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Messages - K-Rimes

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1
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: CENTRAL COAST CA Fruit Get Together Sept 3, 2022
« on: August 16, 2022, 07:50:16 PM »
Quote from: ScottR on August 16, 2022, 07:13:48 PM
I personally don't like traveling on holiday week-ends so,?? The respounce seems light for how many members are within 1-hr + drive.

Seems like low interest for sure. Guess we'll call it cancelled and hope to organize one in the future.

2
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Backyard nursery Florida plant variety required?
« on: August 15, 2022, 03:27:31 PM »
Both you and your customer will appreciate being able to easily identify what you are selling. Requirements? Florida? I don't think that state really is too picky like that. Expert plant growers can probably identify what you are selling - but you'll get a much larger buyer pool if even the amateur growers feel welcome.

3
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: CENTRAL COAST CA Fruit Get Together Sept 3, 2022
« on: August 15, 2022, 01:53:59 PM »
Is Labor Day Saturday good for everyone or is there a better weekend we should plan for? Just want to accommodate as many as possible.

4
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Forcing dragon fruit to bloom ?
« on: August 15, 2022, 01:49:04 PM »
There is a strange obsession with USA dragonfruit collectors to provide shade for them. I don't get it. There are huge farms all around the world with DF exposed to full beating sun. In my case, they are regularly abused with 100f+ sun at 2200' elevation and though they do yellow and sometimes scar, they always heal in the winter and go back to green. That video confirms my suspicions that it's not worth shading them.

Back to fertilizer for a second: I also had really good luck using fish bone meal to induce flowering and it's dirt cheap. Smells horrible though. My landlord's toddler puked when he came up and put his nose by my dragonfruit stands.

Lately I have been being really lazy and I no longer use any liquid or powdered fertilizer, it's just too expensive and time consuming. I use a standard citrus avo granular which is 6-4-6 and I am getting adequate flowers. I'll dose it with bone meal this week to see if I can get one last massive flowering event before "winter" sets in here.

As John B noted, chicken manure fertilizer is also pefect to get vegetative growth and I also use that in the spring. I taper off using it by fall so they aren't putting out little shoots that will inevitably get zapped by frost.

5
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: CA - Florida mango seedlings
« on: August 15, 2022, 10:02:09 AM »
There are a few with multiple shoots. Coconut cream, Pickering, lemon meringue - if I recall correctly.

6
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / CA - Florida mango seedlings
« on: August 14, 2022, 06:18:23 PM »
Solid 1 gallon mango seedlings. - time for up pot or soil. Tap root intact.

Cecilove
Ruby
Winters
Pickering
Coconut cream
Lemon meringue
Others

$25 each




7
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Forcing dragon fruit to bloom ?
« on: August 12, 2022, 07:11:25 PM »
Quote from: Plantinyum on August 12, 2022, 03:42:58 PM
Thanks for the fast replies!!

K-Rimes, i will cut the tips of the oldest branches and i also do have such small parts that i can cut off. Nice to know that they are hard to over fertilize, when i read how much fert u are using i am now sure mine are underfed!

JCorte , yes i was watching his videos today and saw his reccomendation on the flora nova bloom fertilizer, well i found it in a agro store in Sofia so i am going tomorrow on shopping and will be aplying it afap!

FloraNova bloom is ok but kind of weak. See if they have KoolBloom which is something like 5-40-5, and even cheaper since it''s granular. I think I was using around 1tbsp per gallon of water so about 12.5g / 4 liters. I think just a week of applications of that (I water every day because it's 40c here often) and flower buds came out.


8
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Forcing dragon fruit to bloom ?
« on: August 12, 2022, 02:56:43 PM »
I am getting really good blooms now on my large plants, and some of my smaller ones too.

Some things I've tried and seen results from:

1. Tipping large branches - this seems to work. The plant flowers profusely right at the tip where I cut. If the plant is not old enough it will just branch and grow more vegetatively.

2. Remove small branches, low branches, and cuttings off those small "internode" branches - this seems to help the plant have enough energy to fruit. The really little branches and internodes do not produce flowers for me so I cut them off.

3. Using high P fertilizer - man, good luck burning dragonfruit with fertilizer. I put down so much slow release you can't even see soil sometimes and they don't mind. I've tried powdered and liquid high P ferts like 5-50-5 and they seemed to respond with flowers.

4. Branches that point downward seem to produce - I don't know if there is science to this, but it seems that branches that are hanging downward always produce.

Your plants are big enough for sure.

9
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: CENTRAL COAST CA Fruit Get Together Sept 3, 2022
« on: August 12, 2022, 01:40:05 PM »
Quote from: ScottR on August 12, 2022, 12:16:44 PM
Kevin, we would be interested but it is labor day week-end?

