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Topics - TheVeggieProfessor

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1
Tropical Fruit Discussion / rat chewed jackfruit bark - goner?
« on: March 11, 2024, 03:58:49 PM »





Hi all. As can be seen in the photos, a rat went to town on my young jackfruit tree (planted as a 3 gal last summer). The rat at all around. Oddly enough, the only other time a rat has chewed the bark off of a tree at my house has been another jackfruit tree (which made it just fine and is doing great). But this time, the rat chewed all the way around. Should I bother breaking out the hardware cloth and trying to protect this tree, or does it look like a goner and I should pull it out and try again?
Thanks for your insights.

2
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Protect base of trunk from moisture?
« on: March 07, 2024, 01:08:20 PM »
Hi. I have a groundcover of sunshine mimosa and perennial peanut around my fruit trees. I noticed this morning that for several trees, the bottom inch or so of the trunk is moist; I'm assuming from the dew on the ground covers. What say you? A problem? Put some rocks around the base of the tree? Purchase some type of tree guard?
Thanks for any insights you might have.

3
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Banana woes (nutrient defficiency?)
« on: January 23, 2024, 08:47:09 AM »
It seems like bananas.org has been down for a while. I would normally post about an issue like this there.

New growth on one of my bananas started coming out pale yellow. I thought a sulfur deficiency was a possibility. I added langbeinite (https://downtoearthfertilizer.com/products/single-ingredients/langbeinite-0-0-22/). It maybe seemed to help. The leaves that came out yellow started to darken up, but new leaves were still coming out light yellow. So I tried more. New leaves are still coming out yellow though, and now there is some browning as well. See photos. Admittedly, I'm not very precise with fertilization. I throw a few handfuls of all purpose organic fertilizer per month. I have several other bananas and no other ones are showing these issues. A few months back, some started to put out light yellow new leaves and I increased fertilizer applications (plus some langeineite - which I added for additional potassium, I didn't even think about sulfur at the time), and it seemed to do the trick. Though the yellowing of the leaves never got to the point of this particular banana.













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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Mango blooms and rain (lots and lots of rain)
« on: January 14, 2024, 09:17:21 AM »
My pickering is putting out a lot of blooms for the first time (yay!). It looks like my Glenn is right behind it. But it's been raining A LOT here and I don't want anthracnose and other diseases to reduce/eliminate my yields. What could/should I be doing for prevention? I have copper spray. Should I be spraying the blooms after each rain? Any other tips and insights? Thanks so much.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / 10b - berries for cereal
« on: November 30, 2023, 10:24:07 AM »
I'm spending way too much money and using way too much plastic packaging getting my kids berries for their cereal. I'd like to grow some in my landscape, likely in a hedge. Many berries aren't productive down here, though (e.g., blackberries) or are reportedly bland (e.g., mysore raspberries).

Mulberries are good. Intense root system though. The space I have to plant is near my home's water main. Don't want to mess with that. Jamaican strawberry is good, but large tree.

What else might one consider?

6
Much of the perennial vegetables for leafies. What about options that are more robust? Like something that can be used in cooking where a vegetable like broccoli would be used?

7
I have a Mai-1 jackfruit and I want to add another one to principally use for eating green (while letting a few ripen). I want a jackfruit that is small so that I can prepare a meal with it without having to process and freeze a lot of extra for later. But I want to be able to eat the seeds too. Some small jackfruits that I've had in the past (seedlings) have had small seeds, too. I was interested in Cochin, but just read that it has small seeds. There are several jackfruit that I'm aware of with fruit that trend to the smaller side (e.g., cheena, small, gold nugget), but I don't know about the seed size. Are there others and any first hand experience about seed size?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Vietnam Dwarf Jackfruit?
« on: July 03, 2023, 11:03:39 AM »
I've planned on purchasing a cochin jackfruit to occupy a smallish space for a jackfruit tree. I've been looking around for sources and came across another variety that I've never heard of for sale by everglades farm in homestead. It's called vietnam dwarf and apparently sets two crops per year: https://everglades.farm/products/vietnam-jackfruit-tree-grafted-2-3-feet-tall-for-sale-from-florida?_pos=2&_sid=83a6a166a&_ss=r&variant=42626321285365

Any information on this jackfruit?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Balanced off-season fruit?
« on: June 03, 2023, 07:41:37 PM »
The "off season" fruits that I have planted (custard apple, black sapote) and am aware of (sapodilla) do not have a nice refreshing balance of sweet and tart, like a mango for example. Carambola and loquat might be good options for an off-season fruit that has some balance. What else would make the list?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Spice trees
« on: May 25, 2023, 01:46:42 PM »
I just planted a curry leaf tree today and smelled some of my friend's lemon bay leaves. Amazing. I know of allspice as well. I've been planning on planting a hedge and was going to go standard and do clusia. But a spice hedge seems pretty fun. Are there any other options?

11
There's a lot of tropical perennial green leafies out there, but what about perennial alternatives to the wide array of fruits eaten as vegetables? A few come to mind: sesbania pods, tindora, and chayote. You can throw green jackfruit, green papaya, and avocados in there as well I suppose, but those are obvious. What are some perennial fruit vegetables (for lack of a better term) that you know of or have experience with?

