The Tropical Fruit Forum

I use a mixture of 2/3 raised bed potting mix, and 1/3 perlite and mine do great in it.  Then just don't over-water them.  I also cover the surface of the pot with small chunk bark as a water-breaker so the perlite doesn't all drift to the surface.

Carolyn

I should try that! I have some dandelions I could sell -
genuine Taraxacum! Health benefits too many to list!
Only $300 each, shipping included!

By the way, my greenhouse is its own country - The Commonwealth of North Daintree
Its motto is "Taraxacum in perpetuum"

Carolyn 

SF Bay, I want to see some pics of your place!

Carolyn

So, you are worried about low humidity, because then the plants lose moisture more quickly. Right?

We are in the high desert, and sometimes there is not a cloud all summer. When the exhaust fans kick on, any humidity gain in the greenhouse is sucked out in seconds. I used to try and monitor humidity directly, but it varied so wildly from location to location (depending on shade, plant density, etc) I just gave up.

Now I just use the "plant happiness equation" - Plant looks happy? Humidity ok. Plant looks stressed/wilted/crispy-edged/soil drying too quickly? Boost the humidity.
Very unscientific, but way better than chasing electronic readings all over the place.

I have noticed over the years, as my trees mature, the canopy gets more dense, more plant matter in general, that this contributes a LOT to the overall balance of things out there.

In the summer, I have misters that are set to come on at certain times, usually during the day when I know the exhaust fans will be running.
I also use foggers.  I did have two - one in the tropical house and one in the orangerie.  The two are separated by a door that remains open so the parrots can move about freely.

I found that the orangerie plants do fine with much lower humidity, so both foggers are now in the tropical area and this is working great.  They run for one hour, off for two hours, 24/7.
I do not use shade cloth anymore. I switched to shade paint and really like it.
I do also get out there with the hose when it is really hot, and everyone gets a bath.  As soon as the birds hear the hose, they all line up for a shower.

In the winter, once I fire up the two gas wall furnaces, I turn the misters off. The furnaces produce a huge amount of water vapor.  I still keep the fogger going.

Like I said, very unscientific, but it works for me.  Less technical monitoring, and more direct observation.

Cheers,
Carolyn

Awesome yard! Glad you found found us!

Carolyn

I have a cinnamon zeylanicum. I don't use the bark but i like to chew on the twigs when I prune, I make tea out of the leaves, and I love to eat the berries.

Carolyn

I'm so sorry to hear about your service animal. That can feel like losing part of your own body.
A couple of thoughts -
1. I would go with something pretty, bushy, and easy to manage, such as gin berry (glycosmis pentaphylla). Unusual, beautiful, takes well to pruning, does great in a pot and grows well from seed. I have them coming up all over my greenhouse just from eating the berries and spitting the seeds out on the floor.
2. Remember, even if a plant fails, her ashes are still in the potting soil, ready to give nutrtion to whatever else you plant in there.

If you want some gin berry seeds to start, I have tons! Just let me know and I can mail you some when I get home on the 26th.

Cheers,
Carolyn

If you can find a reasonably priced 8-10mm polycarbonate panel they are quite sturdy and won't rot.   

I am curious why you want to switch from containers to raised beds.  I find containers really convenient to be able to inspect plant roots and change soil.

I just thought it would look prettier, plus as I get older, it is harder to repot the bigger trees when they need it.

I have grown these for years in my greenhouse, and even sold some seeds here on the forum a few years ago.  I forget where I got the original seeds - I should keep better records!
I love them, and you are right, they fruit quite young.  I have several seedlings goong right now in addition to my mother plant.

Cheers, Carolyn

A double whammy of cyfluthrin spray and systemic imidicloprid is the most effective treatment. I have not had good luck with the Bayer imidicloprid product, so I use LADA drench. Super concentrated. For the cyfluthrin, I use Bayer Tempo.
Good luck!

Carolyn

I just use white plastic "T stake" plant markers and write on them with a paint pen. On one side I print the common name, on the other I put the botanical name. 

Each plant also has an aluminum tag with a code that includes year, plant #, material type (seed, plant, cutting etc), source (collected in the wild, fruit stand, nursery etc), and its assigned acession number. Abbreviations, of course, and those soft tags you engrave with a ballpoint pen.

I have about 150 trees.

Carolyn

His website looks like it is down right now. I'd try again tomorrow.
Because my trees are in pots, I use strictly synthetic, to feed the trees directly. I do have a fairly high organic content to my potting soil, but if a tree needs some nutrients, I don't want to wait months or years after adding organic fertilizers, since they must be broken down first by soil microbes.

Carolyn

As a side question, ive red that sintetic fertilizers do not promote biodiversity in soil,  do they only not promote or also inhibit soil biome?

There is a great website by Robert Pavlis called Garden Myths where he studies and clarifies/debunks a lot of gardening lore. In one, he addresses synthetic fertilizers, and it turns out that the soil microbes are just as non-picky as plants - they will eat anything, organic or synthetic. Soil with lots of organic matter had the highest microbial and fungal diversity, followed by soil receiving synthetic fertilizer, followed last by soil with no amendments.

Carolyn