The Tropical Fruit Forum

So I must not have fertilized enough last summer, and three of my seven citrus (Bearrs lime, one of my Meyer lemons and a Cara Cara) completely defoliated last winter. They are now blooming, but still no leaves.
What should I do??? Wait for them to flush? Force them somehow? Give up on them?

Thanks!

Carolyn

WOW!!!!
I did not realize that miracle fruit blocks HEAT!!!
I was munching on miracle berries in my greenhouse this morning, then went to lunch with my hubby and mom.
Just got done swilling down a huge bowl of very spicy kimchee soup at my favorite Korean place, and it was so sweet and tasty, with NO hint of heat.  Meanwhile, my hubby, who also loves hot things, was sweating up a storm, and my mom was chugging water and breathing through her mouth to cool down.
Came home and tested it by drinking Tabasco. Mildly sweet and smooth!
Chili pepper eating contest, here I come!!!

Carolyn

Santa brought me a USB microscope for Christmas!  Here is the first picture I took, of one of my cacao flowers!



Merry Christmas!

Carolyn

So, because of where my greenhouse is situated, things that need full sun have notoriously not done well.
One plant that I have really struggled with are passion vines.
I can get spectacular green growth, but never a flower. Not one.
I have, once again, started some lilikoi and purple passion fruit seeds (it is a sickness, I know...).
If they got enough sun, how long until they flower and fruit?  I was thinking about putting them outside this summer, but moving something that needs a really big trellis can be a problem.
Can I get fruit in one year?  Or should I grow them in the greenhouse for a couple of years then bring them outside to bloom, realizing that I probably won't be able to get them back inside again?
OR, can I throw enough light on them to get them to bloom and fruit in my part-shade greenhouse.
OR, do they just need some nutrient I am not giving them? I use fast-draining acidic potting soil, Osmocote Plus and Miracle Grow (regular or bloom, depending on the plant).
Any help would be appreciated!

Carolyn

I got some fruit at a fruit stand in Colombia and planted the seeds.
One is definitely Lulo (Solanum quitoense).
The other one, pictured below, with my extremely limited Spanish, I thought the vendor told me was Cocona ( I even had her write it down to make sure).
The Lulo thrived, but the Cocona plants died, so when I started looking for replacement seeds, nothing looked like what I had brought back.
So is this some sort of weird purple Cocona (Solanum sessiliflorum), or something else? The fruit was about two inches across and smooth. The leaves of the plant were large, and looked very similar to the Lulo leaves, without the purple spines.
I would love to find seeds of the purple fleshed variety, as it was very creamy and tasty!

Thanks!  Carolyn

I cannot figure out what this guy needs. It has looked this way since I got it last summer.  Soil is not overly dry or sopping wet. I have checked the roots, they are fine. It gets the same treatment as all my other greenhouse citrus that are blooming now.  It is not dropping leaves, but has never put on a new leaf, and these leaves wont perk up. The leaves feel normal, noat wilted or dried out. It gets Osmocote, MiracelGro and foliar citrus nitritional spray just like all the others.
I am stumped...




 Thanks, Carolyn

Hi All, I also posted this in citrus buy/sell, but thought I would try here also for maximum coverage. We are visiting in Australia, and I thought I would bring back some small finger lime trees in my hand baggage. Among othe restrictions, they have to have a phytosanitary certificate. Anyone know of a nursery in the Sydney area that could help me?

Thanks!
Carolyn

So, I have a bunch of theobroma cacao seedlings coming along, and some of them are about a third the height of the others. 
They are NOT stunted - they have good thick trunks, big healthy leaves and they are branching normally.  They just have very short internode distance. The cotyledons on the sprouts were only about 1/4 inch above the soil line, whereas the others were about 1 1/2 inches off the ground. They have all gotten EXACTLY the same sun, water and food as the normal ones. I even rotate them all to make sure they don't lean, etc.

I am cautiously excited.  They are only two months old though.
Could I have some true dwarf cacao trees?  Or is it too early to tell?
Has anybody else experienced this???

Carolyn

I planted some cola acuminata seeds in mid-March and they have not germinated yet.
The seeds still look good and feel firm, although I have not cut one open.
I have kept them moist and warm, but am wondering if they could have gotten too hot at some point.
Should I keep waiting, or chuck them?

Thanks!

Carolyn

I like to put tags in all my pots with the common and botanical name for my trees.

I am pulling up several botanical names for Jaboticaba, the two most common being Plinia cauliflora and Myrciaria cauliflora.

Which one do most people go with?
Or do I just roll the dice?

Thanks!
Carolyn

My caper bush has set fruit for the first time, and I am wondering if I can eat the berries fresh, or if they must be pickled or ruined first like olives.

Thanks!

Carolyn

Hi Guys!
I have searched the forum and not found the dosage for Osmocote Plus for potted trees.
The package says 1 scoop (3 tbs) per 2 GAL pot, OR for 4 sq ft.
My 25 gallon pots are about 2x2 ft.
So, do I give them 12 scoops (calculated for pot size), or 1 scoop (calculated for sg ft), or something in between?

This is a HUGE difference!!
I called Osmocote, and they said to give each pot 12 1/2 scoops.
But all are light feeders, I believe (several annonas, cinnamon, cacao, lychee, jabo, etc...), and I don't want to kill them. Unlike soluble fertilizer, I can't just flush this stuff out.

Anyway, I gave the pots 4 scoops each, for now, figuring I can add more, but can't take it away.

So, an accurate dosage, that has worked well for quite a while for someone, for potted trees, would be a BIG help!!!!

Thanks!

Carolyn