Author Topic: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy  (Read 2986 times)

elouicious

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I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« on: October 20, 2021, 03:20:47 PM »
So far have been able to get good seedlings of what is probably oxyleanus, they even survived winter storm uri-

here is the best one-



Other than that I have a few graveolens but they seem to struggle, i just moved them into the greenhouse



I have read that they grow in clay soil, which I luckily have in abundance, so I have begun to top dress with some clay every once in a while

Forester

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2021, 03:52:52 PM »
There are a lot of such crazy people in Russia, so you are not the only one! ;) ;D
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W.

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2021, 08:14:38 PM »
You're crazy.

Well, you said to tell you that you're crazy. ;D

Durian are finicky and get very large, so growing them in pots is probably not going to work. But, you never can tell. A big enough pot and a large enough (and hot enough) greenhouse, and you might get some fruit. A woman in South Florida managed to get a purple mangosteen to fruit in a large pot, so anything is possible. Plus, I am growing cherimoyas, jackfruits, and mamey sapotes in pots, in Alabama, so I am obviously just as crazy since none of those plants are small container fruit trees.

driftwood

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2021, 08:36:02 PM »
lots of people here grow durian plants

but no one in mainland US growing durian fruit

You're crazy.

Well, you said to tell you that you're crazy. ;D

Durian are finicky and get very large, so growing them in pots is probably not going to work. But, you never can tell. A big enough pot and a large enough (and hot enough) greenhouse, and you might get some fruit. A woman in South Florida managed to get a purple mangosteen to fruit in a large pot, so anything is possible. Plus, I am growing cherimoyas, jackfruits, and mamey sapotes in pots, in Alabama, so I am obviously just as crazy since none of those plants are small container fruit trees.

where did you hear about the purple mangosteen?

sapote

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2021, 08:37:59 PM »
Yeah, I had never thought a mango seedling tree could have fruit at 3 or 4 years old nad less than 7 feet talk. I used to see gigantic mango trees in Maui and Vietnam with 5 feet diameter trunk.
But here in SoCal, 3 or 4 years old 5 feet tall and they have fruits.

brian

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2021, 08:48:47 PM »
I have a couple of them about the same size, just for entertainment to see if it will grow.  They've been pretty healthy, though slow growing.  They did fine in the low light of winter (in greenhouse). 

elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2021, 08:54:06 PM »
There are a lot of such crazy people in Russia, so you are not the only one! ;) ;D

If people can acheive it in Russia Houston should be childs play!

You're crazy.

Well, you said to tell you that you're crazy. ;D

Durian are finicky and get very large, so growing them in pots is probably not going to work. But, you never can tell. A big enough pot and a large enough (and hot enough) greenhouse, and you might get some fruit. A woman in South Florida managed to get a purple mangosteen to fruit in a large pot, so anything is possible. Plus, I am growing cherimoyas, jackfruits, and mamey sapotes in pots, in Alabama, so I am obviously just as crazy since none of those plants are small container fruit trees.

I appreciate you following the title! I am fully aware this may be doomed in the long run, who knows maybe once they get to a certain size I will send them to someone in the Keys or HI, I might start reading books on how to do a proper bonsai as well

I have a couple of them about the same size, just for entertainment to see if it will grow.  They've been pretty healthy, though slow growing.  They did fine in the low light of winter (in greenhouse).

what species? how many years? how tall?

brian

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2021, 09:40:22 PM »
I'm not sure what species mine are.  I don't know much about durians. I got the seeds from forum member (now inactive?) Chuck Liu around Christmas of 2019.  They are almost two years old, and about 1.5ft tall.  Canopy is much like the one in your picture.  Here's one, the other is off in a corner somewhere

bovine421

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2021, 10:50:56 PM »
You are absolutely not crazy. Crazy people do not ask that question.
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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2021, 12:03:28 AM »
There are a lot of such crazy people in Russia, so you are not the only one! ;) ;D

If people can acheive it in Russia Houston should be childs play!

You're crazy.

