The Tropical Fruit Forum

Hope you are all doing OK

Is this atmospheric river a drought buster?  Looking for a silver lining.

Jupiter Florida in northern Palm Beach County, is supposed to see low in the 30s and 40s.  A cold start to the winter and the coldest Christmas in a while.

What are you expecting and what are your plans for protecting your plants (or not)

Anyone read the farmer's almanac?

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/extended-forecast#:~:text=The%20Farmers'%20Almanac%202022%2D2023%20Extended%20Weather%20Forecast%3A&text=It's%20time%20to%20stock%20up,%2C%20shiver%2C%20and%20shovel!%E2%80%9C


Thoughts on our upcoming winter prognostication?

I have a few scions of K3 that I will be happy to ship to you on Monday but you pay shipping.
Shipping and handling (by USPS priority mail) is $10 only to US destinations please.

If you are interested PM me. 

These scions are thick (sharpie size on average) so consider your root stock before asking.

You will get 4 or 6 scions (depending on how many requests I get)

This was my initial post, look at the new (next post) one below.

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What should I call this?

My Beverly mango has been totally confused this year.  It flowered and set very few fruits but that was not totally unexpected because it did well last year and tends to take a year off (at least in my assessment).
What has been strange is that every month this year I have found one or two flower panicles on this tree. 

I cut off some branches that were low hanging and some that were shading out a graft I put on a part of the tree and when I moved the branches to the road side, guess what, either a late flower or and early flower. 

Any suggestions on how to make it calm down until January or February when it can flower all it wants and try to set fruit?


 

Very limited time offer.  Ends Tuesday 6th.

I will be removing wood from a vigorous Kathy and Pim Sen Mun.  Some of the branches are just beginning to flush so I expect there will be some with swollen buds and some that may be likely to flush soon.

If you are interested (only these two varieties please) let me know.

It will set you back $4 each, no more than 10 of each per person and $10 in shipping.





 

Can I start annona seeds in Florida in early summer without a humidity dome?
Also, in your experience must I start them under shade?

I ask because some of my successful seeds starts were from seeds I had given up because they seemed to fail to germinate and stopped caring for.  I later found that unprotected and on their own, they had sprouted, competed with weeds in the pot and were holding on.

Will a humidity dome improve my chances? or is it best only in our dry season?

I am putting out shade cloth today but don't want to adversely impact some of my germinating seeds which are pushing without shade but are about ready to be hit by our summer sunshine (without the the daily rain yet)

The last two days have been terrible for my already poor mango season.

Yesterday we had hail stones and moderate winds, dropped a few fruits.  Not too bad.
Today heavy rain with vicious winds, somewhat localized, broke a branch of my Choc Anon loaded with fruits.  So a poor year even poorer.

I will take the rain though it has been dry the last several months.

Available in the next day or two only.

I gave a grafting demo and have more scions than I need.
I have some scions of Carrie, Mallika, Choc anon, M4 available.
I hope they can find good homes, if you are interested let me know (PM me). 

Will cost you shipping (USPS priority).

M4 is all gone.

Done.
Check your PM to confirm you have a tracking number if you sent me shipping.

I started several seeds of cherimoya, custard apple, sugar apple and atemoyas, plus some mystery annonas seeds from past seasons.  I wasn't expecting much and planned on using them for rootstock.
One plant pushed well and really looked good so I set it aside.  Today it was the victim of kids playing and was snapped in two.  I will try to nurse the stump but wondered if anyone can suggest what this might be from the leaf which is unusual and unlike any of the others that germinated.






Some extra info
The seedling held leafs through our winter, but that may be because it's in a pot close to the house and was brought indoors for the coldest nights
It was about 18 inches tall when it met it's Waterloo at the hands of a errant volleyball.
The leaves are deep green and roundened.
No felt on the underside but soft and smooth to the touch on the upper side.

All suggestions welcomed.

I had several citrus trees and ended up losing some of them over the years.  I am left with 3 trees that have survived just about everything from hurricane and mild freeze (a couple of hors at least twice in their lifetime of about 10 years) to sheer neglect (little or no fertilizer or pesticide); I wasn't going for organic, just expected they would be affected by citrus greening or some disease and have to be removed.  Well, they haven't.  They are not special varieties, just whatever I got from homedepot and planted at the time.

I am motivated to rejuvenate these tress and wondered if there was a care regime, nutrition watering pruning etc. for citrus that I should use as a guide.  My decision came after a visit from IFAS researcher who was sampling for bugs in the neighborhood and informed me they were healthy, just poorly cared for.  Needed some fertilizer and pruning to remove deadwood and some bad branches growing straight up.  They make fruits now but I believe will make more and better fruit with a little TLC.

I will appreciate any input.

My best guess on the varieties in case it matters, Hamlin, Navel and HoneyBell.

Thanks.

I have an Osten that fruited for the first time this year, held on to about 6 (into the last week of August) of which I got 3 and the critters got the rest.
I enjoyed the fruit, we had the last one today, and I wondered if any of you have experience with Osteen and would like to share your thoughts.  Do you notice any aftertaste?

For me it is one of my late season collections and this year only Beverly and Keitt held fruit longer.

I will like to read your thoughts on this variety.