The Tropical Fruit Forum

Way back I ordered some Musa velutina pink banana seeds and since I had no experience with planting banana seeds all failed to germinate.

Today I received another batch with very specific instructions on how to get them to germinate and my fingers are crossed.

I know they're seedy, but I wonder if anyone has tried selecting from less seedy fruits to get fewer seeds across several generations?

Anyway, has anyone in So. Flo. or other warm climate successfully grown these? Comments? Suggestions?

I have tried growing these before by trying to start from five seeds I bought, none germinated. So I'm now awaiting 20 more seeds and I am going to give them another try.

Does anyone have experience growing these? Can you give and advice on how to get best germination rate and methods to plant them in favorable soil get them to bear fruit?

PS. I have a number of true dwarf banana plants and have had great success with them.

Well it was more than the tree could hold and the massive amount of new growth along with a large crop of fruit, a huge chunk of my mulberry tree broke off. I spent the better part of a day chopping it up holding larger branches to cut into pieces less than 5" around for feeding my firepit next year.

I left an enormous pile of branches for the trash guys but they were gone in an hour and it was not a trash day, it seems my neighbor took it for wood to smoke meats.

Gads the wood oozes so much latex I'd have thought that it would make meat taste like a surgeon's glove :-) After reading that many use seasoned mulberry with the dried bark as a smoke wood I still have reservations on smoking food with it. To that end I started skinning / bark removing a bunch of them to try smoking meat with.

My questions are...

Does anyone here use mulberry in their smoker?

If so do you use it with or without the bark?

If so have you tried it with and without the bark and do you notice a flavor difference in the meat??

Also I buy a truckload of "Australian pine" for the firepit. The seller says it's a HARD wood (proven by my giving up trying to chop it) and makes delightful smoke wood.

Any comments on Australian pine as a smoke wood?

I was at a flea market last weekend and a grower had a little guava with a half dozen fruits on it?

I'm seeing two types of parafilm nowadays, Parafilm M. Laboratory tape and  Parafilm Grafting tape. Does anyone know how they are different?

This year has been an exceptionally long fruiting season (2+ months) for my Sabara. Anyone else?

I'd finally given up on my Mamey and since it's in a better location that where I have a ruby red Guava I'm thinking about moving the guava there. It's about 7' tall with a trunk about 1 1/2" thick and has been in ground ~2 years. Before I do, I'd like to know what a reasonable expectation of success would be.

I would prune the roots at the surface (down about 10") a month or so around the root ball, and after moving prune back the canopy. Prep the hole with a sandy loamy native soil and home made compost mix in a 70/30 or so concentration and keep it hydrated afterward and maybe screen the remaining canopy from harsh midday sun.

What would be the best time frame to do it? now while it's semi dormant or when it warms up a bit here in south Florida?

Does my plan of action sound reasonable? Or, should I not move it.

I have a half dozen dwarf bananas and have great success with them. I have a Zebrina Rojo which is in ground well over two years and has given me nothing but problems.

First let me say it's between two dwarf cavendish (within a few feet) and is given the same care as the others which have no issues. Now the leaves on the Rojo come out gang busters but eventually the newest one will stop growing out and the next one to come out will get strangled by the failing immature leaf. This before a flag leaf erupts. Eventually this plant dies and more pups erupt from the ground which eventually die.

I've tried increasing / decreasing water to it as well as increasing fertilizing it (using Excalibur's fertilizer) to no avail. Funny years ago I had a couple of other Rojo which did well. What to do? Move the plant or new shoots to start a new corm? Could it be missing something that the other plants are not needing? Any advice will be appreciated.

The Rojo is an attractive plant and want it if for no other reason than to add some eye candy to the yard.

Yesterday I was up in Palm Beach County and a street seller was selling bags of this little green fruit that she called "Hermacito" They bear a striking resemblance to Lemon Drop Mangosteen in several ways except obviously its green versus yellow color.

Size, the same thick outer shell as LDM, fruit meat held tightly onto the large seed (thought the meat is stringy) and is "challenging" to eat but it's tart and sweet. It's flavor has citrus overtones also.

Does anyone have info on this one?   Google was of no help despite trying several spelling variations.  PS, I've saved seeds since I KNOW if this is in any  way interesting I'll get requests for them :-)

I'm thinking of planting some sunflowers and wildflowers in my yard. I do not have grass but I do have a creeping peanut.

Any ideas on interplanting among what I have?

This is the first year I had seeds germinate.

Free for pickup in north Broward. No shipping.

Wowser! The fruit from my tree is pretty small this year likely due to the dry winter, and they're not as plentiful as past years but sweeettt?  This bush has never produced fruit this sweet.

Has anyone else in so. Flo had a similar experience with their Jabo?

 

I'm in S.E Florifa (North Broward) and I have a few seedlings in ground  and before I pull them out I'd like to offer any locals with a shovel and pot to come and take them. If you're lucky there may be some fruit ready to take also.

PM for info.