Well, you said to tell you that you're crazy. ;D

Durian are finicky and get very large, so growing them in pots is probably not going to work. But, you never can tell. A big enough pot and a large enough (and hot enough) greenhouse, and you might get some fruit. A woman in South Florida managed to get a purple mangosteen to fruit in a large pot, so anything is possible. Plus, I am growing cherimoyas, jackfruits, and mamey sapotes in pots, in Alabama, so I am obviously just as crazy since none of those plants are small container fruit trees.

I appreciate you following the title! I am fully aware this may be doomed in the long run, who knows maybe once they get to a certain size I will send them to someone in the Keys or HI, I might start reading books on how to do a proper bonsai as well

I have a couple of them about the same size, just for entertainment to see if it will grow.  They've been pretty healthy, though slow growing.  They did fine in the low light of winter (in greenhouse).

what species? how many years? how tall?

I'll be on standby to receive these babies... ;)

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2021, 03:08:13 AM »
lots of people here grow durian plants

but no one in mainland US growing durian fruit

You're crazy.

Well, you said to tell you that you're crazy. ;D

Durian are finicky and get very large, so growing them in pots is probably not going to work. But, you never can tell. A big enough pot and a large enough (and hot enough) greenhouse, and you might get some fruit. A woman in South Florida managed to get a purple mangosteen to fruit in a large pot, so anything is possible. Plus, I am growing cherimoyas, jackfruits, and mamey sapotes in pots, in Alabama, so I am obviously just as crazy since none of those plants are small container fruit trees.

where did you hear about the purple mangosteen?

It was in the July 2020 Rare Fruit Club International RFCI Miami newsletter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oAV231Qr3S4pNcbZujiGi_11ALq0bNFo/view. Dr. Paulette Johnson managed to fruit both her purple mangosteen and pulasan in 2020. She is the first to ever successfully fruit a pulasan in the continental U.S. and the second (I think), behind Bill Whitman, to do so with a purple mangosteen. Achievements that took a great deal of work on her part. I imagine a similar level of work and experimentation would need to be done to fruit durian in the continental U.S.

ben mango

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2021, 05:01:10 AM »
You are crazy if you think you will ever get one of those to fruit in your climate. Seedling durian trees are often 30+ feet tall when they fruit for the first time. By no means are durio seedlings dwarf. However, I have seen grafted, dwarf-like trees in the Philippines that would fruit, one particular tree that was about 8 feet tall and was in a large fabric pot. The people were able to select this dwarf-like tree out of a nursery of 100s of grafted plants. If you had this option to import grafted , dwarf varieties then maybe someone could get it to fruit in a temperate zone greenhouse , but a seedling ? No way

elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2021, 09:00:00 AM »
I'm not sure what species mine are.  I don't know much about durians. I got the seeds from forum member (now inactive?) Chuck Liu around Christmas of 2019.  They are almost two years old, and about 1.5ft tall.  Canopy is much like the one in your picture.  Here's one, the other is off in a corner somewhere


this is the same source as my aff oxyleanus - chuck said they are green skinned with white flesh, I am not a durian expert but this is the only one I have been able to find with those characteristics

Interesting pot for that one!
« Last Edit: October 21, 2021, 09:53:41 AM by elouicious »

elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2021, 09:52:31 AM »
You are crazy if you think you will ever get one of those to fruit in your climate. Seedling durian trees are often 30+ feet tall when they fruit for the first time. By no means are durio seedlings dwarf. However, I have seen grafted, dwarf-like trees in the Philippines that would fruit, one particular tree that was about 8 feet tall and was in a large fabric pot. The people were able to select this dwarf-like tree out of a nursery of 100s of grafted plants. If you had this option to import grafted , dwarf varieties then maybe someone could get it to fruit in a temperate zone greenhouse , but a seedling ? No way

I must admit to being daunted when I saw the 30ft+ trees in florida that had not produced fruit yet- I have a few legitimate if maybe naive questions though

  • IIRC Bonsai'd trees still produce normal fruit- would it be possible to Bonsai a durian and still get a yield? obviously it would be massively reduced from what would be produced in the wild but believe it or not even 1 durian would be plenty for me for a year or two
  • I am using cloth pots to air prune root systems without causing damage or death (hopefully)
  • Pots are raised on water-resistant treated pallets to prevent rooting through the bottom of pots
  • The aff oxyleanus were "topped" by winter storm Uri as you can maybe tell from the already multibranched stucture in the photographed plant whereas the graveolens is growing with a single lead

anyway I am fully accepting this is a project in lunacy and okay if it fails

P.S. I am doing the same thing with a few Adansonia spp.

