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Topics - Kay

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Here for a few weeks.  Won't be able to get out of the cities much due to work, but so far I am finding almost nothing in KL. Any suggested markets or areas for fruit lovers?  I've been to these places before, and so far am still in KL and for the first time am coming up hugely empty handed with the more tropical style fruits!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / rushed grafting onto large trees?
« on: June 22, 2015, 04:03:03 AM »
Hello, i am sorry to post a question i think must have been answered before.  i am reading now but as i type my scions are getting older.  I was gifted some special scions.  but it was totally out of the blue and i have not prepared any stocks.  i do have 2 large "JinHuang" (Taiwanese name of an australian variety i think, forgot the english name.

So i have been reading madly about top working but many seem to talk about cutting prior to grafting then waiting for new growth, in this situation i cannot do this as the scions will die soon.  so i was thinking of doing cleft style grafts and cutting away most other growth, but im still reading as i go.  if anyone has any good advice or links for suggested methods i can graft scions to mature trees, id be very grateful.

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I know Palawan is off limits for disease, but does it spread throughout the country or is it just that area?

4
We just bought a new farm, currently its all banana.  I have started making a path through the banana to have cleared.

Our land is basically like a triangle, the base is higher than  the point and the land is divided into 2 parts there, high (=dry) and low (=wet).  dry and wet are relative, the soil wont ever fully dry, but the high part wont flood.  the low part i am going to dig it better so it floods in some spots and not others for different species.  This farm is all about stock plants and variety, but i still ant fruit production happening full scale on them.


Right now i am trying to workout tree planting.  I am planting lots of different species, not lots of 1 species.   

First question is about Lychee.   given its pickiness to light and pruning I am a bit stumped.  they need full light coverage to fruit, so they cant be too close to each other.  they also don't prune well for next years harvest.  or i should say i am still learning.  Ideally i want to pack in many smaller trees rather than fewer monsters.

So my question is, what do you think the minimum spacing for lychee is if one were to try an annual pruning schedule.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / When should i pick Canistel?
« on: June 23, 2013, 12:33:18 AM »
I have been far more patient than usual and only picked 2 this year, both in Feb.  but now the real summer crop is here and i have no experience with this plant.  they are yellowing, but still firm.  Will get pics up.

What are the main things to look for when harvesting.

Purpose:  my own food and seed collection.  not for selling in the market, so looks are not priority.

Some pictures from this morning.





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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Aframomum sp. seed germination
« on: May 30, 2013, 12:01:40 AM »
I just received some seeds from a Ugandan Aframomum species from Soren (thanks).  Looking around the net it seems hard to germinate.  so was wondering what people have had luck doing?

following these links i will try the following, looking for suggestions though.  I dont plant on doing any tissue culture because i hate setting it up, but im not totally against it if need be.

http://www.tropentag.de/2012/abstracts/links/Amponsah_xYNrvBoE.pdf
http://www.icidr.org/jeiadc_vol2no1/The%20Effect%20of%20Pre-treatments%20on%20Germination%20of%20Seeds%20of%20Aframomum%20melegueta%20%28Alligator%20Pepper%29%20in%20Southern%20Nigeria.pdf

So my first batch i want to try 5 seeds in each way.

GA3 soak

Sulfuric acid scarification (25% as per link, I am familiar with this chemical and realize its hazards).  i wonder if i could simply use a less harmful acid like acetic acid and just use a highly acidic water maybe around PH3?

Hot water soak

sphagnum moss (like i do for most tropical seeds)

cold shock for 1 week, followed by sphagnum and perhaps a GA3 soak(?)


Its wet season right now and planting anything in soil right away is just asking for rot.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Cherry in the tropics?
« on: May 28, 2013, 01:30:22 AM »
a non tropical fruit in the tropics, not sure if this is the right forum.

But with all the advancements going on are there any heat tolerant species, or more accurately any species that dont need a harsh cold spell?

we are in a protected pocket in southern Taiwan so warmer than Florida but slightly cooler than Hawaii i think.  our coldest lows are snaps down to 11C at night, but usually winter is above15C at night and 17+ in the day.  usually 1-3 few day cold spells from the north.

I really crave cherry so bad.  Like a lychee but dont need to peel, best fruit in my opinion. 

I also have mountains up to 3000m near me, they can get ice some exceptionally cold nights, but the road is only accessible up to 1600m, where it can get down to 5C that i know of.

Is there any chance?

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I am seriously wanting to play with extended days out of the greenhouse and in the field. 

