Author Topic: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)  (Read 10394 times)

FloridaGreenMan

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The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« on: January 13, 2015, 08:54:53 PM »
The Florida Rambutan project
Call me crazy but I am attempting to fruit a Rambutan outdoors in South Florida. This has already been done here but it is still pretty rare, having been accomplished maybe twice and on a small scale. It is much rarer than fruiting mangosteens here which has been done several times. Even the Whitman Pavillion of rare fruit trees lacks a Rambutan and that tells you something.  My plan is to attempt this with 3 grafted trees growing in pots of very acid soil. I am very aware that Rambus hate our native alkaline soils and that it would be a death sentence if I stuck them in the ground. What inspired me was seeing grafted Rambutan trees in Puerto Rico with fruit hanging on them! So far my trees are growing nicely and there is hope. I will report on my progress over the next year. 


My 3 grafted Rambutan trees


Leaves from my trees


Potted grafted tree from Puerto Rico with fruit


What I hope to have in the future
« Last Edit: January 13, 2015, 10:17:49 PM by FloridaGreenMan »
FloridaGreenMan

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2015, 09:39:34 PM »
Noel, you are CRAZY!!!  Not for trying to grow rambutan, I think this is a great zone pushing project!  I look forward to hearing and hopefully tasting your success.   
Brandon

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2015, 10:27:13 PM »
Good luck Noel. When I purchased my tree it looked almost identical to the one on your left. Looks like in PR they also use bud patch grafting on rambutans.

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2015, 11:26:02 PM »
Breadfruit and mangosteen have been fruited in S. Florida. The rambutan should fruit fine in any place that can fruit breadfruit and mangosteen. So my guess is that you will be succesful. My advice is to keep away from chemical fertilizers. Especially young plants are easily killed by them. Use ferts high in potassium. The rambutans tend to get leaf tip browning due to not enough potassium. Keep them out of the wind and at very high humidity levels. Good luck~  What variety are they?
I think only Grimal was succesful with rambutan before in the Keys?
Oscar

Thefatcuban

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2015, 11:49:53 PM »
The trees look pretty small, so about how long would you be waiting to expect fruit from them?
Josh

FloridaGreenMan

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2015, 06:51:35 PM »
The trees look pretty small, so about how long would you be waiting to expect fruit from them?

Not sure how long it would take in Florida, but I saw grafted trees in 3 gallon pots (see photo) in Puerto Rico with fruit on them. They were the same size as my trees....
FloridaGreenMan

Jsvand5

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2015, 07:17:28 PM »
The trees look pretty small, so about how long would you be waiting to expect fruit from them?

Not sure how long it would take in Florida, but I saw grafted trees in 3 gallon pots (see photo) in Puerto Rico with fruit on them. They were the same size as my trees....

I remember those. Somehow I dont think any of us bought any. I kind of wonder if they were  approach grafted when the buds were already developing but I guess being in the right climate makes a big difference too.

FloridaGreenMan

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2015, 08:45:14 PM »
Breadfruit and mangosteen have been fruited in S. Florida. The rambutan should fruit fine in any place that can fruit breadfruit and mangosteen. So my guess is that you will be succesful. My advice is to keep away from chemical fertilizers. Especially young plants are easily killed by them. Use ferts high in potassium. The rambutans tend to get leaf tip browning due to not enough potassium. Keep them out of the wind and at very high humidity levels. Good luck~  What variety are they?
I think only Grimal was succesful with rambutan before in the Keys?

Oscar
Not sure of the variety but it is supposed to be a one of the better ones in PR. I think that Bill Whitman fruited the Rambutan also in Florida but not 100% sure. Grimal absolutely fruited trees in the ground down in Big Pine Key.


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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2015, 09:08:45 PM »
Noel,

Good luck, I know you'll be successful.

Btw, as zone pusher I would consider growing marcotted plants, I believe they will fruit faster than a grafted tree in most cases.
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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2015, 10:35:45 PM »
The trees look pretty small, so about how long would you be waiting to expect fruit from them?

Not sure how long it would take in Florida, but I saw grafted trees in 3 gallon pots (see photo) in Puerto Rico with fruit on them. They were the same size as my trees....

I remember those. Somehow I dont think any of us bought any. I kind of wonder if they were  approach grafted when the buds were already developing but I guess being in the right climate makes a big difference too.
Very unusual for rambutan plants to fruit that small. I've never seen it here. I think what you suggest, grafting wood that already had buds forming, would be one of the only ways to see plants fruiting that small.
Oscar

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2015, 10:20:25 PM »
Noel,

Good luck, I know you'll be successful.

Btw, as zone pusher I would consider growing marcotted plants, I believe they will fruit faster than a grafted tree in most cases.

One of our fruit growing friends in PR was airlayering Pulasans but his success rate was rather low. I think its kind of difficult with Rambutans also....


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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2015, 10:25:00 PM »
Noel,

Good luck, I know you'll be successful.

Btw, as zone pusher I would consider growing marcotted plants, I believe they will fruit faster than a grafted tree in most cases.

