The Tropical Fruit Forum

In the cool central coast of california the capulin is  a fantastic grower and producer.  Not up to Bing standards though. Great fruit for birds.  I planted several trees in Todos Santos (s of tropic of Cancer) and they did poorly, small, small fruits, etc.  Apparently a tree for higher altitudes or cooler climes.  Makes great firewood, grows fast.

Looks like thrip damage.  Pretty extensive...

From the spec sheet on "Just One Bite": "1.4.4 Unintended effects: (Bromadiolone, active ingredient)

Poultry are sensitive to this rodenticide. Failure to adhere to manufacturers' recommendations or careless placement and design of traps may allow poisoning of non-target species, primary through consumption of bait and secondary through consumption of poisoned rodents."

For me, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, and possibly my dogs would be non target species poisoned secondarily by eating recently killed rats.  Just got my 37th tree rat today this season.  Might surpass the 50 I got last year.  Rat traps on a stick, in the trees, within a cylinder of wire mesh to eliminate catching birds. It's wrong to kill non-target species.  Neighbors are unaware of these rats, but the signs are there.  One neighbor has them in his attic.  Tree rats, fruit rats, attic rats, palm rats, etc. are all the same rat, Rattus rattus. An import, their range is increasing in the US.

Tree rats (fruit rats, black rats, palm rats, attic rats,  roof rats, etc) are rattus rattus, an arboreal rat, nocturnal in nature.  Few people know they have them until they experience some fruit damage. Many attribute the damage to other critters, but the damage is classic.  See http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw120.  In April we had over 100 people at our place for a CRFG tour.  I showed them a trap, rat damage, and how to control them.  Folks duplicated the trap arrangement, hung them in their trees, and caught many tree rats.  E-mails went around with photos, measurements, and rat competition.  These rats rarely go on the ground, living in trees.  The traps I use (20 of them) are normal rat traps screwed to an 8 ft 1X2.  Trigger baited with a macadamia nut (drilled for attachment) facing down.  A deck screw is attached to the opposite side of the trap at the top of the pole enabling it to be hooked up in a tree.  That's it.  But....birds will get killed too, so I encircle the trap with 1/2 in hardware cloth, open at both ends.  Rats get in, caught.  Birds stay out.  Sometimes predators will eat most of the rat-on-a-stick, but usually are simply dropped into a hole for future fertilizer. The link shows the considerable problems caused by these rats.  A neighbor has them in his attic and NO pest control operator has been able to get them.  He is afraid of poison resulting in the stench of death.  So he hears them running around every night.  They are there, even if you don't see them.  The reproductive rate is fast.  Good luck with this worthy adversary.

OK, I think I updated my profile to indicate San Luis Obispo County, CA.  Small town of Nipomo on the Central Coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles, today's high will be 70 degrees, nights low 50s, typical summer morning and evening fog..  NOW I'm ready for tech support!

I share the concerns expressed here (on edibles).  We have had citrus leaf miner only for the past 3 years, but the effects are terrible.  Seems to only affect the new growth on the second big flush in the fall, so spring growth is fine, trees can grow.  But a systemic that kills insects that chew leaves, but no residue in nectar or in fruit?  I won't use it.  Interestingly, the latest flea and tick preventative for dogs is a pill, once a month, that contains Imidacloprid.  Our young dog is on it, no flea issues.  So I am interested in others' opinions on use with edibles.

Jacob, is that one you got from me in Nipomo?

Howdy Robert...neighbor, sure seems like a great forum, welcome aboard.

Just ate a "sugar Loaf" pineapple a couple of weeks ago (Thanks Ethan).  I wondered the same thing as the color was uniform and no green.  The greenhouse smelled strongly of the ripened pineapple so I cut the fruit off.  Wow, no tartness, even the core was sweet and edible.  Needless to say, I pulled all the pups off and dried and planted them.  This pineapple is far better than store-bought tops that are fruited.

I suspect that most of us, like me, simply collect the anthers in the male stage.  The anthers of course contain the pollen. I just apply the loose anthers and pollen to the female stage.  Could it be possible that these anthers at the top of the flower cone could be scraped off when the flower is in the female stage and ripen pollen in a few hours and therefore add another opportunity for pollen collection?  There is that stage in the flower when it appears that the anthers are ready to shed, but don't.  Waiting a few hours they become loose and ready to collect.  This would require destruction of the flower, but perhaps extend the time period where pollen (anthers) could be collected. In our climate I can collect pollen (anthers) and pollinate females at the same time. 

I’m Jack, Nipomo.  I live in Nipomo, CA on 1 ½ acres that is heavily planted with mainly subtropical fruiting trees.  Having been here for 36 years, they are quite mature.  I am a co-founder of the San Luis Obispo chapter of the CRFG and have been a member of CRFG from back when there were fewer than 25 members and the monthly newsletter was a few pages mimeographed.  Much of what plantings are amassed here are the result of membership in the CRFG and RFCI in Florida and the generosity of fellow members.  I am a retired science (biology) teacher, have lived in Mexico for half the year on our sailboat since retiring.  Much time spent in Mexico and Central America has enhanced my plantings due to the stickiness of desired seeds etc.  Like most afflicted with this plant thing, I cannot pass up a desired plant and have, as a result, started cutting down mature macadamia trees to create more room.  Those super tropicals live in a greenhouse, but now and then get moved outside, usually to succumb to our winter when I am away in the tropics.