The Tropical Fruit Forum

So last year, a local nursery was selling 'Cipo' orange trees in 12" hanging baskets. I didn't get one this year, but was thinking of one for next year, and moving it (Soon? Eventually?) into a regular pot on a stand.
The pictures that Logee's has shows a VERY small grafted plant with a bunch of oranges... 

Has anyone grown this tree?
General thoughts on hanging orange trees actually producing?

Carolyn

These are all sold now. Thanks for playing!

I have 8 fresh babaco papaya cuttings for sale!
US only. Will ONLY send Priority.

$5 each plus postage of $20 per box.
They are sent in a Medium Flat Rate Priority mail box. I can get 1-8 in the box.

These are large (1"-1.5" x 12.5"-13") cuttings and should root quickly and bear fruit fast.
See photo of actual plant the cuttings will come from (fruit not included).

Carefully packaged with bubble wrap, and heat pack if needed (it is getting cold here in Idaho!), all cuttings are marked as to which direction is "up"

PM me if interested

Thanks!
Carolyn

I collected some ripe olives off the ground, from under some many-centuries-old olive trees, and planted the seeds.
The seedlings are now several years old.

One has leaves that are much larger than the other two.
I am reasonably certain, though not 100% positive, that all the seeds that sprouted were from the same tree. I collected from several locations, and the germination rate was very low.

The branch under my thumb has larger leaves than the other tree in my fingers, and in the background.
Other than that, the leaves look the same, similar color, branches etc.
They are exactly the same size and age.

Do they grow true to seed? If so, one may be from a tree at a different location.
If not, then I am still thinking that all the ones that sprouted were from the same tree.
They are not a cultivar that was labeled. These were VERY old trees.

Thoughts???

Ok, not as splendid as the one of Brian's greenhouse (especially when I go blank on names of plants that I have had for years, good grief), but not bad. I have never used YouTube before, and for some reason the video is not very sharp.  It looked fine when I played it back on my phone.  I must have some setting wrong...
Anyway, here it is!

Come visit!

https://youtu.be/_se4EvRvauQ?si=Lfba9g1wTDudR47y

Carolyn

Hi All,
Hubby found these for me. Here is what I know -
Not from a palm (that is the extent of his tree knowledge).
1 inch diameter. Looks lsimilar to dried raspberry. Black in color.
Mayans used it as medicine.
Dried, hard, lightweight, smells like coffee or toffee.
Nothing inside so I am thinking it is an aggregate fruit and each drupelet is a seed or contains a seed.
Drupelets have no taste, but are quite dried up.


Ideas???

Thanks!!
Carolyn

Well, my kids are back from their farm in Belize, and the grandkids have been returned to them, happy and in one piece.
Before they left I had gotten a permit for some cacao pods, most of which are destined for the Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland where my son does a presentation and lets everyone taste the cacao pulp and seeds.

Here is the really nice Mayan farmer who gave him some ripe pods, and his trees. His name is Filipetech, and he wanted to make sure he got on Facebook! On his farm, they don't make the distinction between criollo, forestero, etc. It is all just a mish-mash.  They also make an interesting local chocolate out of UNfermented roasted cacao beans, sugar and allspice that they cream together with a mortar and pestle.  The result is very soft, sort of grainy, with a very deep, primitive chocolate spice flavor.


And my portion of his treasure. After all, it WAS my USDA permit that got them in. I am going to use it again on our cruise next month and try to bring back more.

So I bought a fresh Sweet Thai jackfruit at a local Asian market. It is now ripe, but my tree pots won't be here until Friday. How long can I hold the seeds, and how? Wet paper towels?

Thanks!
Carolyn

So, you would think with all my connections with local nurseries, being a Master Gardener, and belonging to two garden clubs, I could find a greenhouse sitter for when we are on vacation!

But, aaarrrggghhhh!

Lights are on automatic, ventilation is automatic, foggers/misters and watering, other than 10 minutes a day to hit small pots etc, is automatic. You DO have to hook up the drip once a week and manually turn the water on. Heat is mostly automatic but needs to be monitored twice daily in the winter.

But really, no matter what I do, the place is like a toddler, and needs constant aupervision. The drip system has helped, but isn't a total solution.

People I have had so far either are not reliable/can't follow instructions, or cost too much (the pet sitting service did a great job but they charge $50 per day!!!).

My ONLY sitter right now is my sister. She adores the birds, is free and super reliable, but has the worlds brownest thumb and can't tell when things are in trouble. Plus, we can't go anywhere together!

If we have to be gone for more than a week, it is a crapshoot as to what will die while I am gone.

Where do y'all get your greenhouse sitters and what do you pay (takes 30 minutes twice a day)?

Carolyn

So, I have been growing bananas for years in my greenhouse in a 25 gallon pot. I am on my tenth generation, I think. I get fruit every year, and save one or two pups each time.
The original corm was purchsed from Going Bananas as a Double Mahoi. Forget the double part. NEVER done that.
My plants gets heaps of water, fertilizer and sun. Has about 100 bananas set on now (that always all ripen at once! Argh!)
But the bananas are always small. About half sized. They taste heavenly.
Now, I don't mind the small size because we have grandkids and neighbor kids who like little bananas.

But I am wondering what causes the small size?
Not enough fertilizer or water? They get Miracle Grow at twice the label amount, frequent water, well-draining soil.
Pot too small?
Not really Double Mahoi?

Any ideas?

Carolyn

I also notice that these are perfectly ripe when only half yellow. I they turn totally yellow the fruit is brown and mushy.

I am on vacation and just went to Kew Gardens. Loved the palm house, and am toying with getting rid of the pots in my greenhouse,
Because of massive maple tree roots under the greenhouse, I can't even dig down a few inches. But I'm thinking of very large raised beds, maybe 15" high, and letting the trees in the greenhouse dig down into native soil and wiggle trhough the maple roots.
Any ideas for thin, sturdy raised bed walls? 4" wide cinderblocks and anchor them? Wood that won't rot or poison my plants? Thin poured concrete walls?
Hmmm...

Carolyn

Fresh (unrooted) vanilla planifolia cuttings from very large plant. Cuttings are thick and robust.

$10 for 1 ft cuttings, $20 for 2 ft cuttings, plus $17.10 priority mail.

Can get several cuttings in one box.

Thanks!

Well, my kids have up and bought a farm in Belize!
It's going to be a cacao farm/B&B (my son is a chocolatier by trade...). 
Right now it is planted with mango, coconut, cashew and pineapple. His pictures also showed a variety of frangipani and some wild type (guessing not very tasty) type of dragon fruit. Plenty of mahogany for building things.
Anybody on the forum familiar with Belize and know of any good places to buy fruit trees there?
They are near Belmopan, and have located one nursery so far...

Can hardly wait to visit!! I have my USDA permit and seed collecting kit all ready!

Carolyn

I have been growing Double Mahoi for years and never gotten a double bunch.

The Logees's catalogue states this happens during "the second cycle of fruiting". Was I supposed to keep the plant after blooming and use the same corm or something?  I have just been theowing the old corm away, replanting the pups and getting bananas from those.

What do I do to get multiple bunches of bananas?

Thanks!
Carolyn