The Tropical Fruit Forum

 . . . and when they arrive, how should they be treated here in west central Florida 9b?

These are two Asimina triloba cultivars 'Sunflower' and 'Mango' that I decided to try,
even though this could be a bit far south for them.  I chose them though because they
were originally found and selected from the more southern range for the species, the
first in Kansas and the second one in Georgia.

They will be 1 to 2 year old saplings, bareroot and dormant, when they arrive next WED
so should they go into a tall tree pot first 'til there is some new root activity, or just go
into the ground right away, and then be treated how?

Soliciting advice from any of our zone-pushing pawpaw aficionados. 
(I know you're out there!)

TIA

Paul M.
==

Been growing a 'Ruby Supreme x Barbie' for four years now.  it grew to eight feet tall and needed to be cut back. 
It got a haircut in March a year ago, trimmed down to four feet then grew back to six feet by June but never bloomed.

It gets irrigated reasonably frequently and it was fertilized a couple times with 10-10-10 because I know they are heavy feeders.

Maybe my timing is off somehow on the watering, feeding, and pruning.  The plant grows well but why no fruit?

Also have a few Psidium catleyanum but they're not large enough to fruit.  Next year maybe....

Asking for some suggestions.  All welcomed.  I love guavas and would like to get that dumb plant to fruit.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

I have a 'Sabará' in a 5 gal pot.  I set it in a saucer because It kept wilting from the Florida heat this past summer and that seemed to be the only way to provide it with enough water.  It also sat under a shaded pergola with 1 gpm misters (4) up above the pergola area that I could  run for it and the other plants under the pergola.

But the 'Sabará' eventually wilted and its leaves turned brown and dried up, and later fell off.

I checked it yesterday because it has shown no regrowth so I scraped it with my thumbnail at the base of the trunk, which is about 1 in' in dia., and it is still green under the bark.

So . . .   Looking for advice for how to get this 'Sabará' to 'come back to life.'

Any and all advice and suggestions welcome.

Fingers X-ed!

Paul M.
==

I've read that white sapote's (Casimiroa edulis) root run can reach a good ways out from the tree's base.  The suggestion was to not plant a white sapote within 25 feet of one's house or a concrete sidewalk because the roots might buckle the concrete, etc.

Mine is in a 5 gal pot (for over 3 yrs, now) and while it's kinda scrawny it's about 15 feet tall and has finally branched from just the top third, upwards.  It definitely needs to go into the ground this season.  I'm guessing that it should be planted while we're still in the cooler parts of the year.  I have mostly sandy soil. 

Once planted and established this season I'm thinking that it should probably be toppped at about 4 to 5 feet and lthen let it regrow from there.  Or would that be too drastic of a prune?

Could some of our TFF members who have experience with growing white sapote comment on these questions, please?

HYN All,

Paul M.
==

I have two Kwai Muks planted out in the yard since July/August of this year.  They were planted in full sun and have started to grow now and have added at least a foot in height since being planted out, just now breaking 4 ft tall.  I bought two for cross pollination, hoping for better fruit set.

When they begin to fruit if one is tastier than the other I'm wondering whether this species is amenable to taking cuttings and rooting them.  Or maybe it's better to root a branch while still on the plant, before removing it to plant out.

Anyone here who's growing Kwai Muk with ideas about this to share?

Comments, suggestions, advice, all welcomed.

Cheers!

Paul M.
Tampa, FL
...in the 'new' zone 10a (with fingers crossed!)
==

Just replaced my deceased araça-boi (E. stipitatum) which died after this past spring's cold temps in Tampa.

The new one is small but healthy (about 12-in tall) and has gone into a 2 gal pot beause I understand that this species is a fast grower.

Apart from protecting this one from the cool weather, is it going to want any kind of dry-off during DEC or JAN?

Any suggestions welcome.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

I'm sorely tempted to try a clone of Asimina triloba hoping to discover one that requires minimal chilling hours which might set fruit here in Tampa (9b).

