So I bought a 12ft jackfrut Seedling that was essentially rootbound in a 15 gallon pot and had no expectations whatsoever for it. As a matter of fact it was shaped like a lollipop with the lollipop stick being twice as long as normal....real ugly.  But I planted it early summer 2016 and it didn’t do much of anything. So after Irma, I essentially cut it in half. It still didn’t grow very much, although the trunk is now more proportional to the canopy.  I decided I would give it one more summer to get its act together or else I was going to pull it and replace with an Amber seedling I have in a pot currently. I was convinced this thing was getting chopped down in September. But today I was pleasantly surprised by a beautiful male flower and another that had already shriveled up and dropped onto a leaf below. What a great feeling. I really wanted to give this tree a chance and I’m glad it’s showed some signs of progress well before the eleventh hour. It was a very exciting day

Looking for either Redland or Younghans variety in 7 gal or larger.  Please message me with pic and price.  Preferably in South Florida Area.  Thanks!  -Jon

Any ideas on the best stage to eat sprouted coconut for maximum sweetness? When the sprout first shows? When it’s 6 inches? 12 inches? Etc

So I've been trying to grow Abiu for a few years and my trees usually do decent in the pots and then once transplanted into the ground, slowly die.  I've found from my experience and from help on this forum that they like acidic soil (maybe why they do so well in volcanic regions like Hawaii and Brazil) and lots of water and humidity.  Down here in Zone 10b South Florida humidity is not an issue, nor is watering but soil is a problem.  So what I started to do is to leave the Abiu in the pots with potting mixes (usually more acidic than our alkaline soil) until they are 5-6FT juvenile trees, rather than transplanting smaller trees immediately into the soil from their 3 gallon containers.  Then when I transplant, I move the trees up to a 45 gallon pot full of acidic potting mix and plant inground inside the pots.  This seems to help the trees maintain more of an acidic soil base over time.  I also read online and found that it helps to do an annual chelated iron drench.  All in all, its a very difficult tree to get going down here but I now see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Super stoked to try my first Abiu fruits. Fingers Crossed.

I'll add some photos to this post next week when I get a chance to return to the property.

As you can see from the photo, my juvenile Golden Nugget Mango tree is oozing this ugly orange sap from several places. The tree took it the hardest out of all my mango trees after the few cold snaps we had this winter.  Would this have anything to do with it? Is this something to be concerned about? Tree looks worse than frozen dog sh*t now.

Instructions say how to mix it and note to spray up to tree runoff. Are they talking about the ‘dripline’ Of the tree and if so, I assume add it directly to the soil, is that correct?

I'd like to pic up a few of these. Anyone that has one or knows of someone that may have these semi-established please reach out to me.  I'm in  Miami, FL.  Thanks!

I’m super excited today as the severe cold fronts we’ve been having down here in South Florida have thinned out the foliage on my trees enough for me to notice my first red Custard Apple!!! I didn’t think any of my hand pollination took,  but I guess I was wrong.  I tasted this fruit for the first time a  few years back and honestly it has to be my favorite fruit of all time next to a fresh orange.  I was so impressed with the fruit I immediately planted a second tree only about 8ft from the original in hopes that they would kinda mesh together slightly during maturity for just a giant glob custard apples one day. Very excited today! Variety is San Pablo

I’ll include coconut palms and other fruiting plants in this question as not to digress from the typical forum subject matter, but my wife and I are building a new home and I’d like to landscape with some rarer palms and more specialized plants and foliage. Is there a “big book” or two that anyone can recommend that’s all encompassing with Photos and info? It will need to be a Florida book, not just a general info book. Thanks!

-Jon

Hey guys, just curious if anyone down here in South Florida has any recommendations on growing abiu. I had one tree that I put in the ground a year ago and hasn’t grown an inch. Looks very unimpressive. I bought that one from pine island nursery. But today I picked up 2 from Excalibur and I want to get them going the right way. Should I grow them in pots until 25gal wth some good potting mix or should I try them in ground again? Any recommendations? Am I missing something important with this species? Excalibur seemed to keep them all in a greenhouse even the large ones. Is there a reason for this?

So I live in South Miami Florida, and between the county cutting down all of our citrus a decade ago due to canker and the newer threat of Citrus Greening, its hard to find healthy citrus trees down here.  But from what I've learned from some friends that still have trees, as well as nurseries in my area that have pretty large, mature, and healthy looking citrus is that if you keep a tree on a CONSISTENT fertilization schedule and spray schedule. The healthier the tree, the more resistant it is to greening.  But if it does contract the disease, I found this video online regarding heating the tree to kill the bacteria....has anyone seen this or have experience with this or any additional information? Yes, I know it seems like a giant task to save a few backyard trees, but its doable, especially with a large accordion style system, almost like a slinky that can be easily erected around a tree.

https://youtu.be/zKkyHIyP8e4

-Jon

If anyone has seedlings they would like to sell please let me know. Thank You.

-Jon