DURIAN IN AUSTRALIA

[Gone tropo]

So Ive come to the conclusion that finding grafted durian for sale in Australia is close enough to impossible not to bother. I have scoured local markets and talked to quite a few people and it seems nearly everything is grown from seed.  The one commercial guy i talked to who has grafted culitvar varities basically said farmers keep these grafted cultivars close to their chest and graft trees for themselves and not to sell.  I live in the mecca for exotic tropical fruit in AUS and i even called a local famous nursery who created its own durian cultivar "limberlost" and they dont even sell the limberlost variety let alone a grafted tree all they could offer was a monthong seedling!!!!  generally when you ask people who are selling durian what cultivar is it the dont have a clue and say it was grown from seed.

So my next question is if i start buying these durian at the markets of known cultivars and plant the seeds am I likely to get true fruit or is it going to be garbage??

[ben mango]

I met an Austrian fruit lover in the Philippines and he said the durian quality is not very good in OZ (compared to SE Asia ) and I assume the prices are high. To answer your question , you can get a good seedling tree as long as the fruit you ate the seed from was good quality.

[Gone tropo]

Yeh im not sure we have the latest stuff such as musang king, black thorn etc at least i havent seen or heard of this stuff around here.  Most local growers seems to think that there is just one type of durian and dont even realise there are the many different cultivars in asia.

[Mike T]

Well tropo its true that Limberlost is a pale shadow of its former glorious days with tropical fruit. Try to purchase a few rambutans, pulasans, duku-langsats etc while you are at it. You can reach down deep and come up empty. Considering how many durians are out there and how many varieties are grown here it is a perennial problem that keeps getting worse. Only a few private people sell them. There is not much chance of getting a good or correctly named durian from Rusty's or the Mossman market so dig deeper and approach the few people who actually sell quality durians that are grafted.Be careful with seedlings but they probably get a bum rap that isn't always deserved.

[Gone tropo]

Mike it is a sad state of affairs for locals who want to start growing fruit when you have to know someone who knows someone who has connections to the local mafia to buy grafted plants. Surely there must be a market for someone to start doing this?? I have rambutan, pulasan and can get duku etc but all are seedling.  Like you say local markets only sell seedling plants and many who sell durian have no idea what they are actually selling other than "durian", i was talking to a rare fruit grower who claimed to be the president of rare fruit socitey or something along those lines i asked him what he thought about pulasan and he had never heard of it........

What happened to the limberlost cultivar from the famous mike fabian??

[Mike T]

President? Maybe president of the cheer squad. It is a select band of only about 50 growers who are highly knowledgeable in the diversity of tropical fruits here and elsewhere and are competent with varieties, growing and propagation. The pool of expertise is way shallower than decades ago but the legacy of past experts lives on in the often forgotten trees left behind. Demand is bursting at the seams for many of these trees correctly identified and available as they once were.

[Stevo]

I grafted spme of Mike's Red Prawn .Limberlost .Penang 88 etc last year and and the year before and had a good deal
of success and sold those but there is only a limited market for grafted Durian so I've moved on to bigger and
better things such as grafting Lucs and Russell sweet Garcinia ,various jaboticaba and marcotting maprang longkong illama
and other exotic riches

[Gone tropo]

I grafted spme of Mike's Red Prawn .Limberlost .Penang 88 etc last year and and the year before and had a good deal
of success and sold those but there is only a limited market for grafted Durian so I've moved on to bigger and
better things such as grafting Lucs and Russell sweet Garcinia ,various jaboticaba and marcotting maprang longkong illama
and other exotic riches

Hey mate great to hear where do you sell? I dont have facebook.  Im interested in lots of what you may have to offer, i will drive to cairns to see what you have if that is suitable??

[ben mango]

Seems there is still durian scarcity. Same in Hawaii, have to know someone who knows someone to get the best stuff. Or the price at market may reflect the quality but most of what is sold is subpar. I paid up to $8/lb for one of the best varieties on island called pohakulani last year.