I am hoping to use 400w HPS to cover a larger area than incandescent to save on electricity as we use way too much having everything processed on site. 


i just read this:  http://stfc.org.au/dragon-fruit-by-graham-reindeers

Quote
Lamps simulate “Long-days”  The name of the game here is to shock the (Pr) {inactive} Phytochrome, which regresses during increasing dark periods, back into active (Pfr ) and to drive them back into the cell nucleus, to keep making flowering hormone. We can either light the crop continuously after dark or light the “dark” period for 25% of each hour, usually starting at about 10pm and continuing until approx 2.00am. This fools the plant into thinking it is all one long day. Plants yield better when they sleep a bit at night so they can rearrange their sugar storage efficiently. However, a continuous light from 10pm to 2.00am can be used with no real ill-effects. 100 Watt incandescent bulbs are usually used, spaced about 5 feet apart from each plant, delivering about 10 lumens {foot candles}.  The actual lumen output is not very critical because all it has to do is shock the Phytochrome with a few photons. To save power, the lights can be cycled on and off to give about 25% timed light. There is a technique being used lately where 400 Watt Metal Halide or Sodium (High Intensity Discharge) lamps are mounted high enough above the crop to reach plants 40-50 feet away which are either swivelled on a boom or reflected by a reflector, like a “light house”, causing light to fall on each plant 3 of 4 times an hour between 10pm-2.00am. The HID’s are not very high in 660nm red but they make up for it in Lumen output. Again, provided that each plant feels the equivalent of about 10 lumens of light at each passing, the Phytochrome will be switched back to creating flowering hormone. Taiwan is reported to be creating an additional flowering season, extending from the Fall equinox through to the next spring equinox. This de-facto means that the plant is in continuous production. Cooler off-season crops actually have the capacity to make larger sweeter fruits because the plant can deposit more sugars in the fruit when their metabolism is not racing at full speed in the heat. Pitaya fruit can be grown from between 35 – 50 days with no excessive sweetness increase but up to 25% increase in weight. This may be a good way to get a high yield out of the second crop even if the plants get tired. Provided the plant nutrition can be adequately maintained, and the temperature kept within the plant’s comfort zone, continuous production is possible and feasible.

they mention the use being OK.  10 lumens seems like an easy deal, would also like to look into LED, but later as i already have the HPS. 

so my idea was to use rails.  this article mentions they need light 15 mins every hour between 10pm-2am (im sure the time frame varies).  using rails would move the light in a line back and forth slowly, and could be setup to hit 15/60 mins pretty easy.

Can anyone see a flaw in this?  i see it working, but want to make real sure as it takes some effort to setup outdoor things like this that can withstand typhoons.

9
Located in Taiwan.  I prefer small plants or very fresh seed.  It would be best if you can obtain phytosanitary certificate, but its no deal breaker as i can have them sprayed at quarantine for extra $.

I am willing to pay for certificate and shipping, or if its a trade i can also provide phyto/shipping.

WANTED:
Almost any Baccaurea sp.
Any  Duguetia sp.
Any Inga species with good fruit.
Any Theobroma species other than cacao, especially bicolor
Any Nephelium species with good fruit other than rambutan (grafted preferred, but wild types also very welcome)
Durio graveolens (plants only)
other interesting things that cant be found here. 

HAVE TO TRADE:  Note, clones i only know chinese names for most, translating i have hard time doing.

Seeds:
Carica papaya
Euphoria longan - Longan (seeds in July-Sept)
Hylocereus undatus - Dragon Fruit
Litchi chinensis - Lychee
Synsepalum dulcificum - Miracle Fruit
Tamarindus indica (Thai origins)


Plants:
Anonna atemoya (grafted, sort of big)
Anonna montana (not 100% ID certainty, seed grown)
Anonna squamosa (grafted, sort of big)
Hylocereus undatus - Dragon Fruit
Litchi chinensis - Lychee (grafted, sort of big)
Morinda citrifolia - Noni
Pachira aquatica - Money tree
Passiflora edulis - Passion Fruit (grafted)
Psidium guajava - Guava (grafted)
Synsepalum dulcificum - Miracle Fruit (seedlings)
Syzygium samarangense - Wax apples (Grafted, i only know chinese names of varieties:
Tamarindus indica (Thai origins, ready in June)
Theobroma cacao (seedling, red/yellow fruit)




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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Moving in ground trees?
« on: May 01, 2013, 09:45:35 AM »
We bought new land and want to bring the smaller trees at our old farm with us.  mostly wax apple, persimon, mango, annona species, some citrus, jaboticaba and come abiu.

they range in size, but they are 1-4 years in ground, and kept small.  trunk size ranges from 4-10cm diameter down below.  not huge but i wonder if already too big? 

