The Tropical Fruit Forum

Haven't been there for forty years, but in those days boats came over from Columbia/Venezuela with fruit and veg to the docks in Orangestad.

videos of Truly Tropicals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmCpNnnRqgE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doTF0IE0MWk

When I lived in the Caribbean I had one of these. You had to throw it in the sea for retrieval, then 'Spot' would tear them open! She enjoyed a small part as reward. Not trained, but exactly like this one I found.
You could probably train for it, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhH0XXiN7lo

This discusses passionfruit pollination:
http://nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ioj_wp/wp-content/uploads/Observations-on-the-Pollination-of-Passiflora-penduliflora.pdf

Shows how to hand pollinate:
https://youtu.be/HFx92jfdkzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eicamZk1qis

Sounds like for best fruit you need bumblebees, hummingbirds, and plenty of different plants for compatibility, and pollination was best late afternoon/early morning.

There is a US ministry group which has been working to send thousands of breadfruit to Haiti in the past. I saw a youtube video. Try searching Haiti breadfruit. They could probably arrange shipment and distribution.

Guava should be easy enough to grow by cuttings, and would be an exact clone.

 http://motherhood.modernmom.com/propagate-guava-8826.html

A single stake might be fine for a 1-2 ft tree without much top growth.
But a 5 ft tall tree with a single stake into the root ball wouldn't do much to keep the entire tree from tipping over especially if the ground gets saturated, the whole thing might just be tipped over. Some version of multiple stakes and strap ties might work better.
If 100 mph+ is expected maybe time to do sacrificial pruning?

I know that bananas are quick re-growers, and I've heard recommendations to go ahead and chop them down before a severe hurricane which would certainly topple them anyways.

Hope it goes well. I love my trips to Pine Island and enjoy riding around to see what I can spot.  Good luck!

I hope to move over by this time next year and will enjoy visiting with anyone here.
Property is surrounded by 100 acres of vegetables in winter, they are protected from frost by giant wind machines and I should also benefit.

I've used mechanical advantage like this video to pull otherwise impossible stumps with a tractor.
Rather than a built-up rig, just used a log section about 4 ft long and ran the chain over the top of the log.
You could use a large tractor tire rim as a roller to run the chain over.
It's an old farmer's method.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pccuAUNwfw8

lots of plants respond to stress by flowering. I've heard of (anecdotally) people driving nails into coconut to induce flowering before. What may be happening is the wire is girdling the branch.
There is some basis for this:
https://www.researchgate.net/file.PostFileLoader.html?id=55d96f0d5f7f71eb398b4596&assetKey=AS%3A273837277548547%401442299302550

http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/07/04/jxb.erw272.abstract

How does one get one of these in FL? Sounds like it might do well in the Keys climate, and I like the look of the huge dark green heart leaves.

http://ez2plant.com/item/yard-garden-outdoor-living-fru/-chupa-chupa-quararibea-cordat/lid=33906188

Caesar,
You should google these words together:
Echo feeding pigs banana stalks

Echo is a missionary training facility that prepares US people to deal with issues such as food insecurity poverty, etc. which they will encounter as missionaries in the 3rd world. During a tour of their facility in Ft. Myers, Florida I saw their pig raising system in action. They had a boar in a roofed pen living on 2-3 ft deep litter. They fed him mainly on fermented banana stalks, some supplemental grains and surplus/damaged produce/vegetable matter. The fermentation was mildly alcoholic and the operation produced a large amount of compost when the pen was cleaned out. There was no objectionable smell and he seemed happy, clean and cool. It seemed nearly ideal and might be scaled up on a unitized basis or larger pen housing multiple animals.

I support the ideals of permaculture and plan to implement my own medium scale project very soon.
This system could be a nearly closed loop with the compost produced being used to fertilize the banana plants with the input of 'overproductive' fruits/vegetables yielding a salable product besides pork -more bananas!
There may be certain Musaceae which are highly nutritious or productive of stem.
I urge you to look into this since it isn't re-inventing the wheel and seems to have been successful.

I love the idea and achievements of genetic modification. I expect it will end up becoming recognized as just another form of plant breeding and a great benefit to our world. I have many reasons to believe that and also expect all of our children will eventually agree.