Holiday durian harvest, Dec. 2014

[BigIslandGrower]

Here are a few recent photos.  First, a field shot.

[BigIslandGrower]

Hmm, need to figure out the right size to post.

[BigIslandGrower]

[BigIslandGrower]

A wheelbarrow is the way to go when many have fallen.

[BigIslandGrower]

Best shot of an individual tree.

[BigIslandGrower]

One of the biggest fruits, 10 plus pounds.  D-123 (Maybe)

[BigIslandGrower]

At the market.  I just couldn't eat them all!   The evil looking durians in the back that the guy is looking at are from someone else, an inferior variety that commands half the price of mine in the box.

[fruitlovers]

Looking good! Are those trees you planted yourself? Where in Puna are you?

[xshen]

Very nice indeed.  How well do these durians sell at the market?

[BigIslandGrower]

Oscar, I'm at the bottom of Hawaiian Acres. Yes, I did plant them.  All of them are grafted trees from either David Frenz or Plant It Hawaii.  Any fruits not sold at Hilo Market are sent to Chinatown in Oahu, where there is apparently an insatiable appetite for them. 

[durianwriter]

Wowza! Those looks awesome. Are any of them kob varieties?

All my friends in Big Island are showing off their durians... I really want to visit!

[BigIslandGrower]

No Kob, though that variety is on island. 
I have two Montong, three D-123, One X-51 UH Hilo selection (looks to be mostly a dud), One Gumpun, One Pohakulani (local selection), One D-132, One Gob (blown over by tropical storm and now regrowing), and one Chanee (local nurserymen insist it is different from D-123, and fruit definitely look different).
Again, some confusion exists regarding the names of these cultivars and they may not be true to name.  The fruit vendor selling them at  Hilo Market insists that they're all misnamed.

[Finca La Isla]

Looks very nice.  How old are those trees and how long did they take to come into production.  Another question I have is how consistent a producer has durian been.  Here, it can produce twice a year, but it can easily skip 2-3 harvests as well. 
Peter

[ClayMango]

Oscar, I'm at the bottom of Hawaiian Acres. Yes, I did plant them.  All of them are grafted trees from either David Frenz or Plant It Hawaii.  Any fruits not sold at Hilo Market are sent to Chinatown in Oahu, where there is apparently an insatiable appetite for them.

I need to know what market you sell to there next time I'm in port in Pearl Harbor....I want to taste a top quality  Durian before I die that isn't frozen!!!

Ty

[fruitlovers]

Oscar, I'm at the bottom of Hawaiian Acres. Yes, I did plant them.  All of them are grafted trees from either David Frenz or Plant It Hawaii.  Any fruits not sold at Hilo Market are sent to Chinatown in Oahu, where there is apparently an insatiable appetite for them.

I need to know what market you sell to there next time I'm in port in Pearl Harbor....I want to taste a top quality  Durian before I die that isn't frozen!!!

Ty

You just need to walk around Chinatown, but at right time of year, usually Thanksgiving to Xmas. Better yet, check out Hilo Farmer's market on Wednesday or Saturday mornings during the holiday season.

[BigIslandGrower]

I need to know what market you sell to there next time I'm in port in Pearl Harbor....I want to taste a top quality  Durian before I die that isn't frozen!!!

Hilo vendor says the indoor market at Chinatown.  She says that there may be more than one stand selling it, because she likes to "share the wealth".  So if it's fresh durian in Chinatown, chances are it came from Pam Lee on the Big Island and her grower connections there.

[BigIslandGrower]

Looks very nice.  How old are those trees and how long did they take to come into production.  Another question I have is how consistent a producer has durian been.  Here, it can produce twice a year, but it can easily skip 2-3 harvests as well. 
Peter

Trees you see are 10 to 15yrs old. First fruit seems to be  at about 10 years for me.  I have a couple bigger trees 20 years old in another area.  The real winner for production in our area has been circulated as cultivar D-123, but Pam Lee at the market says it's actually Montong.  These trees are typically producing two crops a year in the Hilo area, though some crops may be lean, and they are the variety shown in my photos. Chanee also seems to do well and is my favorite fruit so far.  To date, the other cultivars I have produce very little for me at all, but then I'm in a challenging area for growing.  Puna soils are shallow, with hard pan pahoehoe lava rock underneath.  Also, I only fertilize with relatively low nutrient organic chicken pellets, so my trees may be smaller than you would expect for their age. 20 years ago one of the attendees at a fruit conference told me I'd never be able to grow durian in Hawaiian Acres.  Of course I immediately knew that he was wrong, but also feared that the trees may not be so prolific as those found along the deep soils of the Hamakua coast.  Fruit quality has been equally great compared to the Hamakua durians, and Hilo market vendor actually thinks that in wet years they're better.  Not sure what she considers a wet year though.  This years total at my place was 122+ inches, which seemed below normal. 

