The Tropical Fruit Forum

Quote from: pg on June 19, 2023, 10:03:27 AM

Which varieties of prickly pear have the best tasting fruit? I've got a generic 'Opuntia Ficus Indica' from the big box store, but I'd like to also grow some higher quality named varieties, especially after reading on this forum that some of them can have banana or berry flavors. All of them that I've eaten so far (found wild in Texas or bought at Mexican grocers, they were all the common red-purple skin variety), just had a somewhat sweet, refreshing light melon flavor.
I've seen Fruitwood Nursery has a large selection, but they don't all have descriptions and the descriptions really don't give you much to go by, and I don't want to inadvertently get several that are extremely similar.
Many of their selections are part of the desert series, would those be likely to do well in southern Alabama, where's it's generally hot and humid, or are they more suited to arid regions?
Are there other vendors that carry particularly good varieties?

Re humidity: They grow all over florida apparently (https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Genus.aspx?id=868), so they should manage Alabama. Keep them in the sunniest part of the yard and they should do fine. Shade can cause them to get catch bad fungal issues even out here in the desert, and also stunts their growth and fruit production. They want full sun all day every day.

Aside from the forum users here who periodically offer pads of various varieties, if you want better descriptions than Fruitwood, check out Planting Justice's selection: https://plantingjustice.org/product-category/cacti-and-succulents/prickly-pear-opuntia-species/ They periodically carry ones that have been selected as part of targeted breeding programs so are more likely not to taste like slightly dusty melons.

Most of the "wild" ones you've eaten or gotten from the store if they were red were probably Burbank Spineless, fwiw. That one went feral after cattle ranchers planted it all over Texas and north Mexico for cattle feed back in the day.

Although sometimes the store has weird stuff. Our local international grocer had some DARK purple ones recently from Mexico that tasted like beets. Not exactly most people's idea of a good time but it sure was interesting.

ohhhh thanks for that site ceejay, I will have to add more to my 5 varieties. I'm growing PCH as well as some others from SD County California. Where in phx are you?

as far as opuntia growing, it's a very vigorous plant, likes ample water and very frost tolerant. just have to watch for pests/fungal issues

Home Depot/lowes

This is mainly for businesses selling goods and not reporting it. Those who have business licenses will be forced to report it. Instead of hiding >20k per cash service

If you are buying and reselling personal items(plants, and dont own a business) you will be fine. If you approach 20,000$ a year in paypal payments they will force you to add an EIN and other business documents. Basically before you could make a chunk on etsy, cashapp, venmo, paypal, and as long as they were under 20,000$ each none would report. But now they are

Its not a tax change; it's a reporting change. If you're self-employed, you should already be paying taxes on your total income, regardless of how you receive your payments for goods and services. The new legislation is not a tax change: It's a tax reporting change so the IRS can keep tabs on transactions made through payment apps that often go unreported.

It is possible some people may receive the form by mistake for processing a large transaction on a service like paypal/venmo. you sold a car for 20k, or a bunch of old furniture)

Probably just bringing a truck and doing deliveries or setting up in a public location, sick of local nurseries scalping people. I figured would be a good way to connect to get some trees I am after and get more trees planted. Group seed orders seem to work and we need more exotics (or semi exotics) in AZ. If it goes well, I would consider continuing to do it, not ready for a full store just yet

Thinking maybe P. donnell-smithii or P. Chiapensis. They are generally listed as edible, look super tasty

It reminded me of bignay but also positive it wasnt

Cmon fruit nerds lets figure this out

  What an entrance

I threw out like 200 achacha seeds last year after I ate a big fat box. Guess I threw out some benjamins   

I've gotta confess that I have never had a prickly pear fruit before. There are a couple unknown fruiting varieties in my family's backyard but I have always let them go to waste. Are cultivated varieties on par with the taste of dragon fruit? How do they compare? Seems like a no brainer that I should probably search out named cultivars since I live in PHX

wild fruits can vary

Some are much more tasty than dragonfruit. less flesh but more flavor.

The orange fruits taste like papaya/watermelon. some of my favorite so far

Hello all..  I'm a fruit grower here in the Phoenix, AZ area..

I got a pad of prickly pear "PCH#1" from a local buddy, and it's finally fruited this year.  I have attached a picture of the fruit.

I suspect it's a bit early. There aren't too many seeds, and they're hard. Based on the descriptions I've read, this almost seems like it might be "Visalia Yellow". It has a melon kind of flavor, and it's yellow.

Opinions for those that grow PCH#1 and/or Visalia Yellow, which does this fruit look like?   

That is the yellow

Highly recommend checking out www.pirateship.com or www.goshippo.com for deeply discounted UPS/FEDEX rates.  Been getting very reasonable UPS rates with better durations and handling of USPS!

Agreed, you can get brown cardboard boxes for $.50 - $1.00 in nearly identical sizes to the priority box. You can ship a method called priority cubic (NOT AVAILABLE AT USPS.com or USPS locations) and often times using this method, a brown box that is the same size as medium or large flat rate is much less to ship.

A medium box (identical to medium flat rate) cost me around $10.00 and a large box is $15.00 at go shippo to ship.

even after the dollar or so for the box and tape, I save nearly 30% than using the USPS branded flat rates. Basically USPS is charging you at least $5.00 a box. They might seem free when you take stacks from the post office but you pay on the back end

Quote from: digigarden on June 21, 2022, 04:21:50 PM

it's this...the humidity and best to avoid that scorching sun when they're young..can tell you most of the eugenias sold here in the forum do sprout...it's the guabiju that doesn't sprout for me and i've tried from 3 different sources but nothing.

I tried guabiju for the first time this year; first batch 0%. Spoke with Marcos and he suggested more light (planting them not too deep) and not to over-water. So I tried a second batch in wrung-out damp coco-coir with plastic wrap over the top of the cup to keep the humidity high, with the seed planted just under the surface and then sat them under an old crappy grow-light I had lying around. I would mist or bottom-water when the top of the coir started looking dry. That worked for me for the majority of that batch.

For the plinias/eugenias the issue for me beyond seed quality seems to be mostly humidity. I try to keep them in a dome or with plastic over them now until they have two sets of leaves and that has a dramatically higher success rate for me. Also switching to relatively loose well-washed coir instead of heavier soil mix, I don't know what combination of water retention/ aeration is helping but it has. I'm in an exceptionally dry climate though so my issues may not be other peoples' issues.

I have basically the same problems, i think too much organic matter, alternating between too dry/overwatering and planting the seed too deep..they basically develop a fungal infection on the new shoot. sprouted in coco or pro mix do much better and regulating humidity like a dome to keep it from drying out then over watering

Double post. Please delete. Sorry

Sent message.. i would like to buy your lychees please send pm if you didnt get it

80$.. a pound?