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Messages - Viking Guy

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551
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Mango, Avocado and Papaya Seedlings!
« on: May 07, 2014, 12:48:05 AM »
Decided to take some photos of my up and coming seedlings.

The mangos are store bought varieties--so unsure what they came from and don't really care.  They might be from Kietts since that is what the fruit resembled. I ultimately just want them for the plants.  The first is untopped and the second one was pinched at 6 inches and is going bushy.

The sproutlings are my annual papaya babies from my mother tree.  Maybe 3 will survive from that cluster.

The avocado, pinched at 8 inches, has finally popped it's recovery bud and is getting ready to branch.

Enjoy!













552
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Black sapote not sweet in Hawaii..
« on: May 01, 2014, 02:35:49 AM »
If you are going to get the tree, it will do well in 9b.  I am growing one, and we had the harshest winter we've had in 30 years, and it did just fine--only losing about 6"-12" of upper branch tips.

That said, it is certainly much more tropical than other persimmons, and I doubt it would thrive in anything colder than zone 8.

Mine is grafted, and upon planting it, I decapitated it to a 30" stump at a 1" thickness--leaving only one small branch at about the 20" mark (was a tough call, because the former canopy looked quite nice and developed, but the roots looked "bleh").

The following spring, the little stump that could came to life, and vigorously fast--reaching 6 feet by the end of the year and produced a few fruit.

Give them severe pruning each year, because they make a lot of prolific greenery.

I am able to keep mine under control with annual decaps at around 8 feet.

It seems to like a mound also.  I elevated mine 6" overground at the center with a 6 foot circle and traced it with cypress mulch.

553
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Black sapote not sweet in Hawaii..
« on: April 30, 2014, 02:02:48 AM »
I let my black sapotes turn near soft and deeply ripened.

They'll be sweeter.  With that said, they still won't be as sweet as other persimmons.

Most people mix the fruit in with vanilla ice cream and they compliment one another well.

554
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« on: April 28, 2014, 05:28:36 AM »
Quote from: Mark in Texas on April 05, 2014, 10:24:42 PM
Quote from: Viking Guy on April 05, 2014, 03:09:08 AM
Definitely try American Beauty.  It's a night and day difference.

What does it taste like? 

Any one know of a place where I can mail order the fruit in.  Don't want to waste my time on something we might not like.

Sorry Mark, I missed your question.

I would suggest contacting tropicalfruitgrowers.com.  They will ship you many varieties of tropical fruit for you to try.

555
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Low chill Peaches in South Florida
« on: April 28, 2014, 05:15:06 AM »
Quote from: TREESNMORE on April 25, 2014, 05:53:07 AM
Are you in south Florida  or Alabama . Fl king is not low chill 300 hours and does not fruit well here .As for bugs the last hard freeze we had to kill bugs was in 2010.

I am currently in south Alabama in a small hidden near tropical dot along the gulf coast that defies the climates of the surrounding regions.

Nonetheless, my recommendation comes from my time spent south of Tampa Florida, and my FL Kings did fine there.  300 may be suggested, but I believe they'll fruit less than that in my experiece.  If you're much further south in the 0-110 ranges, then your best and only bet will be UF Sun, FL Prince and Tropic Beauty--maybe a Tropic Snow, Earligrande, UF Beauty and FL Belle.  These are all between 100-200 ranges, and honestly will perform lower than specified.

556
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Best Figs for FL (or similar warm wet humid climates?)
« on: April 28, 2014, 04:55:00 AM »
Quote from: LivingParadise on April 25, 2014, 09:06:04 AM
I'm growing brown turkey figs, which were at a local nursery for only $12 each.  I bought it only because I was curious, I never thought I liked figs much because most of the ones I had tried were dried or had been shipped long distances, and they were just ok.

I was so wrong! The little plant I bought put out a reddish-purple fig the size of my fist. I wish I had gotten a picture, but I was so excited to try what was my first ever freshly-ripe fig (you could smell it from the outside) that I jumped in first and only thought about it later. I was blown away by the flavor, absolutely nothing like any of the figs I had tried up North. It was so tropical! It tasted like a mix of passionfruit, strawberry, and guava. I never would have expected that! Truthfully, it was one of the best individual fruits I have ever had. I got so excited about it that I was heartbroken about how long I would have to wait for another fruit from this 1-gal pot, and went out and bought 2 more. I wondered if this is what all figs taste like, why in the world wouldn't everybody be talking about them?

