Night Length and Tropical Fruit Species . . .

[Epicatt2]

Never seen this discussed on here so I'll ask . . . .

For those of you city-dwelling TFF members living and growing in urban areas of the tropics and sub-tropics:

Do you find that fruit species you are growing which are normally native to tropical areas that receive mostly even amounts of day and night during the annual cycle in their native lands, do these species seem to grow, flower, and fruit even though they may be exposed to a nearby street light that burns all night year round?  Which sepcies in your experience?

And then the converse:  Which species seem to have their growing, flowering, fruiting cycle ineterrupted by nearby street lights?

Just wondering about this and whether street lights may be a problem with some of the Eugenias and Garcinias that I'm growing here in Tampa.

TIA

Paul M.
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[Finca La Isla]

That’s a very interesting question. But to go along with that I think you need to be sure which species depend on length of day to flower.
You mention garcinias and I feel that many rely on a dry period for induction of flowering.
Matisia cordata, on the other hand, always flowers in December when the days are shortest. It’s the most reliable seasonal fruiter I can think of on my farm.
Saludos
Peter

[Epicatt2]

Thanks Peter.

In addition to Eugenias and Garcinias, I have a number of Annonas including a couple of ilamas and a biribá with a 1-1/2 in diameter trunk.

In addition to our central Florida cool-off during December and January then about that same time there's also a dry-off for the most part, but through all this there are still two nearby streetlights that are on all night.

The streetlight has never affected my Suriname Cherry (Eugenia uniflora) nor any of my bananas nor a sugar apple. but other things maybe are beng impacted by all night long light.

Hoping some more TFF members might share their similar experiences involving streetlights.

Cheers!

Paul M.
Zone 9b
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[Daintree]

Of my tropical plants in my greenhouse, I notice the following -
A few drop their leaves, or flower, at the same time every year. They must be daylength dependant.
Most flower/fruit year round. They must not be daylength sensitive. That would make sense for most tropicals, where rainfall is more important than day length.
Some sit there and never bloom (like my dragonfruit! Argh!). They are probably either not be getting enough light at all in my shady greenhouse, or there is some other factor I am not calculating into the equation.

Those little green children can be so problematic 

Carolyn

[pagnr]

I am growing some Nth Qld Syzygiums much further south in Victoria.
They do seem to get more active twice a year when day length / night length get close.
Apart from that rain seems to stimulate them.
Also night temperature seems to influence some plants.
Warm nights, 20'c seem to fire up the Citrus to flush here.