The Tropical Fruit Forum

Here the pictures of the perfect Dragon Fruit that I had the good fortune of eating. BTW, I’m not exaggerating when I say that the sugar content was perfect. While I was eating it I was blown away by how delicious it was. I didn’t have at all the experience that I have with all the other Dragon Fruit varieties, of wishing that it was sweeter.

After careful consideration, Motorized Sugar Cane Juicer is the best way to go, IMO.

The best location for a Sugar Cane Juicer at Home is in an Outdoors Kitchen in a residential House. I’ve personally never cared much about an Outdoors Kitchen because it would occupy valuable fruit tree space. But, an Outdoors Kitchen that includes a Sugar Cane Juicer, I must concede, is a great reason to have one.

Is the ‘Carla’ avocado the ‘Hass’ substitute?

It appears that the yearly period of absence of Avocados in South Florida has now been filled by the ‘Carla’ avocado.

A new species of avocado, the ‘Carla’ avocado, has been discovered in the Dominican Republic (in 1994).

“Called the Carla, It has since emerged as a rock star of the avocado world, combining the buttery richness of the popular but small California-grown ‘Hass’ with the prodigious size of Florida varieties.”

If the above statement holds to be true, could Florida’s second place in Avocado production in USA, one day overtake the USA’s number one producer (California)?

“If you want to sample a Carla, you’re out of luck until next year- their harvest runs between February and May.”

This Thread has truly tried to find an Avocado variety to fill a yearly void where there are no ripe avocados produced in South Florida. This ‘avocado-gap,’ or Florida/Gap-of-Avocado-Production (FL-GAP), which runs yearly from February to May, is now ‘filled’ by the Dominican Republic’s ‘Carla.’

Hopefully, it will soon be confirmed and legally determined whether the behavior of an established ‘Carla’ in South Florida will produce ripe Avocado fruit that will fill the gap of avocados during the FL-GAP.

Cheers!

https://www.google.ca/amp/amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article218277040.html

These are guavas from my favorite of three varieties that I have in my yard. I like to pick them when still hard so there are no worms inside. But, even when they ripen, the worm content is minimal, if any. This is the main reason why I love this guava tree. I don’t know if it’s an old variety or a new one. It’s very productive. And, as the years go by, the fruit size and production has increased. It’s as if it’s saying: Look, I’m immune to worms, I Am Spartacus! If it’s indeed a new guava variety, that’s what I would like to name it: ‘Spartacus.’

I originally got this tree as a ‘pup’ that was growing from the roots of my neighbors’ guava tree. He would always bring us guavas. His tree would produce an excessive amount of fruit. He had been living there for over 50 years. His wonderful sweet wife died a few years ago and his property was sold. The new owners tore everything down, including the fantastic guava tree! Now, all that is left from the original guava tree of my former neighbor is the guava ‘pup’ that he gave me, which has now grown and is thriving.

The color inside the guavas is pink! (Follow-up photo(s) to come, God Willing). The flavor is not too sweet, and it has a nice refreshing wake-up kick taste to it.

I feel very fortunate to have this variety. It kinda grows branches out like if it’s on steroids. It’s very productive. I neglect it completely but it thrives and just loves the environment that it’s in, which is exactly the same behavior of the original mother tree of my former neighbor, including my favorite characteristic: Great Worm Resistance.

I am - I mean my guava is - : Spartacus!

From my understanding there are only slight differences in cold hardiness between varieties and soil characteristics required are the same for all. One of the main rambutan areas here around Tully/Mission Beach had a cooler than usual winter with minimum temps below about 5c around 10x but it never got to 4c and daytime max temps were around 22c on cooler days. Rambutan trees handled this fine and could certainly go cooler.
Around 50 varieties have been tested here for fruit quality like fruit size, flesh clinging to the seed, flesh yield and texture, productivity. flavour etc. The varieties that consistently come out on top with trials include the classic red R134,R9,R167,R162 and yellow R156. Rongrien. milwana, jit lee, bin jai and a few others get honorable mentions or are vey good with 'divergent characteristics." If you could only trial two varieties I would choose R134 first and the yellow form of R156 second.
Soil is a big issue and maybe there is nowhere suitable in the warmest parts of Florida.

That’s over 9 varieties! Sure wish that they were all available for trial in South Florida; seedlings appear to be the best way forward here.

As Oscar mentioned, S. Florida imports Rambutan from Central and South America. I’ve personally experienced this distribution this year by making inquiries during subsequent Rambutan purchases. So, there’s already an Import Commercial Industry here. I’ve been told that Rambutan is being imported specifically from these South American countries: Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Although I’ve been fortunate, this year, to enjoy Rambutan from more than one of the above countries, there’s been one constant: there’s an occasional but persistent tendency for the flesh to cling to the seed. If a quality Rambutan seedling could be found that’s well adapted to S. Florida and with a free-seed/nut, this could potentially be a Rambutan Commercial Industry game changer.

