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Topics - nullzero

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126
I have been using Mycogrow (mycorrhizal fungi) since ordering it over a month ago. Been using so far, I can't tell a big difference in health and vigor right now. However, I can say that all the plants that are emerging or flushing seem to be very healthy so far.

Being in a container setting, I figured it would not hurt to try to introduce friendly fungi and bacteria into the container soil mix. I am hoping that the end results warrant the use of it. So far, I am using it as a soil drench mixed with compost tea. I was thinking of using it as a seed soak as well.

Even if it does not improve the plants performance by much, the price is low enough to warrant testing it. I hope that it turns out, that it does indeed help out. The main test will be this summer, when the temp rises and mild drought stress kicks in some plants (unavoidable, with hot & dry weather + wind). Supposedly the drought tolerance is increased, with application and active colonies of beneficial fungi & bacterial.

I wanted to know who else uses it in the garden/orchard? Do you notice a difference?

127
Tropical Fruit Online Library / Vermiculture Guide
« on: March 16, 2012, 06:30:21 PM »

128
Recipes / Kiwano & Pineapple salsa
« on: March 16, 2012, 06:14:28 PM »
Saved this recipe in my email, found it a while back online don't recall where.

Kiwano & Pineapple Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced kiwano melon
1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon pepper

How to make it

Combine melon, pineapple, jalapeno and onion in bowl.
In separate bowl whisk together oil, garlic, vinegar, lime juice and spices.
Pour over salsa and toss gently.

129
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Looking for Mango budwood
« on: March 11, 2012, 10:40:56 PM »
I am looking for Nam Doc Ma or Valencia Pride mango budwood. I have edible plants and herbs; seeds, cuttings, bulbs, to trade.

130
Tropical Fruit Discussion / 3/10/12 container garden pictures
« on: March 11, 2012, 04:51:38 PM »
Took some pictures this weekend of the fruit/herb/vegetable garden. Have some thoughts as well on the plants container growing conditions.

'Julie' Mango flowering. This is a very sturdy little dwarf the main trunk is around 1 inch thick diameter and the height is around 2ft. 5/1/1 mix


'Ken's Red' Kiwi, Not a tropical fruit plant but this has been reliably flowering for the past 2 years with chill hours average around 200-250 hours. Been trying to train as a tree form, growing in a SWC 18 gal tote, 80% sand 20% compost/mulch. One of my happiest plants, I want to mimic the container conditions for other fruiting plants.


Left to Right
'Subelle' White Sapote, 'Physical Graffiti' DF, 'Angel Red' Pomegranate.


Lucuma, I believe soil mix is supersoil cactus/palm mix. Been slower growing, planning to construct another 18 gal SWC tote and use the 80% sand 20% compost mix.


'Mauritius' Lychee, 18 gal Tote SWC soil mix believe is a mix of cactus palm mix and peat based potting soil mix. Tree seems happy, however I don't like the heavier cake like soil consistency (from break down). Tree is use to river water tables so, I believe it does not mind. However I think a 5/1/1 mix would improve growth rates.


'Jewel' Blueberry', 12 gal (I think) container 5/1/1 mix. Repotted about 6 months ago into 5/1/1 mix, has grown much faster and put on healthy growth.


'Ewais' Mango, flushing new growth 5/1/1 mix in superoots 12 gal container. Plant had some drought stress prior to obtaining. New growth seems very healthy, looks like the mango is very happy in superoots container.


Inga Edulis, 18 gal (I think) plastic pot, 5/1/1 mix. Jacob gave me this, it lost its leaves,  but has flushed new ones since repot.


'Kishu Mandarin, 5/1/1mix fabric 7 gal container.


'Concord Seedless' growing rapidly and setting many clusters of flowers. 5/1/1 mix 12 gal container.

131
A short guide with pictures on different grafting techniques;

New Grafting Techniques for Exotic Fruit Trees
http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Content/File/p/Tech_Bull/TB194.pdf

132
Here is information on Myrica rubra;

Red Bayberry – a new and exciting crop for Australia?
https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/05-174.pdf

133
A good informative short read on cultivating persimmons in the low land tropics;

http://www.hortnet.co.nz/publications/science/pers3.htm

134
Tropical Fruit Online Library / Mango "T" Shield Budding PDF
« on: February 27, 2012, 02:31:08 PM »
Here is a PDF with some pictures on Mango "T" Shield Budding guide.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/B-20.pdf

Another PDF on the subject.

http://www.fshs.org/Proceedings/Password%20Protected/1949%20Vol.%2062/207-209(Lynch).pdf

135
Here is a list of detailed breeding information pertaining to Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntia sp.


Update on Cactus Pear Breeding
and New Products at D*Arrigo Bros

http://www.jpacd.org/downloads/Vol2/7_UCLF.pdf

Stimulation and Promotion of Germination 
in Opuntia ficus-indica Seeds

http://www.jpacd.org/downloads/Vol8/V8P91-100.pdf

Environmental Influences on Cactus Pear Fruit Yield,
Quality and Cold Hardiness and Development of Hybrids
with Improved Cold Hardiness

http://opuntiads.com/O/zpdf/Environmental-Influences-on-Cactus-Pear-hardiness.pdf


Cactus Pear (Opuntia spp. Cactaceae) Breeding for Fruit Production

http://www.jpacd.org/downloads/Vol1/007V1P%2019-35.pdf

Cactus Grafting Methods

http://www.jpacd.org/downloads/Vol5/V5P106-114.pdf


136
Tropical Fruit Online Library / Sclerocarya birrea PDF
« on: February 22, 2012, 02:52:54 PM »
A very detailed PDF monograph on Sclerocarya birrea. The link loads slow since its hosted in the UK, I recommend downloading for future reference.

