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Topics - Galatians522

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1
Tropical Fruit Buy, Sell & Trade / Top Tropicals New Location in Highlands County
« on: March 03, 2023, 10:53:23 PM »
Looks like Top Tropicals has opened a new location off of SR 66 near Sebring. The public entrance is at 9100 McRoy. They are open from 9-4 on Fridays and Saturdays. There was a very nice selection of plants from what I saw.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/ftmyers/bfarm.htm&ved=2ahUKEwiQ2KbupMH9AhUDRzABHUnxDqkQFnoFCIMBEAE&usg=AOvVaw1dH6cu-rW3QebErQrcqyWA

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Tropical Vegetables and Other Edibles / Biter Melon Aril Tastes like Cherry Candy?
« on: February 26, 2023, 08:14:03 PM »
I was reading Baker Creek's seed catalogue and it says that the ripe aril on their Jyunpaku bitter melon from Okinowa is sweet and tastes like cherry candy. Can anyone verify if this is true and if there is enough flesh to bother with? If it is, I may have to grow some just to try it. Note: for anyone who does not know, the aril is edible but the seeds are poisonous.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Tropical Fruit Holiday Foods
« on: December 05, 2022, 10:32:49 PM »
Have you tried using tropical fruit as a substitute in a favorite holiday recipee? Or have you come up with a new dish that you would like to try? Maybe you tried something and it was a failure. Share your ideas here! If you have a recipee to share let us know that you'll be posting something in the recipe section.

Here are some of mine to get us started:

I like freezing sliced green mango that dropped earlier in the year to use in apple recipes this time of year. Works like a charm--we had some tonight actually.

As for failures, I can verify that Suriname cherries do not make a great cherry pie. We tried this once when I was a kid. That was the only pie I ever remember getting thrown away.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Tips for Shipping/Recieving Tropicals by Mail
« on: July 24, 2022, 01:24:15 PM »
A recent thread got me thinking that we need a place to exchange constructive advice about how to best ship/recieve the rare planting material or products that we value as a part of this group. Hopefully, those of you who have lots of experience with this will comment so that others can learn from your experience.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Heaviest Mango 2022
« on: July 18, 2022, 09:44:51 PM »
Just curious what everyone's largest/heaviest mango has been for the year. A Friend gave me a mango off her tree today that weighs 3lbs 6oz. And from what she said that was not the largest fruit on the tree! I suspect that the tree is a Springfels or maybe a seedling of Springfels.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Most Cold Hardy Dragonfruit?
« on: May 14, 2022, 03:05:22 PM »
Texas Mark posted a while back about how his Sugar Dragon survived some pretty extreme cold when his green house lost power. That got me thinking that there might be some clones with more cold tollerence than most people realize. I was hoping everyone could chime in on what varieties they are growing and what temperature they have survived without getting damaged. My Delight got toasted pretty good in the mid 20s here. I am especially interested in information on any of the forms of Paul Thimpson's S8 (Sugar Dragon/Voodoo Child) and Houghton (its parent) if you have them. Thanks for your help!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Jack Bean for Nematodes
« on: May 06, 2022, 10:37:28 PM »
There has been a lot of discussion lately about dealing with root knot nematodes. So, I thought people might be interested in this article. Apparently, Jack Bean seed powder is highly effective at controling nematodes. 1% inclusion in potting soil (by weight) reduced nematoed galling by 98%!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242752702_Soil_Amendment_with_Castor_Bean_Oilcake_and_Jack_Bean_Seed_Powder_to_Control_Meloidogyne_javanica_on_Tomato_Roots&ved=2ahUKEwih-OeAqsz3AhVvrmoFHXuRCQAQFnoECDcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1uTiG1yMcsJau3lR_tQcDw

According to my calculations that would require an application rate of approximately 4 cups of jack bean seed powder per square foot. Assuming that 1 cubic foot of soil (sand) weighs 100 lbs and that most nematodes inhabit the top 10" of the soil matrix. One would also have applied approximately 1,500 lbs of total nitrogen per acre (most of it presumably slowly available). Assuming that jack bean powder would weigh about the same as chick pea flour and that jack bean seeds are 4.5% nitrogen (equivalent to 29% protein).

There always seems to be a catch...

8
Tropical Fruit Discussion / May Mango Bloom in Florida???
« on: May 06, 2022, 09:59:45 PM »
So, I was out in the yard today and noticed that an okrung mango seedling has some bloom just starting. I pruned it back hard around the beginning of April because of cold damage (I didn't have time to freeze protect the tree because of everything else I had going on). I have always thought that somewhere around the middle of April was the latest opportunity for mango bloom here, but I guess I was wrong.  8)

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Il Primo Grape
« on: March 30, 2022, 10:13:38 PM »
Has anyone grown the Il Primo Grape mentioned in this youtube video? It is supposed to be one of the best bunch grapes for Florida, but there is not much information out there.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DQcFjzpdUgZE&ved=2ahUKEwi9yZ3tou_2AhVZQzABHXmUCLUQtwJ6BAgLEAI&usg=AOvVaw0PQVSzOTLaaD0qoZ1rbFZA

Here is the only other source I found.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://floridagrapes.weebly.com/varieties.html&ved=2ahUKEwi9yZ3tou_2AhVZQzABHXmUCLUQFnoECAQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2QqL0E4ZpLdd3jv6ql_cR6

