New Fruit So-Shang Elaeagnus latifolia

[stuartdaly88]

Oscar do you recomend any way to support this plant I have been trying to pinch off to encourage more bushy growth but if it needs these long shoots should I stop pinching and just support with bamboo poles or something?

My plant is young probably 1.5 years from seed and about mid thigh height.

[fruitlovers]

The plant supports itself, and even forms a nice size trunk. I'll have to post a photo later.
My mistake was planting it close to a power post, which it loves to climb and then go on up on the power lines. I have to prune it a lot. In any case it needs a lot of pruning to make it behave.

[Stanton de Riel]

I've just tried sprouting Elaeagnus latifolia seeds purchased through eBay : "Elaeagnus latifolia 20 seeds, fruits, vitamin C high, anti-oxidants. ferment Rar" from one kero-ppi in Thailand, I think it was. Arrived packed in peat moss medium; planted immediately. Looks like about 100% germination in 25 days. I will be challenging these trees to grow probably at the northern limit of their climate zone (USDA zone 6A). Looking forward to fruit within a decade. I'll also be attempting to tetraploidize branch tips with colchicine and backgross to the diploid "parent", for triploid progeny, to reduce the invasive potential. Not that many birds are going to be flying around with Elaeagnus fruit of this size, but this probably should be routinely done with Elaeagnus spp. (a little late for E. umbellata and angustifolia, here in the USA).

[WaterFowler]

I am pretty sure this is So-Shang, but I lost the tag. Any help IDing it would be helpful.

Could this be a So-Shang?

I planted it next to a Cherimoya and a guava. I didn't really know what it was. All I know is it popped up in my tomato garden where I throw my discarded seeds that don't germinate. I always want to give seeds and seedlings a chance no matter what. So-Shang was one of the seeds I bought off Ebay that didn't germinate, and were tossed in the tomato garden.

It grew fast and big last year, and really took off this spring. Unfortunately it was blocking sun from the guava, so last week I dug it up and tossed into a bucket. Thinking it was some kind of citrus seedling, I wasn't too careful and basically butchered it extracting from the ground. A week later it doesn't look good.    I'm not sure if it's going to survive. I wish I had come across this post last week.

The leaf pattern looks similar but not as green. Could this be a So-Shang?






Edit: As bad as it looks. The really dried leaves are from the 27 degree frost we had this January.

[Caesar]

Does this one have potential as a nitrogen provider in a mixed crop system? What's its N-fixing potential, high or low? And can it handle coppicing? I'd grow it just for the fruit, but anything that can pull double duty with other practical applications is great.

[fruitlovers]

Does this one have potential as a nitrogen provider in a mixed crop system? What's its N-fixing potential, high or low? And can it handle coppicing? I'd grow it just for the fruit, but anything that can pull double duty with other practical applications is great.

It's a semi-climbing rambler that needs pretty constant pruning to keep in control, so yes would be good for coppicing. About nitrogen fixing, obviously it's not a legume, so don't know how much nitrogen it really fixex. I doubt any studies have been done on this.

[Caesar]

That vigorous, huh? Sounds like it'll be a good soil builder. I'm mainly going by this: http://www.perennialsolutions.org/all-nitrogen-fixers-are-not-created-equal. Apparently, Elaeagnus angustifolia, and some species of Alder, are some of the better nitrogen fixers. It seems to have less to do with the type of bacteria (Frankia in their case) and more to do with how vigorously  the plant feeds them. The bigger the nodules, the better the N-fixing.

[Caesar]

Fixed the link, it should be readable now. Darn typos, a single period is enough to throw it out of wack. 

[palologrower]

Anyone wants to hazard a guess what's going on with my so Shang?

[So_Cal_Mike]

Two years later, my six seeds from Oscar have grown vigorously...

Here is one of them in a 5 gallon pot.

[fruitlovers]

Glad to see it.

[HibachiDrama]

Was the one Jared got a bit under-ripe, or are they all pretty sour/astringent?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ivOuMs5SMQ

Are there any superior/named varieties?

[fruitlovers]

Was the one Jared got a bit under-ripe, or are they all pretty sour/astringent?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ivOuMs5SMQ

Are there any superior/named varieties?