I realize not many people are excited about the brown fig turkey here, so maybe I got lucky. Pruning was definitely beneficial, because before that I was getting tons of fruit on different branches that mostly dropped before they ever got ripe, or were smallish and not that good. Now I will never let any fruit grow on any branch but that one (until of course it gets to be big - right now there are only a few branches to choose from). Just thinking about it makes me want another... who knew? I thought I didn't like figs!

Just bear in mind, since you bought two extra, that brown turkey fig trees can become massive--you need a large space if you plan to mature them.  You can also break off branches and root them in a bucket of water, or air layer them and make new trees with ease.  You can also clump a few different varieties together, and force them to compete with one another and help stunt their growth so they don't become too large.


557
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Ice Cream Banana
« on: April 28, 2014, 04:31:53 AM »
ClayMango, that pictured above is certainly NOT the Ice Cream.

One of the first and primary indicators is they are tall and leggy--even when young.

If I can remember, I'll throw up a pic of one of my icecream pups shooting up from the wake of spring.

Also, Ice Cream is, to me, the best banana--if eaten at the proper time (yellow/black peel).

They are very cold hardy, and one of the few varieties that actually fruit in chillier zones, such as 7-9.

On a side note, their roots are amazing surface spreaders.  I planted mine at the corner of my vegetable garden, and found its milky roots over 30 feet into the garden.  Not a big deal really.  I simply take my spade out about twice a year and punch a 10 foot perimeter slice circle about a foot deep and chop the roots off.  Then the excessive roots growing under my garden soil become compost for the veggies.  :)

558
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: My Lychee Fruitlets Are Disappearing!
« on: April 25, 2014, 05:48:34 AM »
Quote from: puglvr1 on April 23, 2014, 03:04:45 PM
Viking Guy, SO sorry to hear about your Apples...I totally feel your pain  :'(

Thanks Doglips, I tried to use the aluminum bags last year and either I did not close it properly or it just plain didn't work!! Do you have a specific one you're suggesting? Maybe a picture of the bag you're thinking about?

Here's the one I used last year and had NO luck...they still got them  >:(



Wouldn't be a big deal under normal circumstances, but apples have a difficult time in the heat here, so it just stinks to lose them after the hardest winter in 30 years.  They've never made near as many as they did this year.

Nonetheless, they are more for novelty anyhow.

Sure hope you find the working solution to your lychees.  I'd be bummed if they went after my sweetheart :(

559
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Best Figs for FL (or similar warm wet humid climates?)
« on: April 25, 2014, 05:41:54 AM »
Old thread, but I grow a plethora of figs, and Excel, to me, is by far the best.  I am a sucker for Celeste too, but mostly because I've eaten them for so long.

Get you an Excel.  You won't regret it.

560
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Low chill Peaches in South Florida
« on: April 25, 2014, 05:27:36 AM »
I highly recommend the Florida King Peach.  Best tasting and by far the largest of the peaches I've harvested from the 18 varieties I am growing.

It is also the earliest low chill peach I know of--first to flower and quickest to harvest.

A good counterweight to it is the June Gold, which blooms and harvests late--so you get a fuller harvest.  Especially if you get a tropic snow which will harvest between the two.

Florida King is very pest resistant, and primarily due to having golf ball sized fruit before spring and bugs get truly started.

Here are some pics from (I think) late February.  Fruits are 3 x this size now.







561
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: My Lychee Fruitlets Are Disappearing!
« on: April 21, 2014, 02:59:39 AM »
I had this problem a couple weeks ago with catbirds.

They cleaned house on my Anna and Golden Dorset Apple trees.  Since they eat cherries, I'm assuming they thought my baby apples were cherries.

After such a dense winter, the chill gave us an abundance on apples and they were stolen in a single day. :(

562
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Seal the cut
« on: April 21, 2014, 02:51:41 AM »
Years ago I was told to sprinkle cinnamon on larger cuts.

I did this for a long time, and it worked fine.  Then one day I ran out of cinnamon.  I used some dirt in place of it, and it worked fine.

Then one day I'm making cuts and rain came out of nowhere.   I didn't bother using the dirt and simply ran to the house and back inside.

Those cuts ended up just fine. 