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/PDF/Outputs/Forestry/R7227sclerocarya_monograph.pdf

137
I was reading through one of the books that I purchased a while back "gardening when it counts" by Steve Solomon. Its a good book with some useful information, even for those who are more advanced.

Anyway on PG. 37

"For every 10 F increase in temperature, the speed of growth doubles, meaning the size increases from 1 to 2, then to 4, and then 8,16,32, etc."

It is then stated that the biological activity goes on very slowly once the temps are below 50f. I know many have talked about the warmer nights as a main contributor to growth rate. If this growth rate is accurate, it makes me want to get a green house . I have noticed first hand, the slow rate of growth for a 4 month period between mid October and late February in SoCal.

Time to brainstorm ways to increase night time temps passively, besides a green house.

138
Recipes / How to make Liquid Stevia extract
« on: February 17, 2012, 06:14:27 PM »
How To Make Liquid Stevia Extract
The Players
•   dried stevia leaves, chopped finely (where to buy dried stevia leaves)
•   vodka
•   glass jar with a lid
The How-To
If you harvest your stevia at home, begin by washing your cuttings to remove dirt. Remove the leaves from the stem, as the leaves are what contains the sweet-tasting glycosides. Let them dry in the sun or a dehydrator until crisp. Then, using a knife chop your dried stevia leaves finely. Do not powder your leaves as the powder is hard to filter out later and creates a residue that settles at the bottom of your finished extract.
If you don’t have a stevia plant, don’t worry. You can find dried stevia leaves just about anywhere you can buy herbs. (See where to buy stevia here.)
Place your crushed stevia leaves in a glass jar, then pour vodka over them to coat. We are using vodka instead of water to extract the glycosides because we’ll get a much sweeter end result this way. Opt for vodka over other liquors because it’s flavorless and cheap.
Put the lid on your jar, shake it up, and let it sit on your counter for 24-36 hours. Don’t let it sit for longer than 36 hours, as it will turn more bitter. I used to make a liquid stevia extract the same way that I made other herbal tinctures, letting it sit for weeks. While this may improve the medicinal quality of the extract, it sacrificed a lot of sweetness to do it.
Next, filter out the leaves. You can do this by pouring the extract through a coffee filter or cheesecloth.
At this point, you have two options.
1) Keep the alcohol-containing liquid stevia extract. To do this, transfer into a colored glass bottle (for light reduction), and store in a room temperature, dark place for up to 2-4 years.
2) Remove the alcohol from the liquid stevia extract. To do this, gently heat the extract over low-heat for 20-30 minutes. DO NOT BOIL. If your extract comes to a boil, you will overheat the glycosides and destroy the sweet taste. The longer you heat the extract, the thicker and more syrup-like it will become. I’ve found that on my electric stove top on low, 20 minutes is about ideal. Transfer into a colored glass tincture bottle and store in your refrigerator for up to 3 months.

139
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Dragon Fruit thread.
« on: February 02, 2012, 10:58:38 PM »
Thought I would start a Dragon Fruit thread. Would love to see dragon fruit setups and talk about what varieties are being grown and how they taste. Will start by saying im growing 3 varieties in containers; Purple Haze, Physical Graffiti, Yellow Dragon. I am also working on rooting a few cuttings of different varieties. Have not gotten fruit yet, but expecting to maybe have it this year.

Physical Graffiti (In 18 gal tote self watering container)



140
I did not see a top 5 fruit post yet, so I thought we could start one.

Here is my top 5 list of fruits, many I could not bear living without;

1) Mango (Taste is above almost anything else, versatile in use from drinks to dishes)
2) Lychee (Taste is amazing, premier dessert fruit)
3) Apple (Many different varieties and range of tastes, couldn't stand not eating an apple for an entire year)
4) Persimmon (In my opinion this fruit is the best for fall/winter, good shelf life, great taste)
5)Banana/Plantain (Great taste, staple fruit, versatile use in smoothies to potato substitute)

An honorable mention; Avocados (One of my favorites but its tough to make the top 5 with such worthy competition)

141
JF,

I wanted to know if there was a update, did you try the fruit? The mango tree at a neighbor's home looked promising!

142
I took some pictures of my garden the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I am container bound for now. I am envious of the pictures of other posters  :P. I keep all my plants outside year round.

'Julie' Mango


'Mauritius' Lychee


'Mai 3' Jakfruit seedling, Thanks Rob (Bsbullie)


Sunshine Blue' Blueberry


I believe this is a volunteer Avocado seedling.


Para Dwarf Acai, growing this one indoors.


'Elixir' Cherimoya, Shedding some leaves for brief dormancy.


Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) seedling, planted in the ground at nearby wilderness area. Planted a total of 3 with a friend. Intend to plant another 3 or so this year.


Chilean Mequite (Propsopis chilensis), planted nearby the Marula trees. Nitrogen fixing with edible tasty pods.


Inga edulis, putting out new growth and leaves. Thanks Jacob!


'Ewais' Mango, in super root container. Purchased this mango with minor leaf tip burn, should recover nicely in the upcoming months.


'Dwarf Orinoco' Bananas, harvest from a container plant growing in 30 gal.

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