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Messages - zands

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3651
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Colorfield Farms Mango Festival
« on: July 27, 2012, 02:55:40 PM »
hehe it's way cheaper than the fairchild mango festival :-).

Fairchild festival is for the landed gentry :) and those who aspire to be. Colorfield mango festival is for jibaros, peasants and techno-peasants with land. If both festivals were 25 miles from me I would head to ColorField with their larger trees for sale. BTW they must be a large grower/wholesaler because I have seen their plants in Home Depot

3652
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: apricot trees
« on: July 27, 2012, 08:57:27 AM »
Quote
If I lived in a colder climate I would plant apricot and cherry trees first because I like them best.
Peach, raspberry and apricot first. All are very easy to grow. A fresh ripe peach is hard to beat. Apricots bloom very early and can be ruined by a late frost in more southerly areas.

Right, so if apricot fails at least you have peach. A non-acidy one for me, please.

3653
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: LZ vs OS
« on: July 27, 2012, 08:54:16 AM »
My planted Lemon Sherbet tree has a 27-1 tag and pot said OS on it. I'll be happy with the fruit no matter what it is.

3654
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: apricot trees
« on: July 26, 2012, 11:38:49 AM »
Hi Morris,
I had a giant apricot tree in South Africa and was the most productive tree I had without cross-pollination 8)...I use to come home from school and eat a huge loads of them, every day 8) Good memories...it's a pitty i didn't bring budwood with me...never again, have I tasted a top notch apricot like from this majestic tree :(...I hope the tree still stands...so, that in one of these day's, I will visit my country from where I hail from :)



On the left is a fig tree, the variety was called ''Kaaps se groen vye''( Green figs of the Cape) also top notch ;)

If I lived in a colder climate I would plant apricot and cherry trees first because I like them best. Then gooseberries. Then a pear tree. Then some other berries and apples.

3655
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: apricot trees
« on: July 26, 2012, 09:19:21 AM »
Probably not. You need to know the variety.
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6001

Interesting link. I had no idea there were so many ins and outs for pollination of northern fruit trees, apples, pears apricots etc

3656
Citrus General Discussion / Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« on: July 25, 2012, 04:30:18 PM »


I have no idea what the soil ph is... maybe its time to check it .

Our soil has a top layer of mucky soil because of the years and years of leaves that have fallen , under that is a whole lot of sand, then clay.  There is no rock until at least 5 feet down. 

look at these pics: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=1132.msg14604#msg14604

This weekend I'll hit the pathetic tree with the stuff above...hoping to avoid killing it,  I'll use it very gingerly.   Do you see a problem adding it all at once?

Thanks
Nat


I have topsoil of 6-12 inches. Below this I will hit a brownish mix of sand and limestone rocks and pebbles and coral rocks pebbles of all sizes. I know my soil is calciferous because I see all that limestone and coral debris that were dredged up when canals were made to drain my area

How deep do you have to dig to see rocks that are coral and limestone? The further down the better and the less alkaline soil you have or maybe an acid soil or maybe a neutral soil. You hit no coral type rocks until 5ft down??


Our soil has a top layer of mucky soil because of the years and years of leaves that have fallen.....

Very nice, that is humus unless your yard gets flooded. The real mucky soils near Okeechobee where you have vegetable farms. That muck was hundreds or more years in the making from plant growth then decay in swampy conditions.

If your coral rocks are so far down then no need to buy chelate iron. The Southern Ag Citrus foliar has iron. Get the copper fungicide too and avoid breathing it. This seems pretty simple to me. 2 foliar sprays....copper fungicide and citrus. Use an old window spray bottle to spray this plant. Do not combine them. Use one...empty out spray bottle...then use other on another day

For good luck you can apply black cow bagged cow manure under the mulch. Being organic maybe it will have that X factor for you


3657
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Keitt Mango questions
« on: July 25, 2012, 10:04:31 AM »
Well...its the third week of July and I still don't know "if" my Keitt is ready to be picked? I took a picture this morning (removed the window screen I wrapped them in). What do you guys think? Its still hard as a rock, no give at all....


