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Topics - kapps

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Seedling Starfruit First Flowers
« on: January 07, 2024, 01:27:50 PM »
In late 2020 or 2021, I bought some Fwang Tung starfruits from the local fruit stand. They were delicious and I potted up a few of the seeds. They stayed in pots for a year before I found a place to stick them in the ground. I just noticed that the largest one has flowers for the first time. It has 1 1/4-1 1/2” caliper at the base of the trunk and is maybe 7’ tall. This one wants to grow straight up so after 4 feet or so, I’ve been tipping it and  trying to force it to branch. Looking forward to seeing how close the fruits are to the parent.  Its sister is about half the size and branched out on its own at a low height. Between the two seedlings and the grafted Sri Kembangan and Fwang Tung that I have, I figure I’ll decide on the best ones and graft them all onto one of two plans for better space utilization.




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I’m up in Sebastian so things start a bit later than everyone down south. We barely stayed above freezing this winter so I ended up having a great mango bloom. My oldest tree has a 5 yr old rootstock and was a seedling of a grocery store mango that was planted in the ground very young.  I was just learning about mangoes at the time and tipped it at ~2’ and grafted 5 different varieties onto all the new growth flushes. Fortunately, some of them didn’t take (Valencia Pride) but the one that took and really took over the tree was what I thought was Cogshall. It fruited for the first time in 2021 but only had 5 fruits (of which the squirrels got 4) and I wasn’t very impressed with the one I did eat. Everyone had a terrible year in 2022 so I didn’t get any mangoes but the tree really filled out due to extra growth flushes.  Now this year, I have 30+ fruit hanging.  A couple started changing color this weekend and one felt a little soft so I gently tipped the fruit and it immediately fell off. Very little sap came squirting out so I had high hopes and let it sit on the counter for a day.





It was pretty darn good with a surprising amount of flavor considering all the rain we have been getting recently. The problem is that they just don’t quite look like Cogshall. One of the other varieties I grafted was Angie so I’m starting to wonder if that’s what this is. It definitely has a “mango” flavor with a bit of spice notes and resin flavor near the skin.  The tree has zero issues with diseases and I do not spray it.



Ignore the new growth on the upper right corner. That’s my “backup” for a PPK that just wasn’t taking off like I thought it should. The fruit start blushing yellow and a slight tint of red but nothing like the bright red that I’ve seen in photos of Cogshall. Both varieties are dwarf and it sounds like they both have good disease resistance. Anyone have an idea what this variety is?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Green PPK
« on: May 28, 2023, 03:40:57 PM »
I had a little mishap today and knocked one of my lemon meringue’s off the tree. Not wanting to waste it, I decided to cut it open and give it a taste. It’s actually quite impressive… almost like you’re eating a Granny Smith apple that’s had lemon juice drizzled over it.



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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Filling In My Yard - Zone 10a
« on: March 26, 2023, 11:21:08 AM »
I don’t have many spots left in my sub 1/4 acre lot but I’m borderline high density planting in my back and side yard.  I have a north-south line of plants in the back with a Cogshall mango on the southern side and a carambola 20’ to the north. I plan on keeping the Cogshall at 10‘x10’ and I’m looking for something to plant between them that is ideally higher-stratum to provide some shade for the carambola and not encroach on the mango. I currently have an Indian almond (beach almond) growing in this spot but it’s had dieback at the top when we touched freezing temperatures a couple winters ago and then hurricane Nicole broke it off at 8’ last year so I don’t think this tree is going to do what I want it to.

What other plants could I fit into this space in zone 10a Sebastian?  I’m not sure if I want another mango although I could let a seedling Turpentine shoot up to the sky and fill this spot nicely (I enjoy Turpentines).  This area is very well draining sand that I heavily mulch.  I’d like to hear your comments.


I already have:
PPK, Sunrise, and Cogshall mangos
Mai 1 and Red Morning jackfruits
Oro Negro and a really good seedling avocados
2 loquats
Barbados cherry
Everbearing mulberry
Miracle fruit
June plum
Bananas
Strawberry tree
Cassava
A variety of perennial vegetables

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Crunchy Jackfruits 2023
« on: February 09, 2023, 10:41:03 PM »
I am on the hunt for a good crunchy low-latex jackfruit and I’m struggling with what (and where) to buy. Most of the jackfruit threads on here seem at least a few years old so what are the best cultivars in 2023?  Locally, I can get an orange crush or J31 but I’m willing to take a trip down to the Palm Beach area as well if there are superior varieties. From my research, the Bangkok lemon, lemon gold, and honey gold sound like they fit the bill but are there others that I should look for?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / My First Jaboticaba Fruit
« on: November 20, 2022, 11:24:13 AM »
I bought a baby seedling red hybrid in 2018 or 2019 from 9waters on Etsy or EBay. Almost killed it the next year when I put it in the ground in soil that was not suited and way too much sun. After 6 months of dieback, I pulled it out of the ground and put it in a pot in the shade. After a few months, it finally started pushing new growth and has been growing great since then. It up to a 15 gal container and has a ~1” diameter trunk. I’ve been patiently waiting for it to fruit. Lo and behold, I found a small fruit today a couple feet up on the tree on a smaller part of the trunk. Can’t wait to see if it makes it to maturity to taste it! 






