The Tropical Fruit Forum

Alexi,

For what it's worth, I corresponded with Noris Ledesma at Fairchild, regarding cold tolerance of different cultivars of Mamey Sapote.  Here is what she said:

"In my opinion Mamey sapote are pretty much the same in terms of cold resistency. Even viejo, it just than the fruit is small tnah takes less energy from the tree and can recupere easier than others.
 
Best regards
 
Noris"

Thanks for the info Adiel.  Do you know if they grow any less common varieties of lychees there?

Brad

Oh and Jene's in St pete had a larger Ohia tree last I knew, but it had a slight issue with the bark on the main trunk (like an infolding) in a couple of places.  Tree was about 15 to 20 gallon size I believe, for about $120, and otherwise looked healthy, but I was hesitant because of the bark in those few spots.  However, it was the ONLY larger ohia i have seen in Southern Florida.  Otherwise, I think you'll have to get it from Pine Island in a smaller 3 gallon size. 

Brad

Makes me want to like longans   I have only tried a couple of varieties, but much prefer the lychees so far.  However, those just look really good!

Brad

Thanks guys, I appreciate your input.   Time for some copper sulfate, and to make sure I avoid overwatering

Brad

Recently, my Dragon Fruit cacti have developed white streaks.  Does anyone know what might be causing this?  They are in full sun (the top three feet) and get water every couple of days.

Thanks,

Brad

Oscar -

Here is the history of the Poamoho tree, as told by Frank.

It was a Hak Ip seedling, from the original group of Hak Ip seeds planted at Poamoho Research Station in the 1950s.  It was originally labeled as Kaimana, and is a smaller and compact tree like Kaimana, and fruits the same time as Kaimana, but the Poamoho has smaller fruit with chicken tongue seeds vs Kaimana which has larger fruit and small developed seeds and round fruit.  Poamoho fruits are about the same size as Hak Ips and are heart shaped.  Red fruits.  Very productive tree.  Low chill hours required.  Juicy.  Regular bearing in Hawaii.  Mid season. 

The former manager at the Poamoho research station knew this particular tree was different, even though it was labeled Kaimana like all the rest.  Just before he left his job there, he air layered a whole bunch of branches of this tree without telling anyone, and when the new manager took his position there, he noticed there were 1 or 2 air layers left on the tree.  The former manager had moved to the big island and had taken all these air layers with him for himself without telling anyone.  The new manager allowed Frank to take and propagate these 2 air layers.  As far as he knows, Frank is the only one propagating this particular tree / variety.

The only interesting thing to note is that Frank says Groff performed better at 800 ft elevation (where they used to live) vs 100-200 ft elevation where they live now.

Brad

This past weekend on Pine Island:

At Fruitscapes (former Treehouse Nursery in Bokeelia):
Mauritius Lychees $7/lb
Hak Ip Lychees $8/lb

Another fruitstand on Pine Island:
Hak Ip lychees $6/lb

Brad

Now I'm thinking it might be the brown mite/avocado mite.

Is this fungus / anthracnose?  I have 4 different trees, all different varieties, but they have different degrees of browning to the leaves.  Seems to be mostly on the mature leaves.  Trees have been fertilized, have had minor elements, and I believe they are watered properly.  They are all in containers.  I water them roughly every other day or so, and they are in full sun. 

Thanks,

Brad

Thanks Adam.  I ended up picking up a few Black Gold seedlings the other day.

Brad

Strange how the Mauritius lychee trees, which are supposed to be the reliable commercial variety that is the most consistent bearing,  didn't seem to produce well here in Southwest Florida (Pine Island) this year.  However, the Hak Ips produced well.  I know that we had a wet beginning of the winter, and it was mild.  Anyone have any theories as to the strange bearing of lychees this year?

Brad