The Tropical Fruit Forum

Don't have permission as well. Here is one you could add to the list;

Vitis girdiana (Southern California Grape/Desert Grape)
Santalum acuminatum
Escontria chiotilla
Stenocereus griseus
Stenocereus gummosus
Stenocereus queretaroensis
Stenocereus montanus
Stenocereus stellas
Polaskia chichipe
Acanthocereus tetragonus

I actually find the Kiwano refreshing, the best traits are the drought/disease resistance and long shelf life (6 months room temp). I have been growing it for a few years, its great out in SoCal inland areas, very undemanding and nice yields. Can use at early green stage as a cucumber, or wait till they are solid orange and sun ripe off the vines for a good refreshing slightly tart slightly sweet taste. Not my favorite fruit, but for the qualities listed above its earned its spot.

I would just continue doing what your doing. I would also consider a cover crop like 'Ground Hog' radish, would help with aeration and also used as green manure.  Consider mulching with pine bark/pin needles as well. http://www.growingproduce.com/article/14049

Salty, brought up a good topic. Lasagna gardening works out well, I have done it and gotten great results. I would find more information on the subject and read about the benefits.

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

Nulls - wasn't planning to - what exactly is "Green Scene"?


ToothoftheMango

Its a big spring time plant sale, with food and some other stuff. The CRFG will be there, thats where I got my Lucuma seedling and Sabara jaboticaba  http://fullertonarboretum.org/event_green.php

Great advice Ethan brought up on the lasagna gardening. Did this to a friends yard, and it flourished with Yacon, Taro, and other vegetables.

Herman - what's a stone graft?

... and what about doing an air-layering of a branch or two, Pancrazio?  Not that I've done it,
but does anyone know how thick/old does a branch have to be to try that method??



MF

Found this link may be regarding it; http://www.development4you.org/2011/05/epicotyle-mango-grafting.html

Quote from: MangoFang on February 21, 2012, 01:02:57 PM

....and that bats pollinate the flowers?  How fascinating......anyone every tasted
one of the fruits?




Mfang

Tasted the baobab fruit for first time at Kampong in Florida. It was sweet and floury. Here is a photo i took there:

Oscar

Would you say its worthy growing for food crop? Or more novelty?

Hi nullzero,

This is really really great information! I have jars with dried leaves from my stevia plants. I will certainly try your recipe. Does the liquid stevia solution (after alcohol extraction)  taste the same as raw stevia leaves?

Tomas

Tomas I am not sure of the final taste, I have heard good things about this recipe. I have not tried it myself yet, I got this from other gardening forums.

Quote from: nullzero on February 20, 2012, 03:24:52 PM

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.

That makes sense. But i would just add that it is not only air temperature that is important for growth, but also soil temperature. My guess would be that soil temperature is even more important than air temperature for rapid growth and also prevention of root rot and other diseases.
Oscar

Oscar,

I knew soil temp was a big factor, I did not include the section which he talked about that as well. I am using a range of different containers, a lot of them are black. I am also testing root pruning aerated containers. Since I am growing mostly in containers, the soil temp trends closer to the average air temp between night and day.

JF,

I may plan to go to green scene on Sunday, have not decided yet. I have 8 Cherimoya/Atemoya seedlings ready to graft, if you need some extras I can spare a few seedlings.

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.

Quote from: nullzero on February 16, 2012, 10:15:27 PM

Quote from: JF on February 16, 2012, 09:07:25 PM

Quote

Eventually I will have a plot of land big enough to plant out all those varieties . Fresh avocados all year round .

Nullzy

A lot of those avocados overlap. I have pinkerton, Hass and Shawill these will cover the entire year. I also have two later ones Holiday and Reed  because of their superior quality.

JF

I heard about sharwil and some others being very good at holding fruit on the tree. Currently have a Bacon and a Hass in ground, I am about to harvest the fruit in a few weeks.

Yes, Sharwill is an amazing avocado but so is the Nimlioh, JanBoyce and many others. Did anyone notice the Mexicola inside the Daily 11 in July?? Nullzy, you should come to the green scene this year Julie Fink's and the rest of the orange county CRFG gang will have all of these varieties and much more for sale,

JF

I am already set to come this year, looking forward to it. We should meet up possibly, I may bring some herb/vegetable plants to give out. Went last year, I believe it was Julie that told me growing an avocado in a container was a waste of time . Unfortunately don't have a permanent residence where I would like to plant in ground trees. I may get a Sharwill and grow it out in a 20 gal for a while. I am more interested in tasty low seed count guavas, maybe another lucuma tree. Something hard to find and a worthy pick for a container grown fruit.