Paint or glue for cuts?  Nah.

Maybe if the rootstock makes a thick sucker you ignored for too long and the wound will be often in standing water, but even then--probably not needed in my opinion.

563
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Seedling Asian Pomelo fruit come out different than Parent Pomelo fruit
« on: April 21, 2014, 02:17:55 AM »
My pomelos are rounded like the one in the middle.

For most trees, the seed will be true to the rootstock.  It is possible you grew a tree from seed which is being used as the rootstock for your variety.

As suggested above, just add scions from the variety you enjoy and have best of both worlds.

I prefer mine to taste more toward the grapefruit flavor, as it is less acidic and isn't as strong or messy while eating.

Oh, and another reason you would want to add scions is because your mother tree is now 30 years old and its lifespan may be nearing uncertainty in coming years.  Be nice to have a backup plan in case old age takes a toll.

564
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Did my wife girdle my tree with the weed wacker?
« on: April 07, 2014, 08:55:02 PM »
I had a similar situation.   My wife's friend came over one day to "manicure" the lawn while my back was out from an injury years ago.

Not only did he hedge bushes he wasn't supposed to--like our slow growing camellias, but he also cut the grass on a low setting and decapitated the lawn in multiple uneven sections.

Then he weed eated my peach trees. :o :-\ >:(

I heard the weedeater and forced myself up to put a stop to it before he got everything.  By the time I got outside, he had walked 4 of them.  Really large ones too--20x20 elbertas.   Out of the 4, the bark at the base was circled completely on 3 of them which died within a few months.   The one which was scored but not fully circled recovered just fine and actually made a larger than normal harvest that year.

My suggestion is check the bark damage.  If it circles the full trunk where nutrients can't make it up the tree, then it could essentially be toast.  Otherwise, you may just have a scoring on your hands.


565
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Malika Mango tree over watered?
« on: April 07, 2014, 08:43:43 PM »
Was it sitting in full sun while potted?

I had a similar issue once when putting a young plant about that size whose leaves were developed in indirect sun, into open sun.  He dropped the old leaves, went into shock for a bit, and then produced newer, deeper green foliage and came back fuller and thicker just fine.

I imagine you had 5 things:  cold, water, wet feet and sun on light green foliage all at once while just overcoming transplanting.

Seems pretty normal, and other than some leaves and possible branch tips, it should be fine.

566
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Why is my Sapodilla so sick looking?
« on: April 05, 2014, 10:25:11 PM »
Wet feet, possibly rotting roots at this point.

I would dig it up.  Mix a well draining top soil about 50/50 into the native clay dirt and then mound it 6" over the ground level with a 3' distance to out edge from trunk.

After apply top soil gently sloped to the edge, apply some cypress mulch starting about 8 inches from trunk and covering to the edge of the circle.  Only about 2 inches thick at most. 

This will allowing it to get a full soaking while keeping it's feet dry in your soil type.

If that fails, it could also be nematodes and will likely need to be potted.  From its appearance, I think the mound will help until it is more mature.

567
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Low chill peaches
« on: April 05, 2014, 09:39:14 PM »
I had this problem with my red skin peaches and some others, but the June golds, elbertas, and florida kings had no problems--guess they have some resistance.  We have lots of annoying fruit flies here.  Becomes worse in the hot humid summers.

Can't stand the disgusting creatures.

568
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Raintree Nursery: Apricot - Tomcot/ Lovell
« on: April 05, 2014, 09:36:06 PM »
Dunno why it keeps posting my pics sideways

569
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Raintree Nursery: Apricot - Tomcot/ Lovell
« on: April 05, 2014, 09:32:49 PM »
I just received this handsome Tomcot/Lovell specimen.

Will be putting him in the ground tomorrow.

Just thought I'd share the nice quality tree Raintree Nursery shipped. 

I love apricots.  I'll upload another photo when he's in full foliage.



570
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Low chill peaches
« on: April 05, 2014, 06:53:05 PM »
Try handing digging a hole for one of those $169 citrus pots from home depot.

wife found a tree she couldn't live without.

After burying that giant root ball, I'm sure I could a lived without it

Quote from: savemejebus on April 05, 2014, 06:31:34 PM
Quote from: CTMIAMI on April 05, 2014, 05:35:23 PM
There is only one down side: Digging up a large hole by hand. I'm tired plus I planted 2  3gal .

