The Tropical Fruit Forum

Well, on the bright side they'll keep growing and you'll have seedless mangoes v
I still ate all of my mangoes, regardless if they cracked or not, no seed to deal with.

Keep a large body of water inside the greenhouse, I installed a pond in mine, with cooling pads to circulate the air.
Not only it maintains humidity but it also keeps the greenhouse nice and cool during really hot summers.
Regarding prevention, it's basically maintaining a consistent environment for mangoes to thrive, not just survive.

Waxy,
since you in my area, I like to know when does your longan start flowering?   My graft lychee already started flowering in Dec.  But kohala seedling started about 10yrs ago is still no sign of flowers.  Kohala was in a pot, but I cut out the bottom of the pot last summer so that it can extend it's roots into the ground.  Kohala is about 5-6ft tall now.  survive the cold pretty here even though it is out in the open with no protection.

The Kohala starts flowing at this time to late April. (Spring)
Having planted that tree from a seed, you may experience a delay in growth periods.
Reason being is that we do not have a full consistent growing season compared to other regions.
During dormancy the tree takes several months for it to kick into gear, so we actually get 60-70% of the growing season in our area.
Sometimes weather gets finicky, like we did earlier this year when it was really warm for a week in Jan.

I noticed a lot of flowers started to emerge, then they died off because the freezing weather came back and stayed for almost 2 months.
Good news is that the flowers will regrow itself, just not as heavy as the first flush.
Your Kohala should be flowering this year, if not it'll be any year at this point.

I have 4 varieties, all grown in containers.
I also get harvest from them every year starting in July to October.

- Biew Kiew
- Diamond River
- Kohala
- Sri Chompoo

Kohala can be planted in ground here without issues.
I kept mine outdoors without any protection, looks like the cold weather didn't bother it at all.

Sure , rats and mouses. They mostly empty the fruit from 1 spot and leave you only the shell.

Agreed, they ate 6 of my dragon fruits leaving only the outer shell.
They ate it from the backside, so when it turned read for me to harvest I only received a 2" hole with an empty shell.

- Papaya
- Dragon Fruit
- Sweet Citrus

I stand on them to prune, pick fruit or pollenate and sometimes yell at birds.
Aside from that I stack trays of veggies and seedlings below them.

They're also much easier to carry, also move around with a dolly compared to fabric.
I can see how these could be useful in a more adequate climate.

But they're definitely not easy to clean once soil has been sitting in there.
Giving an honest opinion from someone in the same zone, but to each their own.

I've used them and wasn't a big fan.

Pros
- Easy to store
- Great for air pruning
- Pack into tight spaces
- Encourages quicker root growth

Cons
- Twice the amount of saturation is needed
- Dries up much quicker since it vented all around
- Cannot stand on it
- Cannot stack
- Mold issues
- Clogged

If you live in drier areas and wind (San Jose), I would try it out first before you throw all your eggs in the same basket.

My cat was feral, she stumbled out of the woods when she was a kitten.  Got her young enough to tame her, but can never fully get the feral out of a cat.  She wants to be outdoors most of the time, comes in to eat and sleep, then wants to go back out. 

She is a prolific killer of rats, I have no idea where they keep coming from she gets so many.  Some she eats, I try to take them from her as you never know what they may be carrying.

She is the best cat in the world, she never once has gone to the bathroom in the house.  She doesn't even use the litter box, she only goes outside.  I almost wish she wasn't fixed as she can't live forever.

Yes, we had her fixed, she gets her shots, we do give her flea treatments, etc. 

Now, like I said, if only I could get her to chased the *&#$@& deer out of my yard....

The dog will, but I'm always afraid she may dart out into the street, she is pitch black and there are no street lights on our street, so I do worry about her getting hit by a car.  She is also a good dog, I had a bear that kept knocking over my beehives, the dog took off after that bear fearlessly.  She is a tad nuts sometime, she is a curr, bred to hunt hogs.

That's a very wonderful experience and I'm glad the outcome was so pleasant!
You did the right thing treating her, because I was told that they live a healthier life.

My ferals are the same way too, they'll claw me from time to time but without their paws.
They used to hiss so much but now they stopped, all the do is meow or purr.
They too, do not like staying indoors, they love it outdoors, always finding somewhere high to perch.

I saw her chase after a raccoon omg I thought the coon was going to eat her!
Then her sister showed up, and they double teamed them it was unreal how it happened, totally amazing!

I agree cats are amazing.  I'm curious, do you feed your outdoor cats?  Or are they able to survive on just the rodents and other things they catch?  Also, do you give them flea/tick treatment?

