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Topics - Giannhs

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Pouteria sapota production with chill hours?
« on: January 21, 2024, 07:51:11 AM »
Hi everyone,
i have been reading for days about Pouteria sapota, it is generally described as tropical, some sources say no frost tolerance and moderate wind tolerance, but here https://www.monaconatureencyclopedia.com/pouteria-sapota/?lang=en i found that an adult tree can withstand slightly below zero for a short time, and this seems to be the case at my place, coastal Greece, frosts are not expected, and even if there is frost once or quite rarely twice a year, it will not last more than 2 consecutive nights, in other words it is just like zone 10 so an adult Pouteria sapota will not be damaged by frost; on the other hand, we do have chill hours, typically above +6 C during night, a few times i recorded +4 C this year so far, the place is generally not windy, but sometimes there are whistling winds from the sea SE. At daytime it rarely goes below +9 C (well, other years might be colder).
In short, i am sure that Pouteria sapota can survive in my yard, but, given the chill hours, will it bear fruit to be worth the price, as it is bitterly expensive to buy a Pouteria sapota little tree here. Seeds are cheap, yes, and AFAIK seeds produce stronger trees, but will seeds produce (after how long time) a self productive and satisfactorily productive tree?
Your advice please!

2
Hi! I have bought some Annona crassifolia seeds from rarepalmseeds.com and have tried to germinate them. Previously, i ordered 3 seeds of Annona crassifolia from tradewindsfruit but they were seized at the Greek post office so i lost them and wasted the price. That is not fair, because seeds from tradewindsfruit are sanitized and they pose no danger whatsoever, but they fell to the wrong hands and i cannot help with it. In the past i had received from tradewindsfruit, and even now others receive here; it depends on who will be the clerk at the customs house, and we have no way to find that out.
Now i have the seeds from rarepalmseeds, but rarepalmseeds has a bad habit of keeping their seeds until sold out, so you often buy old seeds. Now, Annona crassifolia seeds have a reputation of being hard to germinate, and in fact none of them has germinated so far. I asked the seller at rarepalmseeds and even they don't know about sprouting Annona crassifolia - they only buy and resell, they advised me to ask at a forum - that is HERE. Has anyone here sprouted Annona crassifolia? Your advice please! The fact that the seeds are difficult to germinate may also mean that the seeds are durable over long time, so it would not be too bad if they sell old seeds in this case - however some other Annonas like Annona montana have short-lived seeds. Anyway, nobody knows better than experience. Waiting for information, thank you!
Also, information on pollination of Annona crassifolia would be much appreciated.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / help to treat papaya disease
« on: June 10, 2022, 08:58:23 AM »
Hi, you can see the pictures in fb page here https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1644130822629124&id=100010966652076
the papaya leaves have stopped growing, they are yellowish, thick and rigid. My friend suspects ringspot virus. The tree has been sprayed with insecticide.
Your suggestions please if it can be healed. Or, would it be better to completely destroy the diseased tree so the disease does not spread?
Thank you!

4
Hi! i found some information on the internet, rather ambiguous and contradicting, about Kadsura coccinea. Anyone share personal opinion about it? I know it suits my climate, but how big (long) the vine grows, how big the fruit, what about its pollination, and its value as food.
From experience please, not pasting from sites.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / information about Annona senegalensis
« on: October 18, 2021, 04:24:05 PM »
Hi, i read about https://www.tradewindsfruit.com/annona-senegalensis-wild-custard-apple-seeds this tree which is said to be great not only for its fruit but also for its flowers and leaves and every part of it. I m still puzzled, because Annonas in general are thought to be dangerous because of annonacin in their leaves, seeds, or peel; also, such a small fruit 5 cm at most, may have very little to eat if it is full of inedible seeds. So, is it worthwhile? Any experience about it?
Thank you!

6
Tropical Fruit Discussion / red jaboticaba, quick to fruit
« on: June 23, 2021, 01:38:55 PM »
Hi! today i longed for this: https://www.tradewindsfruit.com/plinia-cauliflora-acu-paulista-seeds but i cannot afford it because i do not have any free space for it, maybe in the future... So, since i cannot have it, i let you know, so my friends, all fruit lovers here, have a chance to enjoy it! cheers!

7
Hi! Yucca capensis is nowhere in the forum yet, still i hope somebody knows about it.

Do you think it is self fertile or not? I can grow at least two of them together, will they set fruit then? What about a single plant?

I hope it is NOT like yucca baccata, that would be bad news as yucca baccata needs a special species of insect to cross pollinate and that special insect is obviously not available away from the plant's native range.

I have only seen the fruit of Yucca capensis in photos, is there anybody here who knows more about that fruit? Or about yuccas in general, aren't there self-fruiting species of yucca?

Thank you.