P.P.S. happy to hear someone was able to fruit a purple mangosteen in a large cloth pot this is another one of my hairbrained attempts

brian

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2021, 12:03:14 PM »
One day when I build more greenhouses I'll get a grafted durian and plant it in the ground and see if it ever fruits.  For now I'm just curious to see how the seedlings survive. 

driftwood

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #15 on: October 21, 2021, 12:15:43 PM »
lots of people here grow durian plants

but no one in mainland US growing durian fruit

You're crazy.

Well, you said to tell you that you're crazy. ;D

Durian are finicky and get very large, so growing them in pots is probably not going to work. But, you never can tell. A big enough pot and a large enough (and hot enough) greenhouse, and you might get some fruit. A woman in South Florida managed to get a purple mangosteen to fruit in a large pot, so anything is possible. Plus, I am growing cherimoyas, jackfruits, and mamey sapotes in pots, in Alabama, so I am obviously just as crazy since none of those plants are small container fruit trees.

where did you hear about the purple mangosteen?

It was in the July 2020 Rare Fruit Club International RFCI Miami newsletter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oAV231Qr3S4pNcbZujiGi_11ALq0bNFo/view. Dr. Paulette Johnson managed to fruit both her purple mangosteen and pulasan in 2020. She is the first to ever successfully fruit a pulasan in the continental U.S. and the second (I think), behind Bill Whitman, to do so with a purple mangosteen. Achievements that took a great deal of work on her part. I imagine a similar level of work and experimentation would need to be done to fruit durian in the continental U.S.

Very cool. I did not mean to cast doubt but theres always rumors of people growing mangosteen in florida and nobody ever backs it up. Very cool about pulasan too. Yes I know some people are trying hot greenhouses in FL to get durian to fruit. I am thinking there's too many environmental factors like humidity, soil, and seasonal rains that durian gets in its natural environment and goes beyond just temperature for fruiting condition

Orkine

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2021, 06:16:35 PM »
You are Crazy

sapote

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2021, 07:40:44 PM »
I'm not sure what species mine are.  I don't know much about durians. I got the seeds from forum member (now inactive?) Chuck Liu around Christmas of 2019.  They are almost two years old, and about 1.5ft tall.  Canopy is much like the one in your picture.  Here's one, the other is off in a corner somewhere

Picture of the plant looks similar to cherimoya, surge apple and soursoup. I wonder if they are related with durian.

vnomonee

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #18 on: October 21, 2021, 08:03:22 PM »
Hey now, I'm grown a jackfruit in NJ. I am researching the smallest fruit size varieties and will graft that on it low when it is time. We'll see lol

brian

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #19 on: October 21, 2021, 08:43:41 PM »
Hey now, I'm grown a jackfruit in NJ. I am researching the smallest fruit size varieties and will graft that on it low when it is time. We'll see lol

You can definitely do it!  So far jackfruit has been my easiest to grow tree, it grows like a weed.  I was hoping for fruit this year, but maybe next year.  Mine is 9ft tall and I have to prune it constantly to keep it from hitting my greenhouse roof.  I got a Golden Nugget because it was supposed to be small, but everybody seems to report it is the opposite and is extremely vigorous.  I suggest you try some other variety, I am already planning to replace mine with something else that is easier to manage
« Last Edit: October 21, 2021, 08:47:42 PM by brian »

elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #20 on: October 21, 2021, 09:31:34 PM »
You are Crazy

Thanks Orkine-

You're the best- Sugar apples are doing amazing

elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #21 on: October 21, 2021, 09:32:14 PM »
Hey now, I'm grown a jackfruit in NJ. I am researching the smallest fruit size varieties and will graft that on it low when it is time. We'll see lol

Glad to see a zone pusher in the mix!

