:53 PM »
All your plants look great.  I had never heard of sculpit before so I had to look that one up.  It sounds like an interesting herb -- have you tried it before or is it something new you are trying?

John

1041
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Puna Fruit Gang
« on: June 03, 2013, 11:46:58 PM »
Nice film.  I'm sure that's going to make a lot of mainlanders jealous, especially that shot with the fruit at the ocean front.  Looks like you are in a good part of Puna, you have some dirt there <grin>.  Where was the experiment station you visited?

John

Quote from: roboto212 on June 03, 2013, 11:30:16 PM
me and my friends have thrown some videos together, this last one is different shots taken at a few different farms, one Gaiayoga, one Chitta's, we snuck into the experimental station here a a few times :0, which is where the paradise nut shot comes from.

Im the one in the tye die alot of the time ;)... and cutting open the best cempedak ive had yet.



for your viewing pleasure, the fruit ;0

1042
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: The Ultimate Annona list!
« on: June 03, 2013, 01:50:53 PM »
A bud sport is a spontaneous mutation of the plant where different tissue occurs at the point where the bud occurred.  You may also come across the term "chimera".  That would be the term to explain the plant that would now have two different types of tissue on the same plant.  In horticulture, a fair number of clones have arisen from bud sports.

John

[/quote]

Can you explain the bud sport? These are mutations? How should the parentage be listed? Late Gold is added...
[/quote]

1043
Tropical Fruit Online Library / Re: Australian Rainforest Fruits
« on: June 01, 2013, 02:08:19 PM »
looks pretty interesting, Mike.  It always annoys me when books don't at least mention if the plants bear edible fruit (better yet, if they commented on palatability and amount of flesh present).

John

1044
Tropical Fruit Online Library / Chironja
« on: May 30, 2013, 03:11:06 PM »
As Jack has confirmed on another thread that chironja ia a worthwhile fruit, I did some more digging on it and have listed some resources below:

http://rfcarchives.org.au/Next/Fruits/Citrus/Chironja120-3-01.htm
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4287970?uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102059021923
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/orangelo.html

1045
Tropical Fruit Online Library / Diospyros resources
« on: May 30, 2013, 07:06:03 AM »
I came across a couple of docs for Diospyros that could be useful:

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pdf3/005107600034586.pdf
http://www.landesmuseum.at/pdf_frei_remote/ANNA_110B_0173-0211.pdf

John

1046
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Chironja
« on: May 30, 2013, 05:59:11 AM »
Anyone familiar with this citrus fruit from PR?  I saw it in Steve Nagy's Tropical & Subtropical Fruits book & it sounded interesting.  It is supposed to be a natural hybrid of orange & grapefruit & is supposed to come pretty true from seed.  Nagy's book claims it has good flavor, being less sour than grapefruit and sweeter than orange.  Just wondering if anyone can give a description.  Most grapefruit hybrids I have tried seem to be a little too bitter for my taste & hoping that this could be an improvement.

John

1047
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Garcinia forbesii
« on: May 29, 2013, 03:36:20 PM »
Sorry, I didn't take any pics of the seeds germinating, Daniel.  It sounds like the time to you in transit is probably similar to time to me.  I don't recall the actual germination time (until a sprout could be noted out of the pot) but I am guessing 1 - 1 1/2 months.  In the past (these seeds included), I planted the seeds in forestry tubes with potting media and it worked well for most seeds.  This spring, I have been getting some horrible results (with seeds from Asia) so I am now going the the plastic bag / sphagnum method to sprout them.  It sounds like your seeds look better this time, good luck with them.

John

Quote from: sanitarium on May 29, 2013, 02:57:47 PM
Could you please share a pic of the germination signs?  and how long it take to you? to me it is about 2-3 weeks after he posted it.

this is my second packet of forbesii from him.. the first seeds were flat and black and when broken the inner was brown-yellowish like death seeds, the second batch was not flat(thin), the seeds was more "fat" so hopefully these will sprout, I am just curious about the time as cant find anything on google.. 


I have about 90 percent good seeds from jim, but with couple of mistakes made by me I lost some and I lost quite a lot due to */?*!! fly larvaes that eat the seeds/sprouting roots. I still have an issues with them..

1048
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Garcinia forbesii
« on: May 29, 2013, 02:36:13 PM »
Daniel, David:

I have bought seeds from Jim several times and the germination for most has been good to excellent.  However, I have had a few items where I got where there was no germination.

Regarding G. forbesii, Jim sent me a note telling me that it was a difficult one to ship and he was experimenting with two different treatments.  I got seeds labelled "wet" & "dry".  I got very good germination on the "wet" seeds and most of these germinated before any of the dries did.  The "dry" seeds were much slower to germinate and, while the germination wasn't bad, it wasn't nearly as good as the "wet" and the germination was much more sporadic.  I have him feedback so, hopefully, he has now optimized the treatment conditions for G. forbesii.  I don't recall exactly when I bought the seeds but, judging from the season Jim specified, I am guessing it was about a year ago.  One of the "dry" seeds just germinated within the past couple of months.

John

1049
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Something killing young Jackfruit plants
« on: May 28, 2013, 07:04:07 PM »
I would not discount chipmunks or squirrels if you have them there.  Both used to get into my greenhouse in NH and would make a mess of the pots, digging around looking for food.  In that case, it was orchids in a bark media but they were basically looking for seeds to eat so I suspect that they would love a nice plump jack seed.

John

1050
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Borojoa, Anyone growing it?
« on: May 28, 2013, 06:04:15 PM »
I probably should double check this before posting (I haven't looked at them in about a month) but I have a couple dozen or so seedlings, maybe 8" or so high.  I have them growing under shadecloth (60%, I think) in 1/2 gallon nursery bags.  I am planning on planting them out later this year (however, in light of Oscar's posting, I'd best keep my fingers crossed).

I am guessing that the fruit is eaten seeds & all from your posting, Oscar?  Any fruit you would compare it to, flavorwise?

John

Quote from: fruitlovers on May 28, 2013, 05:36:21 PM
Borojo is growing and fruiting fine at the Hilo experimental station. Those trees are in full sun. I tried growing it from seeds several times and failed. They would get up to about 4 inches tall and then mysteriously stop growing and eventually die. I heard from another nurseryman the same exact thing happened with his plants. Still don't know what the problem is?
The taste is quite good. It is a pasty sweet fruit, kind of like eating a processed jam. It does have a lot of seeds embedded inside that jam, but not a problem unless you are trying to extract the seeds for growing. Jim West brought me once some dried borojo that is sold in Ecuador and also was quite nice.


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