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Temperate Fruit Buy, Sell, & Trade / Looking for Florida low chill plum budwood
« on: March 06, 2022, 09:14:31 PM »
Looking for budwood of any low chill plums that might do well in central Florida (250 chill hours or less). I am especially interested in the Gulf series plums (Gulf Gold, Gulf Ruby, Gulf Blaze, and Gulf Beauty) since I have grown them in the past successfully but would be interested in others as well. Already have Scarlet Beauty, a chickisaw plum with decent sized fruit that had been a rootstock (Sharpe?), and am trying Guthrie.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Best Options for Preserving Jackfruit
« on: December 15, 2021, 10:35:27 PM »
The idea for this topic came to me while reading another thread. One of the big challenges with Jacks is that they come in such large packages. As has been pointed out, it can be hard to eat that much fruit before it goes bad. Here is what has worked for me:

1). Clean the jackfruit
2). Freeze the jackfruit in quantities you can eat before it spoils
3). Thaw and enjoy

Remarkably, I have noticed very little change in texture with frozen and thawed jackfruit, but I have not kept it for long periods of time. Please feel free to comment and add other ideas or thoughts.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Cherimoya Rootstock Increases Yield in Sugar Apple
« on: October 12, 2021, 10:45:26 PM »
I was doing some reading and came accross this article from an Isreli study. To sumarize, Sugar Apple scions grafted to Cherimoya rootstock in this study were almost twice as productive as those grafted to Sugar Apple roots and far more productive than Cherimoya grafted to Cherimoya roots. In addition, the cross grafted trees had larger trunk diameters, heavier fruits, and a higher proportion of edible pulp.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333247923_Effect_of_grafting_of_sugar_apple_A_squamosa_scion_on_the_cherimoya_A_cherimola_rootstock_on_annona_fruit_production_under_the_climatic_conditions_of_South_Lebanon&ved=2ahUKEwjrhtzgqMbzAhVKQjABHTGBDN0QFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0PEzfg3OVPVNN3N8PP2rXL&cshid=1634092662493

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Tropical Vegetables and Other Edibles / Cassava Root Rot
« on: October 11, 2021, 09:31:17 PM »
Does anyone know what can be done to prevent root rot in cassava (Manihot esculenta)? What I have seen on-line indicates that most of the rots are caused by fungus. I have some friends growing some in their yard and the roots are rotting. The soil is sandy and well drained, but the lawn is watered all the time and I see nematode issues on a lot of the other plants in the yard. So, I am thinking that the nematode damage is creating an entrance for fungus that is causing the rot. Any other thoughts?

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Tropical Vegetables and Other Edibles / Miracle Fruit Makes Cranberry Hibiscus Awesome!
« on: September 22, 2021, 10:23:40 PM »
We discovered by accident the other day that if you eat Cranberry Hibiscus (Hibiscus Acetocella) leaf after a miracle fruit it tastes amazing! It is almost like eating a sald with a sweet/sour vinaigrette dressing built into the leaves. I did not realize that the leaves had a sweet component to them until eating them after miracle fruit!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Amboina Lychee
« on: June 07, 2021, 11:27:07 PM »
Amboina is suposedly the earliest lychee cultivar (ripening in April/May). As I understand it, the main knock against it is that the fruits are rather tart. It is also suposed to be difficult to airlayer but grows from seed fairly reliably (if that is a good thing in this case). Does anyone have this lychee or experience growing it?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Interspecific/Intergeneric Dragonfruit Grafting
« on: April 15, 2021, 09:55:22 PM »
This post is about grafting Dragonfruit onto other cactus species and the benefits that this may provide. Even though Cacti have remarkable variation in appearence, they tend to have a high degree of graft compatibility within the family. I am wondering how we as fruit growers can use this to our advantage.

For example, maybe crest grafting to sturdy columnar cacti could create a permanent/inexpensive trellis that grew with the vine and never rotted? Or possibly some of the more drought tollerent species can be used as rootstocks in arid locations (such as Stenocerus pruinosus)? We might even find rootstocks that improve fruit size or quality.

I have successfully grafted dragonfruit to peruvian apple cactus (what species that is I will leave to the experts). I also have another graft on an unidentified semi-columnar cactus that is doing well. Opuntia (as suggested elsewhere on this forum) did not work for me, but that may just have been poor technique.

What are your thoughts and experiences?

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Tropical Vegetables and Other Edibles / Fiji Asparagus aka Pit Pit or Duruka (Saccharum Edule)
« on: December 26, 2020, 10:15:05 PM »
Does anyone have any experience growing this (especially in Florida)? I understand that the unopened flower bud is considered a delicacy but is only availabe for a month or two each year. Sugarcane grows easily for me and I thought this might be interesting. Mike T posted about it on one of the sugarcane threads.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Merry Christmas 2020
« on: December 25, 2020, 07:42:22 AM »
Merry Christmas to all of you! It is nice to have a reason to celebrate after such a crazy year. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Increasing Grafted Jackfruit Vigor
« on: December 01, 2020, 08:46:18 PM »
Like a number of other people on this forum, I have observed that Jackfruit trees seem to be stunted by grafting. The only exception I ever observed to this was at the home of the late Wayne Clifton. He had a 2yr old grafted Jackfruit that was growing as well as any seedling. Being somewhat shocked by this, I asked him how he did it. He showed me that the tree had a double rootstock. Apparently, he had approach grafted a second rootstock to the tree shortly after it was planted and in doing so restored the tree's vigor. Has anyone else ever seen something like this? Is it really just that easy, or did I miss something?

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