I suspect that there are a few TFF members in 9b who've tried growing A. triloba and maybe someone has found a cultivar that has set fruit for them in central Florida.

Fingers X-ed!

Paul M.
==

Just was looking for a couple banana cultivars on Going Bananas of Homestead's website and noticed that they no longer do any mailouts of product.  Apparently they are only cash & carry now.

So where should one look for a decent selection of banana cultivars here in Florida that do ship?  Or is it mostly a scatter-shot effort?

Ssuggestions welcomed . . . .

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

Found this blurb in the "Tico Times", a Costarrican Online Newspaper and thought that it might be of interest on some level to our TFF members:

The Del Monte Zero pineapple, grown exclusively in Costa Rica by Fresh Del Monte has become a finalist in the New Launch category of the 2023 World Sustainability Awards, to take place this coming October in Amsterdam. This category highlights innovative products or services unveiled in the past year that have an instantaneous positive societal effect.

What makes Del Monte’s Zero unique? “This pineapple is the world’s first to achieve carbon neutral certification,” noted Michael Calderon, a Del Monte spokesman. “The accolade signifies a harmonious equilibrium between emitted greenhouse gases and proactive endeavors, and constant monitoring of our transportation fleet’s emissions to minimize the carbon footprint”. Other areas contributing to the nomination showed the company has curtailed greenhouse gases by a whopping 22.64%, purchased six new fuel-efficient transportation vessels and initiated renewable solar and wind energy installations in California and Costa Rica."

(Source: TicoTimes)

¡Pura Vida!

Paul M.
==

The Garcinias I know from here in Brazil are all shade loving forest species. They actually grow taller in extremely shaded conditions and less in full sun. They rise from he forest floor across a decade or so before fruiting. My false mangosteen and true mangosteen seem to act the same and it’s all a similar climate (equatorial pluvial forest). This is a feature of the garcinias because you can plant them together with other big trees and they’ll happily grow.

The recent thread mentioning that Garcinias tend to like some shade is interesting and illuminating (no pun intended).

This has prompted me to wonder whether much the same may apply to certain Eugenia species, and if so which ones in particular.

I'm sure that there are TFF members growing various Eugenia species who can comment on whether they seem to do better when provided more shade, or.....?

Some shade is surely inportant for many tropicals, especially with the intense heat and strong sun that so many of us have been experiencing this season.  [whew!]

Comments invited!

Paul M.
Tampa — 9b
==

Are 'Nam Doc Mai' and 'Nam Doc Mai #4' the same or are they different?

If different then how, exactly?  And how does one know the difference?  Are there visible ways to tell?

I'm still mostly novice with mangoes so help is appreciated . . . .

Cheers!

Paul M.
Tampa — 9b
==

A friend says that she is using black plastic electrician's tape as she is starting experimenting with graftng some mangoes.

That prompts me to ask what options/materials/tapes are availabe and/or are appropriate for securing grafted material together?

I also noticed on another post today someone asking about when to remove aluminum foil from a graft unon area. So how useful s aluminum foil for wrapping/securing a graft?  Is there any sort of galvanic reaction that a grafted plant might react negatively to?

Has anyone tried using Florist Tape to secure grafts?  That is a waxed crepe paper tape that is stretchy and used to wrap corsages together with.  Would that be useful for grafting?

What other materials are suitable for grafting?

Enquiring minds and all that rot . . . .

Paul M.
==

Since we've just been going on about fast-growing mangoes I thought I'd ask about what are our members' favorite condo, dwarf, or semi-dwarf mango cultivars for Florda 9b might be.

I'm currently growing:

BEVERLY
FAIRCHILD
ICE CREAM
IRWIN'S
PICKERING

'Beverly' was like 8ft tall in a 7gal pot and suddenly just up and died for no reason that I could tell.  Oddly my 'Fairchild', in a 5gal pot and six feet tall, died back too, but is still alive above the graft union and has sprouted a few new leaves so it may recover.

Now I am wondering what other dwarf of semi-dwarf mango cultivars you would suggest.  I'm open to suggestions or recommendations.

Cheers!

Paul
==