Quote from: waxy on March 19, 2018, 06:47:45 PM

Hate to break it to you, but if you see one rat then there's another 50 waiting somewhere else to forage your garden.
I had the same issue with rodents for several years, spent thousands, literally thousands of dollars on rodent control.

- Exterminators
- Live traps
- Sticky Traps
- Planks
- Water cannons
- Ultrasonic
- Alarms
- Pneumatic rods
The list goes on

Killed dozens a week and they keep coming and coming in swarms.
Literally at night you can hear them chewing on your trees making a new nest.
These aren't small rats, they're large Norwegian roof rats, tail girth is the size of your pinky finger, easily a 2-3 pounder.

During the day, it's squirrels...

Then I introduced 2 feral cats, amazing animals.
Best of all they were free!!!

Came to my scheduled appointment to pick them up at the animal shelter.
- Received all shots (They put down animals infected with rabies)
- Spayed or neutered
- Carriers and toiletry
- Microchipped
- You have a guarantee, if you do not like them return them no questions asked

I spent a few months taming and training them, but you'd have to keep them enclosed for a few weeks.
I took the time and patience to raise mine and it paid off handsomely.

Now, when I'm in the garden, the cats just curl up next to me, sleep or lay in the pots without digging any holes.
I leave 2 litter boxes, 1 on each end of the house.
It's a great feeling knowing you can grow anything and not have rodents eat everything down to a nub.

Hi Barath,

I feed them canned tuna with no bi-product, it's $.66 per 5oz can from the grocery stores.
I split the can in half and mix it with Meow Mix dry food.
I spend 15-20 bucks a month to feed them.

They're only fed when I see them by my door, that means they didn't catch anything that night and they're hungry.
OR they sometimes bring a dead rat or bird to my backyard door expecting for a trade.
They may be feral but sometimes they just chase and kill their prey without eating it.
I don't give them flea or tick meds, they received their shots and don't seem to have issues with fleas yet.
Until they show signs I'll provide them

Mine get along very well with my dogs, I have 3 dogs, 1 toy sized, 2 small sized.
They like to have lunch or dinner together when I feed them it's pretty amazing how wild animals can get along so well.
Unlike humans, it's like we're born to hate and not appreciate company of others.
I also pick mine up and play with them from time to time.

I grew up not liking cats my whole life and skeptical about the outcome, but these 2 have stole my heart and I love them as much as my dogs. They're very affectionate once you take the time to appreciate them. Trust me on this, if you have a big garden, you'll be very happy with cats as their company in the garden speaks volumes of how much more enjoyable your garden can be.

Male cats tend to wander off frequently, female cats will stay with you as long as you provide them food, water and shelter.
They love cardboard boxes, just throw a towel in there and that's all they need.
The maintenance is very low, much easier than my dogs to be honest.

I recently got into soiless propagation of different leafy vegetables, and would like to experiment with tropical/subtropical fruits.
Can anyone add to my list of ideas? Guava?
As of aeroponics, I know of someone who is propagating dragon fruit.
I am open to aeroponic and aquaponic candidates as well.

Papaya
Pineapple
Citrus
Jaboticaba
Passionfruit

Thanks in advance!

Aeroponics will work with the following:

Dragon Fruit
Papaya
Passionfruit

The above will work only on a small scale tree/plant.
As it becomes larger you'll have to dedicate the entire tower or aeroponics structure for a mature tree.
I'm growing the 3 above on a small scale, nothing too massive to show off yet.
They're grown next to my 2" net pots of veggies.
I also use my own blend of nutrients, it's just an experiment to see how they grow.

As they get bigger you'll have to replace the net pots if you're using them.
Lots of attention to detail involved when operating, so I kept it on a smaller scale to see the pros and cons vs soil.
I was actually afraid of the papaya and dragonfruit growing so big it'll break the structure.

I pruned mine in early Jan, there were minimal flowers.
Today, there are clusters of them everywhere and the tree looks much prettier.

Maybe you were looking at a larger size?

99% of the trees typically have a tag with a price on it, marked on the pot or has a picket with the pricing.
If not priced, it may be the only one left. Search within the vicinity to verify.
I've never had an issue with their pricing, during their sales it's usually much less than the marked prices.

Blooming here in San Jose, 9b.
It was going so well, then a cold snap hit us again.

Low 30's to high 20's this week.
Lychee is kept inside a greenhouse, it typically sits outdoors covered.

Check out Costco when you have the chance in spring, there's a massive selection to choose from.
After spring, they lower the prices to 15 bucks a bucket in my area.
There's a large Asian community here, same with SoCal so they always pick the good ones before they are moved off the pallets.