Durian planting ramping up in CR

[Finca La Isla]

We are currently in one of our two planting windows of the Costa Rican Caribe Sur.  At our Finca the planting is modest.  Currently we’re planting Musang King, 101, Golden Phoenix, Rainbow, graveleons, and a select Suluk.  This adds up to 14 grafted durians with the graveleons being a seedling.  So that it’s not a mono crop we’ve added in some grafted champedeks and jaks.
I say modest because our nursery has probably sold some 300 grafted durians this year.  Another nursery has sold way more and new offerings of grafted durians have appeared.  Two of my clients are planting with an eye on exporting to the US.  My personal model is to retail almost all the durian directly from my farm.
During the last season some people rented houses nearby to be able to eat durian every day.  Whole families drove for hours just to get here for durian.  It’s like gold fever, Golden Pillow!
Peter

[JoshuaTilaranCR]

I went to Zills in April/May I think of this year and the manager there told me someone sent them a ton of seedlings just to graft them and send them back. He said it was someone on the Caribbean coast. Be also told me that when Durian is in season they let customers taste them there for free because they want the seeds back, I don't think they'll sell the fruit for that reason. There's a guy here in arenal that I've spoken to a few times a d he says he goes down to Osa to buy durian trees and brings them back to sell them.

I've yet to be able to taste one. One day! The guys at Zills say no one here likes them and get a kick out of the people eating them since they smell so bad.

[cassowary]

Yay That's amazing Peter!
More durian to the world!
Still here it's hard to find a nursery with grafted plants, mostly random seedlings and some seedlings from known mother. I only plant seedlings so great for me. And a friend with 150 seedlings have many tree's that bear fruit of good quality with good yeilds with low input. He get's the same price as others who claim clonal origin like Mon thong, Gan yao etc. So I think farmers shouldn't be afraid of planting seedlings.

Even after 40 years of people cultivating durian here supply have not reached demand and prices are still high, $15-20/kg local whole fruit and up to $50/kg southern export whole fruit.
You can get seconds for like $10/kg at some markets and most premium ones are booked previously so never reach the market.

I think you farm retail model is the way to go, you get to keep the OM, some seeds and people get the freshest fruit with some education by just being around tree's! We need more home gardens and small farms with durian!

[Finca La Isla]

We plant seedlings too.  I’m a great proponent of that.  One of our popular durians is an original seedling that we have named after our farm, ‘Isla’.  Gary Zill loves that durian and his guys sell it out of their nursery.
 Really, we need more locally developed durians.  Besides Isla there are a few others and we want to expand on that very much.  Most of the seedlings I have planted in the last 3 years are my favorites from Penang.  There you have some of the worlds best durians in farms with lots of local seedlings.  That seems to me a good prospect for great new material.
We take it kind of slow here.  In the last 3 years we have probably planted 30 durian trees, half of them seedlings.  That’s a lot for my model but it could take ten years for the first ones to produce in commercial quantities.  Easy does it…
Peter

[Satya]

Good news Peter. I wonder if Durian will grow in 900- 1000m altitude around Perez Zeledon. Will certainly visit you soon. Did you get my message in forum? Sometimes messages don’t go through here.

[spencerw]

very cool! keep up the good work over there! the world needs more durians, its real cool the people are getting into it over there! im getting real close to starting up our new zone here in hawaii. more durians for the world!

[Gone tropo]

Awsome stuff Peter there ain’t anything as good as durian. A local property near me with 40+ very mature trees is currently loaded with flowers, my mouth is watering been almost a year since I had any durian.

[Finca La Isla]

40 trees loaded with flowers, imagine the quantity of fruit to eat and sell.  Especially at the prices you get in Oz!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement, we’re having a great time.

Satya, I just responded to your message.
Peter

[Gone tropo]

Peter unfortunately the owner of this property doesn’t care for them, and the place is used as a holiday rental the durian just fall on the ground and rot or the cockatoos and rats get to them!!!!

[cassowary]

Yay Peter, would love to try "Isla" one day!
Yes Penang, got a backpack ready to go once the world open again!
Well if you get 30 healthy good tree's that's better then 100 downers, I definetly planted to many in the beginning and they suffered from my neglect.
I guess you will still have visitors this year as many city folks want an escape from the city really bad and frozen durian just doesn't do the job so entusiasts will find a way to get fresh!

Satya, maybe a d. kinabaluensi X d. zibethinus would do it climate and taste wise.

Tropo that is "fruit crime" of high order... But hey sometimes the pigs and the cassowaries get to eat better then us
Maybe you can contract to mow the place, lunch breaks wouldn't be to shabby