The taste and texture of soshan is very similar to a tart plum. If you have a tree ripened one there is zero astringency. If picked too early they will have a slight bit of astrengency, but nothing like an unripe hachiya persimmon level of astringency. So shan is really excellent juiced or cooked and made into a compot.

[barath]

Oscar, do you know what it takes to get E. latifolia to flower and fruit?  Me and others have had trees grown from seed from you for 6+ years and they're growing well but not flowering or fruiting.  Thanks!

[fruitlovers]

Oscar, do you know what it takes to get E. latifolia to flower and fruit?  Me and others have had trees grown from seed from you for 6+ years and they're growing well but not flowering or fruiting.  Thanks!

Don't know. But would guess it's climate related. Even here they flower a lot, but few of the flowers set fruit. I think it might be too rainy for their liking here. They come from NE India and Thailand where they go through monsoon climate with extreme dry and extreme wet.

[barath]

Oscar, do you know what it takes to get E. latifolia to flower and fruit?  Me and others have had trees grown from seed from you for 6+ years and they're growing well but not flowering or fruiting.  Thanks!

Don't know. But would guess it's climate related. Even here they flower a lot, but few of the flowers set fruit. I think it might be too rainy for their liking here. They come from NE India and Thailand where they go through monsoon climate with extreme dry and extreme wet.

Sounds good.  I guess we'll have to figure out how to trick them into fruiting, maybe by simulating their native climate.

[marklee]

Oscar, do you know what it takes to get E. latifolia to flower and fruit?  Me and others have had trees grown from seed from you for 6+ years and they're growing well but not flowering or fruiting.  Thanks!

Don't know. But would guess it's climate related. Even here they flower a lot, but few of the flowers set fruit. I think it might be too rainy for their liking here. They come from NE India and Thailand where they go through monsoon climate with extreme dry and extreme wet.

Sounds good.  I guess we'll have to figure out how to trick them into fruiting, maybe by simulating their native climate.

Barath, the one I got from you fruits every year in the fall, they need a lot of water at least by southern California standards.

[fruitlovers]

Oscar, do you know what it takes to get E. latifolia to flower and fruit?  Me and others have had trees grown from seed from you for 6+ years and they're growing well but not flowering or fruiting.  Thanks!

Don't know. But would guess it's climate related. Even here they flower a lot, but few of the flowers set fruit. I think it might be too rainy for their liking here. They come from NE India and Thailand where they go through monsoon climate with extreme dry and extreme wet.

Sounds good.  I guess we'll have to figure out how to trick them into fruiting, maybe by simulating their native climate.

Simulating climate would be easy to do in S. Cal. Just give them very little water for 3 months in winter, and give them lots of water in summer.

[barath]

Oscar, do you know what it takes to get E. latifolia to flower and fruit?  Me and others have had trees grown from seed from you for 6+ years and they're growing well but not flowering or fruiting.  Thanks!

Don't know. But would guess it's climate related. Even here they flower a lot, but few of the flowers set fruit. I think it might be too rainy for their liking here. They come from NE India and Thailand where they go through monsoon climate with extreme dry and extreme wet.

Sounds good.  I guess we'll have to figure out how to trick them into fruiting, maybe by simulating their native climate.

Barath, the one I got from you fruits every year in the fall, they need a lot of water at least by southern California standards.

That's great!  I'm trying to remember -- did I give you the "Catherine's Find" Elaeagnus (the species is a mystery on that one) or Elaeagnus latifolia?

I think their fruits might look pretty similar.

I think I'll try what Oscar mentioned and try to trick it into thinking there's a monsoon season.

[Mike T]

https://www.witjutigrub.com.au/index.php/info-sheets/15-millaa-millaa-elaeagnus-triflora
This species forgotten little sister needs some of the limelight also. The fruit are pleasant and the vine/bush is prolific and it has a tiny natural distribution centred on the Atherton Tableland. It also deserves to be brought into horticulture instead of languishing in the shadows of its congener.

[Mike T]

On that link you can go to info sheets on many native queensland edible fruit species. Most of these have not been brought into cultivation