Whitman Fiberless Sweet Soursop first harvest

[edzone9]

I have to start attending those Rare-Fruit C Sale !.
Ed,,

[Coconut]

4 years ago a landscaper planted a soursop tree in our back yard. I was totally ignorant about soursop, never tasted one in my life. In previous year it bore 1 fruit but birds and squirrels got most of it. Then late last year it had a bunch of flowers (look like the ones in your picture) and set a lot of tiny hairy things about the size of grapes. They stayed like that all winter. In February, I think, I sprayed my trees with SeaCrop (all elements ocean water concentrate). Not sure whether it was the Seacrop or the weather warmup but those tiny fruits suddenly took off growing like crazy. Maybe 20-30 fruits grew to maybe average several pounds and maybe 8 inches long. So much weight that it pulled the tree over against the house. The fruits look like the one in your picture. Fabulous taste, but I used most of it in smoothies. Fruit ripened very fast. One day hard as rock, next day some softness like a soccer ball, next day very soft and falling as the weight simply tore the skin away. I process them with washed hands, scoop the flesh away from the skin, feel through the very soft and slimy snow white flesh and squeeze to pop out the black seeds (like black turtle beans). Probably about 30 seeds per fruit. Very sweet taste but with some unique complexity that is wonderful. Some people who tasted it thought it tasted like pineapple. The little bit I ate without blending into a smoothie wasn't cottony at all.  So, it seems pretty similar to what you are describing, Coconut. I froze about a quart of it. You're welcome to come and give it a taste test if you'd like. Unfortunately I don't know what kind of soursop it is. Not even sure if it's grafted or a seedling.

Also, the tree is blooming again right now and I see at least 1 fruit growing pretty fast - about baseball size at the moment.

Your Landscaper must have gone to the 208 fruit sale too, cause that is when I planted this Whitman Fiberless four years ago & purchased from their undesirable misfit left over.

Thank you, yes I will be interest in examining your fruit.  I am embarking on improving the Fable Whitman Fiberless for the next 15 years with several collaborators and I dont want to waste time & resources down a beaten path in errors. Did you examine your seeds and find two type of seeds like in my hand foto, the two type of black seeds come from Whitman Fiberless? Yes it sound like it could be a kissing cousin I hAve to sample the fresh fruit cottony to establish a continuity.

As far as I noticed all the seeds were the same - like black beans. The tree has no other annona in the neighborhood, so I think it must be pollinating itself.

This afternoon I took an invitation to come out to see Frank so call whitman fiberless.  He has a nice garden & I walk past a sickly looking thing next to a bunch of grumincha  that they later point out as a soursop.  It was the most sickly looking soursop Tree that had pain my tearful eyes.  It was like a puppymill dog  calling out for rescue.  If they did not show me a small budding soursop about the side of a baseball this annona snob would have forsaken its existence.  As a fruit archaeologist I start to sift through all the forensic on its appearance in the garden, left no leaves  & stone unturn.  A tree no taller than me and that is kindly saying it short that had bear two dozen kilo fruit.  The tree is setting more fruit.  I look at the sterile soil wondering what make this plant tick.  I gave the Praff my fresh dragonfruit, a burmese and two boca chewy annonas to loosen their lips.  It was plain that they are as clueless on it origin.  They than brought

I am sorry to say folks I will have no seeds to pimp from these people because they threw these black gems away so we are left gasping for air.  However for my pain & suffering they gave me a bowl of frozen fruit to appease my bruise ego. After harassing the fruit with a fork to feel the white texture, it smoothness were cut by a slight tension of fiber that were quite tender, the flavor were sweet & pleasant like my Whitman Fiberless but what is missing is a creaminess that melt in your mouth.  Could this tree be the fable Cuban Fiberless? The leaves & tree size are 3/4 smaller than my whitman. Could this be an undiscovered Whitman fiberless seedling that is precocious?  Or a precocious Cuban fiberless?

Frank promised I have the first claim to the debenture fruit so we will have to wait for an investigation of an actual fresh fruit at a later date.  Its nice to see these folks have a strong inclination to get rid of their squirrels, I will be over there soon to sample avacodo fatten squirrels;?

[phantomcrab]

Anyone know if soursop can be grafted on cherimoya stock?

Yes, but long term compatibility was not evaluated.
Read this - http://thakshana.nsf.ac.lk/pdf/JNSF-37%281%29/Jnsf-37%281%29-71.pdf

[Mike T]

Cuban Fibreless has plenty of fiber and has been the standard and dominant type here since that late 50's or early 60's.Whitman fiberless arrived around 35 years ago and never took off due to shy bearing.A heavy bearing whitman offspring that is fiberless is in someone's backyard but I have no access and it may be the last of the whitman line locally.A near fiberless Panamanian selection a friend has just started to fruit and by all accounts is soething special.My arusha,lisa and Brazilian giant varieties are coing along well.