Thanks,
Nancy

South of you in Broward my friends Keitt has at least 10 days to go. Or as a sage once said here ----->>> monitor the tree every day for the first fallen fruit so rats and squirrels don't get it. First fallen fruit means your Keitt tree season has begun

3658
A friend/neighbor ate his first Valencia Pride a few days ago. His daughter who is neutral about mangoes loved it. So now he is going to buy and plant one this week

3659
Citrus General Discussion / Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« on: July 25, 2012, 12:32:05 AM »
So I would use (sparingly I assume)

Excalibur fertilizer
Copper spray
Nutritional spray
Chelated FE

??

That's so complicated...



Yeah it's a pain and an imposition. You would think in Florida citrus would grow naturally here like mangoes but not necessarily. It's even worse where I am because I'm sure my soil is more alkaline than yours. Is yours alkaline? How deep is your sand layer before you hit coral rock and limestone? Maybe citrus grows better in muck soils, I don't know. But alkaline soils inhibit mineral uptake by citrus so they need foiliar sprays or chelated minerals applied at the roots.
Mangoes don't care so much about alkaline soils

North of you is where citrus grows more naturally so the groves are up there

3660
Citrus General Discussion / Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« on: July 24, 2012, 10:41:35 AM »
RFC fruitilizer is the same as Excalibur. I have been using it.  Ill try nutritional spray. I would really like to see some new growth

I have some Southern Ag Citrus Nutritional Spray, common item at Home Depot.
On the label it lists:
  • magnesium
  • iron
  • manganese
  • zinc
  • sulfur
No copper listed

More detail here >>>>> http://www.southernag.com/docs/labels_msds/ms0190.pdf

Thanks for the info: I obviously made a boo boo
 Copper Fungicide?

That should supply your copper if Guanabanus says so. I have some of that...it is another $6 item from Southern Ag that I found at my local Home Depot
Matter of fact a friend got advice from bsbullie at Excalibur to spray copper fungicide on his newly purchased King Mandarin tree once a month. I am just repeating what bsbullie said. Personally I think you omit that copper fungicide during some winter months.

I had a small Meyer Lemon lose leaves and then they grew back. Best I can attribute the recovery to is using Southern Ag Ciurus Spray plus some foliar chelated Iron. Plus some 8-3-9

3661
Citrus General Discussion / Re: Citrus Dieback - Need Advice
« on: July 24, 2012, 10:07:41 AM »
RFC fruitilizer is the same as Excalibur. I have been using it.  Ill try nutritional spray. I would really like to see some new growth

I have some Southern Ag Citrus Nutritional Spray, common item at Home Depot.
On the label it lists:
  • magnesium
  • iron
  • manganese
  • zinc
  • sulfur
No copper listed

More detail here >>>>> http://www.southernag.com/docs/labels_msds/ms0190.pdf

3662
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Papaya Growth in 1.5 months.
« on: July 24, 2012, 10:00:33 AM »
Hi Ohio,
Adding to what Oscar posted...keep the wound dry at all times, so that the wound doesn't start to rot.

Yep, people here generally cut them low when they get too tall and put a large punch tin over the cut on the stump. New shoots come from below the tin. Some use a bucket to keep the wound dry, but they often fly away in storms.

put a large punch tin over the cut on the stump.

Do you mean cover it with aluminum foil? Or that thicker aluminum that you find in disposable chafing dishes like you can see here >>>>   http://www.partycity.com/category/entertaining+serving/chafing+dishes.do


3663
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: How did you learn how to garden?
« on: July 23, 2012, 12:47:23 PM »


After reading FL's Best Fruiting Plants...I was Jabuticaba obsessed from then on!

So i went from natives, to edibles, to only tropical fruiting trees/vines/shrubs (primarily).

