Anybody know if plant and/or fruit is toxic to dogs or cats? I doubt that the fruit is and plant probably is not either...but, I promised someone I would check into this. Thanks.

A few years ago, there were some additions to the mango festival such as USDA tour, Fruit & Spice Park tour/dinner, and others that spanned 4-5 days.  Is anything like that happening again this year?

Also...what about the timing?  July 8 & 9.  Is there any conjecture on good availability?  Thanks

Someone sent this first video to me and it is pretty cool to watch.  I've seen air layering and done some myself, but I've never seen anyone do this.  I'm not quite sure whether they are actually grafting roots onto the area to be air layered...or they are only for support for the future roots.  There are more videos that follow and they show a little more detail as well as final results.  One thing is for certain... they are not concerned with the tying material causing any girdling.  The stuff they use looks very strong and not liable to break down.  People in Thailand use this stuff for grafting and I've seen some really gnarly girdling.  Maybe it doesn't affect the plant like I would think it should.  Anyway...would like to see what others think.

https://youtu.be/aASOM4R8VN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as6FoWklwnY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE9rWTCuOM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_YP1NLrgjA

If anyone interested....http://www.tropicalfruithunters.com/blog

The last several years of harsh winters and shitty springs and yielded me very little in the way of outdoor fruit.  What little the trees did manage to push, most were ruined by squirrels.  I'd spy the little bastards bounding across the backyard with an unripened fruit hanging from its mouth.  This year, fruit is abundant on all the trees and I vowed that the little assholes were not going to ruin it.

After shooting one with a pellet gun, I realized that I would not win my war in this fashion.  I could not be outdoors 24/7.  After a little internet searching, I decided upon plain old rat traps.  Now some people went balls out with their traps...increasing spring tension, nails sticking up to give a double wammy punch, and some even camouflaged them.  Me?  Nope.  I just zip tied the traps to a limb low enough to catch their attention but not low enough to interest the dogs.  Baited them with some peanut butter and 1/2 a peanut, set and forget.  Put one each in a pear, plum, nectarine, apple, and two peach.

It's been about 1 week with no activity...until this morning.  Got the first greedy, sneaky, little bastard obviously on his way to check out his future ill-gotten gains in the apple tree.  Not this time Rocky!  Looked like a pretty clean and quick kill...which is good.  Bottom-line?  I'm encouraged with this low-cost solution so far.  Now I have to go dispose of the body before my Buddhist-sensitive wife sees it hanging from the trap. 

I just found out that Felipe Osborne Shea, our dear friend in Puerto Rico, passed away yesterday.  Felipe was one hell of a guy.  One of those special people you could sit and listen to for hours on end and never tire of it.  His knowledge and experience on fruits was stellar.  He loved what he did and lived it to the end. 

I remember touring his farm one summer and sampled a fruit no one was very thrilled with.  In fact, it tasted terrible.  Felipe held a fruit and stated "Every fruit in the world is someone's favorite".  We had to stop and think about that one for a minute, but damn...he's probably right. 

Felipe's farm is where I first experienced achachairu and a whole slew of other garcinias.  He'll be missed for sure.

One of my Mayong Chid plants that I brought back from Thailand last summer is putting out a nice growth flush as well as pushing out several bloom spikes for the first time.  I don't have any delusions about even a single fruit developing given the plant's size and first time blooming, but still excited by it.

Sorry for the sideways pic.  Shows just fine on my laptop but soon as uploaded here, the S.O.B. is on its side.

My wife is always looking at various Thai forums...normally for food related posts.  But today she stumbled upon a post and thought I would like it.  I did, and got her to translate for my while I took notes.  Since I couldn't get a document to upload to the forum, I created a new blog with the information in it.  Hope you enjoy it.   http://www.tropicalfruithunters.com/blog

If you are interested in reading about my latest trip to Thailand, go check out my blog page.  There are 5 separate blogs labeled parts 1 - 5.  Each has a link to my galleries page for the rest of the pictures from the trip.  If you have any questions or problems, please let me know.  Enjoy!  Jay

We have been busy buying and putting plants into the ground.  Al l done except for a pumanee durian that will not be delivered until after I have left.

