The Tropical Fruit Forum

Some construction workers here in southern Thailand offered me some green variety, known as Gaan Kiow (whereas Gaan Daeng is red vein this is green vein)  I think perhaps this is the same as MaengDa.  According to people here there is only 2 types of Kratom.  I think I read otherwise online though.

The green is so much more pleasant to chew, I don't know why the Red is so 'spicy', but I think the effects are a bit different.  It seems the green is much more of a stimulant, the leaves are smaller, so 2-3 are chewed at a time.  The Red Vein is more 'hazy' more of the painkilling side I guess.  For people unaccostomed to eating leaves, or eating bitter, I think the Red Vein would make them sick, it is such a strange spicy bitter taste, it really never leaves as well, making it hard to swallow even after keeping it in the cheek for 20 minutes.  The green however is nice to chew, it becomes a sweet numbing ball of mush after 20 minutes which you don't want to swallow.

Poultices of the green would work very good for toothaches I believe, perhaps 5-10 leaves would definitely numb, but not sure how long of the effects.

Here in Thailand ancient remedy for toothaches is Betel Nut Paste (aka Hmaak), Areca Catechu Palm nuts, and the effects of Kratom and Maak seem very similar.   I have read that Maak is supposedly cancerous?  It seems medicinally Kratom is much more promising.

Here in Thailand you might want to know that Thai people blame foreigners for being illegal in Thailand.  However the main reason I believe it is illegal while other similar natural herbs remain legal is because of how the youth prepare the Kratom.  They boil bags of Kratom with cough syrup, to extract the DMT and other amphetamines into a liquid cocktail.  These people high on the drugs always involved with some serious crimes like rape and murder.  They blame the drugs, and the cocktail is known as Kratom.  However what is really the issue is the amphetamines and DMT, plus I believe almost 80% of the issue comes down to these kids and how they were raised. 

I think the law in the USA is definitely on the right path, to not outlaw the plant, but outlaw derivatives and concoctions, this will prevent kids getting hooked on homemade meth marketed as Kratom.

it doesn't like full sun that I can see either, but yes 90 degree heat and daily watering should do it good, seems to like rich black loam.

If it isn't growing, then the main 'heart' is dead.  Another tree can grow right up through that same trunk with a new heart, however it will have to wait for the top to soften up and rot before it can push through.  Suckers popping off the sides are usually much healthier than the new trees trying to break out of the same trunk as an old tree.  Cutting off will not have any negative effects, but one positive effect is the tree will give up on that shoot and go for a new shoot, or it will have nothing in it's way to push up a new shoot in the same trunk.

Quote from: sahai1 on February 23, 2018, 08:03:17 PM

you should cut off all the green above the corm, if that isn't growing, it will eventually be rotting and spread to the corm.  Some corms just aren't large enough to regrow, especially if they have failed a few times or have gone dormant too long.

Daily watering is plenty for a banana tree, just make sure it is full draining, check the dirt of the bottom of the container to see if it is dry by the next watering.

The whole "trunk" is brown, in fact everything is brown except a little green at the base of the top leaf. Should I cut the whole thing back to the corm for the best chance of saving it?

If open more than 10 heads, seeiing an overall drop of pressure evenly distributed, have each long line with valve, the star setup would likely work to help pressure drop  large scale due to saved distance, however I’m isimg a high pressure system, enough to blow the heads if combine 2 punps on 1 line.  Eventually may tie it all in like a circle with imtersectionas, but would need a 3rd pump.

I just ate something similar at my place in southern Thailand, is this one scientific name Uvaria Rufa?  I have heard of superior variety to the one I had, and it was described kind of like yours, smaller. 

I just noticed too, even though it has thick skin the fruit flies can still lay eggs in when the fruit gets riper.

I think  maybe like 50/50 seed/flesh?  Is there any way I can check more accurately, glad to help.
 At first I tried to eat fast like a sugar apple trying to work the flesh off the seeds.  Then realized if you just keep the fruit in your mouth it dissolves completely, no need to chew or suck or do anything.  dissolves just as fast ss chewing it.

looking through Thai blogs found several blogs crossreferencing cat nipple to other names in different dialects, however since I dont have the fruit not sure what is what.

From those different dialects found crossreferenced to these different scientific names:
Xylopia vielana Pierre, Uvaria Rufa, Polyalthia debilis

great word.. yes, a liana

was gifted some today, taste like banana sugar apple, maybe a bit of soursop
กล้วยหมูสัง is most common Thai name, dont know if they mean Gluay like banana or like an orchid.
So might translate like Banana Sow, or Sow Orchid.
Name in my area is not standard, called Gluay Nom Wua, or Cow breast orchid.  Maybe they mean like nipple.
Apparently there is another variety that is smaller with less seeds, called Cat Breast orchid.

found the chart, not very helpful since doesn’t list the sizes or ages of coconuts pictured....

Thai currey coconut is huge, but is round just liske Thai aromatic coconut.

Wonder if my small elongated yellow is Malaysian or Indian, was told it was Indian, some collectors buy sprouts in advance, so guess it is rare.  If just from Malaysia why would anyone care.







Pig doing great cleaning up, quartering the shells lets her get at it.

coconuts are really so complex, especially if you have a few different varieties, I've been going at 20 a day for the past few days, reaching for one from each bunch and comparing.
I
I've been searching for the 'young' coconut that Thai people love.. it is such a rare stage of coconut, it is right past the water stage, but far enough that sugar has developed in meat and water, but has not turned the meat hard at all.

Personally, I like my coconuts sparkling, aged, with all sugar in water and dry hard meat.  I can see why people think the younger ones are sweeter, I think because the sparkling dulls the sugar somewhat. 

Some Thai people say sparkling coconuts are old, or sour...

Luckily my hope was lifted, that my groundsman who came to help yesterday told me also preferred sparkling.

Got "Gaeng/Curry" Coconut, NamHoom/Fragrant Thai, and Indian Medicinal... aka Maprow Luong, Tong.. ?  It is rare, likely very common in India

Even at 20 a day.. still don't know if I can finish all of these.

papayas are heavy feeders,  they will use up most nutrients just get to 5' tall and get leaves, so just because they get up that tall and look healthy, they may have used up all nutrients available to get there.  E.g. just cause it looked good growing, doesn't mean it has enough to eat when it is ready to fruit.

So I was taught really put in 16-16-16 about a pound every month to help develop a big healthy trunk and root system, after that you can work in more organics.  I like to mound up sacks of manure and let them drip out every time there is a heavy rain.  I achieve this by creating a rock pile and stacking up the manure on top of that.  Otherwise it can burn out the leaves.

yes that makes sense, just went through a 2 week monsoon, heavy rain or cloud cover all day and low nighttime temps down to 23-25 degrees C.

This one likely flowered because the thinning stressed it.  The other clumps haven't flowered. 

Just wondering if the inflorescence is sterile, or if I may get seed.  Guess I'll just wait and see, nobody seems to crossbreed cane on this forum.