No sooner than 4yrs after I'd purchased my first home, with profits from my first business endeavor (Real estate investment firm), I was evicted from my house because of foreclosure, and had my LLC dissolved...I lost almost everything when property values started to fall....but as luck would have it!

I ended up moving RIGHT NEXT DOOR! I've been renting the house directly next to the one I lost to foreclosure for the past 3.5yrs....so it goes to show I could afford to keep the house, if the bank would have been willing to negotiate.

I dug up lots of plants, and salvaged all I could...u should have seen the craters I left! It looked like a war zone!



that's my story of how I got hooked, and I'm sticking to it.

A real shame about the foreclosure. A demi-genius like you should have been able to stay in your house + had the empty house next door to plant too.

3664
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Papaya Growth in 1.5 months.
« on: July 23, 2012, 10:42:47 AM »
Wow. Those papaya trees are growing like weeds.  8)

When weeds have trouble growing like weeds they ask the papayas and bananas to give them a few lessons

3665
Thanks Harry and SleepDoc. Looks like Fairchild mixed up the two. Sabre and Heidi. SleepDoc's Heidi fruit photo has instantly become the most authentic Heidi photo on the internet. Heidi in the wild, not a stylized prettified photo

3666
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Sugar Apple Harvest
« on: July 22, 2012, 07:45:16 AM »
Noel you are the man for annonas and one of the most knowledgeable about in America. If I had more space I would plant some

3667


Zands - The Heidi is a very nice dense tree, with a beautiful and very tasty fruit.  It seems to fall naturally into the time frame you are looking for.  I have only eaten one fruit from the tree, and it was very good.  Aromatic, firm, juicy, tasty mango. From what I have gathered it is a kent seedling, and IMO better than its parent.   If you want some budwood, let me know ...

Thanks much SDoc. I have not done any grafting in my life though I should be trying and practicing very soon. What size is the Heidi fruit? I have theft problem with large fruits with lots of nice coloration


Heidi in Africa from this page
http://www.fairchildgarden.org/livingcollections/tropicalfruitprogram/blog/id/268/read/For-The-Love-of-mangos-Africa/

ZZzz

3668
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Papaya Growth in 1.5 months.
« on: July 21, 2012, 10:03:34 PM »


The Red Lady Papaya (left tree) is now dwarfed by the Red Queen.  It started off at about two inches tall in March / April time period.

Papayas and bananas are care free and grow like weeds here. Edible but there is no wooden trunk or branches involved. They are not fruit trees which are harder to tame and deal with otherwise we would not have this forum. I throw cheap 10-10-10 on bananas and I'll bet papayas will like it too

3669
My Valencia Pride has another week or two. I feel like the mango grinch saying this, but I am ready for the season to be over at my house! The dehydrator needs a break.

Great looking tree when the fruits are hanging, unique oblong

3670
Lets face it, you may have a diverse collection with lots of nice tastes but they mostly came in, in a 7 week period from late May  to July 15th (roughly speaking). The peak of South Florida mango season is over. Most of your trees are finished for the year. At this moment I have no ripe mangoes to eat (kind of pissed) though I do have a Kent tree with a few unripe ones. Reason I am asking is to fill in this gap.

I have a Gold Nugget but the fruits are 3-4 weeks away
Neelam but a month away from ripeness

What mangoes do you have right now that you can eat and for the next few weeks into mid August. You can call these mid season mangoes or mid to late season mangoes. Thanks!  :)

3671
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: what do people think of kent mango
« on: July 20, 2012, 07:24:05 PM »
I like em, been keeping an eye pealed for them in stores.

They have lost favor as an export variety because of shorter shelf life, in favor of Keitt.

personally I prefer a Kent over Keitt. I like the texture more on the Kent.

Dittos. Kent over Keitt.
I like the texture more on the Kent.
Same here.

3672
Tropical Fruit Discussion / 10 Health Benefits of Mangos
« on: July 20, 2012, 07:21:03 PM »
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-health-benefits-of-mangos.html

Mangos taste so good that people forget they are also healthy!  Discover how the “king of fruits” can help you, plus fascinating trivia and a few mango cautions and concerns.

