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Messages - HMHausman

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1


I remember a time, qa few years ago, when Maha Chanok and Angie were the most talked about varieties in the Forum.  I would be surprised if either one of them got into anyone's top 15 list now. That said, I like Angie more than MC.

Thats mostly thanks to Richard Campbell (as to Angie) and Harry (as to Mahachanok).  Sorry Harry...

BTW, Sheehan is a big lover of Mahachanok.

Well, no apologies for my previous extolling of Maha…..Sheehan's taste or lack thereof notwithstanding.  On its best day, and there are many during a given season, Maha can stand amongst the best.  It may not win the blue ribbon on a given tasting table but its flavor, disease resistance, growing characteristics and long season make it a good addition to any grower's grove. Contrary opinion is always welcomed but just not correct....LOL. ;)

2
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: The Best Mango - On any given Sunday
« on: July 01, 2018, 07:13:54 PM »
I'm just awaking from a mango induced coma.  It was a really great get together.  Thanks to all for their generosity and to Brandon for being such a gracious host.  It was good to see everyone. I really can't pick a clear best of the best. I think that the top three mentioned are as good a choice as any. I think my mango evaluating portion of my brain was just completely overwhelmed and totally out of practice. I'm looking to the next meeting to try to get back into the swing of awarding a blue ribbon with so many delicious mangoes to choose from.

3
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Durian germination help
« on: November 03, 2017, 08:36:21 AM »
Hello everyone, two weeks ago I planted a durian seed in a pot and placed it in a dark, warm place(about 73°F). The seed came from a piece of durian that i bought in an asian store(it was inside a refrigerator, not that chilly btw). Today, since I haven't seen anything coming out, I decided to extract the seed and look why is taking so long.
The seed is still firm and light coloured, however, no sprouts coming out. Any tip will be appreciated.
Do you know why is taking so long? Maybe it's because it was refrigerated or because it requires warmer temperatures? Do you think it will sprout one day?
Here you are some photos of the seed(it's a bit brown cause it has been inside the pot, not because it's rotting)








Unfortunately, it appears from the pictures and your description that the cool storage of the fruit has destroyed the seeds.  The seeds that I have planted that were fresh have shown signs of germination within two weeks. Is the seed still firm or has it softened?

4
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: lisa or gefner atemoya ?
« on: October 22, 2017, 07:34:13 AM »
I wouldn't necessarily make this judgment by the appearance of one fruit.  It definitely looks like its not Lisa but it doesn't have to be Gefner.

5
There is no comparison.  Bruce is a prolific producer of gorgeous large fruits while Ross is not.  Ross tastes nothing like Bruce.  It is not dry and chalky, has no smell and no latex like Bruce.  For my taste, I'd much rather have a few good Ross fruits than a tree full of large Bruce fruits. But, that's just me.  If you like the Bruce vibe, I might suggest El Trompo or Fairchild #2. I don't think Ross is even the same species as the other canistels. The tree growth habit is completely different as is the look of the fruits.

6
An avocado fruiting area in England? That's a new one on me.  Regardless, the tree is likely planted from seed and not a grafted variety that has been selected for its production and quality.  A fourteen foot seedling is not that large of a tree for a seedling.  Avocados generally need a cross pollinator to get the best production and different trees need particular types of cross pollinators.  There is a whole line of scientific discussion about type A and type B pollinators which you can easily find on a google search.  I am not sure that this is still the current thinking but it was considered scientific fact at one time. If this is a seed planted tree there is the possibility that it is just an inferior or non producer.  It also is possible that it just needs to get some additional maturity before it cuts loose with production. It is not unheard of for a seedling avocado to not produce without a couple decades of maturing. Too many variables to say anything conclusively.

7
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Gardening by the moon-phases
« on: October 17, 2017, 08:27:24 AM »
Sowing , planting , pruning , grafting according to the moon-phase , is anybody following these rules and does it really make a difference ?

I had always thought that this was a matter of superstition and horticultural "old wives" tales.  My neighbors, originally from Trinidad, planted their yard following the moon phases.  Everything they planted did quite well.......as did everything I planted in my yard without regard to the moon phases. I have no observations regarding sowing, pruning or grafting but at least for planting out potted trees, I haven't seen any reason to plant or not plant based upon the moon phase.