[Mike T]

Where are you tropo? This season only my penang 88, limberlost and gumpun have fruit and only a few at that.

[Gone tropo]

Where are you tropo? This season only my penang 88, limberlost and gumpun have fruit and only a few at that.

Mike I live north of mossman not far from whyanbeel. Do you think this year was too dry for the durian? As you know it was a really dry year until January?  The mangosteens seem happy my mate has a farm in whyanbeel and they are loaded, I’m going to help him pick them this year.

[Mike T]

It is a poor durian season all over alright and maybe from the dyer than usual conditions. Alan Carle is at Whyanbeel and so is Diann Cileentos old place and they have durians.

[jimreevescairns]

Hey Troppo.
Google “Fruit Forest Farm” - they are based in Feluga near Tully . A lady called Trina sells a lot of their stuff and does a fair bit of grafting - including durian.
She usually comes up to the Gordonvale markets when they are on selling all kinds of tropical fruit seedlings. If you went to the markets I’m sure she would be happy to chat to you.
I have durians, keledang, long kong, chempedak off her
Cheers Jim

[jimreevescairns]

Find ‘ fruit forest farm’ on Facebook - if you follow them they often post when she is going up to the gordonvale markets. She also does the mission beach markets.
Keep an ear out for “feast of the senses”  - its Around March / April each year in Innisfail I think and lots of fruity people there -might have got canned last year cause of Covid.
I agree it’s really hard - it took me a few years.... it’s because there is big money in it selling to southern markets - all you can buy locally is overpriced shite which is why I decided to start growing my own.
I have 2 limberlost seedlings as  my only currently fruiting trees - one is really nice and the other one has terrible fruit and hardly sets any fruit even with hand pollinating. Both were from the same batch - assume from seeds from the tree atvthe nursery.
Cheers Jim

[Mike T]

Heya Jim hope all is well. Great advice and yes Trina goes to the Gordonvale markets regularly and you can arrange to get  a durian.I have a marcotted limberlost that produces really well and fruit are good. Seedlings can be variable.

[jimreevescairns]

Hi Mike. Long time since we chatted. I bought a couple of those marcotts but foolishly left them on the doorstep for an afternoon and the sun killed them 🙄.
One of the limberlost seedlings has nice tasting fruit but big seeds - I got 80 off it last year but only 10 or so this year. Interestingly the tree at limberlost seems to be self compatible but mine are not at all. I had a few years of trying self pollinating or cross pollinating with the sibling tree - zero durians. Last year I started going out to Russel’s (garcinia) old place and collecting pollen from those trees - on the good tree now I get over 50% success. Having spent many hours up my trees at night it’s fair to say they are virtually devoid of nocturnal insect life!! My house and garden used to be full of bugs years ago but these days there are hardly any! I think the main pollinators out at Russell’s place are moths - the trees and flowers are full of them when I go out there - much nearer the bush than my suburban location - quite worrying really.
Cheers Jim

[Mike T]

Yes Jim the Limberlost has a bit less flesh than some but I don't mind them and they set fruit easily but only a dozen or so on atm.. I am lucky to have lots of  pollinators and the paint brush on the pole trick I have retired from.  I have 5 trees that usually flower together so I don't know if they are self fertile. I just didn't get many flowers this season.Not much chance with Russell's trees any more and the Garcinias should be going ripe about now.

[WilliamTheYoungGrower]

Heya Jim hope all is well. Great advice and yes Trina goes to the Gordonvale markets regularly and you can arrange to get  a durian.I have a marcotted limberlost that produces really well and fruit are good. Seedlings can be variable.

