Author Topic: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?  (Read 710 times)

onur

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Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« on: April 07, 2023, 05:17:38 PM »
Hi All

Can anyone with experience recommend tropical fruits that can be grown inside the house environment in New Jersey?

Thanks
« Last Edit: April 07, 2023, 06:02:40 PM by onur »

Tropicaltoba

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2023, 06:32:02 PM »
I haven’t grown this non climate controlled environment, but cattley guava (strawberry guava) seems to be the most trouble free tropical fruit tree I have. No pests (in cold climate) doesn’t get waterlogged, flowers year round (in my greenhouse) and produces large amounts of a good tasting fruit. I think the fruit can be astringent, but i think it way have been to me initially underwatering. I assume it needs as mush sun as you can give it. It also has nice glossy leaves and interesting exfoliating bark. I think it has major problems with carribean fruit fly laying maggots in the fruit (florida), it is also invasive in places like Hawaii.

Also grew coffee bean tree indoors in front of a window(nice plant as well) and was able to get some fruit. But it has a huge problem with mealey bugs to to point where it wasn’t worth keeping.

onur

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2023, 06:41:24 PM »
Thank you. I guess you have some jabuticabas in a heated green house, right? Do you think they will do fine inside the house during cold season?

Tropicaltoba

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2023, 07:41:28 PM »
My Jabo is great I love it, it also loves a lot of water. I have a bonsai friend of mine a seedling I had and it dropped all its leaves (really messy) when I took it out of the greenhouse and despite a humidified it didn’t re leaf yet. The issue here in the northern plains it that in the winter interior humidity drops to 10-15% and I don’t think the Jabo liked that. I also takes a while to get fruit (probably longer if it’s not growing in ideal climate) It can also get hammered by aphids, the tree can handle it fine but it’s messy with the honeydew and the frass. Also if u have non plant fanatic family members they don’t like bugs they won’t encourage further expansion of your hobby.

brian

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2023, 07:58:21 PM »
I think humidity would be the most important factor for growing indoors.  Citrus grows in areas with very low humidity.  Sugar apple might be worth trying, I started a seedling indoors over winter and it didn't defoliate like the ones in my greenhouse did.   Try surinam cherry, maybe tropical guava, they all fruit at small sizes in containers.  Grafted sapotes might even work... not sure if they need high humidity but they fruit at small sizes. 

brian

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2023, 08:01:33 PM »
Miracle berry seems happy in low light environments also.  I was surprised to see the one I gave to a relative (who grows it in a container in their kitchen in NJ) looked way better than the ones I had growing in full sun in my greenhouse.  Since I moved them to nearly full shade they look much happier... despite supposedly being full sun plants. 

Bunchosia (peanut better fruit) will fruit in a container at fairly small size, again not sure if it needs humidity but worth trying.

K-Rimes

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2023, 10:46:18 PM »
Miracle berry seems happy in low light environments also.  I was surprised to see the one I gave to a relative (who grows it in a container in their kitchen in NJ) looked way better than the ones I had growing in full sun in my greenhouse.  Since I moved them to nearly full shade they look much happier... despite supposedly being full sun plants. 

Bunchosia (peanut better fruit) will fruit in a container at fairly small size, again not sure if it needs humidity but worth trying.

My read on miracle berry is that it can take all the sun in in the world *IF* it is very humid. Saw massive 6-8' tall ones in Costa Rica pretty much full sun. Tried them in full CA sun and all got roasted. I've since given up on them, kind of a novelty anyways.

brian

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2023, 12:04:41 AM »
Yeah even a 3gal one will make more berries than you can use.  They are tasty enough in their own right, but the novelty effect really is astounding for anyone who has never tried it.  Anybody who can grow one should, for the benefit of those who have no idea it even exists :)

onur

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2023, 04:38:35 PM »
Thank you all!  I may have to move to New York or New Jersey. These states have different growing zones ranging from 3 to 7. I have bananas, mangos, jabuticabas, guavas, dragon fruits, surinam cherries, CORGs, pitombas, white sapotes, ross sapote, red mombin, achacha, abiu, and feijoas. I know feijoas are the only ones that will do fine outside.

Do you think my trees will do fine in a simple green house in zone 6 or 7 ?  Or should I just take some of my trees and try to keep the rest in FL?

Nick C

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2023, 05:51:17 PM »
Thank you all!  I may have to move to New York or New Jersey. These states have different growing zones ranging from 3 to 7. I have bananas, mangos, jabuticabas, guavas, dragon fruits, surinam cherries, CORGs, pitombas, white sapotes, ross sapote, red mombin, achacha, abiu, and feijoas. I know feijoas are the only ones that will do fine outside.

