The Tropical Fruit Forum

I have one mamey sapote seed and want want to plant it.  Boning's book "Florida's Best Fruiting Plants" advises to plant the sharply pointed end down, but the two ends of my seed appear very similar in regards to pointyness.  Would someone kindly elaborate on which end goes up or down?

One end shows a small stem scar.  That end might be slightly more rounded, but not much.  Please help.

Thanks,
John

I think multiple sprouts is different than multiple embryos, and that none of these seeds will produce clones. Very different from mango seeds.

I just assumed the multiple spouts were due to multiple embryos, but am guessing and probably wrong.  Next year I will crack apart a seed or two from those spouts to check one (too late now; next season). 

During this recently past avocado fruit season, I sprouted approximately 60 seeds.  My guess is that 20% had more than one sprout I clip them off, though, so none in this photo.



John

Amazing!  Wonderful fruiting trees. I especially envy your mature Cherimoya tree. 

Your success is my inspiration.  I hope to be there myself in a few years.

John

. . . .Just stick your wedged scion in a slit--- cheaper, less tiring, cleaner, way more successful.  Just have your scion slightly wider than your roostock, to compensate for the unlike cuts ( wedge / slit).

What do you mean by"have your scion slightly wider than your roostock"?   I always try for same-diameter scion and rootstock.   If we cut down the middle of both, why would it be advantageous to have the scion slightly thicker?

John

If any of you are planning a Fiji trip, please allow me to show you a little bit of Fiji while you're here.  I'm near Rakiraki, on the most northern part of Viti Levu Island.

John

Thank you, all, for the suggestions.  I have researched each on the internet and several are appealing.  Biriba, Jaboticaba and Camu Camu in particular are ones I will pursue as they can be propagated by seeds that are available by mail order.  I can't bring in vegetative plant material to Fiji without a big hassle, but can probably get a biosecurity permit for these seeds.

I already have some Malay Apple (Syzygium malaccense) started and will try a couple of those in the wet areas too.

The pond apple rootstock scares me a little because it is an invasive weed in Australia.

Planting on mounds is a good idea, but due to the expanse of the areas I will be planting, I think instead I'll build a few drainage ditches and use the dirt to build up the surrounding area a little.  So much work!

If there are any other ideas, I'll be watching this thread.  Thanks.

 

I've been beekeeping for over 30 years.  I think most people that enjoy producing food from their fruit trees would enjoy the art and science of beekeeping.

Bees do sting, but less than 1% of the U.S. population have a systemic reaction to it.

Good suggestion on participating in meetings of your local beekeeping association; it's usually a great place to learn.

Honey bees forage a mile or more from their hives, so it's usually not essential to have bees on site (but it's helpful).   Farmers with acres of one insect-pollinated crop that blooms at the same time, or heavy users of pesticides, would definately benefit from honey bees on site.

John

PS:  My beekeeping website:  http://outdoorplace.org/beekeeping/

Adding to the previous reply, Noni, Black Jamun and Guava all have medicinal qualities and are drought resistant.  There are good websites describing the specifics on the medicinal uses and horticulture of these trees.

Baobab, too, which you probably already have.

"I read somewhere that you should pinch off all shoots save the one last to sprout - apparently it will be the one to bear the best quality fruit?"

I not read or heard that about mango.  With citrus, it's exactly the opposite.  The first sprouts from polyembryonic citrus are almost always clones of the mother plant, while the last sprout is usually the fertilized one with fruit quality that is more variable.

John 

Stone grafting appeals to me, but the stems on my  mango at 2 weeks or even one month of age are too small to graft.  They are far less than pencil thickness.  I've been waiting until the seedlings become the same diameter as the scion wood so both sides of the cleft graft match.

I assume the thin stems on my mango seedlings are due to the polyembryonic variety, but that's all that's available here in Fiji.  Anyone else in this situation?

John

Do you think cacao or dragon fruit (in pot) would like this spot?

Cacao would probably grow well there.  Cocoa is commercially grown in partial shade in areas that get good year-round rain.  Since you have AirCon runoff at your location, it may do well there.  It does not withstand drought well.

Have you ever lived in Trinidad? If you have, what are the differences you've noticed between the Indian diaspora communities in Fiji as compared to Trinidad? From what i've read, it seems as though the ones in Fiji kept more of the culture from the Indian subcontinent. Would you agree?

I have not lived in Trinidad so cannot compare the cultures, but Indo-fijians generally have retained a lot of their Indian culture - especially food :-).

John

Thanks for the suggestions.  As an experiment, I pinched the 2nd shoots in some bags off and left the others alone for a week or so.  Those I am mostly able to pull up with a bit of seed attached as Herman mentioned.  I planted the whole seed, so I think pulling didn't work right away due to the endocarp.

My planting process consists of planting the seeds in the garden under about 1/2" (1-2 cm) of soil, then transfer them to bags as soon as they sprout.   

My plan is to cleft graft these when they are a month or so old or as soon as they are thick enough, using scions that have been defoliated a week before to encourage bud growth.  On the ones that fail to take the cleft graft I plan to later try veneer grafting.

John

PS:  My family name is Portugese, To the U.S. by way of a couple of generations in in Trinidad, and now to Fiji.