The Tropical Fruit Forum

Never had Oro Blanco but just random white grapefruit! The pink/red grapefruit is a product of the saying “you eat with your eyes first” because they aren’t sweeter IMO.

The only tree sold around here is Rio Red I’m assuming due to cold hardiness

A good white grapefruit blows away any pink or red.

I’m not opposed to trying grafting but I’d rather buy trees already ready. 

So what is the best Persimmon to plant? I remember Saijo was the considered the best but am curious what else is out there. I like both astringent and non astringent!

They’re must be a lot of variation in Barbados cherry because when they are truly ripe they’re sweet. They have to be very dark red though, purplish.

 Miracle fruit makes things taste nasty IMO , fun party gimmick though!!..haha

I’ve lived in 7b,9b, now I’m in 8B and 8B is closer to 7 than 9. We were below freezing almost every night in January-February. We didn’t see epic cold with only a low of 21 last year. 

 Freeze fabric won’t be enough obviously so I’m considering using smudge pots. I like the fact they don’t rely on electricity. I’m pushing the zone on quite a few things (citrus).

There seems to be a lot of variation between individual plants but generally speaking they aren’t as cold hardy as was originally advertised. 8B has bad winters but I’m zone pushing a bunch of citrus. If I can get Barbados cherry through I’ll try Sapodilla which I personally think is hardier than Barbados cherry (depending on variety).

Thanks for the replies. It seems there was mixed reviews on water sprouts based on my research. I know the citrus nurseries cut them all off to leave the trunk exposed.

  We have lots of wind here so weak growth is def not ideal. My chickens already forced me to cut one of my young trees back a year by breaking a limb attached to the main trunk. I pruned the water sprouts off that tree but I’ll let it go now and see what happens.

 It really doesn’t look that bad. It’s putting a lot of energy into flowering/fruiting and I find certain trees don’t look their best as nutrients are going toward fruit production. A nice foliage feeding or a time release fertilizer might be of assistance.

 Are you seeing pests or bugs on the leaves? If so take a picture and with proper identification it can be resolved.

 With regards to watering, citrus hate overwatering. Soggy roots are a no no for just about all trees but citrus and avocado are especially vulnerable to soggy roots (rootstock also needs to be considered).

I went on a citrus buying spree in zone 8B . Got trees through this last winter but only got to 21 degrees so nothing horrible but epic freezes are a regular occurrence in 8B. So I know about old Christmas lights (where to get those?), frost fabric...but now I’m thinking smudge pots as a great backup in case power goes out....anyone have experience with these? How far do you keep them from trees?

I have been applying fresh chicken manure from my organic chickens to my trees with no ill effects. I think it’s more problematic for plants than trees and pot as opposed to in ground.

In terms of micro plastics they are everywhere. All we can hope is that a life form evolves to consume it at the microscopic level. I try to avoid plastic but its futile. Just make smarter choices when possible.

Thanks for the link.Do the Glenn’s taste as good as the Washington’s?

Great to know, how does that Washington Navel taste? Is it much better than the store navels? The reason I ask is I have one more prime area in front of the house that I was either going to do a Satsuma or Washington navel.