The Tropical Fruit Forum

Thanx for doing this / offering these cuttings, Kaz.  Looking forward to trying this species again. (I was not successful the first time that I tried it, possibly because the plant I received was a very small seedling.)

One question for Kaz or for any of our TFF members:

Is there a particular recipe for a good/decent potting soil to use here in 9b for P. quadrangularis once it has rooted?

I'd like to give these cuttings every opportunity to succeed.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

This strawberry thread also leads me to ask about the new introduction 'Pineberries' that I've been reading about which produce berries that look like a negative version of a red strawberry, i.e., having ivory colored fruit covered with red seeds!

Pineberries just this season seem to be showing up in places like Publix in the Tampa, FL area.

But will they grow and survive in west central Florida, I'm wondering.  WIll the plants last more than one season?  Anyone know?

Paul M.
==

I've been successful using a 50/50 mix of wheat germ mixed with concrete powder and one drop of anise oil.  (Rats seem to be attracted to that anise smell.)

This mix is not a poison, is slow acting, and the rats never build up a tolerance or suspicion to it.  But, try not to touch the bowl or mix with you bare hands so as to avoid adding your human scent which may make the rats suspicious.

It is useful to place a second bowl filled wth water nearby as they are thirsty after consuming the mixture.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

Since there are so many banana lovers here, have any of you tried one with a pumpkin is flavor? I had one once and loved it and have been trying to track down what it was since. It was grown in Florida.

Hey Rispa, there's 'Hua Moa' which is a plantain/banana that has pale orange flesh when ripe.

It maybe could be perceived as pumpkiny (is that a word?) in taste but the Cubans in south Florida like to use 'Hua Moa' to make fried plantains which are delish! 

But if you go looking for 'Hua Moa' in any of the latino community's grocery stores or markets in Miami or here in Tampa be aware that the spanish name here for 'Hua Moa' fruit is 'Hawaiana'.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

Hello everyone,
welcome to the PGA also known as the Psidium Growers Association. . . .

H'Lo Jabo,

Is there really a PGA as you state or is it just a cutesy epithet for this discussion topic?

I tried googling that name but nothing came up.

Just curious to know . . .

Paul M.
==

That's great you're getting some production out of a pot!  I tried that approach several years ago..albeit unsuccessfully haha!  But I'm happy to hear it's working for you until they're in the ground!  I'm sure once all your trees are in the ground, you'll be happy with the output!  Good luck!

I decided on dwarf and semi-dwarf cultivars for my mango trees so that they could kept in large pots and yet be dragged inside if it were to get too cold for them in Dec/Jan/Feb here in Tampa.  I expect to keep them pruned back to about 8 ft tall so they can be dragged around if needs be or otherwise be kept small enough that they could be covered to protect them.

My choices of stuff for my Fruit Forest have been for things that hopefully can survive a light freeze that we get here some years.  So far, so good.  I've only lost about six things to the cold over the last three years.  But then my Fruit Forest is after all an experiment to see what will grow and survive long-term in my yard here in Tampa.

My best successes so far have been citrus varieties, bananas, and passionfruit.  But as the smaller seedlings of different things get bigger I'm expecting to start seeing fruit on those, too.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

None of my five dwarf/condo mangoes have bloomed this year except for the 'Ice Cream'.

I reported in an earlier, separate topic on here that this year the 'Ice Cream' had bloomed but not set any fruit but now, about a week later, I have found that it has actually set 4 or 5 small fruits.  Whether they will hold or not this season remains to be seen.

Last year I was away when they were getting ready to ripen and when I returned home a week later all three fruit were gone, either stolen by a passerby or taken by animals, a racoon likely.  Guess the fruits should be bagged this time if I want to have any for myself.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

While not a fruit per se but a spice which some of our TFFers are growing (I am, for one), one should be aware that there are two separate species that are called called cinnamon.

One is Cassia cinnamon [Cinnamomum cassia], also called Chinese cinnamon, the bark of which is the type most often found on the spice shelf at the grocery store, the rolled quills of which are thick and heavy and very hard to break.  This type of cinnamon is full of coumarin which acts as a blood thinner.  People prescribed blood thinners by their doctor should avoid this type of cinnamon, either in quill form or ground.

A second and far safer type of cinnamon is known as True  cinnamon [Cinnamomum verum], also called Ceylon cinnamon.  It has by comparison only a trace of coumarin, so it is safe for those who are on blood thinners.  The difference is easy to tell because its rolled bark quills are thin, brittle, and papery and can be broken very easily. 

The flavor of Ceylon or True cinnamon is more delicate and not so pronounced as Cassia cinnamon so if you are using blood thinners it is important and safer to use True/Ceylon cinnamon instead of Cassia cinnamon. 

Ceylon/True cinnamon can be found as quills or ground powder in bulk packaging online, e.g, at Amazon, and it proves to be equivalently a lot less expensive than buying a small bottle from Publix, etc.

OK, hope this isn't TMI . . . .

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

I have 6 seedling imbes growing now and planned to plant 3 in a space?
I figured about a foot apart in a triangle. They are only a little over a foot tall now

Great idea, AD.  I've been trying to decide how to plant the several imbes that I have and your plan ought to work well with me, too, since I am limiited to the size of a typical city lot (minus the footprint of my smallish house).

How far apart are you plannng to set your two 'clumps' of three imbes?

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

I just added a couple of Kwai Muks [Artocarpus parvus - wrongly called A. hypargyreus] which are in 5 gals. but have taken off briskly right after repotting them, already making new terminal growth and leaves.  They are supposed to be cold tolerant down to 25ºF so we'll see if they are after a warm season of growing this year.

Also added two small Olosapos [Couepia polyandra] out of curiosity.  These will have to be given some protections from the cold I suspect, but they're worth a gamble.

Fingers X-ed!

Paul M.
==

Two of my Nam Wah's are making me proud. Hoping they are bigger than last years' crop.

Hi Calusa,

Glad to read that you're getting some fruit but how long have your 'Nam Wahs' been in the ground?

I have a dwarf 'Nam Wah' that I put into the ground here in Tampa back in August '22, and it took off growing right away,.  But I'm not sure how long mine might be going to take for it to try to push some fruit.

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

Here in Tampa (9b) I have no lawn in my yard but my Queen's Wreath (Petrea volubilis) is in full bloom on a large pergola feature in the front yard and its flowers are being worked by butterflies, wasps, beetles, and bees (both honeybees and bumblebees).

Of my five dwarf  mango trees only 'Ice Cream' has so far produced several panicles of buds but I don't see any bees, etc. working them yet.  Once those buds open there are certainly enough incects working the nearby Petrea that they will find the mango flowers.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

Jave 16,

Going Bananas in Homestead also stocks the 'Raja Puri' cultivar.  They seem to be a reliable source.

Here is a link:

http://www.going-bananas.com/bananavarietycatalog.htm

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==