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Messages - Wicked Mike

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Temperate Fruit Discussion / Re: Squirrel repellent?
« on: July 31, 2020, 08:02:27 PM »
Brad that sounds so satisfying. Currently I am using a .22 air rifle. I hate squirrels, rats and gophers. Squirrels the worst. Hope you don,t use that method in your greenhouse.

I only shoot the shotgun when they are on the perimeter of the orchard so theres no lead going in the grow area.  Im about to go set out some modified rat traps with nails in them tonight and see if I can get any that way.  The little buggers are a real pain.  I hate squirrels the most, followed by goohers and then jackrabbits.  We have some wild field mice that chew down young seedling trees too. 

Its a constant battle...

I have a great squirrel jerky recipe if you want it. Sounds like you could use it. Rabbit’s not bad. Down this way, it’s mostly gators, feral pigs, and invasive reptiles people hunt. Big constrictors, monitors, etc.

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Temperate Fruit Discussion / Re: Squirrel repellent?
« on: July 31, 2020, 07:56:23 PM »
Just going to put this out there: they started calling me “Wicked Mike” years ago for a reason. My collection is up to over two thousand varieties of chiles, before you get into the other stuff. I’m not an expert on anything at all, but I’m pretty well-versed in all things Capsicum.

Peppers will work here. Had a problem with squirrels digging up my pepper plants to bury acorns. Thought, “well, I’ll teach those furry little b**stards a lesson they won’t soon forget.” Had a lot of dehydrated superhot s on my hands (as always). Ground them down into dust and sprinkled it around my plants, thinking I’d light ‘em up good.

I never got the chance.

Here’s the thing: the first peppers weren’t hot. It’s a survival adaptation to discourage small mammals. Makes sense, when you thing about it. Birds fly. They tend to disperse seeds over wide distances. By comparison, small herbivorous mammals don’t. It’s in the plant’s best interest that small, herbivorous mammals don’t eat the fruit.

Comparable to the evolutionary adaptation in Passifloras. The unripe fruit contain procyanogens, which become cyanide in a mammal’s body. When the seeds are viable, the procyanogens disappear, and the fruit magically becomes aromatic, delicious, nutritious, and more often than not changes color and/or falls on the ground.

Not magic, but science.

If you want to get pretty much any mammal to leave your plants alone, I’d recommend scattering the dried, powdered form of the hottest pepper you can lay hands on. Be aware that you’ll want to wear gloves and a mask and long sleeves. This is not something you want to get on your skin, take my word. You’ll have to do it fairly often, depending on rainfall/irrigation, but with the correct application, I’m pretty sure this would be effective even with bears.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Fruits found in Tropical Wetlands
« on: July 31, 2020, 06:08:12 PM »
Sorry to necro a year-old thread, but if I’d seen this back in 2019, I’d still be LMAO. Especially at “I grow them all.” 😆

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cedar Bay Cherries Are Ripening Now
« on: July 31, 2020, 01:20:06 PM »
aka Beach Cherry, I have a couple of plants too (very small). The fruits are OK. The problem is this species is only propagated by seed so each one is different. One of my plants makes fruit that is sweet with little bitterness and some slight flavor; hard to describe but at least it's not completely bland.

By contrast, my Ice Cream Bean makes sweet fruit but with no flavor whatsoever.

Try your hand at air-layering them. It’s worked pretty well for me (but then, I’ve grown Garcinias from cuttings, too).

I like the flavor of this one. Doesn’t have that funky astringency that E. uniflora does.

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Just a heads-up, but Tobias Spanner (rarepalmseeds.com) has an absolutely horrendous reputation within the industry, and I’m sorry to say it’s well-deserved. Occasionally, you’ll get ~60-70% germination rate from a seed packet, but maybe 90% of the seed packets he ships deliver a 0% germ. I’ve gotten seeds from him that were just a fragile seed coat with holes where insects had burrowed in. If you attempt to contact them about it, your repeated emails will go unanswered for months, if they ever get answered at all, and they make zero attempt to make it right. It’s not just me - I know several other growers who’ve had the same experience.

Oh, and I’ve also seen posts from him on other sites where he’s responded to negative reviews by getting belligerent and threatening to sue people.

Not worth it, when there are so many solid vendors out there.

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Try Pine Island Nursery. I have 2 in 7gal for sale, $75 each.

@achetadomestica and pineislander: You guys mind sharing where you got them? I’m a fellow Floridian and a pretty hardcore plant guy...not afraid to drive across the state (or the country, for that matter) in pursuit of a plant.

@johnnyredland: Small world! I’m right up the road from you. I’m the horticulturist at Galloway Farm Nursery in South Miami. Used to work at Redland Nursery, if you’re familiar with it.

Hmm. I’m actually supposed to be heading down to see Erik next week anyway. Had a look at your profile; looks like you’ve got some really interesting stuff going.

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Hi everyone,

I currently have G. livingstonii, G. madruno, G. xanthochymus, G. aristata, G. spicata, G. mangostana, G. hombroniana, and G. latissima in my collection. I’m interested in acquiring seeds/plants for any other species. While I’m more than happy to buy them, I also have all manner of rare and unusual plants/trees (my Spondias pinnata has fruit that should ripen any day now), and would be happy to trade.


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@achetadomestica and pineislander: You guys mind sharing where you got them? I’m a fellow Floridian and a pretty hardcore plant guy...not afraid to drive across the state (or the country, for that matter) in pursuit of a plant.

@johnnyredland: Small world! I’m right up the road from you. I’m the horticulturist at Galloway Farm Nursery in South Miami. Used to work at Redland Nursery, if you’re familiar with it.

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Hi there. I’m the grower at Galloway Farm Nursery, in Miami. We have at least one large, established Moringa tree for sale. I want to say it’s in a 15 G pot. Making seed pods as we speak. Don’t know off the top of my head how much it is, but we’re generally less expensive than even Home Depot.

My name’s Mike. I’m at the nursery Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Friday or Saturday) from 9 to 5. If you’re interested in it, call the nursery (305-274-7472) and ask for me, and I’ll find out how much it is.

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Hi there. I’m the grower at Galloway Farm Nursery, down in Miami. It sounds like you’re looking for fresh pods, which unfortunately isn’t something we sell. However, if you have any interest in growing your own (which will cost you less than even the most reasonably priced pods), I will have something available in maybe two weeks that might be right up your alley.

Whenever I would do plant shows or speaking engagements, I’d inevitably have a Jamaican come up and start raving about the Scotch Bonnet. How it wasn’t just hot, but aromatic and flavorful. And I never got what they were going on about.

Well, that’s because I was used to what the grocery stores here in the States pass off as a Scotch Bonnet. Then, I sourced the Ministry of Agriculture Scotch Bonnet; they’re like Jamaica’s version of the USDA. I grew them out, and well...let’s just say I understand now what the Jamaicans are talking about.

We also have several other interesting varieties. My collection is up to more than 2,000 varieties from all over the world (although, needless to say, I’m not growing them all at the same time!). We also have quite a few of the more rare and unusual fruit trees.

If this sounds like something that interests you, I’m there Monday through Thursday (and occasionally Friday or Saturday) from 9 to 5. Name’s Mike; feel free to ask for me.

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