The Tropical Fruit Forum

When my greenhouse trees are looking pale and puny and I am not quite sure what is up, I hit them with some Southern Ag Citrus Nutritional Spray.

Carolyn

So, two things -

1. As far as a dolly goes, I had a PotWheelz and LOVED it! I had the smaller kind, but it still worked really well.  It is just like a hand truck, only it holds potted plants. I sold mine after I totally quit moving plants more than a couple of feet around the greenhouse. I suppose if you have a welder, you could turn a hand truck into a pot dolly.

2. I disagree on the dragon fruit.  There are some REALLY tasty varieties out there, and you can keep them pruned down.  I have three varieties.  Get the self-fertile ones, makes it way easier!
A guy here in Nampa Idaho (zone 6/7) is growing them commercially in his backyard greenhouse! As each new variety fruits, he does a little video and rates them.  He sells the fruits for $6 each and rooted cuttings for $20 each.
Our Master Gardener group visited his setup. The plants you see in the picture are fruiting size, and some are actually fruiting now. He has four plants, four different varieties in each pot.
You can check out his fruit-tasting videos on Facebook at Treasure Valley Tropical Fruit LLC

I don't think monstera fruits could kill you. The unripe fruits have so much calcium oxalate that you spit it out. Feels like you are eating shards of glass.

I would add darned near all the solanums. Eat a few pounds of green tomatoes and you can die. Garden huckleberries, and most of those nightshades with small black fruits are poisonous green and/or raw.

Apples, peaches and kiwis are the fruits most likely to cause anaphylaxis in allergic individuals, and if we broaden the category we could include all the nuts. Of course, allergies don't apply to everyoone...

Fun game!

Carolyn

Awesome! I have to brush up on my French!

So last year, a local nursery was selling 'Cipo' orange trees in 12" hanging baskets. I didn't get one this year, but was thinking of one for next year, and moving it (Soon? Eventually?) into a regular pot on a stand.
The pictures that Logee's has shows a VERY small grafted plant with a bunch of oranges... 

Has anyone grown this tree?
General thoughts on hanging orange trees actually producing?

Carolyn

My husband and I love to travel.
I love rare tropical fruits. Hubby tolerates my weirdness in this respect wonderfully.
So I am starting to compile a list of rare tropical fruit farms and botanical gardens, worldwide.
Then, when we travel to a certain area, I have already scoped out all of the great locations.
I have missed some great places because I didn't research well enough before a previous trip. But no more!
Suggestions please!

Here is what I have on my tiny list so far -
Florida USA, Grimal Grove on Big Pine Key, Fairchild, Fruit and Spice Park,
Australia, Botanical Ark in Mossman QLD
Costa Rica, Paul Zink's place
Singapore, Singapore Botanical Gardens


Cheers,
Carolyn

Not a waste of time, per se, but you could also go wider. Gives more space for the lateral roots to spread  out.  I only ever go up one pot size at a time, to avoid mud in the bottom of the pot.

Because all my plants are in pots, I frequently prune taproots. The only plants that seems to resent this treatment are jackfruit.

Carolyn

I tend to do most of my seed sprouting in the winter, because that is when we travel and I collect my seeds. I start them in the greenhouse on heat mats, and under a lamp on a timer.  For the most part I start in regular pots and may move them to tree pots once they don't need the heat mat.
Pot size depends on seed size and habit.
I usually start jackfruit trees in tree pots.
Annonas and other fairly large seeds go into 5" pots.
Tiny seeds go into tiny pots.
I use the same soilless mix for all of them (peat, compost, perlite) but sift it for the tiny seeds.
I cover the seeds (thickness depends on seed size) with straight dampened vermiculite. Seems to hold moisture longer than regular soil.

poncirsguy, how long have those been in the ground?

Actually, I have personal experience with this.
Both chemo, and when taking Paxlovid.
They DO get rid of the horrible metallic taste in your mouth!
They actually make your saliva taste sweeter, according to my mom, husband and sister, and they were not saying it to trick me.  My sister was even getting up in the middle of the night to take them when her mouth tasted so bad.
They work both fresh and frozen, but if you eat them frozen, don't let them thaw first, and they do not last as long frozen. I had a huge number set on at once and froze them as an experiment. I vacuum sealed them.
But once again, they DO WORK to get rid of the metallic taste from chemo and Paxlovid.

Carolyn

Great idea Carolyn. Will something like this suffice?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07Y36FWTT?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Yeah, that looks great.  Mine has three sensors, so I can do outdoors, the tropical house and the orangerie. But if you just have one room that is perfect. And you can view it from your phone.