Seems as if youre one of those guys mike, who dosent want other people gettin their hands on durian
Cause it took almost a whole page of conversation just tell a new forum member where to get his trees, obviously after another member gave the whole whole help. Nothing personal mike but i hate people with that kinda attitude/behavior. Lets help everybady who wants to grow this rare and endangered plants do so and support them if u can do so, no rodeos

,William

[Mike T]

Thanks WYG and I was not aware of that supplier having durians for sale as they didnt the last 3 times I saw them at markets selling plants but know the people and have seen them offering other species recently. Their farm is also 200km away from Tropo and don't deliver. I consider myself to be a person who does share information and plants.
 
Perhaps there are even more fundamental elements of personal integrity we should strive for. People who make false accusations and finger point happen to be folk I don't warm to. Mothing personal but ride the bull for 8 seconds dont tell it.

[Gone tropo]

Hey Troppo.
Google “Fruit Forest Farm” - they are based in Feluga near Tully . A lady called Trina sells a lot of their stuff and does a fair bit of grafting - including durian.
She usually comes up to the Gordonvale markets when they are on selling all kinds of tropical fruit seedlings. If you went to the markets I’m sure she would be happy to chat to you.
I have durians, keledang, long kong, chempedak off her
Cheers Jim

Thanks for the info Jim gives me another option, I’m only new at all
This but am trying to learn as fast as I can, I’ve been blessed to be able to purchase a 2.5 acre property so naturally my gut tells me I should plant fruit trees. I’m actually in the process of trying all the new rare fruits that are coming on at the moment, I’m finding some are ok but nothing has come close to a rambutan and certainly not a lychee, my mate who has the mangosteen farm also has a few duku or langsat not sure exactly but he assures me The fruit from them is good looking forward to trying them, his trees have only just started producing The Little fruits.

[jimreevescairns]

Settle down William 😄.... I have had a lot more to do with the lady than Mike has. No need to start throwing rocks from the other side of the planet
Cheers
Jim

[jimreevescairns]

Hi Troppo
In April they actually commence tours of their farm - they have everything and many of their fruits are on trellis ‘s - including durians. It cyclone proofs them and increases productivity. If you have that much land you could definitely have a go.
We made a weekend of it - went and stayed at Mission beach and did the tour - it’s a nice day out and the owners wife and son in law took us out - very knowledgeable, nice people

[Chad]

I grafted spme of Mike's Red Prawn .Limberlost .Penang 88 etc last year and and the year before and had a good deal
of success and sold those but there is only a limited market for grafted Durian so I've moved on to bigger and
better things such as grafting Lucs and Russell sweet Garcinia ,various jaboticaba and marcotting maprang longkong illama
and other exotic riches

Have you had any success grafting Luc's? I'm waiting on two imbe plants to be delivered that I'm planning to graft my Luc's onto in the next week or two.

[WilliamTheYoungGrower]

Well tropo its true that Limberlost is a pale shadow of its former glorious days with tropical fruit. Try to purchase a few rambutans, pulasans, duku-langsats etc while you are at it. You can reach down deep and come up empty. Considering how many durians are out there and how many varieties are grown here it is a perennial problem that keeps getting worse. Only a few private people sell them. There is not much chance of getting a good or correctly named durian from Rusty's or the Mossman market so dig deeper and approach the few people who actually sell quality durians that are grafted.Be careful with seedlings but they probably get a bum rap that isn't always deserved.

You dead serious mike? Nothin personal  im totally chill, but you told the guy as an advice “ too dig desper” and look for “people who sell quality grafted durians”   nothing a newbie dosent know for certain. Then u later agreed with the detailed explanation of another user and just said “great advice” knowing all from the beginning. Thats why i called you out especially since you are a “high rankin” member and think u could help a lot more especially someone in your country/regiom, just callin the truth mate

,William

[Mike T]

Dig deeper means contact people with durians to see if there are any on sale as it doesn't happen very often. Great advice about feast of the senses in Innisfail and chasing FFF up to see if they have them for sale as it didnt seem like an option in recent times. I am chill also but don't appreciate being inferred as selfish or deceptive when that was not the intention. I do think you were fast were a little hasty in pointing fingers .