My new Sweet Tart went in the ground last year.  I has 30 to 40 small fruit now.  Was bought at Excalibur  - 45 gal pot.   Can't wait.

Had to post this story after what has been going on lately. I have a fenced in yard with a pool and enclosure. I walk the 3 dogs outside the enclosure. Used to leave the poop and bag it up in the AM. About a month ago the dog poop started disappearing overnite!!!!!

Turned out to be rats. I now have to pick it up before nightfall.  And I'm not in the gongfermors union!
Now I set traps.

I also spread around some Tomcat bait chunks over the fence in the wooded lot next door.
And I hate having rats near my mango, banana and avocado trees.

Gimme a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Went to visit StuartDave in Stuart yesterday and took home some of his bounty.  The carambola aroma is awesome.

I grew seedlings of the following mangos that I got from the Squam 2 years ago.  They are 4 ft tall now.  Which ones would be good for rootstock use?

Sensation
Zill
Young
Piņa Colada
Kent
Simmons

I got this grafted Tori loquat from Adam a year ago.  Was a 1ft tall bareroot.  It fruited already and 11 fruit took.  Working outside I passed by and saw 2 fruit got nibbled on.  Still hanging on the tree - one was gouged out missing the seed and another was chewed on a bit.  Broke them off and brought the tree into the pool enclosure.   I'm gonna taste these guys this year!!!

My guess is a squirrel.  What do you think?  Time to get some more Mackintosh apples and bait both traps again.

Adam will be doing his grafting presentation tonight at the Treasure Coast Rare Fruit club in Ft Pierce.
And don't forget guys --- we have an auction table.  Adam usually brings grafted plants some of which are new, rare and hard to get.  Seven thirty PM.

http://www.treasurecoastrarefruitclub.org/Monthly-Meetings.php

Two questions.

Has anyone tried to germinate the seeds of small half to one inch avos that drop early?

And is there any point to trying this with the loads of small drop-offs we all get?  Assuming they germinate.

Just got back from a trip by boat to Europe.  In Barcelona visited the Ramblas area and ran into the Mercat de La Boqueria. It's a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonya, Spain.

Saw a fruit stand with Cherimoya, Nispero and Rambutan.  Took a Cherimoya back to the hotel and had it for dinner with a baguette of Jamon Serrano.  Wonderful!   Liked the Cheri a lot but the wife sorta freaked out on the big black seeds.  Said it was ok.

I used to say I never grew red skinned naners. Well it looks like I do now.  This is the first time this thing produced a flower.

The first hand that showed itself had green fingers.



Nine days later all the fingers durned deep maroon red.  When the red started I thought the fruit was spoiling. Today I'm sure they're OK.



Nice coloration on pups.
 

Thanks to last years mild winter I finally have a bunch of PK to munch on.  Weight 25.5 pounds.  Flowered at 9.5 ft.    Will post taste report when they ripen.

Visited the cousins in Homestead last week and took some avocados home.  Variety unknown.  The tree is 20 years old and 25 ft tall.   Fruit weight averaged 2 1/4 lbs.

I know it is a west indian cause of the soft texture when ripe.  Put them in paper bags and they ripened fast.   Tasted weak and watery.  Any ideas?

The Carrie mango was also huge and loaded with flowers.   And I forgot the camera - woof!

To all TFFI members ------- Chris Rollins will be giving a lecture on anonas at my club in Ft Pierce tonight, Thurs at 7:30. That's the Treasure Coast Rare Fruit club where Adam S. gave a talk earlier this year. Anyone interested in attending will be welcome. 

Straight up/down I-95 or Fla Tpk to Okeechobee exit.  North on Kings Hwy, left onto Pruitt Research Center Road.  The building sits on the corner of S. Rock Road and Pruitt Reasearch Center Road.  Parking is in the SE corner of lot.  Room 210 is on the first floor in the southeast corner.  (we know....we don't get the 210 on the first floor either)

http://www.treasurecoastrarefruitclub.org/Monthly-Meetings.php

University of Florida/IRREC
2199 South Rock Road
Ft. Pierce
In Room  210 At 7:30 PM
 
 772-468-3922  www.irrec.ifas.ufl.edu

This bunch is from the sucker I got 4 years ago.  One year in the pot, and 3 years in ground.  It's from the original pseudostem!  Each winter the trunk and leaves were wrapped up and the pstem survived with some of the younger leaves.  Would grow a new set of leaves and get a little taller.  Then go thru the wrapping, trimming, growing new leaves and getting taller.  For three years!!!

This year it made it all the way due to the mild winter of 2011 - 12.  Amazing Huh?

Bunch ready for harvest

Cleaned up and drying out

Making chips on the mandolin