I finally fruited Chempedak in Florida.

[Sleepdoc]

Will add details later, but it seems I’ve finally fruited a Chempedak in S. Fla.

https://youtu.be/tPeED-9lrvo?si=18lAI2a61MjBNAad

[murahilin]

Awesome! Congrats!

[Greater Good]

It looks tasty and easier to get to the pods.

[elouicious]

Awesome job- fruit looks amazing

werent you one of the first ones to fruit Kasturi as well?

[Fruit Jungle]

Tell us more, did you use any protective measures, was it in a microclimate like near a south facing protected wall. Would love to buy some seeds if you could spare some.

[Sleepdoc]

I’ve tried many times over the years to grow cempedak here.  The in ground seedlings would never make it past a few feet tall, always struggling in the winters, and eventually failing.  That was with some real attempts at cold protection, plenty of foliage spray, chelated iron, etc.  Reasons for failure probably are multifactorial, but I think ultimately the weather and the soil are the main issues.

I have a good size Cheena tree (20ft) as a side note, which is a great tree and a really nice fruit …

Anyway, back to the point.  In 2019 I purchased some Chempedak seeds from Han Sen in Borneo.  I then planted in the same “hole” Chempedak and Jackfruit (Amber and Excalibur Red) seeds.  When the little seedlings were about 18” tall, I inarch grafted a few of the seedlings together. The idea was to allow the cempedak seedlings to share the power of the root system and canopy of a jackfruit trees.

Fast forward to 2024, and I noticed one of the fruits on one of the trunk portions of the multigraft bunch looked 100% Chempedak.  It is actually a small portion of one of the “trunks”.  Just a contributor from the roots up to about 18” high on the trunk and no participation in the foliage or canopy.  Kind of hard to describe or visualize - will add a photo to illustrate …

The fruit was really fantastic, I would say my favorite artocarpus that I’ve tasted.  I am brainstorming ideas on how to get the Chempedak portion of this trunk to continue grow, take over, or increase its fruiting.  One is not enough !!

[Jaboticaba45]

I’ve tried many times over the years to grow cempedak here.  The in ground seedlings would never make it past a few feet tall, always struggling in the winters, and eventually failing.  That was with some real attempts at cold protection, plenty of foliage spray, chelated iron, etc.  Reasons for failure probably are multifactorial, but I think ultimately the weather and the soil are the main issues.

I have a good size Cheena tree (20ft) as a side note, which is a great tree and a really nice fruit …

Anyway, back to the point.  In 2019 I purchased some Chempedak seeds from Han Sen in Borneo.  I then planted in the same “hole” Chempedak and Jackfruit (Amber and Excalibur Red) seeds.  When the little seedlings were about 18” tall, I inarch grafted a few of the seedlings together. The idea was to allow the cempedak seedlings to share the power of the root system and canopy of a jackfruit trees.

Fast forward to 2024, and I noticed one of the fruits on one of the trunk portions of the multigraft bunch looked 100% Chempedak.  It is actually a small portion of one of the “trunks”.  Just a contributor from the roots up to about 18” high on the trunk and no participation in the foliage or canopy.  Kind of hard to describe or visualize - will add a photo to illustrate …

The fruit was really fantastic, I would say my favorite artocarpus that I’ve tasted.  I am brainstorming ideas on how to get the Chempedak portion of this trunk to continue grow, take over, or increase its fruiting.  One is not enough !!

Super cool!
I know my friend is doing that same approach but with mangosteen.
Really amazing you got a pure cemp to fruit!

[Fruit Jungle]

I’ve tried many times over the years to grow cempedak here.  The in ground seedlings would never make it past a few feet tall, always struggling in the winters, and eventually failing.  That was with some real attempts at cold protection, plenty of foliage spray, chelated iron, etc.  Reasons for failure probably are multifactorial, but I think ultimately the weather and the soil are the main issues.

I have a good size Cheena tree (20ft) as a side note, which is a great tree and a really nice fruit …

Anyway, back to the point.  In 2019 I purchased some Chempedak seeds from Han Sen in Borneo.  I then planted in the same “hole” Chempedak and Jackfruit (Amber and Excalibur Red) seeds.  When the little seedlings were about 18” tall, I inarch grafted a few of the seedlings together. The idea was to allow the cempedak seedlings to share the power of the root system and canopy of a jackfruit trees.

Fast forward to 2024, and I noticed one of the fruits on one of the trunk portions of the multigraft bunch looked 100% Chempedak.  It is actually a small portion of one of the “trunks”.  Just a contributor from the roots up to about 18” high on the trunk and no participation in the foliage or canopy.  Kind of hard to describe or visualize - will add a photo to illustrate …

The fruit was really fantastic, I would say my favorite artocarpus that I’ve tasted.  I am brainstorming ideas on how to get the Chempedak portion of this trunk to continue grow, take over, or increase its fruiting.  One is not enough !!

Very cool, so you inarch grafted with jackfruits but left the top of the jacks as well. The jacks never fruited?

[Bush2Beach]

Good idea with the inarch graft onto Jak and congrats on the first Chempadek.

 

[Nick C]

Congrats, not sure what's cooler tho, the fruit or that pond with all those species of catfish lol

[MadFarm]

Congrats. Commendable effort

[Seanny]

Nice.

If I want to copy you, which tree should I inarch mangosteen with?

[Artocarpus]

That is a wonderful success for you and Florida. I am sure others will follow but you did it and now is a reality

[Future]

#awesome

[0hip]

Im pretty sure thats either a chempajack. one of the characteristics of a chempadek is the much thinner stem with no rings and the way to tell if there is any jackfruit genes is from the rings on the peduncle.

[FMfruitforest]

Lets get this verified

[shot]

Good strategy for fruiting with the nurse graft :  )

[ben mango]

Im pretty sure thats either a chempajack. one of the characteristics of a chempadek is the much thinner stem with no rings and the way to tell if there is any jackfruit genes is from the rings on the peduncle.

Yup. Skin can also be an indicator and when I look at this fruit, I think hybrid

[roblack]

Whatever it is, looks lovely and jealous of the taste-testing you were able to have. Congrats and well done!

[fruitmonger]

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[Sleepdoc]

I can only go by what the seed seller sent me, and by the resulting fruit that was produced.  Other than genetic testing, we get what we get and have to make assumptions.  For now I’m assuming chempedak, but am open to expert opinion to the contrary.  Expert on Cempedak, I am not.  Although I do grow a fair # of jackfruit fwiw.

Photo of the cut peduncle a day or two after cutting ..

[ben mango]

The peduncle test is new for me.

Check the leaves, is there a hair/fuzz on the undersides of the leaves? Pure cempedak have fuzzy /hairy leaves. This trait, however, can be passed down to hybrids

[Chandramohan]

Nice.

If I want to copy you, which tree should I inarch mangosteen with?

You should inarch with G. xanthochymus.

[Mike T]

Mangosteen and G.xanthochymus doesn't sound like a match made in heaven to me.

True that much thinner and longer pedicel is typical of chempas and that the presence/absence of a collar is another difference between jacks and chempas. I think I would be leaning toward a chempajack for the pictured fruit than a pure chempa. Chempajacks often have the flesh more like a chempa, low on latex but no collar and skin more like a jack but its more complicated than that.

I might venture an opinion. Many of the ones we assume to be pure chempas have a bit of jack in the family tree. The skin is sometimes just like a jack and there is a lot a variation in just how hairy the new growth is and how big the fruit are, and even how sweet or savoury or how yellowish fruit are.

[skhan]

Congrats on the Chempedak.