[Coconut]

Cuban Fibreless has plenty of fiber and has been the standard and dominant type here since that late 50's or early 60's.Whitman fiberless arrived around 35 years ago and never took off due to shy bearing.A heavy bearing whitman offspring that is fiberless is in someone's backyard but I have no access and it may be the last of the whitman line locally.A near fiberless Panamanian selection a friend has just started to fruit and by all accounts is soething special.My arusha,lisa and Brazilian giant varieties are coing along well.

Well I Am glad some one know more about it than just Oscar. 
Ok so it is safe for me to say Frank's small tree is a cuban fiberless, a very productive one, it will not be in the breeding program.

Yes Soren is strong arming me to try his precocious Arusha Soursop from Tanzania. To bad the precocious  Whitman Aussie Fiberless will face local extinction; a tragedy! It would be nice to save it because that line would constitute 40 years of selection to get to that!

Do you have the coordinate of that tree, maybe I can look at satellite and ask old friends at the Aussie DOD to favor me a few grain.

My Borneo giant Sabah Soursop is finally flowering after six years & its a massive tree hopefully 10-15 lbs size conical oblong sweet fruit.  Hopefully I can cross with the Mossad mountain soursop with it next year as both flowering should come into synch.  I hope the Panama fiberless of your friend will be of special interest. I recall eating the Canal sin fibre soursop during OTC the Darien, Panama in the late 80 but were not as spectacular as the Unami flavor of the 208 Broward Rare Fruit Council Whitman fiberless reject they sold to me.  Lets us hope your soursop ripe in near future so we are enlighten on their merit for our own backyard breeding for  gourmet taste!

[Coconut]

Very nice to harvest two more whitman fiberless for the year, consider the bush ninja have decimated 90% of my annona crop this year.  I had to share this one with a local raccoon.




This one the wife claim it her early xmas.  





The tree are now full of flowers & some look to be setting.  I have to go get seaweed & mulch it plus giving zinc sulphate








Secret to get whitman to flower I dump five lbs around trunk & boatload of organic mulch & neighboor plant debris.

The flavor were utmost delightful as the first fruit even the one I had to share with a brazen raccon; the raccoon was sweet too!

[Mustang128]

Hi Coconut,

The fruit looks great...YUMMY.  It's there any chance that you would offer the seeds to this forum members?
I would like to have some if you do.  Thanks!

[gunnar429]

Very nice to harvest two more whitman fiberless for the year, consider the bush ninja have decimated 90% of my annona crop this year.  I had to share this one with a local raccoon.




This one the wife claim it her early xmas.  





The tree are now full of flowers & some look to be setting.  I have to go get seaweed & mulch it plus giving zinc sulphate








Secret to get whitman to flower I dump five lbs around trunk & boatload of organic mulch & neighboor plant debris.

The flavor were utmost delightful as the first fruit even the one I had to share with a brazen raccon; the raccoon was sweet too!

5 lbs of what?  seaweed?

[nullzero]

5lbs of zinc sulphate I believe. Coconut btw, nice fish, is that a snakehead?

[Coconut]

5lbs of zinc sulphate I believe. Coconut btw, nice fish, is that a snakehead?

Oops it a 10lbs clown knife caught in lake Ida accidently post it in the wrong site. Here is Snakehead, iguana Steve, next time you in town, I will teach you how to live off the land, thanks to the white man bringing these delicious invasive species; us Native American are enjoying their plenty bounty in this urban jungle--the Great Spirit Father Feed us well!

[fruitlovers]

Coconut, i will have to try the zinc sulfate trick. My Whitman fiberless hasn't produced a single fruit in i forget how long. Ok it's a bit neglected as far as fertilizing goes.
Evilfruit, if the zinc sulfate makes it fruit i'll be able to send some seeds your way.

[edzone9]

Please let me know if you will be selling some seeds !
Great looking Guanabana .
Ed

[BMc]

A friend has a pretty fibreless Cuban Fibreless that was a shy bearer until he hit it with organibor (organic boron) and zinc. It has lots of small fruit set now.
My soursop was a grafted local selection from a 'fibreless' line, but it was not fibreless and pretty ordinary, so its now mulch, but I think I'll try again with scions from the other tree and give it a good amount of zinc. I have to boron my whole yard as we are low in boron anyway.

