========================================== Rare Fruit News Online - All Year for 2004 ========================================== Rare Fruit News Online - January 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200401A.txt _____________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Flu, Colds, Pneumonia - Our family and the families of our San Diego children have been hammered. How have you fared? After a week or more, I'm beginning to feel much better, with only a residual cough. Resolution: Try to get caught up with outdoors chores. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Fallbrook, CA Linda L Nickerson <><><> Readers Write <><><> Okinawan purple sweet potato Alan Schroeder Pineapple plants Ben Pierce Mango Fruit Drop Problem Rajiv Bhatarkar Yellow Pitaya Blooms, Puzzles, Jujube Succumb James Freedner Re: Rare Fruit Recommendations For Coastal S. California? PetMarv@aol.com Re: Hawthorne seeds - Reference Manual Recommended christopher.marshall@att.net <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For San Diego Chapter Of CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><>Bot-Linx List <> From: "Scott D. Russell" An Introduction to the Styx - Tasmania's Valley of the Giants Tue, 16 Dec 2003 02:43:16 -0600 http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/forests/tasmania/styx/styxintro/ <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> Recipe - DULCE DE PAPAYA (candied papaya) "brbrunner" Black Sapote ripening "Dan" Re: Black Sapote ripening james singer Re: Black Sapote ripening Console G4 Re: Re: Black Sapote ripening Erika Mackenzie Re: Re: Black Sapote ripening Console G4 Re: Re: Black Sapote ripening From: "Warren Condon" Black Sapote "Sheryl Backhouse" Re: Black Sapote sex "oscarrj" Kefir Limes "Erica Lynne" Re: Kefir Limes james singer Kaffir Lime. was Kefir Limes Sérgio Duarte Re: Raspberries in south Florida "George F. Emerich" Re: Papaya "tabbydan" Re: papayas - from cuttings? Erika Mackenzie <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Groundbreaking for Horticultural Research Facility ARS News Service Soil Makes the Difference for Water Quality ARS News Service New Defense Against Insects ARS News Service Quicker Tests for E. Coli ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Fallbrook, CA From: Linda L Nickerson Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 11:27:32 -0800 Our real names are Linda Nickerson and Gery Kesslau, Fallbrook, CA. We have a variety of fruit trees ranging from the traditional--apricots, apples, pears, all kinds of citrus, figs, Avocados--to more exotic such as cherimoya, mango, loquat, guava, fuyus, ginger and now, Pitaya Hylocereus Undatus. We also raise and train American Miniature Horses and Australian Cattle Dogs. We have lived in southern CA for 5 1/2 years, previously from western Oregon. We are fascinated by the interesting (and tasty) exotic fruits that grow here and want to learn more about properly cultivating them. We also have recently purchased 24 acres of brush and rocks in a frost-free area of Fallbrook, and are exploring different ways to develop a profitable crop there. Marketability is of prime importance, as we have already experienced the difficulty of marketing Macadamia Nuts and Fuyus. We are willing to work at creating a co-op for marketing, and interested in joining others who feel too much fruit is not being used in this area, much to the waste of time and energy (and water) of the growers! Thanks for your efforts producing such a good forum for growers! Gery Kesslau and Linda Nickerson see us at: http://www.geocities.com/hastylinda/minis.html and http://www.geocities.com/hastylinda/ACD.html <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Okinawan purple sweet potato From: Alan Schroeder Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 14:14:01 -0800 Dear Michael: Some years ago I purchased Okinawan Purple Sweet Potatoes at Exotica Rare Fruit Tree Nursery in Vista, CA and planted them out here in Santa Barbara, CA (coastal S. California, not tropical but Mediterranean). They were put in my vegetable garden which had been amended with top soil as the natural soil is a hard clay. They flourished and produced the most wonderful sweet potatoes I have ever eaten. So sweet under the skin I used to suck on that area as it was like when my mother put marshmallows over the Thanksgiving sweet potatoes years ago. The vines were rampant. They overwintered just fine to produce year after year. I moved residence and no longer grow them due to lack of room. Most of my family and guests were afraid of them because they were so, well, Purple! and I guess purple food items frighten most Americans no matter how good they are. Alan Schroeder Santa Barbara, CA [I bought a plant at Exotica. I observed its rampant growth but didn't check underground for several years. In 1985, I harvested one weighing twenty pounds. In recent months, I bought a very small purple potato at Nenji (Japanese) market on Convoy, in San Diego. It was easy to get sprouts going, and I've eaten a few of the potatoes, but didn't let them get to be so large. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pineapple plants From: Ben Pierce Date: 12/15/03 Leo, I saw your post asking about taking care of pineapple plants for the CRFG sale. I have found that foliar fertilizer can burn the plants pretty good. Ive had the best success with throwing Osmocote around the bottoms. The plants turned dark green and have been growing really well. Once it starts warming up I am going to try fruiting them with Ethepon. Ive heard that is the most successful. Happy Holidays and have a fruitful New Years. Ben Pierce ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Mango Fruit Drop Problem From: Rajiv Bhatarkar Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 20:06:01 +0530 Dear sir, I am farmer cultiving Mango, Banana, Chikoo etc. In my mango plantation in one flower there are 25 to 50 bb's to marble-size mango but there is a tremendous Fruit drop leaving only 5 to 7 fruits of mango. I want to know how should the fruit drop can be controlled. I need help now! My farm is in Surat District, Gujarat State, INDIA. Thank you, Truly yours, Rajiv Bhatarkar mailto:bhatarkarrajiv@hotmail.com mailto:rajchhay@vsnl.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Yellow Pitaya Blooms, Puzzles, Jujube Succumb From: James Freedner Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 20:33:53 -0800 Hi, Leo, That's strange about your yellow pitaya trying to bloom. My red pitaya gave its last flower show in November and "closed for the season." A couple of inquisitive new pitaya shoots have been growing up the concrete wall. One, encountering the wire that supports the bulk of the plant against the wall, decided to snake under the wire, even though the stem has gotten a definite pinch there. The other, finding a wooden board in its way, curved outward so it could continue on upward across the wood. How do plants "know" how to do these things? I have seen flower buds really, really try to open before but something stops them; usually too many flowers at one time or once in awhile, it seems the plant "misses" the full moon and gets disgusted with the idea of flowering. I don't know any better way to explain it. Though we've had some warm days in December I would guess overall the temperature is way too low for a successful flowering and fruit. Jujube sprouts died after the heat spell last autumn. I may try to plant others later in 2004. Not much else to report on here. Mr. Musgrave sent me a whole box of exotic seeds--guava and many more. I tried planting a few, without results at this time. Most likely the climate here is just too dry for them. One needs a greenhouse for better results, maybe. I don't consider myself in a "coastal region" so cannot comment on what might grow in La Jolla. Would surmise his choice is a bit more widespread than mine would be! Have a very happy holiday season, James Eric Freedner Sun Valley, CA ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Rare Fruit Recommendations For Coastal S. California? From: PetMarv@aol.com Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 11:30:48 -0500 (EST) Yes, I live 1 1/2 city blocks from the ocean in Pismo Beach, CA. I get a constant breeze either from the ocean or the land so it never freezes and does not get very warm. 42-82 average. Those are my lowest and highest average temps. I have had very good luck with Cherimoya, both seedlings and grafted varieties. Mostly Whites (seedlings) and my most recent that haven't fruited yet but have good healthy growth and have had blooms. Pierce and Elixer. The fruit have been excellent in flavor and I do not hand pollinate. The breeze and summer fogs are very helpful. I am also having two crops a year on my Sue Belle Sapote. It is only three years old but has large wonderful flavored fruit. It is too cool here for Bananas. I have some fruit but not every year. I have very good Fiejoas. CRFG member, Pet Daniels Pismo Pet ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Hawthorne seeds - Reference Manual Recommended From: christopher.marshall@att.net Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 18:08:37 +0000 Hi Larry, I'm a fellow subscriber to the Rare Fruit newsletter and saw your question about Crataegus seeds. I can suggest a reference for you: The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Michael Dirr and Charles Heuser, Jr., pp. 114-115. According to them, Crataegus seeds require acid scarification followed by prolonged cold stratification. The timing for these two stages varies. Probably a Mexican species would require less time in both stages but they have no specific information on C. pubescens. Even with this treatment, germination rates are often low so most commercial propagation is done by grafting. Used copies of this book are readily available and it is a good overall reference on all aspects of plant propagation. Chris Marshall <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><><><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><>Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/<><> From: "Scott D. Russell" Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/ Subject: An Introduction to the Styx - Tasmania's Valley of the Giants Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 02:43:16 -0600 http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/forests/tasmania/styx/styxintro/ The Styx Valley of Tasmania, Australia, contains the tallest angiosperm trees on Earth, Eucalyptus regnans. Some of the tallest may exceed 310 feet in height, second only to the coastal redwoods. Some are more than 400 years old and massive. Ironically, the Styx is on the edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area-–one of the great temperate wilderness areas on Earth--but not in it. Therefore, this region is available for logging and the methods of regenerating new growth are draconian, involving the extermination of herbivores to assure success. The Wilderness Society of Tasmania (authors of this site) encourages making this into a Valley of the Giants National Park. Perhaps, with the recent announced death of the world's largest tree (URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3306655.stm), there may be pressure to save the tall trees. (***1/2) -S =============================================================== *BOT-LINX Home Delivery sends you the Botanical Link-of-the-Day http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/ *To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit the listserv site at URL: http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/listserv.shtml Archived at URL: http://lists.ou.edu/archives/botlinx.html =============================================================== <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 23:48:40 -0000 From: "brbrunner" Subject: Recipe - DULCE DE PAPAYA (candied papaya) Ok, all you cooks... here it is: DULCE DE PAPAYA (candied papaya) Ingredients: 1 large green papaya (probably about 5 pounds) 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons baking powder Procedure: 1) Peel the papaya and cut into thin slices. Barely cover the slices with water with the dissolved baking powder (this keeps the slices firm when they are cooked). Soak the slices for 3-4 hours in this solution. 2) Drain off the solution and rinse the slices thoroughly with plain water, then drain again. 3) Put the slices in a large pot (no water), and add the sugar and the cinnamon stick. 