One of our fruit growing friends in PR was airlayering Pulasans but his success rate was rather low. I think its kind of difficult with Rambutans also....
No, that is not true. Rambutans are extremely easy to air layer and grow as air layers, similar to lychee, Same is true with pulasan. There is some misinformation about this, started by Julia Morton's book, stating that rambutans are difficult to grow as air layers. But those trials placed rambutans right into limestone soils, so ofcourse they all died.
Oscar

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2015, 10:28:47 PM »
I remember seeing some nice marcotted trees fruiting in pots, can't seem to find the links, but here is one
https://tabulampot.wordpress.com/2007/01/05/rambutan-sarat-buah-meski-dalam-pot/
 
Noel,

Good luck, I know you'll be successful.

Btw, as zone pusher I would consider growing marcotted plants, I believe they will fruit faster than a grafted tree in most cases.

One of our fruit growing friends in PR was airlayering Pulasans but his success rate was rather low. I think its kind of difficult with Rambutans also....
No, that is not true. Rambutans are extremely easy to air layer and grow as air layers, similar to lychee, Same is true with pulasan. There is some misinformation about this, started by Julia Morton's book, stating that rambutans are difficult to grow as air layers. But those trials placed rambutans right into limestone soils, so ofcourse they all died.
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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2015, 10:40:16 PM »
I remember seeing some nice marcotted trees fruiting in pots, can't seem to find the links, but here is one
https://tabulampot.wordpress.com/2007/01/05/rambutan-sarat-buah-meski-dalam-pot/
 
Noel,

Good luck, I know you'll be successful.

Btw, as zone pusher I would consider growing marcotted plants, I believe they will fruit faster than a grafted tree in most cases.

One of our fruit growing friends in PR was airlayering Pulasans but his success rate was rather low. I think its kind of difficult with Rambutans also....
No, that is not true. Rambutans are extremely easy to air layer and grow as air layers, similar to lychee, Same is true with pulasan. There is some misinformation about this, started by Julia Morton's book, stating that rambutans are difficult to grow as air layers. But those trials placed rambutans right into limestone soils, so ofcourse they all died.
Have done lots of rambutan and pulasan air layers. It works just fine. Yes Adam, air layering rambutan is common way to propagate rambutan in Asia. I think all the sapindaceae family is easy to air layer. For me lowest success rate is with air layering longan.
Oscar

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2015, 11:13:09 PM »
The problem he had with the air layered trees was that they could not handle the wind on the mountain side.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2015, 11:14:43 PM by cbss_daviefl »
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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #15 on: January 16, 2015, 12:05:00 AM »
The problem he had with the air layered trees was that they could not handle the wind on the mountain side.
Air layered trees are more shallow rooted, so easier to knock down in strong winds. But this problem is not something specific to rambutan air layers. It is a problem also for lychee or longan air layers, and main way they are propagated is by air layers.
Oscar

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #16 on: January 16, 2015, 04:22:42 PM »
FGM, I literally had this idea not to long ago. I am preparing a site next to my greenhouse to plan some rambutans in the ground
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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #17 on: January 16, 2015, 04:39:02 PM »
Patrick from Grimal grove and I were taking about growing these there today.

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #18 on: January 16, 2015, 04:46:17 PM »
Patrick from Grimal grove and I were taking about growing these there today.
They don't like wind, especially when small, so close to ocean i would only plant them in an enclosed area or with very good windbreak.
Oscar

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #19 on: January 16, 2015, 06:39:04 PM »
FGM very nice.  I have not been on this forum in awhile, where did you get those?  Look forward to see your progress.

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #20 on: January 16, 2015, 09:50:54 PM »
thanks Oscar

FloridaGreenMan

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #21 on: January 17, 2015, 07:28:41 AM »
FGM, I literally had this idea not to long ago. I am preparing a site next to my greenhouse to plan some rambutans in the ground

Remember to make add lots of acid soil since Rambus will die in your rocky soil. They hate calcareous soils!
FloridaGreenMan

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #22 on: January 17, 2015, 07:38:00 PM »
Rambos and pulasan are easy to marcot like lychees so they are usually propagated that way.Unlike lychees they are also easy to graft.Grafted trees grow faster and have more wind resistance as well well as needing less frequent watering and having better disease resistance when young. When they get older things even out except for wind resistance (toppling).I have both grafted and marcotted rambutans.They sure like acid soils and respond badly to over fertilizing.

FloridaGreenMan

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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #23 on: January 18, 2015, 06:39:10 PM »
Rambos and pulasan are easy to marcot like lychees so they are usually propagated that way.Unlike lychees they are also easy to graft.Grafted trees grow faster and have more wind resistance as well well as needing less frequent watering and having better disease resistance when young. When they get older things even out except for wind resistance (toppling).I have both grafted and marcotted rambutans.They sure like acid soils and respond badly to over fertilizing.

Mike
What's the earliest that you have seen grafted Rambus produce fruit? And what size?
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Re: The Florida Rambutan project (FGM)
« Reply #24 on: January 18, 2015, 08:14:16 PM »
Good luck FMG , if i can do it you certainly will be successful . I have to agree with Oscar , never seen a small plant like in your pic with fruit . Mine grafted still took several years ( 4  I believe ) to fruit in decent soil .
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