8
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Starfruit Question For Fruitlovers
« on: October 14, 2017, 10:08:27 PM »
A good start would be figuring out from what variety star fruit tree the seeds came from. Regardless, these do not come true to seed. It is axiomatic that a seed from a sweet fruit will have a better chance of producing a tree with sweet fruit than if the seeds were from a tart fruit producing tree. You probably won't be able to know for sure until you try the fruit from your seedling tree.

9
The general rule is that this is very late to do grafting.  However, it has been warm and the recent storms will probably force some additional vegetative growth because of leaf and limb loss. The best time to graft is when the root stock is in active vegetative growth. So I think it is possible to successfully graft now but you would ordinarily expect a lower success rate. That being said.....I was fortunate to receive some mango scions from Raul in Puerto Vallarta as part of the Secret Santa we did a few years back.  The mail was slow and I received the scions after about two weeks in the mail.  They arrived in good shape and I grafted them onto root stocks that were in pots but had grown large and into the ground.  I am not an expert grafter by any means. Miraculously, I got four out of four to take in December grafting during a warm year.  So, the moral of the story is......give it a try.

10
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Seed grown Jackfruit leaf shape
« on: September 23, 2017, 08:08:31 AM »
Yes, juvenile jak leaves are often shaped this way.  They will loose this characteristic once they tree gains some age. My theory is that it is a throw back to genetic ancestry.  However, I have no proof of that being the reason.

11
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Bark Peeling on Surinam Cherry. OK?
« on: September 15, 2017, 10:05:36 AM »
Yes......very normal.

12
Sorry to change the subject, but I have to ask the lychee experts.  Which variety is the most compact, most manageable tree if you wanted to keep it under 15 feet?  Can you do that with a lychee tree?

Any lychee can be kept under growth control and could comply with the height specifications you mention.  For me Emperor provides the most compact growth. But if you have 15 feet to spare, I would not pick emperor merely because of it more compact growth habit. Bosworth 3 a/k/a Kwai Mai Pink also has been compact at my house.  But, I am not sure if this was a function of the particular air layers that I planted out or is a true cultivar characteristic.

13
Last year our Mauritius, Sweetheart, and Brewster were ripe at the same time. The trees are only about 3 years old, but we both preferred the taste of the Mauritius. They were all good, but the Mauritius seemed to have more complexity of flavor to us. Hopefully soon we can taste them again.

It is very uncommon, in my experience, to have Brewster fully mature and ripe the same time as Mauritius. You are saying that they are all grown at the same location? I wasn't there to see/taste the fruit so I have to rely on your assessment of maturity/ripeness.  I must confess some skepticism about the Brewsters reaching their full potential at the same time as Mauritius.  How many fruits are we talking about in the harvest/tasting?  Were any of the Brewster fruit allowed to stay on the tree longer to see if they would improve in flavor overall eating quality? What was the time of the year (if you can specify the date of the tasting)......maybe your Mauritius were late?

14
https://vimeo.com/168405658

I've never seen rabbits attacking mangoes either. Sort of gives new meaning to the adage about low hanging fruit.

15
I was always a member of the Brewster is better camp.  In recent years, I have begun to really appreciate the consistency of fruiting of Mauritius. The motto.....the best lychee is the one in hand, perfectly ripe and juicy ready to be eaten. I think that if you could have a side by side comparison taste test of perfectly ripe fruit (which isn't likely to happen because of different maturing times) the majority of lychee aficionados would select Brewster as superior.  But again, Mauritius has closed the gap on this in recent years in my personal taste view point.

16
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Harvest Moon mango questions
« on: May 24, 2016, 08:19:09 AM »
Gorgeous fruit, beautiful tree. The look of the fruit on the tree reminds me of Hatcher. I'm looking forward to my tree's fruit maturing.  Looks like yours are about on the same schedule as mine. Enjoy!!

17
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: What type of mango is this
« on: May 23, 2016, 07:33:58 AM »
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Giant-mango-live-grafted-tree-from-Puerto-Rico-/262448778173?hash=item3d1b2a8bbd:g:jKEAAOSwQYZWyccC

Hard to really say for sure.  I am unfamiliar with a mango called Wise.  I do remember some discussion about it here on the forum.  I thought that they might have been referring to Eweis, an Egyptian mango.  I was promptly corrected and advised that Wise was an older cultivar from the Miami area. Eweis definitely looks nothing like this mango.  TopTropicals has a picture of what they call Wise and it does not appear to be the same mango picture in the Ebay ad.  No comment on the correctness or lack of correctness of the photo.