Do you think my trees will do fine in a simple green house in zone 6 or 7 ?  Or should I just take some of my trees and try to keep the rest in FL?

It would definitely need to be a heated greenhouse

onur

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2023, 06:45:14 PM »
Thank you all!  I may have to move to New York or New Jersey. These states have different growing zones ranging from 3 to 7. I have bananas, mangos, jabuticabas, guavas, dragon fruits, surinam cherries, CORGs, pitombas, white sapotes, ross sapote, red mombin, achacha, abiu, and feijoas. I know feijoas are the only ones that will do fine outside.

Do you think my trees will do fine in a simple green house in zone 6 or 7 ?  Or should I just take some of my trees and try to keep the rest in FL?

It would definitely need to be a heated greenhouse

Thanks. Would those trees do well in New Jersey in a heated greenhouse?

brian

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2023, 09:06:07 PM »
I have a heated greenhouse in PA zone6 and am growing pretty much everything on your list and more.  You should be fine if you are willing to heat it.  I have my heater set to 55F but you could orobably get away with 40F or maybe even lower

Daintree

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2023, 09:20:43 AM »
I had all my trees in the house before I built my greenhouse, and at least for me, light and humidity were the two deciding factors between life and death. Light through windows is not enough for most trees.  Luckily LED lighting has come way down in price. I had fluorescent at the time, and it really does take a lot of light to give them what they need.
It's way more fun to build a greenhouse if you have the room!
I am in zone 6 and have a heated greenhouse. In winter, light is still the limiting factor. I have supplemental light to make up for the shorter days.
We are high desert, so in the summer the sun just beats down with no relief. I used to use shade cloth, but have switched to shade paint and more ventilation, and am super happy with it.

Carolyn

onur

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #13 on: April 09, 2023, 06:22:22 PM »
Thank you Brian and Carolyn. Which type of green house do you use? A polycarbonate greenhouse? Are there heater-humidifier combo equipments for GHs in the market?  Or should I build the whole set up by individually? And I should still put grow lights in the GH, shouldn't I?

Daintree

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #14 on: April 09, 2023, 06:50:07 PM »
I bought a poly kit that had steel posts, then added on with a wooden framed poly addition. Then my hubby built a porch and pergola for the front of it. My STRONG recommendation is to figure out big you need it, then DOUBLE it!

I use regular shop lights on adjustable ropes, so I can raise and lower them according to who needs how much light, which seems to be fine for supplemental light in the winter.  Grow lights, to me, aren't really worth the money.

Because my greenhouse(es) have a door between the old and new portions, airflow is slightly restricted, so I have two cheap wall mounted gas furnaces - one at either end. This picture is looking from the "orangerie", which I built out of 2x4's, into the "tropical house" which was the original kit.

The heaters do put out a lot of water vapor, but I still have two foggers, one in each area.  They are made out of 5-head floating ultrasonic mist makers in 15 gallon toy tubs, with a little fan.  They work really well.  In the summer, I also have patio misters strung throughout, that come on a couple times a day.  We have very low humidity here, and the exhaust fans just suck the moisture right out during the summer.
Great fun!

onur

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Re: Tropical fruit trees inside the house in New Jersey?
« Reply #15 on: April 10, 2023, 01:14:23 AM »
I bought a poly kit that had steel posts, then added on with a wooden framed poly addition. Then my hubby built a porch and pergola for the front of it. My STRONG recommendation is to figure out big you need it, then DOUBLE it!

I use regular shop lights on adjustable ropes, so I can raise and lower them according to who needs how much light, which seems to be fine for supplemental light in the winter.  Grow lights, to me, aren't really worth the money.

Because my greenhouse(es) have a door between the old and new portions, airflow is slightly restricted, so I have two cheap wall mounted gas furnaces - one at either end. This picture is looking from the "orangerie", which I built out of 2x4's, into the "tropical house" which was the original kit.

The heaters do put out a lot of water vapor, but I still have two foggers, one in each area.  They are made out of 5-head floating ultrasonic mist makers in 15 gallon toy tubs, with a little fan.  They work really well.  In the summer, I also have patio misters strung throughout, that come on a couple times a day.  We have very low humidity here, and the exhaust fans just suck the moisture right out during the summer.
Great fun!

Wow! Your GHs are super cool! I am not sure if I can build something like those. I know they have to be strong so they can withstand wind and snow.
« Last Edit: April 12, 2023, 05:11:45 PM by onur »