8
Hi! i saw somebody on youtube who tried a cassabanana for the first time and said that the leaves and seeds are poisonous. Is there any truth in it? So, if i put whole pieces of a cassabanana in a juicer, will it yield some poison from crushed seeds or maybe from the fruit skin? And then, if you eat it still unripe as a vegetable, would you remove the seeds?
They say it can be grown in temperate areas as a long season annual, but let us suppose i sprout it indoors during April (north hemisphere) in 9b zone and after it sprouts i take it outside, will it grow to bear ripe fruit before winter?
And what will happen if i sow the seeds in June, will it have time to bear fruit?
Thank you for your experience!

9
Hi! my persimmon makes lots of flowers, but every year (this year not yet) it drops lots of fruit while they are still unripe during summer. It still produces a good number of ripe fruit during winter. I m not sure what cultivar it is, it is the type that can be eaten only when fully mature, better maturing on the tree. Somebody told me the tree does so because it cannot keep all those fruit. I still don't understand much. If the tree cannot keep the fruit, then why does it make so many fruits to grow almost the size of a ripe fruit and then lets them fall prematurely? And, could the fruit still be preserved (until maturity) by means of adding some fertilizing material, or by means of more pruning? Or by means of what?
Your expertise will be greatly useful on this matter. Thank you!

10
Hi,
this site https://www.palmaverde.nl/en/cudrania-tricuspidata.html?id=229030139 says Cudrania tricuspidata "Gives fruit without pollination", but here https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cudrania+tricuspidata they say "both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required". So i m a little confused. I m thinking to plant two female trees, will they fruit or not? Maybe they will fruit but with seedless fruit? (even better, if that is the case). What is your experience?

By the way, any advice on watering and exposure to sun? Does Che prefer sun or shade?

thank you!

11
Temperate Fruit Discussion / Akebia how long wait for fruit
« on: March 07, 2021, 11:04:01 AM »
Hi! i have never seen an akebia unless in photos, so can you please inform me about the fruit: how long will it take to produce fruit since i plant it? In other words, how old should the plant be to produce fruit? Do the fruit fall from the vine when ripe? I have read that the fruit "case" is bitter, but does it lose all bitterness if kept overnight in water? Or should we notch it before immersing in water to remove the bitterness? How would you describe the taste of the pulp and of the "casing" of the fruit? Are flowers or leaves eatable?
Any known danger to the vines like maybe harmed by direct sunlight? Harmed by shade? Harmed by watering during winter? How tolerant to wind? To occasional snow?
In the few recent years here temperature did not go below zero, but usually there is snow once every year.
Thank you!

12
Tropical Fruit Discussion / bean sprouter for germinating other seeds
« on: December 25, 2020, 02:45:56 PM »
Hi! this year i got a bean sprouter machine, it is very simple, just keeps temperature inside at 25 C and showers the seeds for a few seconds every one hour. I thought it would be ideal for germinating seeds that need no cold stratification. It does work well for mango seeds. However, i tried with small seeds like papaya, guava, and Jarilla caudata: put in a plastic cup with many holes for drainage but no soil, just naked seeds kept warm and humid in the machine. To my surprise, nothing of these has germinated! A real surprise, because papaya seeds from market fruit just thrown on the ground sprouted like weeds every springtime, guava germinated easily outdoors and all Jarilla seeds i sowed outdoors this past summer germinated - although no plant survived, the sly cats damaged the young shoots and the last one was destroyed because of heavy soil and strong winds of early winter while it was still too tender. Anyway, all those did germinate outdoors, but they are not germinating in the bean sprouter machine. Can somebody explain it?
After that, i put some seeds in clean potting soil and keep them moist in cut halves of plastic bottles at room temperature indoors, but those cut halves do not drain, they rely on evaporation for keeping not too wet. Even those in the potting soil have not germinated, about 5 days now. Some light of experience on the matter? thanks!

13
Tropical Fruit Discussion / how much watering in how cold weather?
« on: November 29, 2020, 03:18:42 PM »
I have learnt the hard way (by losing promising and expensive plants) that we must not water in cold season. But now it is a changeable weather, during the day we had +18 C while during the night it reached +12 C, near the coast that is (on the hill nearby it reached 0 C a few days ago). So, how cold should it be to stop watering altogether? How much can we water when it is around +10 C? and about +5 C? Is there some practical rule about it?
I appreciate if you share your expertise.

