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Messages - boxturtle

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226
Tropical Fruit Discussion / sweetheart
« on: June 06, 2016, 04:31:58 PM »
for those who have sweetheart...how do you tell when the fruit is ripe?

227
Thanks Simon!

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That's what makes Leos Brewster tree so special, such a high percentage of chicken tongue seeds. I'll have to check back this year to see if it happens again. I've read in literature that some farmers prefer to take air layers from trees or sections of trees with higher percentage of chicken tongue seeds. I put on several air layers on Leo's tree and hopefully this trait is passed on.

that's why im interested in an airlayer too don't forget me  :) It will have a home close to my Sweetheart

229
If you give me one of each I would pick Brewster.  If you give me a handful of each I would pick Mauritius.  I slightly like the taste of Brewster better but it's large seed is a huge turn off.  Last year I was fortunately able to get a taste of both lychees when there were ripe.   I could sit all day with Mauritius 4lbs to be exact :)  Brewster on the other hand I got a bit flustered after eating a handful.  The first 2 was intriguing but t can't get over doing all that work and end up with a big seed in my hands. 

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: seedling 7months old durian
« on: May 26, 2016, 11:45:34 AM »
I'm jealous I want a greenhouse too. :)

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I found a nusery that sells kent seedlings for the same price as the manila at HD, but the kent's are a better size and health.   Thinking about grafting Maha Chanok and lemon zest. 

Any input is greatly appreciated.

232
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: mangosteen starting to flush
« on: May 18, 2016, 12:32:17 PM »
trying out my luck. I figured if I can grow pandan in that spot, mangosteen should be ok too.
Try hulabrothers or plantogram. Toptropical sometimes has it too. If you live in FL, i think I've seen excalibur has them too, even durian.
Plant is 4yrs now=4ft.


haha k I saw you were Kali that's the intriguing part :)

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: mangosteen starting to flush
« on: May 17, 2016, 02:37:31 PM »
which variety? and same where did you get it? seedling?

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agree with simon...water often but not too deeply....if it's an air layered tree then root system is only about 2ft deep.   Don't over fertilize and mulch helps a ton

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Sweetheart Lychee ???
« on: May 16, 2016, 02:37:22 PM »
Lycheeonline.com has a wealth of information for lychee.  I purchased a sweetheart 15gallon that was about 5ft tall and had a canopy of about 3ft.  The stump was about 2inches.  It has been in ground for a lil over a year.  Currently right now the canopy is about 4ft and the stump is a lil under 4inches.  I have about 14 panicles with fruit the size of a dime and biggest one the size of a quarter.  It has already started aborting anything smaller then that pea size.   
      I think a lot of my success is due to what I did right from the start.   I picked a location that had lots of sun 8hrs plus!  and nothing shaded the tree.  Because of this the tree doesn't have wind protection so during the fall I would set up wind screen.  Unfortunatley, this year we had a lot of windy days I did lost a couple of branches.  I have heard branches or trees that are shaded will not bare fruit. 
     Then there is fertilizing.  If right now you have no fruit apply micro nutrients, week after apply iron, and finally balanced fertilizer.  I always use half doses.  It is better to under fertilize.  I use a mixture of organic and oscomete slow release.  During late fall I would do another round of micro nutrients and iron if needed.  Also I withhold nitrogen but give it P and k.   I use kmag and bonemeal.   When flowers are expressed I would do half dose of balance fertilizer and do this again when fruit is pea size.  Think the tricky part about fertilizing lychees is withholding the nitrogen.  Remember organic fertilizers last a long time so keep that in mind.  I am still trying to refine my schedule.  This schedule made sense to me because it matches when the tree needs for nutrition.  Even if I don't get fruit I see success in the size of my tree vs. my neighbors which bought it the same time I did. 
     From what I heard pruning plays a big part too it supposedly set the clock for your lychee tree.  You want your lychee trees to bloom as early as possible in the winter.  The ones that expressed first had the most fruit set and currently have the largest fruits right now.  I pruned mine at the end of june last year.  This year if I have fruit I will of course prune all the branches after fruit has ripen. 
    Finally I make sure the tree gets water once a week in the fall and winter.  Of course if it rains I don't water.  After flowers are fully expressed I do once every 3 days.  If it's hot every 2days.  Mine gets about 8gallon per watering.  There was a day weather channel said it was going to rain and I let go on for 4days.  I don't know if it's just conicedence but a handful of good size fruits dropped. 
     I know it's  a long read and I hope it helps.  There is a wealth of information I got from this site so this is my lil way of paying it forward.  Good luck hmmm can't find a way to insert pictures


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