I have seen Keitt mangoes that look like this and without further information, that would be my best guess.  I did encounter a large fruited mango called Piniero in Puerto Rico.  The fruit that I saw had not colored up as these have.  However, that blushing can often vary with sun exposure. I did buy a small Piniero tree but it has not fruited for me as of yet.

18
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Harvest Moon mango questions
« on: May 22, 2016, 01:58:11 PM »
I have had this in my yard for a few years now.  I would say 3-4 years, somewhere in that range of time.  The tree has not set fruit until this year.  I have heard good things about the mango.  It is supposedly very large and golden yellow....with its round shape justifying it's name. I don't recall tasting it, but I probably have at some point. This year it has set a decent sized crop for the size of the tree.  The tree has dropped a good bit of the fruit originally set, but that is par for the course this time of year for many mangoes.  I think I will have a good chance to try this mango produced at my home in about a month, month and a half or so.  I have had some trouble with sooty mold on the leaves, but my fruits seem not to have an anthracnose issue thus far.

19
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Extending the Lychee Season
« on: May 19, 2016, 06:47:41 AM »
Hi Harry, when does Garnet that you speak so highly of ripen?

Bill

Hi Bill.  Well, I wish I could give you a definitive answer.  My Garnet tree was probably planted out sometime in the mid 1990's.  It took some time to set its first crop.  At this point, I would say that time period was way too long.....that much I remember....the exact years, I do not remember. The fruit was quite good and we had some off and on crops for a few years.  Then, my neighbors had a new well drilled and the sediment and other material used in the drilling flooded the area where my tree was located. What ever they were using was not to the liking of my Garnet tree.  It went into decline.  It never bloomed again and has only now getting back to a healthy look leaf-wise.  This year  it again did not bloom.  So, from memory, I would say that it is an early to middle season fruit. I think the last time it set fruit was back in 2010.

20
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Extending the Lychee Season
« on: May 18, 2016, 08:13:15 AM »
Instead of starting a new thread I thought I would bring back to life this old one that didn't get much attention.  Does anyone else have any input on the earliest and latest varieties of Lychees?  Does anyone in California have info on early and later varieties here? 

Bill

Here in Florida, for the "main" varieties, Mauritius is early and Emperor is late.

At my house, what we have been calling Hak Ip is the earliest maturing lychee.  Early Large Red and Mauritius are not far behind.  Emperor has always been the last fruit maturing.  I hear Groff can take the honors of latest fruiting but my Groff is small and has never set any fruit.

21
Costco or Whole Foods ataulfos is about all you are going to find.

22
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Galaxy mango
« on: May 02, 2016, 08:13:17 PM »
Mine still has not bloomed.  Have you checked with Mike Bender or Pine Island Nursery?

23
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Lychee Bloom S. Fla. 2016
« on: April 19, 2016, 05:37:15 PM »
I think you guys may have jinxed me.  I had as prolific a lychee bloom this year as I can remember.  I have some trees that have barely set any fruit at all.  There are others that have set decently.  I have plenty of pollination. Not sure what the issue is/was.  Please stop talking so positively about my success.  ;)

24
I'm not sure what happened to Cogshall.  I like the mango as well.  It has fallen in actual fruit-set significantly over the last number of years and I have no explanation as to why.  It blooms like a champ each and every year.  I have not sprayed at all during most years and that may have something to do with it. But, I have also had years where I have sprayed and crops were still on the light side.

25
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Squirrel Assassin
« on: March 15, 2016, 08:34:12 AM »
I finally found the best way to thin out the squirrels my yard.

https://vimeo.com/158812505

I have these in my yard as well.  I even had a breeding pair that nested at the top of one of my large ficus trees for a number of years in a row.  Unfortunately, they seem to much prefer birds (especially doves), as well as mice, small rats, lizards and snakes to squirrels.  I've seen them chase squirrels but have never seen a confirmed kill. They sure are beautiful though.

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