The Tropical Fruit Forum

Brian: several years ago the local Trader Joe's and Aldi stores carried seedlings for a few $, but they were random, unknown types, and I was super busy so I passed at the time.  Today I am hoping to find specific varietals, as my goal is more than just fruit, I'd like to experience the whole "make my own coffee" thing others have pursued and tired of
Daintree, cool!  I'll reach out to you by PM.
Seanny: yeah, I figured that's the best way, meantime I'm trying to figure out if it's possible to get the processed seeds to get past the root-nubby stage without rotting.

Hi!  Late October 2023 my Cheese Pine variety began blooming.  Its eyes did not smooth out like other pineapples as it developed.

I picked it today, very aromatic.  Softball sized.  Mildly sweet, slightly dry for a pineapple, and no sourness at all.  I'm not sure if this is the variety or that it grew outside here in coastal so cal over the winter with nothing but marine layer and cool temps.  I did enjoy the pineapple. 

All that said, I think I'm going to stop growing pineapples until I have a larger property and room for a green house.  The plants look terrible coming out of winter.

Hi all, does this look like a persian mulberry?  Photos from last april/may, and the fruit was very delicious, great combination of sweet and tart.

There's another tree in the yard that has an even smaller fruit, and the little bobbles on it are larger and have little fronds sticking out from them, but they were rather sour.  There were a number of what I think are pakistani mulberries, 3-6" long fruit, pretty sweet but virtually no tartness.

Thank you for looking.

We're right on six months and my costco or whole foods pineapple has begun to change color from green to yellow-green this week   I don't smell anything yet, taking a whiff daily, so, almost ripe, right? 

This small one's now five months.  It looks almost ready, I'm sniffing it daily waiting for the aromatic fragrance, but, likely needs one more month, right?  I'm rotating the pot every few days to even out exposure to sun (or actual lack thereof).  I'm pretty sure this is one of the MD2 types from costa rica, likely costco purchase.  I don't think they turn the same, full yellow color like the Maui gold ones?

Quick update, this is roughly two months now since the bloom began.  It's probably going to be pretty small I suppose?

Clitoria ternatea

Are butterfly pea beans/pods edible?  I thought they were toxic, only the flowers were safe to eat / steep in water to brew.  Or maybe I mixed it up with the Sweet Pea plant (which are grown for the aroma).

My pineapples look terrible coming out of our wet winter, I left them outside on the patio since I don't have land for a greenhouse and, well, no space inside.  Cheese pine looks the "healthiest" so far, following by one of the grocery-store twist tops which is going to be my very first one to bloom!  This is a twist top from either a costco, whole foods (costa rica), or gelson's pineapple (Maui Gold), and I think finally rooted in 2019 after so many failed attempts. 

Keep in mind the credit card companies have a limit when you can open a dispute, so if this is something you plan to pursue, make sure you are not hesitating.  I was outside the time period so missed out unfortunately.

Is there a way to tell the lucs vs achacha seedlings apart?  I errr I mean a friend of mine mixed them up

Hey, what should I do if I have two 1-year old seedlings per 4" pot of these?  Separate them when I up-pot, or leave them together?

I germinated several grumichama last year, but was out of materials and space, so put two seeds per 4" pot. :p  I plan to up-pot them in a month or two.

Thanks for recommendations!

Quick EDIT:  Kaz, appreciate you are trying to help out.

Kaz, I believe most of us were aware there would be potential long time for custom grafts - the very first post in this thread discloses 6-12 months, so if anyone was not aware of this, that really is on them.  FYI, that post was last edited 4/2021 as of my writing this.  I spent a good deal of time reading it carefully last year July-September to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

The lack of communication is the worst part of this.  Just as he has faced issues in his life (as he posted in June 2022), others, too, face issues.  I reached out to him multiple times, looking for a resolution to my situation since I cannot take the tree anylonger and am met with silence.  This is completely opposite to how he treated me before the order, when he was responsive despite being so very busy.  Once I paid, that was it.  And it's clear from this thread others are having this issue with him as well.

Also, the custom service page has changed since I made the order; before, there was little to no information, you can see old archive here (it was under construction then):
https://web.archive.org/web/20210727042803/https://akmegardens.com/products/custom-grafting-services-cocktail-tree
I made my decision to purchase under the terms and conditions of the first post in this thread.

Hopefully what I've written makes sense, and provides an objective  presentation without emotion.  My goal is not to throw anyone under the bus, make accusations, or draw assumptions.  Rather:  most importantly, to try to find a way to communicate with the seller, and second, let others know what I've experienced so they can make their own decision whether to enter into business with this seller.

For posterity, here's the quote from the first post, it's long I guess but contains sufficient details on this process including the timelines - I tried uploading a PDF of the post so it would be more "official", however, the system converts the first page of the pdf to an image and won't show the remaining pages.  So, hopefully there can be some credibility behind this quote:

CUSTOM COCKTAILS & GRAFTING SERVICES
You may request a custom cocktail tree on any of the available rootstocks. I am very meticulous and artistic with my grafts and will make sure they are carefully positioned with future growth vigor in mind. Additionally, you might occasionally get photographic updates when an action is taken on a cocktail tree you are waiting for as time and weather permits.  Due to volume of orders, however, I cannot guarantee ongoing photos on demand, but will certainly try when I can.  I have been told I’m the only person making custom multi-grafted trees built to order, so please understand I have received an unexpected number of requests since making this unique service available.

