The Tropical Fruit Forum

Just was looking for a couple banana cultivars on Going Bananas of Homestead's website and noticed that they no longer do any mailouts of product.  Apparently they are only cash & carry now.

So where should one look for a decent selection of banana cultivars here in Florida that do ship?  Or is it mostly a scatter-shot effort?

Ssuggestions welcomed . . . .

Cheers!

Paul M.
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Found this blurb in the "Tico Times", a Costarrican Online Newspaper and thought that it might be of interest on some level to our TFF members:

The Del Monte Zero pineapple, grown exclusively in Costa Rica by Fresh Del Monte has become a finalist in the New Launch category of the 2023 World Sustainability Awards, to take place this coming October in Amsterdam. This category highlights innovative products or services unveiled in the past year that have an instantaneous positive societal effect.

What makes Del Monte’s Zero unique? “This pineapple is the world’s first to achieve carbon neutral certification,” noted Michael Calderon, a Del Monte spokesman. “The accolade signifies a harmonious equilibrium between emitted greenhouse gases and proactive endeavors, and constant monitoring of our transportation fleet’s emissions to minimize the carbon footprint”. Other areas contributing to the nomination showed the company has curtailed greenhouse gases by a whopping 22.64%, purchased six new fuel-efficient transportation vessels and initiated renewable solar and wind energy installations in California and Costa Rica."

(Source: TicoTimes)

¡Pura Vida!

Paul M.
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The Garcinias I know from here in Brazil are all shade loving forest species. They actually grow taller in extremely shaded conditions and less in full sun. They rise from he forest floor across a decade or so before fruiting. My false mangosteen and true mangosteen seem to act the same and it’s all a similar climate (equatorial pluvial forest). This is a feature of the garcinias because you can plant them together with other big trees and they’ll happily grow.

The recent thread mentioning that Garcinias tend to like some shade is interesting and illuminating (no pun intended).

This has prompted me to wonder whether much the same may apply to certain Eugenia species, and if so which ones in particular.

I'm sure that there are TFF members growing various Eugenia species who can comment on whether they seem to do better when provided more shade, or.....?

Some shade is surely inportant for many tropicals, especially with the intense heat and strong sun that so many of us have been experiencing this season.  [whew!]

Comments invited!

Paul M.
Tampa — 9b
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Are 'Nam Doc Mai' and 'Nam Doc Mai #4' the same or are they different?

If different then how, exactly?  And how does one know the difference?  Are there visible ways to tell?

I'm still mostly novice with mangoes so help is appreciated . . . .

Cheers!

Paul M.
Tampa — 9b
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A friend says that she is using black plastic electrician's tape as she is starting experimenting with graftng some mangoes.

That prompts me to ask what options/materials/tapes are availabe and/or are appropriate for securing grafted material together?

I also noticed on another post today someone asking about when to remove aluminum foil from a graft unon area. So how useful s aluminum foil for wrapping/securing a graft?  Is there any sort of galvanic reaction that a grafted plant might react negatively to?

Has anyone tried using Florist Tape to secure grafts?  That is a waxed crepe paper tape that is stretchy and used to wrap corsages together with.  Would that be useful for grafting?

What other materials are suitable for grafting?

Enquiring minds and all that rot . . . .

Paul M.
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Since we've just been going on about fast-growing mangoes I thought I'd ask about what are our members' favorite condo, dwarf, or semi-dwarf mango cultivars for Florda 9b might be.

I'm currently growing:

BEVERLY
FAIRCHILD
ICE CREAM
IRWIN'S
PICKERING

'Beverly' was like 8ft tall in a 7gal pot and suddenly just up and died for no reason that I could tell.  Oddly my 'Fairchild', in a 5gal pot and six feet tall, died back too, but is still alive above the graft union and has sprouted a few new leaves so it may recover.

Now I am wondering what other dwarf of semi-dwarf mango cultivars you would suggest.  I'm open to suggestions or recommendations.

Cheers!

Paul
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Are there any of our TFF members growing Garcinia prainiana successfully in 9b?

I would like to try it and although it is very cold sensitive it can be kept small, about six feet tall and in a pot so that it can be brought in during cooler times, but still will fruit at that small size, at least so as the various reports online that I have read indicate.

Have looked for plants online but every place seems out-of-stock at this writing.  (Would rather have an established 2- to 3-yo plant than seeds.)

Would very much welcome some feedback from any of our members who've had success growing this in central Florida.  (I'm reasonably sure that someone here must have!)  If it looks doable in 9b then I will make an extensive search for a plant.

Cheers!

Paul M.
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Looking for a reasonably priced ($12 or under), rooted 'flavicarpa' as a companion/pollinator for my existing 'flavicarpa'.

Something in a one gallon pot and about 10-inches tall would be OK.

Even cuttings might be OK if they would survive being mailed during 90º weather.

PM me, please.

Paul M.
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My oldest pitangatuba, obtained from Adam S. three years ago, has finally set some fruit.  Here in Tampa this past week we had some windy weather and several ripe fruit blew off the bush.

I found them on the ground next to the bush late the next day; there were three.  One was small with no seed and fairly fibrous.  The middlesized one was yellow just verging onto orange and was probably on the overripe side.  The third one was large, about 1-in. in diameter.  These were round and not the elongated fruits sometimes seen.

They were not particularly sour, but had enough sweetness to balance the sourness, and a nice aromatic flavor and aftertaste which only vaguely suggested the flavor of pitangas.  I will have to try a few more to have a better idea for how to describe the flavor, but I found it to be pleasant.  It seems like allowing the fruits to ripen for a day after picking them (or having had them fall of into your hand when you touch them) lets them get a little sweeter.

Now I have two big seeds to plant.  Can anyone please advise me how long pitangatuba seeds are viable after being removed from the fruit?  Do they need to be kept damp?

Cheers!

Paul M.
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After reading several of the Kwai Muk threads plus the most recent one wondering about varieties of Kwai Muk (Artocarpus parvus) and at least one comment about the flavor of the fruits from different individuals, I'm prompted to ask if anything is known about whether culture and/or feeding of this species affects the fruits' flavor.  And even possibly the climate or soil in which the tree is being grown . . .  Or could it even be simply how ripe the fruit is when consumed?

This may be a longshot bevy of questions but still, someone may know something since there are now more folks trying to grow this species.

Just curious . . . .

Paul M.
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Gentle TFF Members,

I have one fruit hanging on my 'Gefner' right now in late October.  It had two fruits eariler this season but, sadly, my neighbor broke one off while asking me about it.

The remaining one is approximately 3-inches+ in diameter and I am wondering when it should be ripe.

What is the best way to tell?  I'm unsure what to look for to be able to know since this is the first time this tree has set any fruit.  It's in a 5-gallon pot; does that make any difference?

Any/all suggestions would be appreciated.

TIA

Paul M.
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Got to wondering whether selecting material (seeds or plants) of Annona macroprophyllata from the upper elevations of its natural habitat range would provide material which would be better suited to tolerating our cool winter temperatures here in Florida (9b).

Are there any TFF members growing such 'upper elevation' ilamas in central Florida who may have noticed better cold tolerance of theirs?

Or maybe member Raul in México will chime in here with some info since he collects seeds of this species in the wild.

¡Pura Tertulia!

Paul M.
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Could someone please point me toward a Florida nursery that is offering Kwai Muk in say, 3 gallon pots, and that is willing to ship?  So far my searching comes up 'out-of-stock' everywhere.  Not lookng for a tiny seedling and would prefer to pay somewhat less than $100.

Wanting to try growing this here in 9b.

Fingers X-ed.

TIA

Paul M.
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