Author Topic: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen  (Read 2090 times)

kalan

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After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« on: March 30, 2022, 07:19:21 PM »
Potted 9 year old seedling flowered for a 2nd time last fall. Here I am with the fruit about 3.5 inches long, finally coloring up. Those of you who have fruited this plant before, how orange should this get and what softness for optimum ripeness? Of course I am paranoid that a freaking squirrel or rat will get it long before then, so I will probably pick it way too early.

I know my g. acuminata will ripen to yellow and stay on the tree for a couple months. Thoughts anyone?
Keith



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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2022, 07:57:02 PM »
Touch is the best indicator. Squeeze the fruit gently. Try it now and it will probably feel fairly hard. It will soften a tiny bit and it will still be sour. At the next stage, there should be some give, like the skin could give way but is still medium firm under the skin. This is the stage that is strongly flavored, balanced between sour and sweet. This is the stage I prefer. A fully yellow fruit with minor blemishing will be very sweet and mildly flavored. The skin has edible flesh so be sure to scrap it with a spoon.

The last season, the tree decided for me. The fruits mostly fell from the tree before I picked them. This worked out because they were ripened to the level I enjoy the most. Sometimes the fruit holds on the tree too long and goes to what I consider overripe.

I have a few that are slightly behind your fruit.


Brandon

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2022, 08:14:59 PM »
Mate thats incredible for you to wait 9 years for something to fruit you are a very patient man congratulations on your fruit.

kalan

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2022, 08:46:47 PM »
Touch is the best indicator. Squeeze the fruit gently. Try it now and it will probably feel fairly hard. It will soften a tiny bit and it will still be sour. At the next stage, there should be some give, like the skin could give way but is still medium firm under the skin. This is the stage that is strongly flavored, balanced between sour and sweet. This is the stage I prefer. A fully yellow fruit with minor blemishing will be very sweet and mildly flavored. The skin has edible flesh so be sure to scrap it with a spoon.

The last season, the tree decided for me. The fruits mostly fell from the tree before I picked them. This worked out because they were ripened to the level I enjoy the most. Sometimes the fruit holds on the tree too long and goes to what I consider overripe.

I have a few that are slightly behind your fruit.



Thanks for the info, Brandon. You were one of the guys I was hoping would chime in. Right now it is very frim as expected.
This is my only fruit so I want to get it right. This plant had all female flowers and one hermaphroditic flower - this one. So who knows when the next fruit on this particular tree will be!

Considering bagging it, but that won't protect against squirrels anyway. I may have to just check on it hourly for the next month. :o

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2022, 09:11:18 PM »
Maybe your tree will shift to being partially hermaphroditic. My trees have never fruited without hand pollination to my knowledge. I guess it is possible that they self-fruited during one of the times I hand pollinated.  This time I only pollinated the west sides of my trees once to see if things had changed but I only got fruit on the side I pollinated.  I did find fruit this week on an old stunted grafted tree that I did not pollinate. The tree was grafted in 2012 or 2013 with budwood from Raul by a friend. It is less than 4 ft tall.




I also have some "sweetie" and "sharpie" trees grafted 5 years ago that are barely 2 ft tall and just as wide that are flowering.

I have a few trees that are 9 years old that have not fruited yet. Patience is key in this hobby. I have an achachairu that is fruiting for the first time this year that is probably 11 years old and two others the same age that have not fruited.


Brandon

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2022, 10:03:11 PM »
Nice job ya'll!

Waiting a while on several garcinias. They all are testing my patience, yet shall persist.

brian

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2022, 10:23:16 PM »
Very nice!   I have one only 2yrs old and about 18in tall. 

I've found the best way to wait it out is to have so many trees you lose track of them.  Then it is always a pleasant surprise to see how they've grown

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2022, 12:54:15 AM »
What size is your Achachairu that is fruiting for the first time?

Thanks,
Bill

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2022, 01:10:12 AM »
Maybe your tree will shift to being partially hermaphroditic. My trees have never fruited without hand pollination to my knowledge. I guess it is possible that they self-fruited during one of the times I hand pollinated.  This time I only pollinated the west sides of my trees once to see if things had changed but I only got fruit on the side I pollinated.  I did find fruit this week on an old stunted grafted tree that I did not pollinate. The tree was grafted in 2012 or 2013 with budwood from Raul by a friend. It is less than 4 ft tall.




I also have some "sweetie" and "sharpie" trees grafted 5 years ago that are barely 2 ft tall and just as wide that are flowering.

I have a few trees that are 9 years old that have not fruited yet. Patience is key in this hobby. I have an achachairu that is fruiting for the first time this year that is probably 11 years old and two others the same age that have not fruited.

Damn man 11 years for achacha thats crazy how big is that tree?  From my understanding they fruit in 5 years or less here, my tree has been in the ground 12 months and is just under 6ft high grows faster than the purple mangosteen.

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2022, 08:11:02 AM »
My achachairu is 12ft tall and 12ft wide. I bought it from a nursery in Puerto Rico in 2013. It was probably 2ft tall. I grew it in a pot for a while and it quickly got to 5-6ft tall. It struggled after I planted it in the ground.  I live next to a 40 acre horse park that is mostly open grass. There is often a strong wind from the east. I foolishly planted the achachairu where it would get a direct hit from this wind. Every flush, the new leaves would get shredded by the wind. I should have done something to shield it. Eventually, some of the surrounding trees I planted grew and it got dense enough to provide protection for itself on the side opposite from the park. Now, when I plant a garcinia, I throw up a structure to hang shade cloth to block the wind so the tree can get established.  Others that planted achachairu around the same time fruited 3+ years earlier.
Brandon

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2022, 12:24:33 PM »
Well I can now say definitively that this tree has earned a spot in my yard, but I need to see a better flower to fruit ratio if I am going to take up that much space, Brandon! I have two others the same age and size that I am awaiting their first bloom. All in pots still. So I am hoping one of the other two are more productive before committing anything to the ground. But then again, that may be the only way to know for certain.