I put a lot of careful planning and effort into grafting your trees with viability, growth and aesthetics all in mind. I am also very careful with keeping clean surfaces.  All tools are washed to prevent cross contamination, and scions and trees being joined together are treated so nothing spreads across surfaces.  I inspect every tree and scion for any trace of diseases, weaknesses, pests and infections.

While a few grafts are more common, placing a dozen or more varieties on a larger rootstock is not out of the question for those wanting extreme diversity in a small space. If you want it, I can make it happen. Just please be respectful of the size of the tree, and if you are leaning toward whether you should upgrade or not, always lean toward the upgrade.

My rate is a flat 15 dollars per single grafting procedure per purchased scion (if you'd seen what I go through with some veneers, you'd ask why I don't charge more    ). If you research the costs of single grafted named cultivar trees, then you will truly appreciate the value of my grafting services—especially if you are an avid eBay shopper. Plus, I am housing your cocktail tree, and moving it around constantly for adequate lighting, moisture, treatments and inspections for many months. I must use ample supplies, wear on my tools, personal time and planning, etc. Please be respectful of this modest expectation for my efforts, and imagine the look a barber would give you if you tried to barter with his set rates in the barber shop.       

Please allow 6-12 months for me to process custom grafting services from start to finish.  Sometimes, I can have smaller orders ready more quickly if the tree responds well, but trees and scions can be unpredictable.  In addition, if you order a tree requiring a lot of grafts, I must place them on 2-3 at a time in given intervals over the course of weeks or months to not overstress and kill the tree. Very large projects could take longer than 12 months to complete.  Also, prior to shipping custom grafted trees, I provide them 2-3 weeks of low light conditioning, so they do not shock during transit and absciss any branches.

Also, as the 2020 season taught me, unforeseen acts of God, such as hurricanes or extreme heat waves, can cause delays, failures or damages; and while I will do everything in my ability to correct and replace your trees, scions and grafts at no extra charge (as I did after Hurricane Sally devastated us with a direct hit in 2020), I do ask that you are patient during such events and try to avoid asking for updates every few days on a project which takes months.  I ended up with a far larger customer base than anticipated once we transitioned online last year.  I communicate via email, phone, text, PM’s, social media, etc., when time allows; and while I appreciate everyone wanting an update constantly and instantaneously and feel like they are the only customer, the reality is—they are not—please be respectful of that fact.  I work in the healthcare/medical field by day and am “Plant Man” by night and weekends, while managing an occasional family life with my wife and children—so go easy on me—I will very appreciative and thankful if you do.

I do not ship custom grafted trees until I am sure the graft union is certain with 2 or more (non-deceiving) flushes—but can (reluctantly) ship it at any time if you demand it—loquats are resilient after all. If any graft or tree fails while in my care, however, I will replace the scion and redo the graft at no extra charge. So technically, I am including some insurance while trees are in my care.  If you demand the tree sooner (against my advice), however, and the grafts fail due to premature shipping or while within your care, I am not going to take responsibility for that decision.  I will gladly walk you through grafting some scions on it yourself if you are new to the process.

I understand you are trusting me to craft your tree, and you are investing into these projects; but I am also investing my time, skills, efforts, labor and materials for the convenience of making custom tree art possible. That said, please do not demand deadlines, harass, rush, bash or threaten me (my company or ministry), including on social platforms (yes, a few people have done this), when you become impatient with your project. I am very quick to offer a refund when this occurs, and it is of no concern to me, as a long line of others will gladly snatch the tree up in a heartbeat when it is finally ready.

I will always contact you before shipping your trees to make sure your local temps are safe, you are present to receive the package, and your contact and address information is still accurate.  All orders now process through the website, including custom tickets, and tracking information will be generated and automatically sent to your email once the label is printed.

If you want specific grafting styles performed, please specify cleft, wedge, whip and tongue, veneer, etc., otherwise I will simply choose what I feel is best for the size of scion and location on the tree. You can also opt in for approach grafting if you wish to co-join two or more rootstocks. Also, you may request a photo of your selected tree and instruct me precisely how you want it grafted if you want more control over the process.

 I will perform local grafting services and travel to your property and graft to your trees directly provided you are within Baldwin County or at a reasonable distance from the county (preferably less than 2 hours from Gulf Shores, AL—I cannot stand driving long distances!). I do not have a pricing plan for this service, so perhaps you can make an offer to make it worth my time. If you're really serious about it, I believe I can fly (    ), but you better reach deep and fire up a grill for those ribeyes if you want me traveling to that extent. I suppose anything is possible if you make it worthwhile.    Traveling grafting services would only be available on weekends.
   •   Customized Cocktail Tree Grafting Service – 30 extra per (up to 3) scion grafting procedures (Single Variety, up to 3 Graftings) – Save money by having a Large scion cut into 2-3 pieces and placed on same tree
   •   Customized Cocktail Tree Grafting Service – 15 extra per scion grafting procedure (Single Variety, 1 Grafting)