Health Benefits:

1.  Prevents Cancer:
Research has shown antioxidant compounds in mango fruit have been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. These compounds include quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat, as well as the abundant enzymes.

2.  Lowers Cholesterol:
The high levels of fiber, pectin and vitamin C help to lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically Low-Density Lipoprotein (the bad stuff)

3.  Clears the Skin:
Can be used both internally and externally for the skin. Mangos clear clogged pores and eliminate pimples. (Read more on page 5.)

4.  Eye Health:
One cup of sliced mangoes supplies 25 percent of the needed daily value of vitamin A, which promotes good eyesight and prevents night blindness and dry eyes.

5.  Alkalizes the Whole Body:
The tartaric acid, malic acid, and a trace of citric acid found in the fruit help to maintain the alkali reserve of the body.

6. Helps in Diabetes:
Mango leaves help normalize insulin levels in the blood.  The traditional home remedy involves boiling leaves in water, soaking through the night and then consuming the filtered decoction in the morning. Mango fruit also have a relatively low glycemic index (41-60) so moderate quantities will not spike your sugar levels.

7. Improved Sex:
Mangos are a great source of vitamin E. Even though the popular connection between sex drive and vitamin E was originally created by a mistaken generalization on rat studies, further research has shown balanced proper amounts (as from whole food) does help in this area.


8. Improves Digestion:
Papayas are not the only fruit that contain enzymes for breaking down protein. There are several fruits, including mangoes, which have this healthful quality. The fiber in mangos also helps digestion and elimination.

9. Remedy for Heat Stroke
Juicing the fruit from green mango and mixing with water and a sweetener helps to cool down the body and prevent harm to the body. From an ayurvedic viewpoint, the reason people often get diuretic and exhausted when visiting equatorial climates is because the strong “sun energy” is burning up your body, particularly the muscles.  The kidneys then become overloaded with the toxins from this process.

10. Boosts Immune system
The generous amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A in mangos, plus 25 different kinds of carotenoids keep your immune system healthy and strong



3673
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: what do people think of kent mango
« on: July 20, 2012, 08:27:41 AM »
i bought 2 from Walter zill and ive left them till last to eat- given how huge and pretty they were, i assumed theyd be tasteless.
having just cut a slice from one this morning, im very pleasantly surprised. great flavor very different from any other mango ive had. kinda reminds me of mangosteen flava.
what do you peoples think?

Ranks high for me. But I have a tree so am prejudiced. Ones off my tree are delish and same from another Kent I know. For my taste Kent must be ripe or a little past it. Kent is ripe right now and others getting there, and the other tree was ripe since July 7th. So Kent is mid season.

3674
It just occurred to me to post about Blue Collar, an excellent Southern food restaurant in Miami with foodie flair. I traded them 50 of my green mangoes earlier in the season in exchange for dinner for 2. The rate they gave me was $1 per mango. Ask for Danny, the head chef. So if anyone still has green mangoes, they might be interested.

I had some nice backyard mangoes in my car as I drove past a gas station I know is owned by Bangladeshis. I said to myself "I'm going to get some free gasoline". I  showed them the best specimens and their eyes lit up.  I traded at one mango per dollars worth of gasoline plus threw some small ones into the deal.

3675
I hear you with the amount of time for it to ripen.  I have sometimes wondered if they were picked correctly then after forgetting about them and many days later, they soften up nicely.

I have made a pie and shakes out of canistel, very yummy but understand if not your thing.  I also want to try dehydrating this year.

Have you ever tried baking like a winter quash?

Baking an apple or pear makes it sweeter. So.....I have not but baking should make the canistel even sweeter. People in expensive restaurants would be intoxicated by a canistel-chocolate desert going for $15. No additional sugar or honey needed. Baking will convert more canstel starches to sugars.

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