The Tropical Fruit Forum

Any idea on when they wil be available? I am going to be ripping out my Gold nugget jack so I might put the excalibur red in it's place. Anyone think they would be any benefit to chopping my gold nugget down to a few inches, waiting for it to throw up some new shoots, and then grafting the excalibur red to one of the shoots? I have to assume the scion would grow really fast with that huge root system supporting it but I wonder if it would do anything to reduce the time to fruit?

You could do this the only problem is sourcing the scions. I was at Excalibur a week ago and bought a grafted Bangkok Lemon and I asked about when the Excalibur red grafted trees would be ready and the kid Robert told me in a couple months. Right now they have few seedlings you could buy, but I am not interested in the seedling. I asked to see the mother tree that they are getting all the scions from and he said said its on a different property...I would really like to see how that tree grows.

_JoeP450

I'm with Harry on that one, would like to purchase some as well. Definitely try and take some pictures of the flesh for the forum.

_JoeP450

Quote from: Jacob13 on February 17, 2012, 08:20:27 PM

Hello Friends,

Could those of you that have a "Jakarta" Mango tree comment on the fruit, size, taste, etc.... As well as the growth habit of the tree.

I read somewhere that the flavor has "Lychee" undertones or nuances.  Any thruth?

No truth to that at all from my perspective....either as an undertone or otherwise. According to the Fairchild Mango book, it is supposedly a seedling of Paheri and was an earlier Zill selection.  The tree is decribed as vigorous, with a medium to large dense canopy.  They say the eating quality is "Good" on the Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor  scale (apologies to Murahilin.....but what do the folks at Fairchild know about mangoes??) The flesh is decribed as tender with juicy deep yellow color, rich flavor.....spicy and resinous with a weak pleasant aroma.  It has "little" but not "no" fiber in the flesh. The exterior can get a very intense orange-red coloration.....but they haven't ever achieved this at my house. It is supposed to have excellent production here in Flroida , but I have not experienced that.  It definitely has a big problelm with powdery mildew at my house.  In short, I would go with another mango tree choice.

I think I saw a video before of Dr Campbell saying at Fairchild they purposely load up their mangos with potassium during flowering to fruit ripening to greatly influence and bring out the red coloration on the outer skin. This could be the difference between what was documented in the book versus your cultural practices for your Jakarta Harry?

_JoeP450

Aidel I have I think around 8 sugar apple seedlings that are about 6 in tall in 1gallon pots that are located in boynton beach fl.....

Good to hear everyone's feedback on this. I have decided that due to space limitations I'm going to limit my collection to just three jackfruit and plant 1 yellow, 1 orange, and 1 red fleshed varieties to showcase the differences in color mainly as well as flavor, texture and latex content ect. So far I have yellow-bangkok lemon, orange-Mai 3, and as for the red- I have honestly yet to taste a red fleshed cultivar. My avatar is actually a Mai 3......tastes so goooood!

I have red about "zima pink" and "borneo red" and the coming attraction "excalibur red" does anyone care to comment on these culitivars profiles or any other red fleshed varieties?

_JoeP450

Thats incredible but I'll have to taste it to believe it.  I'm wondering why this wasn't all over the Chinese news as many Asians would be very interested in a Lychee that size even if it didn't taste too good.  Those huge Lychees look a little like Sweetheart but also a little like Emperor.  I wonder how large a Sweetheart or Emperor could get if it were grown on a full sized tree and you culled extremely heavily as in leaving only 1-3 fruit per panicle?  If anyone know where I can get this variety, please let us know!
Simon

Rob I meant texture of the skin of the fruit, my bad...

That is an incredible lychee, looks kind of like a sweet heart shape and texture.

_JoeP450

I'm still on the fence. I went last year for the first time and the reviews on garden web were spot on. I enjoyed the free sampling table got a chance to try St. Maui, Malika, Alphonse, and some others that were great. I was let down though because I was under the impression that you could buy almost any mango and really you "can" but it's in the form of an auction and I'm not down for severely overpaying for a mango. Then they had this tent were they had mangos for sale and those mangos were just alright: ivory, keitt, ataulfo, and the nastiest mango I have had "toda puri" sp*. I'm like I can't believe I drove down here from Vero Beach to be able to buy a champagne mango, it's not a bad mango just I can get it on the corner at whole foods... You pay to get in and then you pay for practically everything else and the biggest issue is that you are in an incredibly hot swelltering tropical humid rain forest lol.....you will sweat, sweat alot were those athletic wicking clothes if you go!

I take it back after writing this I really just live to far away, and I'm not going this year.

Hi my name is Joe and my addiction with tropical fruit started in pharmacy school about 6 years ago. I can't really remember how it all started but I think it grew out of the need for a hobby to take my mind off studying. Some things I like about growing tropical fruit and why:

-I like the idea that what you put in you eventually get back.
-I think it is so interesting how plants can be propagated by different means.
-I grow because my stomach makes me, I love to eat good food.
-I love to watch my plants grow and I have nicknamed them my "plant babies."
-I love to read and learn (this forum really facilitates that).

I graduted in 2010 with a Pharm.D. and currently work/live/rent in Vero Beach Fl with my girlfriend and 5 seedlings (unknown cultivar jackfruit, Mai 3, ivory mango, 2 store bought mangos) which I grow to just watch. The main garden is at my Fathers house in Boynton Beach Fl, which has dragon fruit, lychee, mangos, starfruit, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon, mamey, tamarind, Canistel, avocado, passionfruit, acerola, miracle fruit, grumichama, blackberrys, blueberrys, and a small vegetable garden all of which my brother and I maintain. It is difficult because I live 1.5 hours away from my Fathers house so I have to nag my brother to text me pictures of growth flushes, flowerings ect..but hopefully in the next couple of years I will own a house with some decent space. I have an excell spreadsheet of what my future garden will lol like lol.

When I am not working or gardening I'm fishing, exercising, stock trading. I'm into watches as well.

Happy to be apart of this community!

-JoeP450

I think the cereus peruvianis, peruvian apple cactus is neglected. A real piece of cake to grow, can become really large show piece cactus, beautiful but short lived flowers and fruit similar to dragon fruit with crunchier seeds.






-JoeP450

Its interesting to read that there are reports of "star-fruit" toxicity, mostly in pt's with already decreased renal function, but at the same time what is the limit on ingestion in pt's with normal renal function? This question alone bugs me. How much is too much? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19360394

I usually enjoy a star fruit at a time, but I'm sure if I had a profusely fruiting tree I would be encouraged to juice much of my fruit and therefore drink a lot, but could it be harmful?

From what I have read on the cempedak, is that it is not cold tolerant, and that very few have fruited them in FL and the trees take >15 years to bear from seed and by that time they are enormous trees which does not aid in harvesting. It is for these reasons why I shy away from pursuing this fruit, but regardless your tree looks very pretty and I like the shape of those leaves, hope it grows out for you!

-JoeP450

This is a better marang video lol marang is the best fruit on earth? #144

From what I have learned so far is that the tree itself is not cold tolerant, grows large, and may fruit from seed in 3 years. The fruit are softer than jackfruit, do not keep well as they oxidize quickly and turn brown when exposed to air (like an apple), taste something like creamy custard with hints of banana/kiwi/strawberry and have seeds. I am guessing they have a 'unique' smell as the name artocarpus ODORatisimuss and reports of diesel fuel imply maybe the outside rind of the fruit may smell funky. I have yet to try one by the way, but I will acquire seeds this year from somewhere and sprout one.

Wish me luck.

Joep450