I am considering ordering the Dwarf Jackfruit from maryoto, that tree has fruit on it at about 6ft id say

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #22 on: October 21, 2021, 09:58:01 PM »
Hey now, I'm grown a jackfruit in NJ. I am researching the smallest fruit size varieties and will graft that on it low when it is time. We'll see lol

You can definitely do it!  So far jackfruit has been my easiest to grow tree, it grows like a weed.  I was hoping for fruit this year, but maybe next year.  Mine is 9ft tall and I have to prune it constantly to keep it from hitting my greenhouse roof.  I got a Golden Nugget because it was supposed to be small, but everybody seems to report it is the opposite and is extremely vigorous.  I suggest you try some other variety, I am already planning to replace mine with something else that is easier to manage

It grows like a weed for me as well. That is the problem, keeping jackfruit relatively small while simultaneously trying to get fruit. I have not figured out how to do that, yet.

elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #23 on: October 21, 2021, 10:00:11 PM »
Hey now, I'm grown a jackfruit in NJ. I am researching the smallest fruit size varieties and will graft that on it low when it is time. We'll see lol

You can definitely do it!  So far jackfruit has been my easiest to grow tree, it grows like a weed.  I was hoping for fruit this year, but maybe next year.  Mine is 9ft tall and I have to prune it constantly to keep it from hitting my greenhouse roof.  I got a Golden Nugget because it was supposed to be small, but everybody seems to report it is the opposite and is extremely vigorous.  I suggest you try some other variety, I am already planning to replace mine with something else that is easier to manage

It grows like a weed for me as well. That is the problem, keeping jackfruit relatively small while simultaneously trying to get fruit. I have not figured out how to do that, yet.

A while ago (it may have been brian now that I think about it) people mentioned that pruning the Jackfruit is tough because it still just chooses to grow as a single straight trunk, and the pruning only slows it down a couple months-

This is part of what gave me hope with the branching structure after the accidental "topping" of the aff oxyleanus

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #24 on: October 21, 2021, 10:03:28 PM »
Hey now, I'm grown a jackfruit in NJ. I am researching the smallest fruit size varieties and will graft that on it low when it is time. We'll see lol

You can definitely do it!  So far jackfruit has been my easiest to grow tree, it grows like a weed.  I was hoping for fruit this year, but maybe next year.  Mine is 9ft tall and I have to prune it constantly to keep it from hitting my greenhouse roof.  I got a Golden Nugget because it was supposed to be small, but everybody seems to report it is the opposite and is extremely vigorous.  I suggest you try some other variety, I am already planning to replace mine with something else that is easier to manage

It grows like a weed for me as well. That is the problem, keeping jackfruit relatively small while simultaneously trying to get fruit. I have not figured out how to do that, yet.
Same here...Mine is reaching 10 ft tall even though I just topped it. Have any of you got flowers yet?


elouicious, those durians are looking good. I would try to get some scions from PR and try grafting when they get a bit larger.

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #25 on: October 21, 2021, 10:36:34 PM »
Hey now, I'm grown a jackfruit in NJ. I am researching the smallest fruit size varieties and will graft that on it low when it is time. We'll see lol

You can definitely do it!  So far jackfruit has been my easiest to grow tree, it grows like a weed.  I was hoping for fruit this year, but maybe next year.  Mine is 9ft tall and I have to prune it constantly to keep it from hitting my greenhouse roof.  I got a Golden Nugget because it was supposed to be small, but everybody seems to report it is the opposite and is extremely vigorous.  I suggest you try some other variety, I am already planning to replace mine with something else that is easier to manage

It grows like a weed for me as well. That is the problem, keeping jackfruit relatively small while simultaneously trying to get fruit. I have not figured out how to do that, yet.

A while ago (it may have been brian now that I think about it) people mentioned that pruning the Jackfruit is tough because it still just chooses to grow as a single straight trunk, and the pruning only slows it down a couple months-

This is part of what gave me hope with the branching structure after the accidental "topping" of the aff oxyleanus

My own incompetence seems to have aided me with growing jackfruit, then. The first winter I had them, I let them get too wet. They almost died, and the top, lead bud on a couple of them did die. Those jackfruits do not have straight, single trunks; they have two relatively straight branches coming up from below where that bud died. Otherwise, they have not branched much, but they are still "bushier" than the seedlings whose top bud did not die. Those jackfruits are growing straight as an arrow and nothing seems to deter them from doing so, though once they hit six foot they finally sent out some side branches.

brian

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #26 on: October 21, 2021, 10:48:19 PM »
I haven't gotten any jackfruit flowers yet, but given that jackfruit flowers from the trunk I would think it would be less affected by pruning compared to many other trees that fruit on new growth. 