4) Cook covered at low heat for about 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. The slices are ready when they turn slightly golden and the syrup thickens. Let them cool, then refrigerate. This is typically eaten as a dessert with white cheese. Buen provecho!!! _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 16:56:16 -0000 From: "tabbydan" Subject: Black Sapote ripening Can anyone clue me in to the mysteries of black sapote ripening? Sometimes I've had what looks like ripe black sapote (mushy, dark brown color) which tastes good and sometimes it tastes awful (like burnt epoxy); and I'm wondering what accounts for this variation. Is it because the fruit is picked too early (the only thing that points against this is that I had one picked way too early and it took months to "ripen"- so I'd think too early and they wouldn't ripen normally. Then again it could be a matter of degree, slightly early bad flavor, way early extremely slow ripening)? Is it due to the temperature during the ripening process (my latest ones were ripened recently here and my house temp is in the 60's; again though I remember having one that tasted slightly off in FL so this doesn't seem too likely)?... _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 12:28:54 -0500 From: james singer Subject: Re: Black Sapote ripening My guess would be that they have similar ripening requirements as their cousins, the persimmons. Only ones I've ever had, however, were farmers' market purchases that ripe at purchase. And I've never tasted burnt epoxy, so I wouldn't know about that. Island Jim Southwest Florida Zone 10 _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 12:44:10 -0800 (PST) From: Console G4 Subject: Re: Black Sapote ripening Hi Dan, I have also had some that took a while to ripen and had a bad flavour. It may be a combination of factors, storage, age when picked, growing conditions so on. There is also the fact that most black sapote in the USA are from seed and there is a degree of variation in the population - some just may not have the flavour or may not ripen well off the tree. Diospyros digyna : Ebenaceae Best of growing, Bob SW Florida _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2003 02:22:30 +1000 From: Erika Mackenzie Subject: Re: Re: Black Sapote ripening My husband managed to find me one at a shop nearby here at the end of last season. It was the first - and the only - one I've seen or tasted. I treated it like an astringent Persimmon - waited a few days for it to go soft, so that a thumb pushed into the skin left a persistent dent. The skin, although soft, retained its green colour and was not at all unattractive to look at. I cut it open and ate it with a teaspoon. It had the appearance, flavour and texture of chocolate mousse. I thought it was delicious (which is why I've bought five grafted trees of different varieties). Maybe some varieties are more 'attractive' when ripe than others. I shall have to wait a few years to find out, I expect, although I have neighbours growing them, so maybe I'll get to try another before then.... No resemblance whatsoever to compost or anything else nasty, anyway . best, Erica Mackenzie Queensland, AUSTRALIA _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 08:36:55 -0800 (PST) From: Console G4 Subject: Re: Re: Black Sapote ripening Hi Erica, I usually let mine go a bit further so that the skin darkens some. If is your fellow Australians who have been promoting this fruit as the "chocolate pudding fruit" which gives a much better mental image. I've got a new variety from a local grower (Tree House / Bob and Vivian Murray for those in Florida) which I am eagerly watching as it grows. In a couple of years I hope for fruit. This year my seedling set 100 plus flowers and set zero fruit - perhaps it will hold some next flowering. Best of growing, Bob SW Florida USA _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 14:30:21 -0500 From: "Warren Condon" Subject: Re: Re: Black Sapote ripening Bob, What is the name of this new variety? What special characteristics does it have? Warren Condon Miami, FL _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 08:38:08 +1000 From: "Sheryl Backhouse" Subject: Black Sapote Have you ever eaten the fruit after freezing them. I much prefer the taste. Cheers Sheryl Brisbane Australia _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 21:04:24 -0000 From: "oscarrj" Subject: Re: Black Sapote sex I have a solitary black sapote tree that produces lots of fruits. They have seeds inside, so they are getting pollinated. I have heard of solitary black sapote trees that do not produce fruit. So I assume there are some trees that only have male flowers. Julia Morton, in her book Fruits of Warm Climates, also claims there are trees with perfect flowers and some with only male flowers (page 416). She also says the flowers smell like gardenia, which I never noticed. Oscar, Big Island, Hawaii _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 08:23:49 -0500 From: "Erica Lynne" Subject: Kefir Limes I have a friend who has become interested in Thai cooking who is looking for a Kefir lime tree. He lives in LaBelle Florida and is familiar with both the east and west coasts of Florida. Do any Florida list members know of a nursery in Florida that carries Kefir lime? Thanks. Erica Lynne Naples, FL - zone 10 _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 09:21:07 -0500 From: james singer Subject: Re: Kefir Limes Anyone have a botanical name for this plant? All Google turned up were recipes. So they must be the leaves of something else? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 14:40:41 -0000 From: Sérgio Duarte Subject: Kaffir Lime. was Kefir Limes I know them as Kaffir Limes. The botanical name is: Citrus hystrix --sergio Lisbon, Portugal _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 18:05:15 -0800 From: "George F. Emerich" Subject: Re: Raspberries in south Florida We grow a raspberry in Southern California which is called "Oregon 1030" that does well under zone 9/10 conditions. It came out of a breeding program at Corvallis and was rejected for application in the northwest but when brought to SoCal, it did quite well. It is unique for a cane berry in that it bears on the new canes instead of last year's growth and therefore we mow them to the ground at the end of the season. George, Fallbrook, CA _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 19:38:08 -0000 From: "tabbydan" Subject: Re: Papaya .... I also like the papayass from the Carib (we get them here in DC). They are growing Solo there and during the summer the fruit quality rivals what I had in Hawaii (even shipped out here!). Oddly, after the summer is over we can still get them in some stores but usually they seem to be picked way too early (green fruits that don't look like they will ripen well), even though the supplier is the same (Martha's? I think). I also strongly prefer Solo's, the Mandarol type I usually find unpleasant (fishy overtones), though I did have a good Mandarol once in FL (it was almost as good as a Solo). They are a really annoying plant to grow in areas with erratic weather (if it is cool they want their soil dry, if it is hot they want it wet! My 4' plant died in a hailstorm one summer). I have some Solo seedlings going now but I'm not going to invest too much time into them. _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2003 02:51:12 +1000 From: Erika Mackenzie Subject: Papayas - from cuttings? Can you really grow Pawpaws (papayas) from cuttings? Is there any special trick or technique to it? Do they come out the same sex as the parent plant? Do they strike easily? Would hormone rooting powder help? I imagine you'd need to keep the potting mix on the dryish side, as they're so susceptible to root rot - is that right? I've got a huge, gnarled old mother Pawpaw in the middle of the yard. I'd love to get some cuttings from her if possible. best, Erica Mackenzie Queensland, AUSTRALIA <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Groundbreaking for Horticultural Research Facility From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 10:12:24 -0500 MIAMI, Fla., Dec. 16--The U.S. Department of Agriculture broke ground at 10 a.m. today for a new state-of-the-art facility for the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station (SHRS) operated here by the Agricultural Research Service, USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency. The new building will replace a number of smaller, outdated buildings used by SHRS at Chapman Field, a former military base. The $6.8 million funding for the new facility came from the Hurricane Andrew relief fund as a result of extensive damage done to SHRS by Andrew in 1992. The new facility, located south of Coral Gables and adjacent to Deering Bay in Metro Dade County, Fla., is scheduled to open in June 2005. The station's mission is to conduct and support environmentally sound research on tropical and subtropical crops. SHRS research activities include collecting, evaluating and developing improved commercial plants, and developing methods for managing exotic insect pests. The new laboratory building will house agronomy, chemistry, entomology, hydro-physics, molecular genetics and tissue culture laboratories, as well as a library, conference rooms and general administrative space. The building will be constructed primarily of reinforced concrete, with both its structure and roof designed to withstand hurricane-strength winds. The SHRS site encompasses approximately 197 acres--primarily fields and test plots dedicated to horticultural research--and more than 40 structures. In addition to construction of the new building, the project will also include renovations to an existing laboratory building. The new two-story building will provide 16,383 square feet of space per floor. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Soil Makes the Difference for Water Quality From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 06:14:07 -0500 A decade-long Agricultural Research Service study of two midwestern watersheds confirms that soil differences affect how water and agricultural chemicals--particularly nitrate fertilizer and atrazine herbicide--move through the soil. Those two chemicals were measured in the study of watersheds in Iowa and Missouri from 1992-2001. Soil scientists Gene Alberts and Robert Lerch of the ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit in Columbia, Mo.,studied the Goodwater Creek watershed in north-central Missouri. Dan Jaynes, research leader at the ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, studied central Iowa's Walnut Creek watershed. Watersheds are geographic areas where the land "sheds" water to a common outlet. Researchers learned that two watersheds, closely located geographically, can have significantly different water quality issues. Chemical movement depends on their physical properties and how water moves off the land and through the soil. These watersheds have significantly different water movement pathways because their soils vary. At Walnut Creek, tile drains are needed to grow row crops. The drains intercept rainfall, moving it rapidly into the creek. This results in more rainfall percolating downward through the soil. Because of nitrate's soil mobility, it moves with the percolating water, resulting in high contamination levels of nitrates used as fertilizer. In Goodwater Creek soils, tile drains do not work well and are not needed for row crop production. Soils within this watershed have a natural clay layer that limits downward percolation of rainfall, resulting in higher levels of surface runoff. Unlike nitrate, atrazine stays near the soil surface where it moves with runoff. This resulted in high atrazine levels in Goodwater Creek, but lower nitrate levels. Atrazine is a pre-emergence herbicide that is applied to bare soil, which means that it's more susceptible to being washed away without crops to hold it in place. Crop rotation, cover crops and a nitrogen management plan can be beneficial in central Iowa. In Missouri, surface runoff control practices and a pesticide management plan that includes pesticide incorporation or the use of low-rate pesticides can be of assistance. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Defense Against Insects From: ARS News Service Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 09:36:26 -0500 A new biological control developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists may provide an important defense against some of the most destructive insect pests that farmers face. A bacterium called Chromobacterium suttsuga has been found to be effective against Colorado potato beetles, corn rootworms, diamondback moths, silverleaf whiteflies and green stinkbugs. These pests collectively cost farmers almost $3 billion annually in crop losses and control expenses. The team of ARS scientists involved in the research includes microbiologist Phyllis Martin, laboratory technician Ashaki Shropshire, molecular biologist Dawn Gundersen-Rindal and entomologists Dale Gelman, Michael Blackburn and Robert Farrar--all at the Insect Biocontrol Laboratory in Beltsville, Md.--plus entomologist Jeffrey Aldrich and visiting scientist Edson Hirose at the Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Laboratory, also in Beltsville. A patent application for the discovery has been filed. In lab tests, the scientists found that C. suttsuga seems to produce multiple toxins that deliver a lethal blow to the pests. Preliminary results from field tests have confirmed lab results, and more field tests are planned. The bacterium's toxins can be combined with chemical compounds and then applied to soil, plants or seeds. To control soil-dwelling pests, rice grains can be treated with the toxins and applied to the soil, where pests will feed on the treated grains. Insect pests often develop resistance to chemical insecticides, so biological compounds are regularly investigated for insecticidal properties. Biological control agents can be an important addition or alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides, and important in integrated pest management. Other advantages of C. suttsuga are that it's stable in the environment, and insects readily ingest it. The discovery may ultimately provide a new control for agriculturally important insect pests and give growers alternatives to chemical insecticides. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Quicker Tests for E. Coli From: ARS News Service Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 08:17:16 -0500 New tests that more quickly identify dangerous strains of Escherichia coli bacteria are being developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists in Wyndmoor, Pa. ARS microbiologist Pina M. Fratamico, at the agency's Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, is working with Pennsylvania State University to develop tests that quickly identify E. coli strains. Certain E. coli strains, such as O157:H7, causes serious diseases, including bloody diarrhea and hemorrhagic colitis. Infections may result in serious health complications, including kidney failure. Other E. coli serogroups, including E. coli O26, O111 and O121, also cause gastrointestinal illnesses in humans. Currently, scientists commonly use a procedure called serotyping to distinguish between different types of E. coli--some harmful, others harmless. However, this procedure is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Fratamico, with ERRC's Microbial Food Safety Research Unit, and her team are developing both conventional and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. These chemical procedures generate enough of a bacterium's genetic material so that it can be studied and identified. With one real-time PCR reaction, four products can be amplified simultaneously and detected in "real time" as they multiply. Scientists have little information about some individual E. coli serogroups; therefore, the number of diseases these organisms cause is likely underestimated. Fratamico is targeting genes in the E. coli O-antigen gene clusters so researchers can detect and identify specific serogroups and increase knowledge about each one's potency. In one study, a real-time PCR assay was more sensitive than other detection methods. According to Fratamico, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has expressed interest in the new PCR tests for detection and confirmation of not only E. coli O157:H7, but of other E. coli strains as well. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200401A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - January 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200401B.txt ______________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Subject: Purpose of New Yahoo Rarefruit Group From: Leo Manuel Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 18:22:33 +0000 I set up a new Yahoo Rarefruit group on which you may post pictures or files for others to see. It may not be sufficiently useful to continue, but it is there, if needed. I need feedback from you as to how best operate this group. My intent was to have it be a repository of photos and files. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rfno/ When you post either a photo or file, would you write a letter to me at address below, to explain what the photo is about, so readers will be motivated (or not) to view it. Similarly, explain what file you have posted, with a description of its contents. Your letter will appear in the newsletter. It is NOT the purpose of this group to replace the twice-monthly newsletter, but rather to support it with information that can't be included in the RFNO format newsletter. Again, I want to know whether this idea has merit. Send me your suggestions. Horticordially, Leo Manuel mailto:rarefruit@san.rr.com Warm Weather In January - Feels Great! Several spells of unseasonal warmth this winter has caused many of my mango trees to be in bloom, with a few actually setting tiny fruit. It's been dry so there hasn't yet been any fungal attacks on the blooms. Fruit on Nam Doc Mai and Keitt are still holding, and I pick them to eat as I want them. Keitt gets a much better color when permitted to stay on the tree for longer than those sold as "Green Mango" fruit in boxes at CostCo. Keitt should not be permitted to hang on the tree for too long, but it's tricky to know when to remove them. It's nice to remove only what you want to eat soon. Nam Doc Mai will split if it rains after the fruit is ripe. It is a tree that does very well in my location, about ten miles inland. Fungal or viral attack on several pitaya plants is troubling, because I don't know how best to handle it. I've removed several plants that were heavily infected. If you have experience in successfully treating cacti with this problem, please advise me. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Los Angeles Alice Rosenthal New Subscriber, Pasadena From Kenya Laura Raab New Subscriber, Los Angeles EZaragosa@cs.com New Subscriber, Ilha Soltiera, Sao Paulo, Brazil Kuniko Iwamoto Haga New Subscriber, Maui, Hawaii Molly O'Keefe New Subscriber, Lome, Togolese Republic Leo Manuel New Subscriber, Canada, with Greenhouses dean tiessen <><><> Readers Write <><><> Fino de Jete - When Is It Ripe? Matthew Shugart Rooting papaya cuttings Dick Gross Re: How Have You Fared? James Freedner RE: Pineapple Plants Ben Pierce Newsletter Change To Consider Dmshuck@aol.com Re: Newsletter Change To Consider Dmshuck@aol.com RE: Christmas Bloom of Selenicereus megalanthus 2003 Dennis Ting Purple Sweet Potato Nan Sterman Strange Fruit - What The Hell Is This? Norm Re: Strange Fruit - What The Hell Is This? Leo Manuel RE: Strange Fruit - What The Hell Is This? Norm Dragon Fruit Plants at Home Depot William Chow Looking for Pepino Dulce (Solanum muricatum) Seeds. Hristo Hristov <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. Plant Delights Page Of Interest Allan Bredeson http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/page66.html#03064 <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><>Bot-Linx List <> From: "Scott D. Russell" None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> [Synopsis of [rarefruit] newsletter (some highlights)] <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Replanting Papayas: New Tactics May Cut Costs ARS News Service Cleaning Roots for Science ARS News Service Planet's Papaya Protected in Hawaii Collection ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Los Angeles From: Alice Rosenthal Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 15:00:57 -0800 I am Alice Rosenthal and live in LA - and have a canyon micro-climate excellent for growing rare fruits and trees I've lived in apartment for years and only have had potted plants. I have a Jamacian Red Banana which is new and lots of celedine plumaria and a few others from excursions to other states I am a hobbiest in air layering - which I practice enthusiastically on Meyer lemon trees, and other trees I like the taste of the fruit. I am looking to begin practicing grafting and other forms of propagation of exotic fruit trees. I would like to grow:, Papayas, Cheremoya, Lychee, Jack Fruit, Pecans, peaches, Cherries, Apricots, Breaburn Apple, Passion Fruit, Guava, Banana, Pommegrannet, Concord grape, Cacao tree, and other hard to find fruit trees, schrubs and vines Alice Rosenthal mailto:Truth@gigsville.org ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Pasadena From Kenya From: Laura Raab Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 15:52:45 -0500 (EST) I am Laura Raab, living in Pasadena, California. However, I have lived in Kenya, East Africa for 8 years, and I am trying to research agricultural information that will be of help to the small farmer (many times only 2 acres) in developing countries. I am looking for tips that are basically free to implement that will produce more food or protect crops from insects and disease. I hope this newsletter will help provide that. Laura mailto:LLRaab@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Los Angeles From: Richard Rothschild Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2004 18:16:53 -0500 (EST) I am Richard Rothschild in Los Angeles, California and now growing Pitahaya, Guava, White sapote, Plum, lemon, grapefruit, Papaya Richard Rothschild mailto:EZaragosa@cs.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Ilha Soltiera, Sao Paulo, Brazil From: Kuniko Iwamoto Haga Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2004 09:49:33 -0200 I am Kuniko Iwamoto Haga in the city of Ilha Solteira, state of Sao Paulo, in the country Brazil. I am now growing Pitahaya. I need informations about Pitahaya growing conditions, by nutrition, by water necessity, all the information. Kuniko Iwamoto Haga mailto:kuniko@bio.feis.unesp.br ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Maui, Hawaii From: Molly O'Keefe Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 05:10:24 -0800 (PST) Hi, I live on Maui at 3200 ft among cherimoya and avocado trees as well as panini. Before living here I had never eaten cherimoya. They are especially good and rich. They aren't sold in stores here. I assume that it is because once they get ripe they need to be eaten quickly, or perhaps all their seeds make them unpopular. These trees were here when I moved in. I have no plans to grow any trees just yet, but when conditions are right, I may do that. I would like to plant a lychee tree for future generations. Molly mailto:mollyokeeffe2001@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Lome, Togolese Republic From: Olivier PEDANOU Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 10:01:46 -0800 I am Olivier PEDANOU in LOME - TOGO and want to subscribe. Olivier PEDANOU mailto:opedanou@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Canada, with Greenhouses From: Dean Tiessen Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 09:46:51 -0500 Leo, I am a commerical greenhouse grower in Ontario Canada. We have approx 400 000 ft2 of greenhouses were we grow sweet peppers. I also have a passion for figs. I grow figs all year around and love to grow anything. Looking forward to any new information that I can give or receive. I am always looking for new things to grow in our greenhouses for hobbies of even anything that may have potiential for commerical production. Any more information on this dragon fruit or any other exotics that you might have would be great. I would love to get some cuttings from this plant to start growing it. What is the nutritional value of this fruit? Thanks Dean W. Tiessen mailto:deantiessen@msn.com PYRAMID FARMS LTD. WE HAVE A GOOD THING GROWING! <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Fino de Jete - When Is It Ripe? From: Matthew Shugart Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2004 12:26:55 -0800 Hi Leo-- I bought a Fino de Jete cherimoya (among other varieties) from you several months ago. This tree has developed a single fruit since I planted it, and now that the fruit is almost the size of a softball, I am wondering when this variety typically matures. How do I know when to pick it? Cheers, Matthew Shugart Bonsall, CA mailto:mshugart@ucsd.edu ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Rooting papaya cuttings From: Dick Gross Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2004 15:25:47 -0700 Erika, I have read and heard of rooting papaya cuttings from so many sources I am quite sure it can be done. One native of Hawaii told me that, when he was a kid, they would simply stand one up on the ground leaning against something and it would take root. I have tried that several times with Solo branches and it doesn't work in Phoenix, Arizona when the temperature is 110 degrees F. But it might if the proper precautions were taken and this is what I plan to try again when I have sufficient cuttings to work with. Using a couple of branches about one inch in diameter, make a one inch girdle near the base of the stem and leave them alone until the wounds have hardened off. During this time, carbohydrates should be accumulating above the girdle. Cut the branch at the lower end of the girdle, let that cut dry and coat it with grafting wax or an exterior wood glue. Do not remove the leaves. Your cutting should be ready to insert into a media that can be almost anything with a lot of air space with a high humidity like a well-hydrated pumice alone or mixes of the dampened pumice and coconut fiber or peat moss wetted to the texture of a damp sponge. Dip the dampened cutting base in a rooting hormone to soil depth, tap off the excess, insert it in a premade hole and gently firm the mix around the stem with a blunt object. Try cuttings without the hormone. For the best results, the relative humidity should be at least 80% and the temperature no lower than body temperature. Bottom heat would probably help. To acquire that environment, you may need to improvise and enclose the cuttings in a clear plastic tent. Keep the cuttings in good light but avoid direct sun. If they are entirely enclosed, you should not have to re-water until after rooting has occurred and you have removed the temporary greenhouse. If it is not practical to make a greenhouse, remove the leaves and wrap the exposed section and tip above the soil line with Parafilm, a wrap that sticks to itself used in grafting. If you don't know what that is, you can find it on the internet. When a bud breaks, it will grow right through the film as if it was not present but the film replaces the enclosure and keeps the exposed part of the cutting from drying out. In this case, pay close attention to the rooting mix that can dry out without the greenhouse. Try some variations of your own. Patch grafting has been done successfully, I've read, but you would need another rooted plant to place the patch. You can find that technique on the internet. You might have to make some modifications to adapt it to papaya. Trial and error is the vehicle most members of the California Rare Fruit Growers to discover what works and what doesn't and our curiosity has no bounds. What makes us different is an eagerness to share the successes and failures with everyone. Good luck and let me know what you will have learned. Dick Gross, Secretary/Editor Arizona cultivar, California Rare Fruit Growers mailto:rkgross3@cox.net [I have also heard of grafting papayas onto seedlings.-Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: How Have You Fared? From: James Freedner Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2004 21:37:12 -0800 I am OK so far (knock on wood). My wife has been sick for 2 weeks, with cough, respiratory congestion, fever, etc. I assume it is the flu. She has been taking medication but nothing seems to work. Have a happy and healthier 2004! May I submit the Question of the Year to Rare Fruit Online? "There is some little sprout growing out of my flower pot. Do you know what it is?" Cheers, J. Eric Freedner mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: RE: Pineapple Plants From: Ben Pierce Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2004 07:07:06 -0800 Sorry about that first message being blank. My laptop has a habit of hitting a button if you hover over it too long. Need to fix that. Thanks for the advice on pineapples. I know it is possible to fruit them here. Ive read articles by those who have done it. Its tricky but sounds like fun to try. I think one factor is getting the plants pretty large before you try to do it. Some people put one plant in a 5 gallon to 10 gallon container. After they get good size then its time to put some Ethepon in them to get them to fruit. Ethepon can be purchased as Florel in California. Its usually sold to prevent olive trees from fruiting. I will have to experiment with different strengths and time of year. Ive been fertilizing with Osmocote slow release fertilizer 19-6-12. It seems to have pumped up the plants pretty well. Also, Ive been spraying the plants with humic acid on a regular basis as well. They may account for some of the growth too. > From: "James Freedner" > To: > Subject: Pineapple Plants > Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2004 21:42:28 -0800 > > Hi, Ben, > > Saw your posting on Rare Fruit News. > > No real advice I can offer but I grew pineapples in > Hollywood, Florida, when a child. They were cut-off > tops from store pineapples that we rooted in water > and then stuck into the ground. The plans grew > slowly in whatever the Florida soil was. I don't > think we fertilized them at all or gave them any > special care. After maybe 4-5 years, one of the > plants did produce a flower. The fruit, if there > was one that developed, was very small and we just > let the plant keep on growing above it. Probably > a "cardinal sin" but it was just as easy to buy > a fresh (or canned) pineapple for eating! > > I have not seen any pineapples growing in California > where I now live. It should be possible but maybe > the climate here is too hot and dry for them. > > Happy new year, > > J. Eric Freedner > Sun Valley, CA Ben Pierce mailto:mariposafamily@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Newsletter Change To Consider From: Dmshuck@aol.com Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2004 18:08:29 -0500 (EST) Hi Leo, I hope you and your family enjoyed the holidays. As I was working in the garden today I had a thought about the newsletter. What do you think about making it a yahoo group? I belong to a couple of flute groups that have become yahoo groups. I don't know how to set it up since I haven't done one but a couple of people that have set them up said they are easy to do. You put in a lot of time and effort on the newsletter. I thought it would help you out to not have to spend so much time on the newsletter when you have other things you would rather be doing. Take Care, Denise Woo mailto:Dmshuck@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Newsletter Change To Consider From: Dmshuck@aol.com Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2004 12:01:58 -0500 (EST) Hi Leo, I am glad you know about the Yahoo groups. I haven't visited the Pitaya Group. I should because my Pitaya bloomed and I should learn more about them. I lost both blooms but I did get pictures. They were so pretty. My Solo Papaya trees are doing well so far this winter. The cover we made for them seems to have done the trick. We put 6 metal conduit poles 10 feet tall, 3 on each side of the bed, and put 1/2 inch PVC arching over the top of the beds then put shade cloth on top. The structure is 14 feet high, 4 feet wide and 12 feet long. Looks a bit odd but it worked. Yesterday I weeded the bed and managed to get their feet covered with some solar mulch before it started raining. Now I just have to determine out how to get the shade cloth a bit more stable before we have some strong winds. I became a member of the San Diego Flute Guild Board. We have done most of out communications through the Yahoo Group as a closed one just for the board members. The other flute groups I am a member of are flute players from all over the world. Much like your newsletter has become. They send in almost more than I can manage everyday. I will get between 30-100 e-mails a day depending if it is a hot topic or not. I have gone to a digest on one of them. I am glad you are enjoying doing the newsletter. Every time I read it I am thankful that you take your time to keep putting the newsletter out. A few years ago I started playing in a flute choir that meets at SDSU. They meet on Thursday nights so I have not been able to go to the meetings at Casa del Prado. This year I informed the director that I will be just coming a couple times a month so I can go to the CRFG meetings. Take care, Denise mailto:Dmshuck@aol.com In a message dated 1/2/2004 6:35:37 PM Pacific Standard Time, rarefruit@san.rr.com writes: Hi Denise Have you visited 'my' Yahoo Pitaya Fruit Group at Pitaya Fruit:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PitayaFruit/ I edit every email that gets posted there, and it works pretty well. I have found that some people don't like Yahoo's information gathering and the number of 'cookies' they insist on setting before you can post anything on any of the Yahoo groups. If I were to do something like that for RFNO, I think I'd pick some other host - maybe MSN or some other one. I have gotten accustomed to doing our newsletter this way, and will probably continue, at least in the near term. Thanks for your concern, Leo Manuel ------------------------------------------------ Subject: RE: Christmas Bloom of Selenicereus megalanthus 2003 From: Dennis Ting Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 08:31:24 +1100 Hi Leo Your Selenicereus megalanthus looks excellent. I am hoping to see flowers on my plants in a couple of years time. The background scenery tends to suggest to me that you are in an area that is quite dry like Melbourne in summer! Yesterday I purchased a red pitaya fruit at the supermarket which had a red skin, yellowish scales and a white to grey flesh. It was sweet but quite bland in flavour. I much preferred the yellow pitaya fruit of Selenicereus megalanthus which I tried in July which had a tangy citrusy flavour. Since joining the Pitaya Group and reading through the previous correspondence I think I have learnt enough to at least have a chance with my plants. Regards Dennis mailto:dennis_c_ting@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Purple Sweet Potato From: Nan Sterman Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 18:52:06 -0800 Hi Alan I read your posting about purple sweet potato in Rare Fruit News Online. I happened to be at an Asian food store today and they had what they called Hawaiian purple sweet potato - do you think they are the same thing? They were pretty gnarly, warty little tan things. Not pretty but prettiness does not always determine taste. I bought several - how do you recommend I cook them and how do you recommend I plant them? Thanks Nan Sterman mailto:Talkingpoints@PlantSoup.Com Encinitas, CA 92023 ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Strange Fruit - What The Hell Is This? From: Norm Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2004 18:36:20 -0600 Hey, I went to a walmart and bought a bag of apples and oranges and when I cut open what I thought was an orange I got an interesting surprise: [Picture of orange with pink/red flesh] Is this a cross-pollination between an orange and a ruby- red grapefruit? That is what it tastes like. Norm Lee mailto:normlee@cableone.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Strange Fruit - What The Hell Is This? From: Leo Manuel Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2004 17:02:07 -0800 Hi Norm I have a Cara Cara naval orange with flesh pink/red and it looks very much like that. It has excellent taste. See http://www.imok.ufl.edu/citrus/bfg/cara.htm The Cara Cara Navel (Venezuelan Red Navel) is a red-fleshed navel with internal color comparable to the Flame or Star Ruby grapefruit. Cara Cara was introduced from Venezuela by Dr. Al Krezdorn and was distributed as clean stock by the Florida Department of Agriculture in June 1987. The quality is comparable with other standard navels, and yields may be slightly better. Season is October-November. Fruit size is medium to small, navel opening is quite variable. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: RE: Strange Fruit - What The Hell Is This? From: Norm Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:23:23 -0600 Thanks for the info, good to know I wasn't eating a MUTANT. mailto:normlee@cableone.net norm wrote: >> >> I ate it, it tasted fine, are you sure it wasn't a cross-pollinated >> grape fruit? None of the other oranges in the bag were like that. >> >> Is that cara cara naval orange an exotic type deal or is it pretty >> common? >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Leo Manuel [mailto:rarefruit@san.rr.com] >> Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2004 7:02 PM >> To: norm >> Subject: Re: FW: strange fruit - what the hell is this? >> >> Hi Norm >> >> I have a Cara Cara naval orange with flesh pink/red and it looks >> very much like that. It has excellent taste. >> >> Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Dragon Fruit at Home Depot From: William Chow Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 17:32:58 -0800 Hi, I was surprised to see dragon fruit plant for sale at the Genesee/Balboa Home Depot. The put a vine about 3 feet long in a 5 gallon pot. The vine is straight and there is only one in the pot. In the growing instruction, these is no mention of cross pollenation. I guess this plant is self pollenating. The instruction said the plant will fruit in 12 month. If a fungal and/or bacteria disease occurs, use Oxychloride of Copper of Dithane. They are selling the 5 gallon pot with one vine for $29. I am growing sprouting broccoli (purple) and also romanesco broccoli. I am making seedlings in 1.5 inch peat pots. I move it outside in the morning and bring that indoors at night. How is your garden ? Best wishes for 2004 ! William mailto:wchow@znet.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Looking for Pepino Dulce (Solanum muricatum) Seeds. From: Hristo Hristov Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 06:53:48 -0800 (PST) I want to buy or to swap seeds of some tasty Pepino variety. My seedlist is at http://www.geocities.com/bg_seeds/ Hristo mailto:bg_seeds@yahoo.com <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><><><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Plant Delights Page Of Interest From: Allan Bredeson Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2004 18:56:43 -1000 http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/page66.html#03064 Allan Bredeson mailto:a.alankona@verizon.net in Kona <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><>Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/<><> From: "Scott D. Russell" Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/ None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> The past two weeks of the [rarefruit] newsletters were excellent, with many posting about the odors and tastes of such rare fruit as Durian, Papaya, and Guava. Some find each of those objectionable. Dried Litchi (Lychee) and Longans were discussed, with health benefits reported among Asians who eat them. Also, seeds of some rare fruit may not sprout when chilled, but others are not affected. I urge readers of this newsletter to at least read online the many posts, or you may wish to subscribe http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Replanting Papayas: New Tactics May Cut Costs From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2004 09:03:22 -0500 The sweet taste and creamy texture of a fresh papaya make this exotic tropical fruit a perfect addition to a zesty salsa, colorful fruit salad or refreshing shake. Or, you may prefer your papaya halved and served with a splash of lime juice. Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service and their university and corporate colleagues are working out a science-based strategy to streamline today's costly replanting of papaya orchards. They're doing the work in Hawaii at the agency's U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, headquartered in Hilo. Most of America's papaya crop is grown in Hawaii. Papaya trees bear fruit less than year after they're planted. However, yields typically taper off once trees reach 3 years of age. This means that most papaya orchards have to be replanted every 3 to 4 years, according to ARS plant physiologist Maureen M.M. Fitch at Aiea, Hawaii, near Honolulu. Fitch has developed a high-tech approach for simpler, less costly replanting. It relies on using shoots from ideal papaya plants to generate multiple laboratory plantlets. Screening all plantlets with a highly accurate laboratory test insures that the plantlets, when mature, will produce trees with the fruit that growers and consumers want. With this approach, growers need only place one young papaya tree per planting hole in their orchards. That's in contrast to today's practice in which growers must place at least five young trees per hole to insure a 97 percent chance that at least one will produce the desired fruit. The other four trees have to be chopped down, a time-consuming and labor intensive practice. The idea of propagating perfect papaya plantlets in the laboratory isn't new, but the technology that Fitch is fine-tuning will be freely available, in contrast to proprietary techniques. Read more about the research in the January 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan04/papaya0104.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Cleaning Roots for Science From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 07:20:37 -0500 Cleaning soil from plant roots before studying them would be easier and faster using a new washing device developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists. Agronomists, plant pathologists, botanists and other researchers study the effects of soil and crop management practices on crop root systems. To examine plant roots, scientists usually have to spend time and energy cleaning them first. Now ARS soil scientist Joseph G. Benjamin, at the agency's Central Great Plains Research Station in Akron, Colo., has created a root washer with a rotary design to automate and speed up the process. Other devices require more attention from the operator. The new device can clean up to 24 samples at a time, more than other washers. The washing cycle starts when a technician places a soil sample--including roots--in the machine. As the samples rotate inside, they are dipped into water and then sprayed with water to remove the soil. Mud goes out the back of the machine as the roots are constantly washed. The cycle takes about one and a half hours to complete. The undamaged roots are then ready to study. After the roots are cleaned, a flat-bed scanner digitizes root images so scientists can analyze the samples using computer software. Through mathematical equations, Benjamin determines the surface area of roots in the samples. Benjamin's root washer is an enlarged version of the weed-seed washer invented by weed scientist Lori J. Wiles and others in the ARS Water Management Research Unit, Fort Collins, Colo. More information about this research is available in the January issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan04/roots0104.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Planet's Papaya Protected in Hawaii Collection From: ARS News Service Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 07:45:10 -0500 Both familiar and unusual papayas from around the world have a safe, permanent home in Hawaii. They're part of a living collection managed by Agricultural Research Service scientists based in Hilo. Formally known as the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Tropical and Subtropical Fruit and Nut Crops, the collection includes everything from Thailand's 8- to 9-pound mega-papayas to Hawaii's widely planted, one- to one-and-one-half-pound "solo" varieties, each the perfect size for one person to eat. Other papaya trees at the repository come from Puerto Rico, Malaysia, Taiwan, China and Australia, as well as from Central and South America. In all, the collection includes more than 60 kinds of papaya. Some are varieties of the familiar Papaya carica that we eat; others are lesser known, wild papaya species. Among the most unusual specimens is a papaya relative from Paraguay, Jacaratia spinosa. It bears small, orange fruit and makes an attractive, 12- to 15-foot ornamental tree. At four or five years, it appears as stately and mature as other species that are 30 to 40 years old, according to repository curator and research leader Francis T.P. Zee. Some of the papayas from South America, such as those from Columbia and Ecuador, thrive in cold weather. So, they're planted in an orchard about 30 miles from the repository's Hilo headquarters, where the elevation is higher and the temperatures are lower. The repository helps ensure that samples of older papaya varieties won't disappear as they're outsold by newly popular ones. Too, papaya's wild relatives are protected there because they might otherwise fall victim to land development. The Hilo facility, described in the January 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine is part of a nationwide network of ARS-managed plant repositories. You can read more about it on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan04/papaya0104.htm <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200401B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - February 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200402A.txt ______________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> RFNO Yahoo Newsgroup - Miscellany I set up the Yahoo Newsgroup to support the newsletter, "RFNO." In order to keep nuisance spam out, I only approve for membership those whose names I recognize. If I don't recognize your email address when you request to join, I will write to ask who you are. I won't do anything with that information, except approve your request as you presented it. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I've had a very few problems in the past with spam getting in other newsgroups. In RFNO, I have posted ten recent pictures consuming about one-third of the 30 MB alloted to the group. As the limit is approached, I'll delete older photographs. It is perhaps best to keep the size to a width of five inches or less. These are 72 ppi. If you post pictures, put them in the members' album, please. Leo Manuel -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Phoenix, AZ, Wants Passionfruit source Johnfcryptic@aol.com New Subscriber, Phoenix, AZ, Wants Passionfruit source Johnfcryptic@aol.com New Subscriber, San Diego Point Loma - Needs Help Jennifer Kellar <><><> Readers Write <><><> Wanted: yuzu, chinese date (jujube), shitake jorge de atucha Airlayering Dick Gross Re: Airlayering Dick Gross Re: Airlayering Dick Gross coconut palm Beth Elliott Hawaiian Sweet potato Judi Steinman Red-flowered lilikoi Judi Steinman Purple Sweet Potato Ben Pierce Re: Purple Sweet Potato Leo Manuel Re: Purple Sweet Potato Ben Pierce Re: Purple Sweet Potato Leo Manuel Re: How do you prepare purple sweet potatoes? Zhenxing Fu Re: Where to buy purple sweet potatoes in San Diego Zhenxing Fu Purple Yam Jam Ranch 99 Market (Clairemont Mesa Blvd) Leo Manuel Re: Purple Yam Jam Ranch 99 Market (Clairemont Mesa Blvd) Zhenxing Fu Can anyone identify this fruit? Allan Bredeson Re: Can anyone identify this fruit? Leo Manuel Re: What is this plant (fruit)? Allan Bredeson To deter fungus in the garden, consider milk & GSE Amy Fernandez Pineapples Todd Abel Fruit tree nursery recommended? (Citrus first) Tim Dooley <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For San Diego Chapter Of CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><>Bot-Linx List <> From: "Scott D. Russell" None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> "Nestlebrae.Exotics" Re: Arbutus unedo "mcgiverin" Amazon tree grape hwmpg@comcast.net Re: Arbutus unedo "tabbydan" Re: Amazon tree grape "mcgiverin" Could this be the year... Sergio Duarte Re: Arbutus unedo jules casseur Re: Hello, (and Jakfruit) Michael Nave Re: Arbutus unedo "brbrunner" Re: amazon tree grape The Thaumaturgist Jakfruit w/o Latex Console G4 Re: Macadamia allergy? David Fay Congo Native Fruits Book <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Papaya Sex-Chromosome Study Provides New Glimpse of Evolution ARS News Service Phosphorus Needed Less Than Believed ARS News Service More Soil Benefits from No-Till Planting ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Phoenix, AZ, Wants Passionfruit source From: Johnfcryptic@aol.com Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 10:41:59 -0500 (EST) Hello, My name is John Fontana, in Phoenix, AZ I grow Passionflowers/Fruit as a hobby and I purchase 1 flat of Passionfruit each week for my diet. I'm looking for sources for Passionfruit. Please send email, if you know of any. Thank you John mailto:Johnfcryptic@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, San Diego Point Loma - Needs Help From: Jennifer Kellar Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 14:07:18 -0800 I am Jennifer Kellar, in San Diego (Point Loma area) I am just beginning to plant fruit trees. So far its only a passion fruit, red strawberry guava and white china guava. A citrus mix tree with 5 varieties of grafts and a Reed and Haas avocado are also included in the herd so far. I want to grow carambola, cherimoya, White Sapote, Mango, Banana, and Fuji Persimmon. Are there certain varieties that will produce better than others near the coast? Good strong sunshine can be lacking with all the overcast days here - when its nice and sunny inland. Thanks for all your help to a beginner. Jennifer Kellar mailto:catboat@hotmail.com <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Wanted: yuzu, chinese date (jujube), shitake From: jorge de atucha Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 04:42:26 -0300 I would like to have plant prices, for yuzu, chinese date (jujube), shitake thanks, Jorge Atucha mailto:jorgedeatucha@fibertel.com.ar ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Airlayering From: Dick Gross Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 09:06:24 -0700 Hi, Alice. Would you consider sharing with the group your layering technique or tricks of the art, so to speak? Regards, Dick Gross mailto:rkgross3@cox.