I am open to other weekends that work for folks too, just want to get some people together to enjoy the yard.

10
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: My pitomba is sad
« on: August 11, 2022, 06:53:57 PM »
Uh oh. When my pitombas do that it's usually game over. They are picky plants. I had a few that I split apart in pots in spring and none have bounced back. :(

Hope you have better luck than I did.

11
Tropical Fruit Discussion / CENTRAL COAST CA Fruit Get Together Sept 3, 2022
« on: August 11, 2022, 04:14:09 PM »
CANCELLED! Hopefully organize one for next year.

12
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Rare Myrtaceae for sale now, fresh seeds, some sprouted ones!
« on: August 11, 2022, 01:17:48 PM »
Quote from: just.jim on July 31, 2022, 06:08:08 PM
how is the taste of these?

Sete capotes, Precocious, Junin   Campomanesia guazumifolia

I have a bunch of fruit sets on mine, you can try some of mine in Santa Barbara in a few weeks if you want - or I can report.

13
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Which species or type of bird give you a headache in your Grove
« on: August 11, 2022, 01:00:42 PM »
Quote from: Calusa on August 08, 2022, 05:49:30 PM
Do those fake owls with the solar powered motion feature do any good to keep these pests away from your yard?

No, they don't work. Birds are smart and will push the boundaries with predators in the chase of good food. If the owl never flies at them, they remember that and won't be scared by it. I noticed deterrents are best if you move them around a lot, but sheesh, lots of work for not much effectiveness.

I just net or bag now, it's the only thing that works.

14
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Fruit Punch or Fruit Cocktail mango?
« on: August 09, 2022, 04:44:17 PM »
Have to agree with Bovine. You're asking mango lovers with various palates to confirm the tree which you will be installing? Just pick one and don't look back. You can top work it later if you prefer the other.

15
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: SoCal Public Park For Subtropical Fruits And Nuts?
« on: August 09, 2022, 02:34:32 PM »
I donated many plants to a local garden here in Santa Barbara, some really nice cocktail trees as well as tons of little seedlings. It was an absolute pleasure and I am so happy to visit and see my plants living the life. There are other projects like this, you just need to find them and get to work.

https://sbbucketbrigade.org/event/humanitarian-garden-project/

Contrary to what many Americans believe, the local government is actually there to serve you and you only need to engage in earnest with the right person to reach a goal. My experience in CA has been that SB county is actually very excited to work with people who have passion, vigour, and the desire to make the area better. I am able to close down crazy mountain roads with my county annually at a reasonable cost for the express purpose of just skateboarding down them for example, and all I needed to do was engage the local permit dept.

I cannot recommend enough that people actually participate in local government and develop relationships. After all, we're paying for all those people and services with our tax money. If you've never tried, you shouldn't complain!



16
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Which species or type of bird give you a headache in your Grove
« on: August 08, 2022, 01:43:22 PM »
American robin for me. They will gorge themselves on whatever fruit is available, berries being their favorites. They can get underneath the netting on a lot of stuff too and go to town before casually exiting beneath the nets. So very frustrating to put efforts into keeping them out and they still get around it!

Lately I've just accepted I need to bag stuff if I want to enjoy it and then further, I need to accept losses to birds if I want to not be totally stressed all the time.

17
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Anderson Tropicals Plant Auctions (Updated August 3rd 2022)
« on: August 04, 2022, 07:49:22 PM »
Quote from: shaxs on August 04, 2022, 06:30:38 PM
The "Orange Cherry of the Rio Grande (Eugenia involucrata)" are those pictures of your fruit? Do they taste the same as the standard Cherry of the Rio Grande?

My orange CORG doesn't taste like CORG. It is pure sweet, no sour, mild, not really complex at all, pumpkin'y kind of outro.

It's pleasant but nothing earth shattering.

EDIT: I guess I should clarify. I bought my seeds three years ago as eugenia laranja. I don't know if it's an orange CORG per se, it's orange and looks like it though.

18
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Tropical fruit in Pot
« on: August 03, 2022, 04:33:38 PM »
Quote from: NewGen on August 03, 2022, 04:07:22 PM
Quote from: K-Rimes on August 02, 2022, 01:21:10 PM
Eugenias. Cherry of the Rio Grande, Eugenia Calycina, Pitanga / surinam cherry, etc.

Mine is about 6' tall and in a wine barrel, and is 9+ years old. In that time, I've gotten less than 20 fruits.
It's in a semi shady spot. Do you have any tips for what I can do to increase the yield?