...So far i think only 2 people have fruited rambutan in Florida, Bill Whitman and Adolf Grimel? It is extremely rare that a fruit will go from total obscurity in being grown in an area to being grown commercially.
The rambutan is a well accepted commercial fruit. It is widely liked. So it's good to try to grow it out of it's normal range. But getting to commercial stage, if it is possible at all, would take decades of development...

Thank You. So it’s already been done before - Rambutan fruit trees that bear fruit in South Florida - Wow! What an accomplishment! And, it’s been accomplished not by just one person but by two people - Bill Whitman & Adolf Grimel! What a great accomplishment! Now I admire them even more.

Finding a Rambutan seedling that is well adapted to South Florida - I’m sure that it can be challenging. And, the approach of simplifying the process may expedite the desired results; i.e. plant as many seeds as you can in virgin South Florida soil- one seed per plastic cup, with 4-6 holes perforated at the base, and filled with South Florida virgin soil - place them in a location with partial shade and Sun, and DON’T WATER THEM AT ALL. This approach could quickly yield a negative answer of 100 percent failure in less than two years. Or, this approach could quickly lead to finding that Super Hero ‘Trophy’ Seedling that is so desired in less than two years.

Yes, the reality is that there are more than just the two factors of Soil-pH and Climate, you also have the factors of Genetics, the Environment, and I’m sure there are more. Say that after following the above, someone finds the desired ‘Trophy’ Seedling: There is then the possibility that Nematodes (a type of soil worm) in the soil Environment of South Florida will kill the newly found ‘Trophy’ Seedling. This is why in such a scenario, I would immediately transfer the Rambutan Seedling to a generously sized pot, filled with quality potting soil, in order to let the Seedling establish and strengthen itself, and give it a fighting chance at keeping the Nematodes at bay, just like other fruit trees do. So, basically, it’s 3 Main Factors: Soil (pH...), Climate (Cold...), and Environment (Nematodes...), to contend with, IMO.

Great News! With regards to ‘Butias eriosphata’ Peach Palm: It’s in the USA!

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=19453.0

To my recollection, this may be the Best Quality and Best Tasting Peach Palm Cultivar up to date!

Certainly in realm of possibility.
Glad to hear someone is working on it.
One question though, wouldn't you need more than the rootstock to be well adapted to the cold?

Personally I think going with related species that shows (normally) some type of cold tolerance would be better.
That way your only looking for one major genetic abnormality. (pH)
Have no idea how these species taste though.

My few cents

Yes, in South Florida we would prefer to find a Rambutan Seedling (‘Trophy?’) with 2 genetic traits that will compensate for (1) the Winter Cold Weather, and (2) the Soil pH of the S. Florida environment. I agree that this is well within the realm of possibility and quite doable, since we have to compensate for just 2 variables: Weather and Soil-pH.

Side-Note: The odds of success, of finding a ‘Trophy’ Rambutan are very good because there are only 2 variables to achieve in order to win. In the Cash-3 Florida Lottery Game for example, you have to get 3 numbers correct in order to win.

In my previous New-Strategy (Part 1/2),
the Speed of finding ‘Trophy’ Rambutan is really fast (about 1-2 years) if the Rambutan seed is planted (or potted) Only in South Florida soil. In other words, your answer from Nature, time wise, is quick: Rambutan-Seedling-Death OR Rambutan-Seedling-Life. And, yes, when you get Life (‘Trophy’ Rambutan), You will need to get verification that it does thrive in this environment, by observing its development through several winters. The more years pass by, the more confirmation that You indeed have the ‘Trophy’ Rambutan.

With regards to New-Strategy (Part 2/2),
You are basically Scott Free as they say. The good thing is that you then have Options. For Example:
(1) You could wait however long it takes for the tree to bear fruit and be surprised by its quality or lack thereof.
(2) Import different varieties of Rambutan that produce quality Rambutan fruit and graft them onto the ‘Trophy.’ Then, time will tell which one is most compatible with the weather-variable. This approach, although it is quite doable, because you just have to compensate for just 1 variable (the Weather), it does require some: Import/Export expertise, $Money, and Time (I would guess about 5 years).
(3) Maybe multiple Fruit Enthusiasts, possibly in this Forum, will find multiple Rambutan Seedlings that Thrive in the South Florida environment, now that would be the ultimate preferred outcome. It would be the beginning of a solid South Florida Rambutan Industry consisting of multiple South Florida Rambutan Cultivars.

seedlings are a possibility but it takes way too long ( up to 17 years ! personal experience ) to get fruits. Also when starting from a seedling only about half of the trees ( in the best case ! ) will produce fruits. What can be done to save time and efforts, is to graft the seedlings when they are 1 or 2 years old with selected varieties. There are many all around and the most important is to select scions from trees that produce good fruits you like and that fruit in similar conditions than the ones you have.

You are absolutely right, so thank You for that, but not exactly the way you are thinking.