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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Jackfruit - Plant in Fall or Wait
« on: October 03, 2022, 09:22:13 PM »
I wish I had made this decision earlier in the year but I have a 1gal Mai 1 on the way from Lara Farms. I’ve heard jackfruit have sensitive roots so I’m weighing my options of planting it now in early October or up-potting now and leaving it in a pot until spring. Assuming I can protect it from the night or two of frost this winter, would it be better to get into the ground now?  Are there any other concerns with planting out a baby jackfruit like this?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Strigipes 3 for 3
« on: May 15, 2022, 10:05:46 PM »
I bought 3 Myrciaria Strigipes seeds from Bellamy Trees last fall with the hopes of getting 2 to successfully germinate and grow so I could keep one and give the other to a coworker who trades plants and seeds with me. I put them in peat moss and Agripro dry to give them the best chance of taking off. Over the winter, all 3 sent down roots and two started growing a stem in February:


The 3rd had a great root system but just didn’t send out a stem. I let it be. In the mean time, the other two kept growing and now look like this:


Lo and behold, I look at #3 and it’s finally growing above ground. Over 6 months after it was planted:


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Tropical Fruit Discussion / What Type of Jackfruit at Publix?
« on: March 12, 2022, 04:30:16 PM »
Since learning what a Jackfruit was, I’ve kept an eye out at my local Publix to give one a try. This weekend, I finally saw one that actually looked and felt ripe without starting to rot. It came in at just under 14 lbs and had surprisingly little latex. After cutting in half and taking out the center latexy portion, I was easily able to flip it inside out and start separating the flesh from the seeds (which was actually the most laborious part of the whole operation). I filled up two gallon ziplock bags with what I didn’t eat and stuck them in the freezer.


This was yellow fleshed and tasted like sweet juicy fruit bubble gum. It had less juice than I was expecting and not mushy. From reading about the different varieties, I assume this is one of the crunchy varieties. Does anyone know what the typical commercial varieties are?  It came from Coast Tropical, product of Mexico.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Dwarf Namwa Height Question
« on: February 19, 2022, 06:40:19 PM »
My “dwarf” Namwa has been a favorite ever since it produced its first 50+ lb rack after 15 months in the ground. It seems to send out the flower when it’s at the -10ft range and I’ve lost two racks due to wind (which is surprising with the massive girth of the pseudo stems). I’ve seen videos where they are flowering at what seems like 6’ and I’ve been starting to wonder if I actually have a tall Namwa. I believe this one was mail order from Florida Hill nursery. Is it possible that I have a tall variety or do those get really tall?  Is there a trick to getting them to flower at a lower height?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Bombay-esque Mango Flavor
« on: February 13, 2022, 09:24:29 AM »
I’m ready to fill the 3rd and final spot in my yard for a mango tree. I already have a PPK and Cogshall and now I’m looking for that powerful spicy Indian flavor. The first “real” mango I ever tasted was a Bombay and I still remember how my entire hallway at work smelled like Bombay when my coworker brought it to me. I’ve heard Bombay doesn’t do very well in Florida. I’m a couple miles inland at the north end of 10a in Sebastian. What are my options for this type of flavor? Carrie?  Thanks!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Overwintering Small Cempejack in a Pot
« on: December 04, 2021, 09:18:49 PM »
I have an 8" tall Cempepack seedling in a 4x14" tree pot.  It does not look like the tap root has made it to the bottom of the pot yet.  Will the tap root continue growing through the winter while it's not growing much above ground?  I'd like to keep it in a pot so I can better protect it this first winter as opposed to planting it out this late in the season.

If the tap root does get through the current pot, I'm thinking of getting some 4" PVC drain pipe to use as a makeshift extra deep tree pot.  Does anybody see an issue with this? If the tap root will continue to grow through the winter, should I transplant it now while the weather is still pretty nice?  Thanks!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Planting Out Carambola Seedling
« on: February 15, 2021, 07:18:07 PM »
I started a couple carambola seeds in 6” pots last year. At what point should I move them out of the pots and into their final spots in the yard?  They will be going into an understory location with morning sun. Can they go out in their current 4-6” range or should I wait until they’re taller? 

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / What To Do With Bananas After Cold
« on: February 12, 2021, 11:03:42 AM »
I have 3 banana clumps and all of them made bunches late last year. After the frost from a couple weeks ago, I’m looking for advice on what to do with them.

The Namwa was earliest to fruit and the bananas in the bunch are green and plump. This has always been the healthiest clump and while most of the outer leafs are brown, there are still a good amount of green from inner leafs and from the shorter pups. I’m planning on leaving this one to ripen unless there is another recommendation.



The Grand Nain is in worse shape. This is actually the first time it’s fruited and it was planted almost 3 years ago. The bananas in the bunch are not fully plump yet. There is a green leaf on the pup and also some emerging pups.



The Gros Michel grew quick and fruited in 9 months but seemed to only hold onto 8 or so leafs. It wasn’t looking great before the frost and now the mother has little green on its leafs. The pups are pushing out green leafs. The bananas on this bunch are still thin.



Should I leave the bunches hanging or would it be better to remove them and let that energy go to the next one to fruit?  Will a fruit ripen if only pups in the clump have green leafs?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Propagating Acerola Cherry
« on: January 16, 2021, 02:41:07 PM »
Hi everyone. I have an acerola cherry that’s been in the ground for a couple years. I’ve read a lot of posts and watched many videos where people show how easy it is to propagate. I’ve tried just about everything and can’t seem to get mine to root.  I’ve tried woody material and fresh growth, rooting hormone and no hormone, put some in a humidity chamber and left some out, and tried cutting the leaves in half to limit moisture loss.  They stayed green for a couple months in a humidity chamber but eventually died with no hint of root growth. The ones that weren’t in a chamber didn’t make it more than a couple weeks before drying out. What am I doing wrong?

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