My plan was to heavily prune the plants and wait a month.  then dig around about 70% of the tree (about 1 meter root ball?) to sever the big roots and let heal.  wait a month, then do the other side and move the tree.

Anyone see this working or not?  time is  no issue.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Miracle fruit processing?
« on: April 29, 2013, 10:16:58 AM »
Hello, I grow quite a lot of miracle fruit on my farm.  When we are eager to pick we can pick about 5-10kg/week but so far we have not been able to figure out processing into dry powder.  we have machines for drying fruit and also powdering machines, but we lack the knowledge.  It is a trade secret here it seems, no one wants to let go their process, which i understand.

So all these dried miracle fruit products, how are they processed?  Are the seeds just ground into powder with the fruit as is once dry?  There has to be a bulk mechanical (or chemical?) way of separating fruit from seed as its pretty time consuming.  I had coffee processing machines in mind, but never got into one to look as with coffee they keep the seed and discard the fruit, whereas miracle fruit we want the opposite.

Anyone know anything about it?  I would really appreciate it as we are quite setup for processing, and can buy new tools if need be.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Jaboticaba wont fruit
« on: April 17, 2013, 01:21:49 AM »
I live in far south Taiwan, climate like hawaii with more rain in summer and less in winter.

I bought 4 foot trees about 4-5 years ago and planted them in the ground, where they have grown to about 7 feet and do nothing else.

Anyone know what triggers them to fruit?  they were cuttings from mature trees and the grower, whom i know to be very well educated on them, says 1-2 years until i get fruit, but still none.

The only thing i can think of is they may need a dry spell, but i have worked up my soil so that it never dries.  this year at its worst the loose top soil/organic material mat got dry.

I am really not sure what species i have, i can take pictures if it would help.

There are farms around here and even potted plants in nurseries are getting fruit....

Any thoughts?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Questions about Nephelium
« on: April 17, 2013, 01:17:18 AM »
I guess first, is there a monograph on the genus?  even a regional one would be very handy.  Are there any other good resources for learning about different species/varieties?


Second question came about a few years ago when i almost bought a lychee farm.  I am wondering, specifically about rambutan and pulusan as they are all i grow, if Nephelium can be grafted onto stocks of other genera, such as lychee?  I am thinking not like, but some families are quite accepting of intergeneric grafts.

I have lots of seeds/plants of lychee and longan, and non of any nephelium, but i have some good clones i would like to propagate.  Worst case is i have to buy rambutan seedlings to graft onto, but am interested in knowing about this.

Anyone try?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Help putting names to Borneo Fruit
« on: March 20, 2013, 02:32:41 PM »
We get to try all these new interesting fruit!  5 types of durian, I was very happy.

Here are pics and things i think they may be.  Any names you can help?

Artocarpus sp.


Artocarpus ???  Very stinky!


Durio zibethinus



Durio sp. 1  reddish skin, flesh like commercial sweet types.



Nephelium sp. ?   Like pulusan but different skin than we have had in other places.


Durio sp. 2


Santol?


Rollinia sp or Annona?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / My cashew seeds are starting
« on: March 04, 2013, 01:24:15 PM »
We collect lots of seeds when we are in Philippines and they are now all sprouting roots.  looking where they are from i am thinking they might like a well drained soil with lots of sand/pumice?

But would like input on what you folks grow your cashew seedlings in.

I believe is Anacardium occidentale.

still early, tap roots are still about 1-4cm long.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Durian in Sabah, Borneo?
« on: March 03, 2013, 05:33:08 AM »
Hello.  Next week 3 of use travel to Sabah again to see everything.  We are really hoping to try new types of durian, especially red color ones which look very amazing!  Last time we go Borneo we dont find any durian, even the more common commercial ones.  I am wondering if its is very seasonal or maybe we look in wrong places?    Our trip start in Kota Kinnabalu and we rent car and go sandakan, do river kinnabatangan and also go out to Pulau Tiga.  Are those areas have chances to try durian?

How can we find market for some of the interesting different kinds we see on internet?  So far we get to try Thailand varieties and Malaysian varieties on penninsula.  But Borneo not yet.

Thank you for any suggestions.  Unfortunately slightly too cold for Durian where I live, so we have to have import or travel to eat.

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