14
Since information is scarce about the rarer Cyphomandras, i m sharing my experience, the first year it produced lots of flowers but they all fell without producing fruit. The second year some flowers fell immature, but most of them turned to fruit, without pollination from a second plant. The fruit is the size of an olive, some are the size of a big fat olive, while others are the size of a small olive; anyway, they are generally not palatable, while some of them might be called nearly tasty, mostly their taste is usually that of a lightly baked eggplant with some fruity sweetness added, and just as often eggplants, the c. corymbiflora fruit give a biting/stinging sensation to the palate (solanoiid alcaloids i suppose); the fruit skin is very thin and soft, so they should be eaten with the skin (after they fall from the bush and get soft to finger pressure; before that, they are hard like wood); however, the fruit, which smell like tomato leaves when picked, if kept for a little while they give a fragrance similar to feijoa. In small quantities they can make an interesting addition to a fruit salad. There is no copyright about this information, you can share with anyone.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Nelumbo nucifera - what do you feed to it?
« on: October 07, 2020, 03:48:29 AM »
Hi all,
as you know Nelumbo is planted by scatching (scarifying) its shell and then putting in water, adding water as it grows. My question is: will it live in water only? In nature, it spreads roots in the mud bottom of a pond; but as we grow it in a bucket, should we leave it with water only? Or should we add mud to the bucket, or sand, or some other substances that the Nelumbo plant can use to draw nutrients? What do you add to the water?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Cyphomandra sibundoyensis "forest tamarillo"
« on: August 24, 2020, 08:52:41 AM »
Cyphomandra sibundoyensis "forest tamarillo", i m in doubt whether i should plant it or not. I have never seen or tasted a fruit of it, so is it worth? Is it hardy enough to stand -2 celsius for 2 days? Your experience with it? Thank you!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / space for Passiflora roots
« on: May 27, 2020, 07:47:11 AM »
It is well known that Passiflora incarnata needs limited space for its roots in order to bloom and fruit. If it has ample space, the plant will keep growing but not produce flowers and fruit.
So i wish to know about other Passifloras, should they also have LIMITED space for their roots (e.g. in a pot), or will they produce fruit if they have AMPLE space in the ground for their roots?


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i saw this post http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=28392.msg322377#msg322377 but i know Entada is hard to grow, obviously it needs scarification, otherwise it will float in the ocean for 100 years until it finds land and gets naturally scarified.
A few years ago i bought some Entada raetii seeds and scratched them on rough concrete, then put them in water, then they absorbed water and started to grow a root, but when that root became less than a centimetre, the seed started getting rotten. This happened three times if i remember well.
Any tips to grow it successfully?
Then, is the pod or seed edible?
Still i wonder if it needs huge space for its roots and for its liana. Has anyone grown it in a pot? Will it smother a tall tree if planted next to it?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Carissa macrocarpa flower to fruit?
« on: May 10, 2020, 05:07:04 PM »
H, i have never tasted Carissa macrocarpa, reading another thread i got the impression that i may be disappointed as people do not seem to like it. Anyway, last year i had one Carissa macrocarpa, it made plenty of scented flowers, but no fruit; why so? If i have 2 or 3 plants next to each other, will they pollinate each other so that all of them produce fruit? And by the way, your own opinion about its worth as fruit?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / fertility of papaya-pubescens-serena?
« on: May 04, 2020, 11:32:12 AM »
Hi! Has anyone grown this type of papaya: https://www.andrewsgarden.be/en/exotic-tropical-fruit-trees/papaya-pubescens-serena/a-190-16 I have bought 4 seedlings of it, and only one is alive and growing. One was received broken; the other two withered and dried up for no known reason. I have given them plenty of water, in a big container each, which is cut around the bottom for draining. I might be satisfied with only one, but will one of this variety produce fruit? What are the chances?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / grown Honey Mezquite, Prosopis Glandulosa?
« on: April 27, 2020, 11:18:59 AM »
Has anybody grown Honey Mezquite, (Prosopis Glandulosa)? I wish to know, first of all, if one tree alone can bear fruit. How old should the tree be to start bearing fruit? Does it need plenty of water (on well drained soil) when it is very young (one year old seedling)? Or is it dangerous to water it?
Thank you

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Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Cyrtocarpa edulis
« on: April 17, 2020, 04:32:11 PM »
Hi! has anybody some experience of Cyrtocarpa edulis? I am trying to grow it from seeds, so far i have seen none sprouting. Do the seeds need scarification before planting? Any tips for germinating them? Then, is it a self-fertile tree? Welcome any knowledge about that tree. Thank you.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Geoffroea-decorticans and cacti
« on: March 14, 2020, 11:48:52 AM »
Hi!
Ggeoffroea-decorticans is a very hardy and very productive tree as they describe it, i have not yet grown it, and i thought it is self fertile since it belongs to the Fabaceae, and the Fabaceae, to my knowledge, are self fertile plants. However, i found a web page were it says
"Pollinators: Bees, Insects
Self-fertile: No"
And it says nothing more about it. I m thinking, maybe they don't call it self fertile because it needs bees and insects to fertilize it? Or is it dioecious, or the male organs open not at the same time as the female ones? In short, i wish to know what makes it not self fertile, if it is really so.
And by the way, what is your knowledge about cacti (stenocereus), are they monoecious or what?
Thank you!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / passiflora quadrangularis pollinate each other?
« on: December 29, 2019, 02:49:44 PM »
Hi all growers!
i m planning to plant two plants of passiflora quadrangularis, and i have a little hesitation because it is generally described as not self fertile. But what if i plant two of them close to each other? will they pollinate each other? Since this is said to be very common a plant in the tropics, what is your experience?
By the way, if i plant two passiflora ligularis next to each other, will they pollinate each other?
Thank you!

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