[fruitlovers]

A friend has a pretty fibreless Cuban Fibreless that was a shy bearer until he hit it with organibor (organic boron) and zinc. It has lots of small fruit set now.
My soursop was a grafted local selection from a 'fibreless' line, but it was not fibreless and pretty ordinary, so its now mulch, but I think I'll try again with scions from the other tree and give it a good amount of zinc. I have to boron my whole yard as we are low in boron anyway.

FYI the fibreless types of soursop have an unusual bluish tinge color in the leaves. Easy to tell apart from regular soursop leaves.

[FrankDrebinOfFruits]

I received some fiberless soursop seeds a few years ago. What was distinct to me was the wax coating on the leaves had a different sheen than the standard soursops. Still waiting for fruit..... I would also second Oscar's opinion on the color. To me it looks a dull green.

Its been so long I forgot what the mother fruit tasted like.

[fruitlovers]

I received some fiberless soursop seeds a few years ago. What was distinct to me was the wax coating on the leaves had a different sheen than the standard soursops. Still waiting for fruit..... I would also second Oscar's opinion on the color. To me it looks a dull green.

Its been so long I forgot what the mother fruit tasted like.

Leaves definitely look very different. In back of my mind i've wondered if the fibreless should really be classified as a different sub species because leaves and fruits are so different from regular soursop?

[JF]

I received some fiberless soursop seeds a few years ago. What was distinct to me was the wax coating on the leaves had a different sheen than the standard soursops. Still waiting for fruit..... I would also second Oscar's opinion on the color. To me it looks a dull green.

Its been so long I forgot what the mother fruit tasted like.

Here is a Cuban seedless super glossy compare to the other Soursops I'm  growing

[Coconut]

I really never paid that attention to the leaves , now you guys mention it; I went out now before sunset and took fotos of several sweet soursops and include the Whitman fiberless. You guy are correct it does have this deep dull blueish green shine compare to my Sabah Sweet, Borneo sweet And Msidera Giant Sweet soursop!







Wow I learn something knew today, I thought I was a good observing idiot but missed this one. Yes Oscar we should classified it as sub species.  Which is better JF? Cuban Fiberless or Whitman fiberless in term of taste & production?

[JF]

Coconut

I've never tried whitmans seedless
I like the giant yucatan better than
Cuban seedless but I'm not a real big
Fan of guanabana....soursop Champola and sorbet  are the best

[fruitlovers]

I'd say a Whitman fibreless is right up there with the best of the cherimoyas. It doesn't at all taste like regular soursop.

[Coconut]

I was over at Farmer Frank Urban Jungle in East Boca and was able to taste Frank's soursop fresh tree ripe fruit.  Now I know what a Cuban Fiberless taste like; what great luck to try the elusive Cuban fiberless and the fame Whitman fiberless fresh off the tree in 2014. 

Here is Frank Cuban Fiberless










Frank's tree is very productive and it is what I consider the best tasting sweet soursop after the whitman fiberless.  Both fruit share the fiberless distinction with Whitman fruit more creamy & practially san fibre. What ever fibers was so tender in this Cuban fiberless it disappear in one chew.  However it lack the Ono that Fruitlover would say or the Unami the Japanese foodies would be in love with.

Whitman Fiberless is diabetic sweet and creamy
Frank's Cuban fiberless is mildly sweet and firm crunchy texture
Both fruit are Rabi's approve for bleach white delicate flesh
The Frank's Cuban fiberless were certainly more productive than my Whitman.
Notice his tree is on poor nutrient beach sand with very little organic; tree sickly small compare to my 20 feet tree of Xmas health.  So I encourage Frank to give it a more Organic fertilizer to see if that does not sweeten the fruit.  My Whitman Fiberless fruit is two to three time larger than Frank's but yield is underperforming; maybe I feed my tree too much.  Frank's starving tree certainly fruiting well.😄
These two varities are best consume au naturale!

[Tropicalgrower89]

With my seedling soursop you have to chew like about 30 times. lol

[gunnar429]

Time to update the must-have list.  Cuban Fiberless looks great

[fruitlovers]

The Whitman fibreless is certainly a fruit worthy of more work done to get it into a better productive mode. Some experiments that could be tried by the great breeders ilk of Coconut is to backcross it with regular soursop to see if that would make it more productive. Could also try to use regular soursop as rootstock and graft Whitman to see if that would kick it into higher gear. Some experiments with fertilizer/ammendments regiment to see what would make it most productive would also be great. One member already mentioned that zinc sulfate and boron helped a lot.
Thanks Coconut for report on Frank's Cuban fibreless. Keep them coming!

[kh0110]

Coconut, are the seeds from Frank's Cuban Fiberless like a Soursop fiberless seeds or like a Sugar Apple seeds like those of your Whitman fiberless?