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #27 on: October 22, 2021, 06:52:13 PM »
Might be but I guess I am too lol

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elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #28 on: October 22, 2021, 08:33:56 PM »
Haha with the cecropia and the durian you officially have the bug Nick C

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #29 on: October 22, 2021, 09:14:03 PM »
Haha with the cecropia and the durian you officially have the bug Nick C

Oh definitely haha I'm in over my head with plants that have no business being in Jersey. Even have a mamey sapote flowering currently.

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #30 on: October 22, 2021, 10:49:14 PM »
Haha with the cecropia and the durian you officially have the bug Nick C

Oh definitely haha I'm in over my head with plants that have no business being in Jersey. Even have a mamey sapote flowering currently.

Welcome to the club, Nick.

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #31 on: October 22, 2021, 11:01:30 PM »
One day when I build more greenhouses I'll get a grafted durian and plant it in the ground and see if it ever fruits.  For now I'm just curious to see how the seedlings survive.

The tree will not be happy in the winter when the ground is so cold, you would be better off keeping it in a large pot.

brian

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #32 on: October 23, 2021, 10:23:18 AM »
insulated perimeter wall in the current one, and also likely soil heating in the next one :)

elouicious

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #33 on: October 23, 2021, 10:46:02 AM »
One day when I build more greenhouses I'll get a grafted durian and plant it in the ground and see if it ever fruits.  For now I'm just curious to see how the seedlings survive.

The tree will not be happy in the winter when the ground is so cold, you would be better off keeping it in a large pot.

This brings up another question I have about growing things in permanent greenhouses-

My understanding is that, with the exception of areas with permafrost, once you get down to a certain depth, the soil temperature is pretty standard at most places on the planet.

I believe this is one of the basic operating principles of pit gardens.

Obviously surface level axillary roots exposed to chill would potentially die, but the tap root going down should be fine?

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #34 on: October 23, 2021, 06:22:18 PM »
Awesome experiment! Will follow how this goes.  About 15 years ago I experimented quite a bit with durian seedlings.  I killed more durians and mangosteen than I could remember. In my zone 10, I had them planted in ground in an unheated greenhouse.  The durian survived about 4 winters or so grew to about 3.5ft to 4 ft but tiny trunk still considerably young trees, but a couple bad back to back winters we had here killed them.  I noticed they grew extremely fast in the beginning but slowed down afterwards. My durian seem to die starting from the root up while mangosteens would die starting from the stem down, lol.

Orkine

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #35 on: October 23, 2021, 07:09:42 PM »
You are Crazy

Thanks Orkine-

You're the best- Sugar apples are doing amazing
Thank you, glad to hear they are.

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Re: I'm growing Durian in Pots- Tell me I'm Crazy
« Reply #36 on: October 23, 2021, 09:39:46 PM »
One day when I build more greenhouses I'll get a grafted durian and plant it in the ground and see if it ever fruits.  For now I'm just curious to see how the seedlings survive.

The tree will not be happy in the winter when the ground is so cold, you would be better off keeping it in a large pot.

This brings up another question I have about growing things in permanent greenhouses-

My understanding is that, with the exception of areas with permafrost, once you get down to a certain depth, the soil temperature is pretty standard at most places on the planet.

I believe this is one of the basic operating principles of pit gardens.

Obviously surface level axillary roots exposed to chill would potentially die, but the tap root going down should be fine?

That is also the principle behind geo air greenhouses, a system I plan on implementing when I build my greenhouse.

But, I think one's geology, water table, and soil composition would also have a big effect when growing finicky plants such as durians and mangosteens in-ground. In addition to insulating/separating the greenhouse protected soil from the outside soil, it might be advisable to create in-ground planters or areas of differing soil composition to accommodate those finicky plants. That is what Adolf Grimal did at Grimal Grove on Big Pine Key and was a key to his success in growing so many fruit trees with disparate needs.