My wife, who always rolls her eyes when I buy a new tree, was actually encouraging me to buy the beast. I'm convinced she's angling for my life insurance policy. I put a 25 gal lychee in a few weeks ago myself with a shovel, and I'm not interested in digging a hole that big again.

571
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« on: April 05, 2014, 03:09:08 AM »
Definitely try American Beauty.  It's a night and day difference.


572
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Top Fruit Tree Varieties - Best Tasting Breakdowns
« on: April 04, 2014, 04:57:48 AM »
Which reminds me, I failed to mention my blueberry tree.

We have a Southern High bush variety that has been in the family over 100 years.  I want to say it is close in behavior to an ozarkblue.  But we are not really sure.

It receives virtually no care and stands a mind bending 14 feet in the air with more blueberries each year than we could ever hope to eat.  Completely resistant to nematodes, diseases, pests, soil and elements.

I have found possible seedlings growing in the near woods too.  I may go dig them up.  :)

I must say, while the skin is thin, they aren't the sweetest I've tasted, but still pretty good.

573
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Top Fruit Tree Varieties - Best Tasting Breakdowns
« on: April 04, 2014, 04:41:58 AM »
A lot of it could have to do with where these are grown, or the care involved.

I have traveled all over the world and tasted so many varieties grown in so many different regions.  Oftentimes, I find notable differences in the same varieties--so much so that I assume the product is even mislabeled.

Also, for me there is more involved than taste--texture is a big deal for my mouth.  Main reason I chose ambrosia over fuji.  I grow my own chandler, and it tastes far better than the ones we've purchased at the markets--including other varieties.  But it's the only one I grow, so all of the other varieties I've tasted from markets.

As for avocados, I've tried nearly all of them--and something about the mexicola made it different than the rest--leading me to get the tree in the end.

Some people like tart, some like sweet, but I'm more in the middle--I like smooth, and that's potentially why some of my choices may seem odd.  Unless impossibly hard to get or find, I've tasted a great deal, and in some cases all of the common varieties for each of the fruits I listed'-purposely so.

Before I started my orchard I went into great research and on a hunt for fruits.  I picked my favorite varieties from as many fruits as I could of each category, and then found what grows in my zone to get that tree.

Sadly, not all would grow or do well here, so I may grow a different specimen for the sake of having a tree, but still order the fruit of my favorite ones online.

In some cases I couldn't resist and got trees that can't survive here during winter and put them in pots, such as my NDM mango and coconut palm.

 Again, I'm not asking people to compare to my choices.  I'm asking them to list what they enjoy, and it doesn't even have to be from their zone or something they grow.  A few of my favorites I can't grow and can only order the fruit online--but still my favorites.

Perhaps someone will name a variety the rest of us haven't tried and inspire us to give it a go based on another's opinion.

574
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Low chill peaches
« on: April 04, 2014, 04:20:47 AM »
I would consider removing 100% of everything within 18" of the rootstock.  Then take off those vertical suckers growing straight up from the lower branch.  I may even remove the outward growing arm growing under that main lower branch.  Then remove the downward growing branches.

Then simply tip small branches back to the third bud, and shorten the top branches slightly and remove the ones growing inwardly on the canopy.  You can even top the main trunk about 36" - 48" from the ground and maintain a nice height for some time while working its shape for the next few years.

Quote from: savemejebus on April 02, 2014, 11:01:57 AM
Since we're talking peaches and pruning, figured this was as good a place as any to ask this question. What would you guys/gals do with this UF Sun? Peach pruning is new to me, but it seems based on what I have read that the branch growing from the bottom of the tree needs to go. I already cleaned out a similar one that was growing straight up in the middle of the other branches. Only had this a few months, but it's growing all sorts of crazy.








575
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Planting Jackfruit on Mounds
« on: April 04, 2014, 01:36:24 AM »
Also if you build your mound really high, such as 2 feet as you suggested, it will work, but you'll need to make a huge circle to support proper runoff from it.  I would recommend no more than 6", and 12" would be absolute maximum.  Some of this can depend on the landscape and would still require 6 to 10 foot diameter circles.

The mound only helps dry the wet feet sooner when the flooding stops, so how high it is above the ground isn't important because the roots will be soaked at ground level during the flooding regardless of the mounds height--especially with the wicking effect of dirt.

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