New-Rambutan Strategy Part 1 of 2
I’m looking for a Rambutan seedling that will survive the acidic/alkaline soil of South Florida and the cold Winter. I will know if I’ve found such a Rambutan seedling in about a year or two.  Thanks to your insight, I plan to use only the actual soil of South Florida when potting the Rambutan seeds. Then, the cultivar seedling that survives and thrives in the South Florida environment could aptly be named ‘Trophy’ Rambutan. Again, it’s worth repeating, we will know if we’ve  successfully found the desired Rambutan seedling in about a year or two.

New-Rambutan Strategy Part 2 of 2
If Part 1 is successful and we have a thriving ‘Trophy’ Rambutan seedling, then all we need to do is what You’ indirectly suggested: Import into South Florida, USA, a quality Rambutan cultivar(s) and graft it onto the ‘Trophy’ Rambutan seedling and then take it from there. This Part 2 of the Strategy could also take about a year or two.

The total time it would take to start a new Rambutan Industry in South Florida could be as little as about four (4) years. Which, of course, is much less than the 17 years mentioned that it would take for a seedling to bear fruit.

To increase the odds of success, increasing the genetic variety, by using seeds from different varieties of Rambutan, would seem to make the most sense and the best way to go.

Good News & Bad News

Bad News (first): ‘Spineless Peach 🍑 Palm’ sucker died last year. I suppose I was ‘kinda’ mourning its passing and can talk about it OK now. As I remember, it survived less than 2 months in a pot. So, ‘back to the old drawing board’ as they say. Next time, - God Willing - I plan to use Root-Hormone and better Potting-Soil.

Good-News!: The ‘Gingerbread Palm’ (Hyphaene ventricosa) produces a ‘fruit’ with “a thick layer of fibrous material which is favoured by monkeys and elephants but can be eaten by humans as well.” This Palm is already in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The information I have is that it’s thriving and fruiting! I looked on the Web for Nurseries in Miami-Dade County, Fl, that have it for sale, but haven’t found it yet, perhaps I’ll need to expand the search area. The other option, of course, is to obtain its ‘fruit’ and plant it.

P.S. It goes without saying (but it deserves to be said anyway), this new development is, within the context of this Thread: Very Exciting!

http://innvista.com/health/foods/seeds/nut-producing-palms/ : “Gingerbread palm, doum nut (Hyphaene ventricosa) is found mainly in Arabia, tropical Africa and Madagascar. The trunk is frequently branched, which is rare in palm trees. The fruit is the shape and size of an orange with a thin, shiny brown, outer layer. Beneath this is a thicker layer of fibrous matter which is favoured by monkeys and elephants but can be eaten by humans as well. The third layer is very hard and fibrous which encases an inedible kernel known as “Vegetable Ivory”, which was extensively used in the manufacture of buttons until the advent of plastics.”

From my understanding: Lychee Season is first, then Longan, then Rambutan ... (with Pulasan? & Durian? Seasons mixed in there?)

Anyways, the way forward seems to be like a puzzle to be put together correctly in order to get the prized fruit. From Strategies, to hydroponics, to potting & greenhouses, the knowledge and ideas expressed are no less than impressive. - On a side note: Can’t wait for AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, to quickly give us masterful answers on the best approach to quickly obtain Rambutan in South Florida, hopefully within 10 years; AGI doesn’t need to sleep. - With all the expert effort and help coming from the exterior and interior, we are on course to a fruiting Rambutan in South Florida. It is just a matter of time, say in about 10 years, IMO.

P.S. Looking forward to potting my 20 or so Rambutan seeds in a quality potting soil, to give them a good head start. Then, I‘ll neglect them and let the brutality of nature take its course, while I watch the show unfold - keeping an eye out for any pleasant surprises.

Once you try a good pulasan, you can easily forget about the greatness of rambutans.

I don’t think I’ve tried a good Pulasan. So, I’ll keep a lookout for them. Meanwhile, the Rambutan Fever continues.

P.S.
They (the Rambutan) are hairy and red, rivaling (if not overpassing) the beauty of the Lychee; This fact is also a big Commercial plus!

Yeah, the cold (by rambutan standards) is gonna be your downfall.

Bummer  OB1, but it’s not our only hope [couldn’t resist]. This is News to me. And, although it would then just be another hurdle, it appears to me that Common Sense would dictate that it’s not an insurmountable hurdle.

Just like (most likely) many others in South Florida (today as a matter of fact), I just ate several Rambutan (which I suppose are from Mexico) and added added the seeds to others that I’ve been saving (in a paper cup). My intention is to grow the seedlings to fruition. But, thanks to you, I now realize that the seedling(s) also have to be Cold Resistant. So, I now also have to look out for that. Although this may be laborious, it’s not insurmountable. It’s just a matter (as it usually is) of planting the most seeds, and finding the Seedling with the most exceptional-fruit-quality GENETIC-adaptation for the local: Climate, Location, Environment, etc.

The South Florida Rambutan Mission has started (and is probably ongoing at several locations)!