The fam spent the weekend in Rayong and Chantaburi experiencing a few fruit farms and parks...along with some non fruit related sites.  Several markets and nurseries were hit along the way.  A plant lovers dream for sure.  Main issue is that I have been eating way too much food and fruit.

The price for plants will make you ill compared to what we pay back home.  A five foot monthong was $16.  A nicesized long lap lae durian only cost us $3 at the farmer's nursery.  This was an area that had plot after plot just filled with different varieties and various sizes...like a portionof the city was only for selling durian.

They do all the grafting soon after germination.  A small, new branch with many leaf nodes is cut from a mature tree and a section is cut for each leaf node and then grafted onto the seedling with a simple wedge graft.  So a single little branch can do several seedlings.  As you can imagine, the graft area is very delicate at this stage.  They take a strand/hair of a coconut husk and wrap that around the grat to secure.  Then wrap in tape.

The scenery in Rayong and Chanthaburi was as different as night and day to elsewhere.  The landscape was either dominated by acre after acre of rubber trees or fruit trees.  Durian, mangosteen, rambutan, jacks, maprangs as far as you could see.

Market for farmers.  Thousands of grafted durians










Making durian candy




Chicken with raw durian curry


Braised pork with garcinia cowa leaf as main flavoring


Clam and oyster farms


Restuarant serving them fresh

Believe it or not, they all were able to bend their way into the suitcase.  Will know soon enough if all the effort pays off.

Inspector just left.  Spent over an hour and a half checking out the greenhouse and fruit trees in the yard.  Just bullshitting about this and that.  No problem with the plants although something had laid some eggs on the rollinia leaves.  He said to just check them well and rub them off.  Advised to remove any leaves that had spots or looked suspect just in case someone gets too curious in Thailand.  Other than that, it was a piece of cake.

Very little info.  Mother-in-law read something from their Thai Ag department that they crossed a nam doc mai with a Taiwan variety I believe.  I think they are calling it nam doc mai purple.  If the pictures are true, it is a beautiful mango.  Not sure if the link below will work but give it a try.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202745917368595&set=gm.678860835551424&type=1&theater

My wife found the article from Thai agriculture.  The following is a very piss-poor Google translation:
"Purple Mango," the origin of species.
This mango Caused by the development of varieties Agricultural Technology Transfer Center. Mahasawad. Thani, Nonthaburi. With pollination. During mango mango No. 4 Pak Hong Zhu Taiwan. Then, remove the seeds from ripe seeds. And planted as seedlings planted and grown flowering and fruiting. It appears that very fruitful Mango fruit shaped like the male parent. The fruit color is green. But it is a purple fruit from small soft. Even like the color of ripe and ripe mango Hong Zhu. Which is the mother species And the color is darker than clear. Make it look more beautiful The Center of Agricultural Technology Transfer Planted mango varieties tested to ensure that the new course. The name of the variety that "Mango Purple" and propagation graft released. Were very popular at this time.
Purple Mango An outstanding At maturity, the average weight of between 0.8-1.2 kg. The raw sour service. Peeled, sliced chili sauce, salt and pepper. Delicious sweet sauce or dip Ripe, sweet, unique texture, consistency is not responsible for some small seeds. Eat with rice or steamed rice Moon delicious, nutritious eating unripe mangoes not generally even less. Mango is a fruit, so most of the year. Propagated by seeds, cuttings generally graft and plug top.
Who needs a graft with the plug. Contact center technology and agriculture. Mahasawad. Thani, Nonthaburi. Tel. 08-1806-5513 or go shopping at the Agricultural Fair 2558 held at Kasetsart University, Bangkok late January - early February 2558. shops and services such as technology transfer and the Flower Market at the market every Wednesday - Thursday the 21 "panel with your seed" for inexpensive prices.