[Finca La Isla]

Thanks for the info.  We have good soil and rainfall, maybe a bit much with the rainfall.  2014 has been about 150".  I feel the durian flowers better with a dry period, but there are always exceptions.
I gather from what Oscar said that Now is the main production time on Hawaii.  This surprises me as durians here tend to produce around September/October and then again around Easter.  We are looking for flowers now, hoping to get this secondary crop around March/April.
There was a NGO here in the eighties that distributed lots of seedling durians, among other things, and there are some very good large durian trees in production.  In general, the seedlings are producing nice quality durians. The seedlings have taken at least 12 years to produce but are great trees to have on your farm.
Peter

[xshen]

How does the typical durio zibethinus taste compare to the jungle dudrians like the durio dulcis?  I wonder why these type of wild durians are not cultivated commercially.  Is it because the fruits are generally smaller than the zibethinus?

[BMc]

Man, Durians are ugly! Deliciously ugly...

[durianwriter]

How does the typical durio zibethinus taste compare to the jungle dudrians like the durio dulcis?  I wonder why these type of wild durians are not cultivated commercially.  Is it because the fruits are generally smaller than the zibethinus?

The flavors of wild durians are pretty distinct from D. zibethinus and often the smell is quite a bit stronger, although not always. D. dulcis is one of those smell-from-a-mile-away types, quite a bit sweeter than D. zibethinus. I think it's good, but even I can't eat very much of it. Rob likes it better than me.

As for the others, like D. oxleyanus or the wonderful orange graveolens, I can't figure out why more people don't grow them. The best I can figure is that most people (including Asians) have never heard of them.

[fruitlovers]

Thanks for the info.  We have good soil and rainfall, maybe a bit much with the rainfall.  2014 has been about 150".  I feel the durian flowers better with a dry period, but there are always exceptions.
I gather from what Oscar said that Now is the main production time on Hawaii.  This surprises me as durians here tend to produce around September/October and then again around Easter.  We are looking for flowers now, hoping to get this secondary crop around March/April.
There was a NGO here in the eighties that distributed lots of seedling durians, among other things, and there are some very good large durian trees in production.  In general, the seedlings are producing nice quality durians. The seedlings have taken at least 12 years to produce but are great trees to have on your farm.
Peter

Not sure why it is, but durians produce at very different times in different geographical locations. For example, in Thailand peak harvest is May-June, while here it is usually in winter. Same is true for other fruits, like rambutan: peak season summer in Thailand and winter here.

[DurianLover]

How does the typical durio zibethinus taste compare to the jungle dudrians like the durio dulcis?  I wonder why these type of wild durians are not cultivated commercially.  Is it because the fruits are generally smaller than the zibethinus?

Looks like Lindsay made 180 degree turn on D. oxleyanus, but to me it still  ranks below good D. zibethinus. Actually that's the case with all wild types. I consider them more of a novelty. They are simply no much for complex flavors of top tier D. zibethinus. What appears to be an exception is natural crosses of D. Zibethinus with wild types (tenom beauty, durian suluk,...). They look a lot like wild types and seem to win people over for their taste and looks.  If you can get propagation material of those, that could be nice niche area.

[DurianLover]

Thanks for the info.  We have good soil and rainfall, maybe a bit much with the rainfall.  2014 has been about 150".  I feel the durian flowers better with a dry period, but there are always exceptions.
I gather from what Oscar said that Now is the main production time on Hawaii.  This surprises me as durians here tend to produce around September/October and then again around Easter.  We are looking for flowers now, hoping to get this secondary crop around March/April.
There was a NGO here in the eighties that distributed lots of seedling durians, among other things, and there are some very good large durian trees in production.  In general, the seedlings are producing nice quality durians. The seedlings have taken at least 12 years to produce but are great trees to have on your farm.
Peter

Not sure why it is, but durians produce at very different times in different geographical locations. For example, in Thailand peak harvest is May-June, while here it is usually in winter. Same is true for other fruits, like rambutan: peak season summer in Thailand and winter here.

It depends on rainfall patterns. Last few years with erratic rains, durian season was all over the place. In Sri Lanka 2013 second crop finished first week of January. 2014 second crop only started during first week of February.  Generally summer season durians never fail, because Feb-March is driest period without exeptions. That induces flowering, and than approx. 120 days till fruits start dropping.

[fruitlovers]

Thanks for the info.  We have good soil and rainfall, maybe a bit much with the rainfall.  2014 has been about 150".  I feel the durian flowers better with a dry period, but there are always exceptions.
I gather from what Oscar said that Now is the main production time on Hawaii.  This surprises me as durians here tend to produce around September/October and then again around Easter.  We are looking for flowers now, hoping to get this secondary crop around March/April.
There was a NGO here in the eighties that distributed lots of seedling durians, among other things, and there are some very good large durian trees in production.  In general, the seedlings are producing nice quality durians. The seedlings have taken at least 12 years to produce but are great trees to have on your farm.
Peter

Not sure why it is, but durians produce at very different times in different geographical locations. For example, in Thailand peak harvest is May-June, while here it is usually in winter. Same is true for other fruits, like rambutan: peak season summer in Thailand and winter here.

It depends on rainfall patterns. Last few years with erratic rains, durian season was all over the place. In Sri Lanka 2013 second crop finished first week of January. 2014 second crop only started during first week of February.  Generally summer season durians never fail, because Feb-March is driest period without exeptions. That induces flowering, and than approx. 120 days till fruits start dropping.

We don't really have any dry periods, as rains are pretty evenly spread throughout the year. I've read that 1-2 week dry period is sufficient to initiate flowering. And this can happen here at any time of year.