The taste and texture was perfect for my wife (she noted mangosteen flavors but with a more pronounced tartness), and only a bit too sour for me. It was citrus sour but flavorful. Then again, sour is not my thing. I suspect holding it on the counter 1 more day or so would be optimal ripeness. I ate it the day after it fell from the tree. No squirrels!

I stuck half of it in the fridge for an additional three days and the acidity reduced but of course the flavor was muted. It has two large seeds but a decent enough seed to flesh ratio.

Luc's is a winner for me.






« Last Edit: April 13, 2022, 12:27:26 PM by kalan »

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2022, 01:26:59 PM »
Congratulations!!

cbss_daviefl

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2022, 02:27:40 PM »
I ate my first fruit of this batch today. It was predominantly sweet with a tiny bit of sour, extremely delicious. You just have to wait until it gets a bit softer to what you describe as your desired level of sweetness. The longer you wait, the sour will lessen until it is basically sweet with only a bit of acidity on the skin flesh. I planted a grafted male and a flowering female a few weeks ago. I now have 5 trees in the ground.
Brandon

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2022, 03:50:08 PM »
Squirrels don't go after any garcinias here so I wouldn't worry about them. Actually haven't had any pests going after them. Let it hang on the tree a little longer next time and it won't be as sour.

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2022, 04:09:52 PM »
Here is what my fruit's skin looked like. Sometimes, they can still be partially green and be ripe. Sometimes the fruit will be clean and sometimes there will be blemishes. This fruit started soften on one side during yesterday morning's squeeze test. Today, it was a little more uniformly soft.


Brandon

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #15 on: April 13, 2022, 08:30:30 PM »
The first wave of fruiting tree’s outside Mex is on!
Congratulations!
I saw my friend’s in ground tree’s yesterday.
I sent him 1 year old seedlings to plant 2 years ago. I could not believe the size of his 3 year old tree’s.
They were planted full sun and have been partially buried in weeds since planted with low maintenance and zero irrigation. One leaf was bigger than my hand.
I have been growing these for 9-10 years in Nor Cal and they are slowly chugging along but I was amazed at my buddy’s growth rate. I guess i shouldn’t be surprised how fast things grow in Hawaii at this point but I was impressed.




kalan

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #16 on: April 13, 2022, 09:16:57 PM »
I ate my first fruit of this batch today. It was predominantly sweet with a tiny bit of sour, extremely delicious. You just have to wait until it gets a bit softer to what you describe as your desired level of sweetness. The longer you wait, the sour will lessen until it is basically sweet with only a bit of acidity on the skin flesh. I planted a grafted male and a flowering female a few weeks ago. I now have 5 trees in the ground.

Ok, I'll try and be more patient next time. I mean I only waited nine years, you think I could have waited another day or two  ;D
Thanks for the advice. I am hoping to get away with simply planting one and maybe selling/trading the other two eventually, because I am slowly running out of room.   I have high high hopes that the other two may flower this summer.

I'm sure there are plenty of envious members here, Brandon! Are all five in full sun now? How far apart do you have them spaced?

kalan

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #17 on: April 13, 2022, 09:19:32 PM »
Squirrels don't go after any garcinias here so I wouldn't worry about them. Actually haven't had any pests going after them. Let it hang on the tree a little longer next time and it won't be as sour.

thanks. Good to know. What the hell is wrong with squirrels?
It actually dropped of the tree; I think I just need to table it for a few more days next time.

cbss_daviefl

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #18 on: April 13, 2022, 10:46:12 PM »
Achachairu and mangosteen do not seem to get sweeter after picking. I have eaten Achachairu 4 weeks after harvest. The skin gets wrinkles but the flavor remains the same.
Brandon

kalan

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #19 on: April 14, 2022, 05:18:18 PM »
Adding to the fun - after 9 years I just noticed today that my G. Hombroniana just flowered for the first time. Two 10ft+ tall plants after 9 years and exactly ONE flower. Gotta tell ya, I'm hitting the lotto over here.
I'm only partially sarcastic.

Johnny Redland, if you have male flowers we may be in business in the next year swapping scions.
Keith


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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #20 on: April 14, 2022, 05:27:18 PM »
Nice! Lots of garcinia action going down in Southwest Ranches!

I found a dropped luc's today. It was fully colored but very hard. It tasted like a lemony store-bought early-picked pineapple. It was good but a bit too sour.
Brandon

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #21 on: November 24, 2022, 11:51:28 AM »
Third year blooming and number of blooms is in the 2 dozen range, and even more thankfully, all seem to be hermaphroditic! So any Luc's folks who have a majority of unisex flowers, hold out some hope.

In related news, willing to trade a scion of this fruiting Luc's for a healthy stick or two of butterscotch sapodilla.
Keith


« Last Edit: November 24, 2022, 11:54:15 AM by kalan »

JoeP450

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #22 on: November 24, 2022, 12:33:55 PM »
Sent you a PM Keith

-joe

kalan

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Re: After 9 years - Lucs is about to ripen
« Reply #23 on: November 27, 2022, 08:54:50 PM »
Sent you a PM Keith

-joe

Hey, Joe. PM didn't go through. try again?