12
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Cochin, Cheena, Honey Gold, or Small?
« on: May 13, 2023, 03:51:30 PM »
I have a thai dwarf mulberry and pumpkin pie mamey planted about 28 feet apart from each other (running east to west). If I could fit a jackfruit between them, I would be happy as can be! The ones referenced in my subject are the only easily available slow growers (aside from J-31, which I love, but is super latexy). I haven't had the chance to try any of the referenced fruits and I don't know if I will have the possibility. No one here in broward growing a wide assortment of jacks that I know of. I like a classic juicy fruit flavor. I don't care about soft vs. crunchy because I generally freeze. Any recommendations concerning which of these slower growers is productive, makes a nice tasting fruit, and is relatively easy to clean?

13
I have a super hass tree (about 3 years old - no flowers/fruit yet). I am intending on maintaining it up to 15x15, which seems reasonable given what I've read about it. Since I can only eat so many avocados, I'd like to graft another variety to it that fruits at a different time to extend my harvesting window. Though I'd like to also select a tree that I can maintain within my desired size target. Black skin is preferred but not necessary. Any recommendations?

14
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Help picking my next jackfruit?
« on: April 30, 2023, 08:58:43 PM »
Hi all. I've been trying to select a second jackfruit tree to plant (I currently have a Mai-1), but there is very scant information online about the newer varieties. I am looking for a tree that forms an open canopy and produces fruit with little latex. Off-season bearing tendencies are a major plus. If it weren't for the fact that it has so much latex, I would go with J-31 (and am still considering it). I eat 2 or 3 J-31s a season and it's always a chore breaking it down. I would also like a tree that complements the Mai-1, in that the fruits are harvested at a different time in the season. For the life of me I cannot find online when Mai-1s fruit. I am in Broward county, so should be able to find many top tier cultivars between miami-dade and palm beach. I am willing to drive to the west coast as well if needed. Thanks so much for your time and insights.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Extend the jackfruit season?
« on: April 29, 2023, 07:27:56 PM »
I have a Mai-1 jackfruit. I haven't had one yet, but I like that it is productive, crunchy, and low in latex. If I were to plant another 1 or 2, what should I be looking into in terms of extending the season? I'm not even sure when Mai-1 fruits; I haven't had any yet and can't find that information online. Thanks!

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I'm trying to figure out more uses for tropical fruits. I know many are cooked with. With annual vegetable season winding down (here in south FL at least), how do you incorporate tropical fruits into your recipes?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Mangos - trouble with new growth
« on: April 08, 2023, 07:33:50 PM »
The new growth on both of my mango trees - Glenn and pickering - is looking pretty bad. The new shoots are also slumping over now (since the pictures were taken). Any ideas what's going on?









I've been running my sprinklers every day for a few weeks because I seeded some wildflowers. Hoping it's not root rot or something. I'm going to quit running the sprinklers out of an abundance of caution. Fortunately, my mangoes are the only species showing any issues.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Sugarcane - eating varieties
« on: April 06, 2023, 08:14:13 PM »
What varieties of sugarcane are good for peeling and eating, or peeling and throwing into smoothies? Bonus points if they don't tip over. Thanks!

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Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / OYSTERNUTS WANTED! :)
« on: March 26, 2023, 04:06:55 PM »
Hi all. I'm looking for oysternut seeds or starts. If you have, please contact me. Thank you!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Shade cast by dwarf coconut?
« on: February 10, 2023, 11:13:40 AM »
Hi all. I'd like to plant some dwarf fijis on my property, but I only have so much space. I have a spot where I could put one that is just south of my pickering mango and black sapote. 10 feet south east of the pickering and 10 feet south west of the black sapote. Would this cast too much shade on my fruit trees? It seems to me that palms let a lot of light in. I could probably put it more to the south if needed. Thanks for your input.

21
Are all citrus varieties too high maintenance and disease prone to warrant growing? Or are there any species that are still relatively maintenance free? I'm in west broward county BTW>

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / 10b - best snacking fruits for kids
« on: January 23, 2023, 11:31:22 AM »
I'm putting together a play area in the yard for my daughter. For both shade and foraging, I'd like to have fruiting trees, shrubs, and ground covers. Jamaican cherry tree is great for snacking for kids and for shade. She also loves everglades tomatoes, so I'll plant those around probably as ground cover.
What else should I consider? The plants don't have to be super productive, but I'd prefer if it's not very unproductive.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / 12x12 nut tree
« on: November 21, 2022, 09:59:41 AM »
Hi all. I am looking to plant a tree to the south of my house that can help to provide some shade. From my house to the fence, there is about 20'. My roof has an over hang of a few feet, plus I want to be able to walk comfortably around the tree, so I'm looking for something that can be maintained in the neighborhood of 12x12 or so (a little bigger is fine). I thought macadamia could be nice. I'm more interested in tropical almond, but am not sure if that will fruit well if I attempt to maintain it at 12x12. Any experiences? Other recommendations?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Neighbor pesticide spray
« on: October 18, 2022, 03:01:52 PM »
Hi all. My neighbors use this perimeter mosquito repellent: https://mosquitonixsouthflorida.com/
It goes for 45 seconds 3x per day. I get considerable drift onto my property. What would you do if you were me? Plant fruiting plants along the fence and accept that the pesticide will affect the fruit, or plant a non-productive hedge to block the spray?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / What to plant north of my house?
« on: October 06, 2022, 07:54:31 PM »
I'm thinking about what to plant immediately to the north of my house - just a few feet from the wall. Technically, it's not due north, but a bit northwest, so I get a very small amount of afternoon sun even in December. I was going to plant ginger there, but have been thinking about some other ideas. One thought I had was to plant some tropical persimmon seeds and see what happens. I figure it won't have leaves when that area gets a very small amount of sunlight. Plus they don't grow that big. What do you think? What other plants can I try? Something that doesn't grow too big and will play nice with my foundation.

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