Thanks,

Graft another type onto it or find it a friend. Mine produced poorly til I grafted Ben's Beaut, ScottR's, and put an El Dorado seedling beside it. Was overwhelmed with abundant fruit this year off of my main one. The El Dorado flowered for first year and produced probably 20 fruits at 3 years old. I also grafted Kevin Jones garnet onto it.

They are easy to graft, cleft is fine. I am 100% success rate on grafting it, never had one fail. I think the healing / shedding bark aspect makes things easier or something.

Mine are both in unrelenting full sun, 100f+, and also take below 30f annually.

19
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Re: Barbados Cherry, Jocote, Ilama, Surinam Cherry, Ice Cream Bean seeds & more
« on: August 02, 2022, 05:44:22 PM »
Quote from: hammer524 on August 02, 2022, 04:02:35 PM
How does well does the red and yellow coffee beans grow for you? I've been hesitant to grow coffee due to the cold tolerance. Should I give these beans a shot?

Coffee is fine in 9b for me. My greenhouse doesn't quite freeze, but nearly. There are many coffee plants out in the open here in Santa Barbara. I know a guy with 5 acres of 10 year old plants and in that time they've certainly been hit with mild frosts.

I would protect them only if below 32f for prolonged periods and when young.

My single seed grown plant is now about 3' tall and flowering for the first time, probably 3 years old.

20
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Why no Subtropical folder/category?
« on: August 02, 2022, 01:27:20 PM »
Quote from: W. on August 01, 2022, 09:53:12 PM
Quote from: K-Rimes on August 01, 2022, 07:24:57 PM
Rather than divide it into Sub tropical or Tropical, I would vote to add regional forums so we could better share local tips and importantly, develop better links locally. Nothing better than getting people to come visit or visiting someone else's property! I would love to link up more with growers in CA. Brad is doing great stuff with this local Fruit Parties in SD.

I could not disagree more. The masthead of Tropical Fruit Forum says "Uniting Growers Worldwide!" I cannot see anything that regional sections would do other than to divide growers and make the site harder to use. Someone from Florida might miss out on avocado growing tips because the thread was created in the California regional section and vice versa. Fruit parties and other get togethers are able to be posted on the site already, for everyone to read and to attend if they are close enough and have the desire to do so.

Not to say that we wouldn't continue with a "General" discussion, but simply adding other areas wouldn't hurt. My opinion, anyways.

21
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Tropical fruit in Pot
« on: August 02, 2022, 01:21:10 PM »
Eugenias. Cherry of the Rio Grande, Eugenia Calycina, Pitanga / surinam cherry, etc.

22
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Why no Subtropical folder/category?
« on: August 01, 2022, 07:24:57 PM »
Rather than divide it into Sub tropical or Tropical, I would vote to add regional forums so we could better share local tips and importantly, develop better links locally. Nothing better than getting people to come visit or visiting someone else's property! I would love to link up more with growers in CA. Brad is doing great stuff with this local Fruit Parties in SD.

It seems to me, as others have echoed, that there are very few truly tropical growers on here and it's mostly a The "Sub Tropical Fruit Forum" with tropical guests. I would say the average zone is 9b on here.

23
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Yangmei (Morella/Myrica rubra) thread
« on: July 30, 2022, 03:41:35 PM »





Got tired of waiting for the yangmei roots to come back and was worried I would lose the plant. Risked it and grafted the plant up to californica. It’s in the shade in my greenhouse now.

24
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Mango Fest July 9 and 10, 2022 Fairchild
« on: July 30, 2022, 03:40:08 PM »
Socalbalcony and I went. It was cool, but pretty disorganized and commercialized. Richard Campbells presentation was nice, as was the garden.

Buying anything mango or tree wise was crazy. Hour long line up. We got some mangoes, but lots of waiting around for them.

Worth it overall

25
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Pineapple thread
« on: July 29, 2022, 01:55:23 PM »
Quote from: strom on July 29, 2022, 11:13:16 AM
Okay, thanks.  It wouldn't be straight coco coir, mixed with perlite and bark, which I think helps drain better (something like gardener's ground cover bark, or orchid fine bark, or kellogg garden soil / recycled forest products, whichever is on sale).

Coco coir is not soil, it's a medium. It is problematic especially for calcium and magnesium as it doesn't hold these very well. I recommend against coir personally unless you are religious about, and understand, either top dressed amendments or liquid nutrients.

I would just re-pot your plants into fresh potting soil in plastic pots and call it a day - don't forget to keep on top of watering them.

Pineapples are not a permanent fixture in the pot like a tree or something. 2-3 years from now, probably in the compost heap after getting your pineapple.

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