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Topics - Lumi-Ukko

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / What if I did this? <Eugenia thread>

« on: September 24, 2025, 11:56:27 PM »

Background: I'll soon have a decent sized plot of land, so...

Inspired by others here, I've been wondering about if I threw all my eugenias into the ground in the same general area, what fun could nature have? How may of the eugenias can cross pollinate to create new fruits? What if I just went Neil Young and Crazy Horse and just put them all together.

a) Is it worth it for generating new variations?
b) Am I gonna end up with a bunch of sterile seedfruit?
c) Can I throw in some other Myrtyceae for sh1ts and giggles?

I'm sure there's a whole lot of other questions and considerations I am not thinking of. Throw them in here.

Citrus General Discussion / Variegation in one small Calamondin branch

« on: May 21, 2025, 11:01:57 PM »

I have a Naranjita San Jose, I believe known as Calamondin in English, that we grow mainly for the parrots and sometimes to enjoy with miracle fruit. I noticed a strange quirk in that a small branch from one of the main branches has variegated leaves. Is this normal to happen? It fruits well, even on the variegated branch, and aesthetically it's pleasing. I jut find it odd that maybe <5% of the tree is variegated and the rest looks normal.

Should I propagate some of the variegated wood?

Tropical Fruit Discussion / Various Tree Issues - Advice Welcome

« on: April 02, 2025, 09:00:40 PM »

I have a few trees that have been doing pretty poorly for a while now. I followed all information I could on potting medium, and in the case of the Jaboticaba, it is in it's second mix of soil (now 8 months in). Any insights to fixing these issues before I lose the trees would be welcomed.

Annona Montana: I battle clorosis all the time with it, but I have noticed an "Anthracnose-like" issue to the leaves. I have not been able to identify it and in turn, not able to treat effectively.

Jaboticaba: I have two trees, with both being similar in their issues. I get plenty of growth, but whatever does grow is always showing nutrient deficiencies. I have tried all sorts of weak fertilizer teas, epsom salts, iron chelates, and so on, but just cannot seem to get rid of the chlorosis. My water here is alkaline but I soil test occasionally to find it to be on the lightly acidic side of things.

Ilama: This just seems to put out very weak growth which dies off quite fast. I did get a flower recently but it dropped. To be honest it ever seemed the most happy but I thought it would respond at some point to my TLC. Again seems to have clorosis that I cannot seem to rid it of.

Carambola/Starfruit: Persistent die-back. I keep the tree in partial shade due to the sun intensity down here. This is the second carambola I have had die back. The last one died after I washed off it's roots and ground planted it in the hope to save it. I've all but given up hope on this one unless someone has an idea worth it.

Small Durian grafts: Terrible die back, which seemed occurred after a trip I took where I left the watering in the hands of someone else. Have not been able to get them to bounce back and wondered if the strong direct sun down here was also to blame, so moved to partial shade where they seem to still suffer.

Pulasan:
A lot of leaf curl. Seems to be an issue with my other Pulasan too. However other treess that are similar such as Longan and Long Kong are thriving and doing well.

I know that the heat we have now through to June is insane (38-45c and with lowish humidities), but all the trees shown here are in partial shade. I did wonder if it is overwatering, though I tend to plant with well draining soil mixes to alleviate that given the heat here means I need to run the sprinklers most days. As for my other trees, mostly are thriving, even with the various infestations and so on that I periodically have to deal with. I just can't seem to get a handle on these ones listed above.

Thanks,
Peter

Tropical Fruit Discussion / Fruit Tree suggestion requested

« on: February 12, 2025, 10:07:41 PM »

I'm looking for advice on a perfect fruit tree to fit a very particular location I have free, and suggestions are requested. I am in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico for those familiar with the batshit hot weather and extremes we have. Here's the low-down on the environment, requirements:

- Climate is Hot-subtropical. Absolute minimums are 12c, typically 20c in January and 27c-30c in May. Maximums are 24-32c in January, building up to highs of 40-45c in May.
- Location is 50% part-shade winter, to 75% shade in summer.
- Must be tolerant of flooding in wet season (June to October). Receives a lot of water still in dry season.
- Must tolerate a decent amount of wind.
- Bedrock and soil is slightly alkaline, but...
- Will be surrounded by Geese, so will get a lot of goose poop, so soil will be nitrogen rich and at least neutral.
- Needs to be fast growing to avoid being pecked at but not grow very tall or have a huge root system.

All other variables can be handled easily.

Any suggestions? The hole is already available (currently backfilled) where I planted a cacao tree that perished a year ago. Would love to hear what you are all thinking. I can replace the soil in the hole with a new mixture in case of fungal probs.

Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / WTB Kwai Muk / Artocarpus Hypargyraeus Seeds (USA) or tree/seeds (Mexico)

« on: November 19, 2024, 04:13:07 PM »

Haven't seen any recent postings for this species.

I am wishing to purchase Kwai Muk seeds or trees in USA or Mexico.

If sold in USA, seeds only preferred.
If sold in Mexico, seeds or trees/saplings.

Please DM if you have any to offer. Many thanks in advance,
Peter

Tropical Fruit Discussion / Miracle Fruit Advice Requested

« on: August 13, 2024, 01:25:43 AM »

I'm not a big fan of starting a new topic for every question when I think adding it to an existing thread helps consolidate useful information. However, the last thread I could find labelled for Miracle Fruit advice turned into a bit of a snipefest. Even the forum code suggested I open a new thread instead of replying to the older one. So anyhow, here goes...

I have a metre or so tall Miracle Fruit tree in a roughly 15 gallon pot that I planted around a year ago. for the best part of time it did well, and when it started to look a bit iffy, I managed to perk it up with some acidifying fertilizer and got a decent berry harvest for the second time. However, it soon started to look sick again, which I initially put down to our crazy record-breaking hot dry season this past spring. However, two solid months into rainy season and it still isn't looking great.

Some background. I potted it with a mix of perlite, local topsoil, compost, and peat moss. Our local soil is very alkaline and tends to clay up when wet. The well water that is used to irrigate it during drier spells is also very alkaline. I've been religiously giving coffee grounds, sulfur, and measuring the pH to get it into optimal range, plus occasional weak compost tea and foliar sprays, so I am thinking I have other issues.

So what next? In my opinion I think that the soil has sludged up, or salt/saline conditions are taking over. I drilled lots of big holes to the pot to help drainage, but I think the roots are just too wet still. Sadly I think I will need to pull it from it's pot and try to repot it with a cleaner mixture.

My questions are:

1) Am I even on the right track with my thoughts? Can I try something else before going defcon 1? I'll try to add a photo of the tree/leaves tomorrow
2) I heard that Miracle Fruit get upset very easy when the roots are disturbed. How would I go about cleaning up any sludgy mess should I find it?
3) Related to #2, is there any suggested substrate mix which will avoid using my local crappy topsoil? I have most ingredients one could need, so it would be about putting these into an applicable mixture.
4) Am I crazy even trying? She's an already decent sized tree and don't want to give up on it.

Thank you in advance of any replies.

Tropical Fruit Discussion / Root Pruning Container Trees (Zone 12A)

« on: May 16, 2024, 06:50:28 PM »

I have a few trees either losing vigour, or will be up-potted into larger containers. Amongst these are Ataulfo Mango, Caimito, Starfruit, Miracle Berry/Fruit, Breadfruit, guava, cacao, and Lychee.

Information seems hard to find on several questions I have. Namely:

1) Are all these trees receptive to root pruning.
2) How much is OK or what is too much?
3) When is the best time to do it in a climate like mine (currently hellish hot/dry, June onwards is wet and hot). Can I get away with doing this in the coming wet season when there'll be plenty of good moisture, but conversely more chance of fungal infections?
4) Are there any requirements for inoculating the roots, or treating the roots after pruning?

If any of you kind souls out there have any experience or suggestions in any of the above, particularly with my trees, I am all ears and it would be much appreciated.

Tropical Fruit Discussion / Ice Cream Bean help

« on: April 12, 2024, 09:47:17 PM »

Reaching out to any experts on Ice Cream Bean Tree growing for help on what could be wrong with my containered Inga.

One of my trees seems to grow new leaflets frequently and in that sense seems to be thriving. However, soon after they open and elongate, they fall off. The older leaves from last year are looking fine, and I have not really changed much since then. Since I have a basic soil, I have added (not all at once) a mild dressing of phosphorous rock, some weak iron chelate drench, foliar sprays with humic and fulvic acids and micronutrients, plus a trichoderma drench to take care of any soil pathogens, but it still continues to do the same. For all intents and purposes, it looks chlorotic but I cannot seem to fix the issue. The crazy part is, I have a second, smaller tree (last two photos), that is thriving with the same general soil mixture, sun exposure, water regime, and so on.

Currently, we are in the very hot and very dry season, which takes it's toll on all my trees and plants. Had I not have a second thriving tree, I would not have questioned the issue and put it down to seasonal stress or a micronutrient problem from the basic soil.

Hopefully someone has some suggestions.

Sick tree:

Healthy Tree: