The Tropical Fruit Forum

This is kinda the number one rule when rolling through so many places.
wherever you travel where the locals know your not from there, your going to get taxed in some way, often depends on how much desperation and poverty people are facing , your a walking meal ticket. Paying for guides has it's ups and downs and depends on a lot of things, the safety factor and if they can get you into places and have info that is priceless. It can be real nice having a local driver familiar with the rules of the road.
The tourist or traveler tax is often baked in , So the question becomes do you want to be MARKED ( Yes I looove your 'ol specialty plate Kev) every where you go or not. After being kidnapped held at gunpoint and robbed as a youth , I say choose your words & travel partners wisely. 

Quote from: BloomAndSprout on December 04, 2023, 03:04:54 PM

This forum needs to organize a group expedition. I'd totally go.

My experience has been over many, many travels that large groups really slow down any type of expedition like this. The sweet spot is everyone fitting into one 5 person car, translators, guides, and all. Even adding just one more car makes it harder to organize. A bus, forget about it.

I am hoping to do a trip next year, this said. I am fluent in Portuguese so that takes out one layer of translation at least.

Thats for when you make it back to tsa. I believe some countries check you before you leave and don’t want people taking their genetics, a point of pride in some places. 
Not sure you can even get that home country phyto from certain countries.

From the USDA APHIS website (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/traveler/intl-travel/plants-seeds/plants-seeds):

Travelers may bring seeds of admissible herbaceous plants for planting if they meet the following conditions:

- The seeds are not otherwise prohibited, protected under the Endangered Species Act or Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or subject to any special restrictions, such as post-entry quarantine or treatment*

- You have a phytosanitary certificate issued by the National Plant Protection Organization of the country you are leaving indicating the seeds are free of pests and diseases

- U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspects the seeds at the first port of entry and determines they are free of pests and diseases and meet all entry requirements

*Please call APHIS’ Plant Import Information Line at 877-770-5990 (toll-free) or by email at plantproducts.permits@aphis.usda.gov.


Some information on USDA websites indicates that tree and shrub seeds can be brought back to the US per requirements listed above, yet some sources say none can be brought back with passenger luggage. Best course of action would be to shoot an email inquiry to that listed email.

I watched a farm in Santa Cruz put those frost blankets on in December and not take them off until April. I was definitely wondering what the hell they were doing since frost blankets seemed unnecessary in the first place at this location , but the tree's looked fine when they emerged so they can stay on for months it appears.
I wouldn't water them at all over winter, especially if any clay in the soil.
I think your 5 Gals should be fine inside the frost blankets, survival of the fittest, but bring them in if you get a hard freeze that is going to stick around a bit.

can try the nursery in Cajo RRoja that also sell's fruit. TARS is worth a visit.
forum search for the tropical fruit trumpers that used to do an annual group trip and post good  write ups , can get some leads.

I'd bet they are known varieties that lost the tag. especially if older tree's.

Here's an update on the different varieties I have grafted, so far of the 32 only have 3 varieties that are unknown but has very good tasting fruits.



I tried Norm's and Brian's fruits so far.

That's "Smathers" Tetrameria.
Why the cage?
They can fruit unprotected in Sac's extreme weather.

To answer your question , You can graft any Loquat variety onto Quince to dwarf it . I have a 10+ year old Multi graft Loquat on Quince rootstock.
It's less than 8' tall.

If your in a colder climate region , and you don't get temps in the 80's-90's during ripening season, just grow different Cherimoya varieties but start with HoneyHart. The others may grow, even bloom, but most likely cracked unsweet fruit, if they even set fruit. could be worth a shot for a single 15 gallon that you keep happy & warm over winter.
Cherimoya is compatible with other Annona as well. I've had long term compatibility with A. Dioica and A. Globiflora.

Because he is a quack cuckoo nut job.

Thank you, truth speaker.
There are so many amazing rare sub-tropical fruits you can grow in the Bay area.
 experimenting with free seeds out of curiosity can be a good learning experience.
But purchasing tropical tree’s i think is a waste of time and money. Usually shipped in , completely un adapted and go downhill fast. The extreme temperature swings night to day and multiple days of highs in the 40’s and 50’s plus wet is what it is.

Lychee is a million times more cold hardy than cacao. Fairchild near Miami has a mature cacao in zone 11a and even it gets cold damage once or twice a decade when the low is near 40F. The handful of nights below 55F are enough to cause flower drop and fruit abortion in the "winter".

Zone 10 in Florida is also a million (x1000) times more tropical than Bay Area zone 10, it's not "just drier"...the difference is night and day in temperature and overall weather pattern. Equating Florida zones with California zones is 100% wrong and will just cause you heartbreak. Bay Area obviously has nothing to do with warm beaches lined with coconuts. No parallel whatsoever!

there was a crfg tour in Aptos one year. This guy had a 20 + year old Cacao in a pot in his garage that I do not think had fruited.
If it was possible I think goodland organics 3 hours south in the sweet spot would have tried.
I don't think it is doable outside of a houseplant.  Don't let zone ambiguity get it twisted. If you overwintered Lychee seedlings unprotected last winter you must be in a pretty sweet spot in the East Bay yourself though. worth a shot to play with from free seeds but I wouldn't buy tree's.
 

I hope so, probably if you find a spot they like in the greenhouse for over winter. They naturally grow wide and seem like starting a new central leader a new direction wouldn't be a problem , I can't recall if I have seen it from breakage.
very much worth trying to unlock the code for your zone. They seem to handle a bit more direct light than other garcinia, even from young. I can't get enough of this fruit.

Quote from: Bush2Beach on November 01, 2023, 08:14:53 PM

I know I never want to top a Garcinia.

Both of mine that I just got were topped in transit... Ugh. I hope they will be ok long term.

Starling, Fruitlovers and many a female chased away.

bsbullie not being able to handle low IQ bs is different. He got better things to do.

Quote from: fliptop on October 27, 2023, 08:28:55 PM

I think SeaWalnut may have been the only one ever actually chased away?

There was this lady in London, I believe.  She was a nutcase and was banned after a while.  And there was also bsbullie, who liked to insult and/or demean people but had much useful mango information, being a friend of the Zills.  He stopped participating on his own.