The Tropical Fruit Forum

Is anybody growing torreya californica? I recently saw a video from Weird Explorer regarding torreya grandis and was wondered if I could try growing a native version. I found t.californica which I also found to be edible like the t.grandis based on the literature out there. But, I've been having a hard time finding seeds and was wondering if anybody had sources.

Do people have any tips for grafting avocadoes in temperate climates? I'm in bay area where itchas mold climate with not too many extremes but quite high moisture. I would like help or tips in things like regarding to timing or technique. Also are there any issues with graft incompatibility?

I recently tried to grafted mexicola and hass onto a rootstock and started from seed last year and it started leafing out this year so I thought I had succeeded, but after examining the graft union it looks like it didn't actually connect. I used a whip and tongue graft on side branches and wrapped the union and whole graft in parafilm and tied it with an elastic. I removed the elastic after a several month so last autumn. I have another rootstock grown from seed as well with the same issue where the grafts don't take. I've tried both whip and tongue as well as topping it with bark grafts on this rootstock. So essentially I can't seem to get any avocado grafts to work on these rootstocks I've had for the last ~6 years. I try a small set of scions every year thinking it'll be different but it seems I'm just wasting my purchases. Any help would be appreciated.

My preliminary searches indicate probably no, but curious if it is possible ship cuttings from non-HLB states to California, or if the only honest legal way is through the CCPP. CCPP is sort of expensive and as a beginner with not a large budget I'm trying to figure out alternative methods of getting scion wood. Also as a beginner at grafting, I've failed quite a bit on citrus so need a little support from having extra.

Hello,

I'm hoping to grow sweeter kinds of citrus but I'm in San Francisco bay area along the coast. I know that since my summer is somewhat short and very mild, this will be difficult. I've heard that the longer the citrus can hang on the tree, the best chance it has of gaining some sweetness. I'm trying to identify any citrus that could potentially fulfill these criteria. I know I won't get anything near a fully sweet orange but, anything that could get at least partway there would be great. These below were pretty much all I could find, and a lot of it was based on just comments by people or articles online.

Oro Blanco pummelo (trying now) - have read that it can hang on tree and doesn't need as much heat to get sweet
Tahitian pummelo - read it tastes great and can potentially do alright in cooler/milder climates
Valentine pummelo - low acidity and can potentially do alright in cooler/milder climates
Murcott mandarin - read somewhere it could potentially do alright in cooler/milder climate
Meiwa kumquat - sweet rind and flesh, less acidic and holds well on trees

Honestly it has been difficult to find any info but I wasn't expecting it to be that easy or extensive. If people had suggestions for other kinds of citrus that could work, I'd love to hear your opinions.

I got a yuzu plant a little while back and seemed to be doing fine for a while. But, as of late it doesn't seem to be doing too well. Some of its leaves are yellowing and dropping, but also is pushing new growth below the main leaves but above the graft. What is wrong with it? I water it when I can tell the soil is dry. Does this look like environmental/soil stressors or more because of pests?

I was hoping to get some plum cuttings as well as some ornamental cherry cuttings, but didn't want to do anything that would be illegal. I know that there are a lot of restrictions when it comes to all citrus entering California due to ACP, but I was wondering if those same level of restrictions and what the restrictions are for cuttings of the prunus genus in general. I was doing to basic researching but since I'm new to gardening I'm a little confused by the rules. It did seem that fruit and soil were carriers for a lot of pests in general so bareroot seems common for a lot of plants being shipped to California. What are peoples experiences with this, or if it is possible at all?

I have a 5 -6 foot avocado bush that I started from a seed that has two main stalks at roughly the same height. The trunk on both are about 2-3 inches. I started the avocado on a whim, but now has started my fascination with gardening. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area near the coast where it doesn't get too hot, which I know may not be the best climate for avocadoes.

I'm new to growing fruits, so wanted to know if it was possible to graft a variety that could potentially flower and fruit in my area. I love my tree and I want to bring it to its full potential by growing fruit on it. I heard that mexicola is very vigorous in fruiting and is cold hardy, I was thinking that maybe this could be a potential variety since the milder climate would only slow but not stop its vigor (maybe...?). also I know that I probably need both A and B flowering types to allow the best chance of fruiting and since I have to two main stalks I thought this might work out. Does anyone have experience with growing avocado in milder/cooler climates, or of which varieties might be good candidate/pairs?

I posted my question in the temperate discussion because my climate is mild but they mentioned that someone here may have some insight. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm new to growing fruits and was hoping if people could help. My family has a somewhat large lemon bush that I believe is Eureka. We have never done anything for it (maybe occasionally fertilize it) and it grows pretty much unattended. It's very vigorous but doesn't produce very good lemons (but a lot of them). The fruit is very yellow, and rather large, and the pith is incredibly thick. The new branches are near straight vertical and based on my preliminary research, I have heard that this is may be typical of Eureka.

It's probably due for a trim soon and the new branches are at least thumb size thickness. Assuming it's a Eureka, my question is whether or not these new branches would make suitable rootstock? I've tested them and they can root, just wondering if Eureka is a good base or if its a waste of time. I was hoping to use the rooted cuttings for later grafting other varieties onto in the future.