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Airlayering From: Dick Gross Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 09:00:17 -0700 Thank you, Alice, That is a thorough and complete explanation and your style of writing, your composition, is interesting, too. I would like to forward this to Leo Manuel for inclusion in his Rare Fruit News On Line so that others can benefit from your experience. If, for any reason, that is not okay with you, just let me know. Thank you again, Dick Gross mailto:rkgross3@cox.net Arizona Rare Fruit Growers ----- Original Message ----- From: za172 To: Dick Gross Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 2:27 AM Subject: RE: Airlayering Hi Everyone, Glad to be here on the Rare Fruit Group News! Since you asked about my air-layering technique I'll let you know everything I do. This information originated from a Quaker friend from Kona, Hawaii who showed me how to do this when he was visiting CA about 5 years ago. I was glad to have the lesson cause I'm dyslexic and find it a lot easier to learn by seeing and touching than reading - so if anyone else feels the same I'll be happy to show them. Supplies you need to Air Layer: Sphagnum Moss (soaking in bucket of water) Bucket of water Sharp knife Root tone or rooting hormone Small paint brush (disposable) 99 cent only store Saran wrap or aluminum foil Hand pruners or scissors Disposable latex gloves (3 pair just in case) Dust mask Enthusiasm Directions: Take all this stuff to the tree you want to clone on a calm day (no wind). Start soaking the moss in the water. Look at the branches and decided which would be a good branch(s) to prune off in the near future. I look for a branch that's not too big or small - about 1/2" in diameter and a foot or more long. Look at how long it is and how many time it splits. If you want a taller tree, straight branches will work best. It you choose a branch with lots of wyes it will be a bushy tree. I usually choose about 10 branches (practice makes perfect) working one at a time. I start by cutting two rings, into the bark only, around the branch. These rings are about an inch apart, between two nubs (nodes) on the branch, close to the branch base. Then I cut a third time connecting the two rings so I can remove the bark. (Imagine cutting the empty cardboard center of a toilet paper roll). Now you have a naked ring (barkless ring) around the branch. At this point I take my pocketknife and scrape the shiny white, barkless, part of the branch. You are scraping away the shiny stuff that's really thin. Once this stuff is gone the naked part of the branch won't be shiny anymore. I was told that this shiny/slippery part under the bark supplies the tip of the branch with its food - so if it's not getting any food, the branch will go looking for food by sending out new roots. Next put on your latex gloves and dust mask 'cause you don't want to get any rooting hormone on your skin or in your eyes (read the precautionary instruction on the hormone and proceed at your own risk). Resist the desire to include small children and pets - believe me on this one! Take your paintbrush and dip it in the rooting hormone and brush it on the naked bark. (I've recently been told that too much rooting hormone is worse than not enough - so dusting is all you need.) Take a generous wad of wet moss (not dripping) and wrap it around the naked branch. With your third hand wrap the moss with aluminum foil or saran wrap so that it doesn't move. Both saran wrap and Aluminum foil have their advantages and dis-advantages. If the tree has tight branches it is hard to wrap them. Aluminum foil will get holes in it and tear- but crumples up and holds it's shape easily. Saran wrap stretches nicely but sticks to itself when you don't want it to. That's why I really appreciate the third arm I grew from not being careful with the rooting hormone. Just checking to see if your paying attention! The purpose of the aluminum foil or saran wrap is to hold the moss in place and give the tree branch a good medium to send out roots in to find water. So like with your other plants you don't want it too wet or too dry. If you have too many holes in the aluminum foil it will dry out too quickly and the aluminum may conduct too much heat in direct sunlight. If you wrap the saran wrap too tight it my mold from being too moist. I'm sure there is a good time of year to do this - like when trees are dormant, but frankly, I've had success every month of the year in So. California. O.K. So now you've done one air layering. Time to move on to the next 9 branches. You don't have to do 10 but your technique and agility will improve as you go. Another reason to do more than one is that you may not have done it right or it wont take. I once had terrible results (less than 10% sprouted roots) but I was careful to be mindful at harvest time and noticed there were no roots & the branches were still alive - so I took my knife and scraped the naked bark harder and dusted with a little more root tone and closed em back up for another two months - and low and behold I had 100% success! Harvesting your Baby Trees! Now you've waited 6 to 8 weeks and you remember those funny looking pregnant branches on your neighbor's trees. Well, it's time to give birth! Walk on over with your empty bucket and pruning sheers or kitchen scissor (and maybe your knife and saran wrap - just in case) and carefully remove the aluminum foil or saran wrap. If you can see roots growing through the moss you are ready to give birth by cutting the umbilical cord (which is the branch just below the previously naked branch). If you can't see roots through the moss - you can carefully part the moss and look to see if there are any roots started inside. You can choose to wrap it back up if you think there aren't enough roots and let it grow for another 4 weeks - and then give birth. If there are no roots and the branch is green you can re-scrape, dust, re-wrap and wait. If there are no roots and the branch is brown - you scratched too hard or cut too deep. Just cut that branch off and try it again on another branch. That's all there is to air layering. And the fun thing about it is that if your neighbor, friend or even a stranger has a tree that you like, you can have one just like it, with just a little patience. [How you treat the newly-harvested trees can be critical in determining whether they survive or not. I usually put them in pots with planting mix, water them, and cover the whole tree with a large plastic bag, and place them in the shade. After at least one month, it may be ok to remove the bag, but if the tree begins to wilt, replace the bag for a few more weeks. I have frequently air-layered guavas, lychee, and longan trees, usually with good results. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Airlayering From: Dick Gross Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 20:43:29 -0700 Writers who write like they speak, conversational prose, reveal a lot about their personalities and a real person comes across as sincere and straight forward and as one who is interested in expressing a thought in terms another can comprehend rather than one using incomprehensive terminology designed to bring praise and adulation for the writer's brilliance and genius, like this junk I just wrote. Anyway, you write well, Alice, and I urge you to do more of it. I guess I don't know exactly what dyslexia is. I understood perfectly what you were saying. Incidentally, a few practitioners of air-layering will leave the girth exposed until the upper cut is callused before enclosing it. To show a person how to airlayer on a white sapote, I once grabbed a handful of mud and covered the wound as you would with moss and wrapped it with Saran wrap and aluminum foil. To my great surprise, three months later the mud was still damp and full of new roots. Moss, however, is a better way to go but we learn a lot by trial and error. One can learn to write exactly the same way. The skills of propagation and/or writing are honed by practice. I will forward this to Leo. Thanks for your response. Dick mailto:rkgross3@cox.net ----- Original Message ----- From: za172 To: Dick Gross Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 3:25 PM Subject: RE: Airlayering Gee, of course it's ok with me - that's why I wrote it. So you think I have an interesting writing style? That's probably cause I'm dyslexic. I write like I speak - other than that I don't know how to really write like a writer. Got any reccommendations? Just between you and me, It was hard to write this explanation - I didn't want to used the term spagnum moss too many times cause I dont know if I spelt the word spagnum correct - so I just shortened it to moss. I hope who ever reads it knows I mean spagnum moss. I tried it once with moss I collected from the forest and it turned to mush. That was a botched attempt. Well - I can't imagine the kind of people that are interested in rare fruits would need much instruction on how to airlayer but I figured it was a good opportunity to let people get to know I exist. Best wishes and thanks for the inquiry. Alice ------------------------------------------------ Subject: coconut palm From: Beth Elliott Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 09:57:19 -0800 Hi Leo & everyone! I have a small (about 2' tall) coconut palm that has been getting new fronds but is turning yellow. I live near the ocean in San Pedro, Ca. The palm is planted in a sunny spot near my water faucet. Might it be getting too much water from a leak there? Is it just too cool for coconut palm? Any help caring for it would be welcome. Thanks much, Beth E. mailto:bethelliottarts@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Hawaiian Sweet potato From: Judi Steinman Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 15:47:08 -0800 (PST) Aloha Nan - There's been a lot of interesting discussion about Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes on this newsletter lately, but as a newscomer to Hawaii, I wanted to respond. When I first discovered these ugly, shrunken, little potatoes during a visit to the Hilo Farmers' Market, I couldn't imagine how delicious and nutritious they would be. My husband, the chef in our house, prepared them two ways: sliced in a pan with olive oil and shallots or in tin foil in the grill. I have since learned that yams from Africa have some medicinal and nutritional value that makes them unique among foods - they are high in nutrients that contribute to tissue formation and wound healing and there even have been some studies on the effects of yams on memory loss. I'm not saying that these effects have been shown for the Hawaiian purple sweet potato, only that its an interesting plant that may be good for you to eat above and beyond its sweet taste! I cut up s! ome of these potatoes and they rooted easily, so I am hoping that they will grow like weeds here in Laupahoehoe, HI. Judi mailto:jsteinman@biotechnolegal.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Red-flowered lilikoi From: Judi Steinman Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 15:53:31 -0800 (PST) I saw the most beautiful red flower growing on a vine in Hilo, Hawaii at around 700 foot elevation and I would like to know if its a lilikoi or passionfruit. It had a stamen and pistel that looked like the white or purple lilikoi flowers that grow elsewhere on the island. The red petals were larger than those typically seen on the white or purple flowers. I took a piece of the stalk with the flowers on it and tried to root it after adding rooting hormone, but no roots took. Any insight into how to get it to grow? will it fruit or is it ornamental only? Judi mailto:jsteinman@biotechnolegal.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Purple Sweet Potato From: Ben Pierce Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 07:59:50 -0800 Nan, Saw your post about the Purple Sweet Potato on Leo Manuel's Rare Fruit newsletter. Where did you buy yours at? I obtained a cutting from Leo not too long ago and its growing well. Leo, Where did you get yours at? Which Asian markets in San Diego do either of you find have a good selection of fruit for sale. I get all kinds of seeds and roots at these places to start plants from. I like Seafood City in Mira Mesa and Ranch 99 on Jeffrey in Irvine. Ben Pierce mailto:mariposafamily@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Purple Sweet Potato From: Leo Manuel Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 13:24:29 -0800 Hi Ben I got mine indirectly from Ninji (sp?) Market on Linda Vista Road or Convoy. Have you shopped at the Ranch 99 market on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard? It's very large. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Purple Sweet Potato From: Ben Pierce Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 13:34:59 -0800 My wife asks if that is the old Woo Chee Chong market? She's the native! I have been to Ranch 99 on Clairemont Mesa. We usually go to the other one in Irvine because its on the way to my mom and dads and is just off of the freeway. I will have to check out Nijia. Is it Japanese? Ben Pierce mailto:mariposafamily@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Purple Sweet Potato From: Leo Manuel Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 15:37:26 -0800 Yes, Ninji (I don't remember its spelling) is a Japanese market just north of the 805 overpass on Convoy. Ninji is on the opposite side of the street and much south of the old Woo Chee Chong market. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: How do you prepare purple sweet potatoes? From: Zhenxing Fu Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 12:13:50 -0800 Hello Nan, You can treat the Hawaiian purple sweet potato as the regular sweet potato. I just bake them in the oven and they taste very starchy and sweet without any sugar added. You can also chop them into half inch cubes and boil them in water with some sugar for about 15 min and serve for breakfast. I like it very much. Good luck, Zhenxing mailto:zfu@ucsd.edu ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Where to buy purple sweet potatoes in San Diego From: Zhenxing Fu Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 13:29:01 -0800 There is an Asian supermarket called Lucky Seafood on Mira Mesa Blv/Black mountain Rd sells them at $1.89/lb. Another store called VienDong on Linda Vista and Genesse sells them too. It is worth to try it. If you find some that has eyes on it, you can even start growing them in the pot and eventually in the ground. I started mine like that. It is fun to grow your own. Zhenxing mailto:zfu@ucsd.edu [I bought some at Nenji Market on Convoy and sprouted them. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Purple Yam Jam Ranch 99 Market (Clairemont Mesa Blvd) From: Leo Manuel Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 14:41:22 -0800 Hi Zhenxing Have you ever eaten 'Purple Yam Jam' sold at Ranch 99 Market? I like the Masagana brand. It's not excessively sweet. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Purple Yam Jam Ranch 99 Market (Clairemont Mesa Blvd) From: Zhenxing Fu Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 14:56:57 -0800 Hi Leo, I have not tried the one sold at 99 Ranch Market. I will go this weekend to buy and try. I am the one pretty bad at remember names. I will pay attention to the name of variety this time. Zhenxing mailto:zfu@ucsd.edu ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Can anyone identify this fruit? From: Allan Bredeson Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 18:02:46 -1000 A man in SW Australia (in a Mediterranean climate similar to S. California) is growing this plant (see picture) and would like it identified. He got seed from a now defunct Australian seed Company. The name was: guava - winter wonder. The fruit is only about pea size. Does anyone have any idea what this might be? Click on the link below to see it. Al Bredeson mailto:a.alankona@verizon.net http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4101056&a=31063069&p=66577550&f=0 ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Can anyone identify this fruit? From: Leo Manuel Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 06:12:44 -0800 Hi Allan I showed the picture to Jim and Tom DelHotal, and both were puzzled. Jim said it looked to be Eleagnus while Tom said possibly Bignay. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: What is this plant (fruit)? From: Allan Bredeson Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 02:22:53 -1000 Thanks Leo. Another person mentioned Eleagnus also. Anyway I told him what you guys thoughts were on it also. Al Bredeson mailto:a.alankona@verizon.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: To deter fungus in the garden, consider milk & GSE From: Amy Fernandez Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 10:00:57 -0800 Hi, Leo, I have sprayed 1 part of milk in 2 parts of water onto my papayas, curcurbits, roses and other flowers to deter fungus and works rather well as a prophylactic and even helps if the fungi have begun. The casein in milk is an antifungal. It has been used in agriculture for powdery mildew, but I have found it also stops the rust infestation on my miniature roses. I have not yet, but am going to spray some GSE (which I buy at the health food store) on the fuschias to see if it will stop a viral infestation for which they say there is no cure, but, I'm game. There is info at http://www.nutriteam.com on using GSE in agriculture. It is also an antifungal. Plus, it's not harmful to ingest. ;-D Amy of Marvelous Gardens zone 10 or Sunset 22, NE Orange California http://home.earthlink.net/~marvelousgardens/ Leo said: >> >> Fungal or viral attack on several pitaya plants is >> troubling, because I don't know how best to >> handle it. I've removed several plants that >> were heavily infected. If you have experience >> in successfully treating cacti with this >> problem, please advise me. Amy Fernandez mailto:marvelousgardens@earthlink.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pineapples From: Todd Abel Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 18:23:20 -0800 Leo, I responded to some letters about Pineapples growing in California, but entered your email incorrectly. I have 3 Pineapples from fruit tops that have been in the ground since April, 2003. They are in the HOT area between the sidewalk and street. The plants are mulched with manure and bark (lower pH), and seem to love the heat here in southern California. The plants were watered only once a week in the summer, and are now 2 ft by 2 ft. The January summer heat is ripening a good crop of Star fruit, which is the second crop this year. Unfortunately, some of the fruit is hollow due the ants and black scale. Always a good time to call relatives back east now. Jamaican Banana not looking good even with this heat, maybe too marginal for here. Oh well. Todd Abel mailti:table@socal.rr.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Fruit tree nursery recommended? (Citrus first) From: Tim Dooley Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 18:27:41 -0800 (PST) Hello Leo: It was good to speak with you tonight! If any names come to mind concerning nurseries you think I should visit; let me know. I will look into the Fallbrook area and go up Monday morning. I am quite encouraged to know you are growing Cherimoya successfully. That and Dragonfruit have to be on the short list of "best fruits". Thanks for the invite to see your Dragonfruit. Let me know when would be a good time to visit. I have Sunday and Mondays off. Hope this rain treats you well. Regards, Tim Dooley mailto:platinumtimis@yahoo.com <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><><><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><>Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/<><> From: "Scott D. Russell" None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 20:20:39 +1300 From: "Nestlebrae.Exotics" Subject: Re: Arbutus unedo I think, without a doubt, that a can of these from China were, incontrovertibly, the worst things I've ever eaten out of tinned/frozen/canned vegetables or fruit! I grow a tree of it, but, apart from trying one every five years just to remind myself of what a fantastically misleading name it is (Strawberry Tree- life must have been tough in Ireland!), I don't bother to eat them. John John D Prince & Rosemary Steele 219 South Head Road, Parkhurst, RD1 Helensville, New Zealand 1250. phone [64] 09 420 7312 website: www.helensville.co.nz/nestlebrae.htm ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 12:22:46 -0000 From: "mcgiverin" Subject: Amazon tree grape In the same spirit as Tabbydan's last query, I was wondering if anyone has experience or opinions on growing the amazon tree grape (Pourouma cecropiaefolia) for fruit and/or ornamental value. I have three seedlings growing very well in containers, and was wondering about setting them out. I know that they tend to produce male and female flowers on separate plants, so I would probably have to plant all three, and don't know whether I should devote space to them. If I do plant, how close together can I plant the three? Thanks, Bruce, Cidra PR. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 18:58:30 +0000 From: hwmpg@comcast.net Subject: Re: Arbutus unedo In the Maritime areas of the Northwest and SW BC they are used mainly as landscaping....they are a broadleaf evergreen, attractive, glossy, fairly dense folilage, but the colored fruit is a bright orange-red globe, contrasts beautifully against the dark glossy green foliage and lasts for quite a while during cold weather when there aren't many other landscaping items with color. We would eat them if we were starving, but then, their lack of desirability as a food source improves their value as a landscaping plant. Herb ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 19:02:46 -0000 From: "tabbydan" Subject: Re: Amazon tree grape Alternatively, if space is a premium for you, you could see what gender they are (I'm hoping they can flower in a container), then graft female onto male. I hope if you have to "dispose" of some plants you can find a local grower who wants them. You got a lot farther than I did. I had a bunch of seeds and they sprouted but oddly most of them died in my garage (the garage had good heat, good humidity- and worked out well for ultra-tropicals such as my rheedia, garcinia, theobroma, & bacca macrocarpa) during the summer. Good luck. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 20:28:38 -0000 From: "mcgiverin" Subject: Could this be the year... ...that I get my first mango from my trees?! In spite of heavy rains in October, November, December, I have some flowers on 'Palmer' and 'Ice Cream'. (Nothing so far on 'Carrie', 'Cogshall' and 'Po Pyu Kalay'.) In August, following someone's advice on this forum, I girdled the 'Palmer' by cutting a ring around the trunk with a utility knife; think that caused it to flower? So far, only a few panicles, but who knows, maybe more on the way. Bruce, Cidra PR, 1400 ft, way too much rain ("Where the mangos never - strike that - SELDOM bloom....") ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 21:12:10 -0000 From: Sergio Duarte Subject: Re: Arbutus unedo Hi, Arbutus unedo, grows wild in Portugal, especially in the southern portion of the country. Locally, the fruit is called "medronho", while the plant itself is called "medronheiro", (where "nh" sounds like the spanish , n with tilde). The fruits are attractive reddish orange balls, 1 inch in diameter or less, with a spiky surface. The pulp is yellow orange with several small seeds. The fruit is sweet but rather bland. It's not so bad that eating more than a few becomes a feat. The problem is that the promising appearance does not translate to a remarkable taste or flavor and one quickly loses interest. "Medronho" shrubs are ornamental. They produce masses of small bell- like fragant flowers that attract bees and other insects. To my senses, the fragance is strong and reminds me of the smell/taste of honey. The fruit ripens in the Autumn months but it is still possible to find some fruits in January. The seeds probably need some cold before they are ready to germinate. The "medronho" is not used as a fresh fruit. However, traditionally it is collected in Portugal to produce an highly alcoholic beverage of the same name. The process involves first the fermentation of the macerated fruit pulp, followed by distillation. The result is a very strong, clear and colorless liquid, which is usually taken in small shots or to spice up coffee (espresso). One local myth that surrounds this fruit is that it is said that one will get drunk if one eats too many of them. Now a bit of speculation. Could it be that Rheedia madruno is called like that because the surface of the fruit resembles that of the A. unedo, which incidently is called madruo is Spanish? --sergio, lisbon, portugal ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 22:46:53 -0800 (PST) From: jules casseur Subject: Re: Hello, (and Jakfruit) Good morning dear Jackfruiter, THere exist a latexless variety of the Jackfruit developped by the Malaysian resaerch institute, the flesh is more reddish orange, and has excellent eating quality. It's recently has been introduced here (Phillipines). Kind Regards Will jules1949@yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 23:25:29 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Nave Subject: Re: Arbutus unedo I like them. There are dozens of them growing outside my office. I like the texture. The fruit is somewhat bland but it's still better than any starfruit I've ever tried (but then I don't believe that starfruit is actually meant to be eaten by humans). I'm sure that the fruit could be improved at least a little by some judicious breeding. The best one I ever had was growing on the grounds of the Luther Burbank house in Santa Rosa, CA. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 08:36:45 -0000 From: "brbrunner" Subject: Re: amazon tree grape Bruce, Amazon tree grape tends to grow quite tall before branching, especially in our rainy, cloudy environment. It is a large tree, and difficult to keep small by pruning. They are definitely dioecious, so you should plant all three. I have three planted, but they haven't flowered yet, and they are about 40 feet tall. I saw a smaller one that was loaded with fruit in Hawaii, but it was a sunnier, warmer, sea level location. I've never tried it, so I don't know how good it is. Can anyone comment on the flavor and quality of the fruit? Bryan Maricao, Puerto Rico ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 17:49:13 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: Jakfruit w/o Latex A new variety of Jakfruit with little or no latex had been developed in the southern part of India. I had not tasted nor had I seen any photograph of this variety which is supposedly being seen more and more in the local markets. Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 09:40:56 -0800 (PST) From: Console G4 Subject: Re: Macadamia allergy? Hi Michael, I once worked for a man who would itch, suffer swelling and difficulty breathing when he ate macadamia nuts (even a small amount in other food). Only case I know of. Best of growing, Bob SW Florida ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 23:03:14 -0800 (PST) From: David Fay Subject: Congo Native Fruits Book This book is available from ECHO for $10: http://www.echonet.org/shopsite_sc/store/html/CongoNativeFruits.html I did have a little contact with the authors, but haven't received any seeds as yet. They have moved to the Central African Republic. I am always interested to trade African Fruit seeds for Thai fruit seeds if anyone has any leads. Rgds, David SE Thailand (Rayong) <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Papaya Sex-Chromosome Study Provides New Glimpse of Evolution From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 13:10:58 -0500 What do people and papayas have in common? Both have specialized chromosomes carrying genes that determine the gender of their offspring. These so-called "sex chromosomes" are markedly different from ordinary chromosomes. In the current issue of the journal Nature, scientists from industry, university and the Agricultural Research Service provide the first direct evidence that papaya sex chromosomes are evolving from other chromosomes--ordinary ones in the plants' genetic makeup. The same process is thought to have occurred in the human genome during the millions of years of human sex chromosome evolution. In humans, sex-chromosome studies may explain inheritance of gender-linked conditions such as sickle-cell anemia or hemophilia. In papaya, studies of sex chromosomes may help scientists understand inheritance of traits responsible for the size, shape and quality of this popular tropical fruit. Apparently, only papaya trees that inherit a specific combination of genes on their sex chromosomes produce fruit that has the elongated shape that consumers of Hawaii-grown papaya prefer. Today, just half of all commercial papaya seedlings grown in Hawaii inherit this prized combination of genes. ARS research plant physiologist Paul H. Moore at Aiea, Hawaii, and ARS research horticulturist Francis T.P. Zee at Hilo participated in the papaya study. Both are with the ARS U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center. Plant molecular geneticist Ray Ming of the grower-sponsored Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Aiea, led the investigation. The scientists analyzed genetic material from more than 2,000 fresh papayas. They found that a chromosome with a small region of genes for male traits--comprising only about 10 percent of the chromosome's length--determines sex in papaya. This papaya chromosome resembles a primitive version of the human Y chromosome--perhaps as it existed 240 to 320 million years ago. The papaya research provides a unique opportunity to examine the beginnings of sex chromosome evolution. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Phosphorus Needed Less Than Believed From: ARS News Service Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 06:45:09 -0500 Phosphorus fertilizer, while expensive, is often necessary for wheat, barley, corn and other crops to produce profitable yields. Now Agricultural Research Service research has shown that phosphorus does not have to be applied annually to get good yields. ARS soil scientist Ardell D. Halvorson, of the agency's Soil, Plant and Nutrient Research Laboratory in Fort Collins, Colo., conducted several long-term experiments in the Great Plains on farm fields in Montana, Colorado and Nebraska. In Montana, he found that a single application of phosphorus increased soil test levels and crop yields for more than 17 years. His research in Nebraska and Colorado also showed that farmers can expect improved yields for several years after a single phosphorus treatment. Since phosphorus is expensive, many farmers tend to use less than the ideal amount each year. Through his research, Halvorson has found economic returns to be greater when applying the correct amount of phosphorus the first year, to eliminate phosphorus deficiency, and then skipping two or three years. Initial cost will be higher, but farmers are likely to have greater profits in the long term. Halvorson recommends applying higher, adequate rates of phosphorus initially, then lower rates as needed to maintain optimum crop yields. Since cropping intensity influences how quickly phosphorus is used, farmers may have to apply it more often if using annual cropping systems, rather than wheat/fallow. But they still don't have to apply it every year. If a farmer is only renting the land for a short period of time, the investment for an initial large application of phosphorus may not make sense. However, for landowners, applying the optimal amount every few years will likely produce larger yields. Since neither soil nor phosphorus leaches readily under Great Plains conditions, the only way a farmer can really "lose" it is through soil erosion, runoff and crop removal. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: More Soil Benefits from No-Till Planting From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 08:56:21 -0500 No-till crops like wheat and peas can be grown without undue erosion on land that has been rested in grass under the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), according to a 6-year study by Agricultural Research Service scientists. CRP lands are often judged to be highly erodible. No-till planting minimizes erosion because crop seeds are planted directly through the plant residue left from the previous crop, without plowing the field. Soil scientists Donald L. Tanaka, Stephen D. Merrill and colleagues at the ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, N. Dak., began their study in 1994 on plots laid out on former wheatfields that had been seeded to a grass-alfalfa mixture under the CRP program in 1989. In 2000, Merrill, Chi-hua Huang, a soil scientist with the ARS National Soil Erosion Research Lab in West Lafayette, Ind., and others twice repeated a 3-year rotation of spring wheat, winter wheat and dry pea for a total of six growing seasons. First, they grew the crops under both no-till and moderate conventional disk tilling. Then they used rainfall simulation equipment to compare the soil erosion that occurred with each of those tillage methods, with erosion caused on plots left in grass and harvested for hay once a year. The researchers found that growing the crops with no-till caused no more erosion than occurred when grass was harvested annually for hay. They also showed that both the land cropped with a wheat-pea rotation under no-till and CRP grassland annually harvested for hay had one-sixth as much erosion as did land cropped with moderate conventional tillage. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200402A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - February 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200402B.txt _______________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Vanishing Email - Weird! I have had three occasions when my Inbox lost quite a few of the most recently received messages. I am using Netscape 4.79, and probably will have to begin using another application. For the Macintosh, there are fewer options. Anyway, I'm telling you this because you may not find messages here that you sent to me. Anytime you send me messages that don't appear in the newsletter, it is probably because they dropped into some black hole. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Sri Lanka, Wants To Grow Pitaya A. Valemurugan New Subscriber, North Texas, Interested In Cactus Patrick N. McVay New Subscriber, Ohio, Looking For Pandanus amarylifolius Francis Weng New Subscriber, East Central Florida Hays, Gary <><><> Readers Write <><><> Information Sought: Thai Sweetsop, Firm and Soft Richard Sar New Yahoo RFNO Group Richard Sar Green Sapote Viride Edward & Althia Musgrave Re: Cherimoya In South Texas - Possible? Leo Manuel Sally Chinese arbutus David Noel nestlebrae.exotics@xtra.co.nz Point Loma Fruit Geoff Buckner Jennifer To Import Rare Seeds Through Customs Safely - How? Luc Vleeracker <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. Peaches - Some Low Chill Leo Manuel <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><>Bot-Linx List <> From: "Scott D. Russell" None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Winning the Fruit Fly Battle in Hawaii ARS News Service Troubles in Chocolate Land ARS News Service New Soybean Promises Healthier Soy Oil ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Sri Lanka, Wants To Grow Pitaya From: "A. Valemurugan" Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 22:56:55 +0600 I am Valemurugan Arumugam, living in Sri Lanka, and I grow Papaya. I would like to grow Dragon fruit (Pitaya) or (Hylocereus undatus) This fruit is not grown in a large scale in our country and is not know much among the local population but I plan to cultivate and introduce to the Sri lankan market. I wish to know as to where I could get the planting material and also the prospects of export market to the European countries & the Middle East. More requests regarding fruit cultivation later. Thanks & regards. A. Valemurugan mailto:valea@sltnet.lk ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, North Texas, Interested In Cactus From: "Patrick N. McVay" Date: Sun, 01 Feb 2004 12:58:29 -0600 Dear Leo...Okay just Leo: I live in the Dallas, Texas area and have been able to grow figs, grapes, and even Japanese maples. However, I have failed on my nectarine project miserably. Instead of roasting another nectarine tree I thought I would try something different this spring. Besides, I do not have any cacti on my property. Is it possible to grow this type of cacti and produce this wonderful red fruit in North Texas climates. I am not interested in growing commercially, just a couple of plants for decoration. Patrick N. McVay mailto:p.mcvay@verizon.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Ohio, Looking For Pandanus amarylifolius From: Francis Weng Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 13:40:18 -0500 I am Francis Weng, in Tallmadge, Ohio and trying to grow every fruit that I remember from my native Malaysia, here in frozen Ohio. Can someone help me in locating Pandanus amarylifolius. This small leafy shrub is used in south east Asian cooking. Thanks Francis mailto:gardenponds@nevereverbeordinary.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, East Central Florida From: "Hays, Gary" Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 12:48:16 -0500 I am Gary Hays in East Central Florida, zone 9b I am now growing Avocado, Macadamia, peach, grumichama, lychee, longan, paw paw, pineapples, cherry of the rio grande, guava, barbados cherry, carambola, purple mombin, dwarf ambarella, papaya, mangos, pecans, passionfruit, grape, blueberries, citrus, and banana. I want to try kiwifruit and atemoya. Looking forward to joining this very informative list, and I'm sure will have many questions. Gary mailto:ghays@harris.com <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Information Sought: Thai Sweetsop, Firm and Soft From: Richard Sar Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 17:12:38 -0800 Hi Leo, I'm looking for information on Thai Sweetsop. When I visited Thailand years ago, I sampled 2 types of sweetsop. One had firm flesh and one had very soft, smooth flesh. The soft flesh one had flesh segments that would easily separate, the firm flesh one didn't and was almost chewy in a way. Does any one know which category Florida grown sweetsops are in? When it comes to the firm flesh, is this a desirable quality? I thought it was very enjoyable. Regards, Richard ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Yahoo RFNO Group From: Richard Sar Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 01:15:52 -0800 Hey Leo, I think I somehow missed that Jan 15 issue. I just recently realized you already started the yahoo group. It sounds like a great idea to support the monthly newsletter with a yahoo group. Pictures would really be helpful in discussions concerning cultivars, pollination, airlayering, and grafting. Richard mailto:richardsar01@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Green Sapote Viride From: Edward & Althia Musgrave Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 09:14:34 -0500 Hi Leo I am looking for a small supply of seeds of Green Sapote Viride, and if anyone has any I would gladly trade some other rare fruit seeds for them. I live in Brandon FL Edward & Althia Musgrave mailto:eamusg@quixnet.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Cherimoya In South Texas - Possible? From: Leo Manuel Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 11:48:35 -0800 To: Sally Hi Sally, It depends on the winter temperatures and whether you can protect the trees when young. They can handle a few degrees of frost, but more when they are older than when very young. Find out the winter facts before you plant either banana or cherimoya. Pawpaw is a distant relative and you may have eaten them in Michigan. They are more hardy. I'll put your letter in the newsletter. You search for more information on the internet. Also see http://crfg.org/pubs/ff/cherimoya.html Take care, Leo : : My name is Sally Montoya. I live in Lansing, MI, but am : moving to southern Texas. I've recently grown interested in : cherimoyas and wonder if the climate surrounding Corpus : Cristi would be too harsh for growing them. I'm also : interested in other fruit trees, apple, peach, lemon, lime : and banana. When we relocate, I'll have 2.5 acres to play : with. It is at the outer edge of a flood plain area but has : fairly good drainage, no standing water. If you can direct : me where to look I'd appreciate your help. Thanks for your : assistance. Sally mailto:Sjmontoya1@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Chinese arbutus From: David Noel Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:07:58 +0800 To: nestlebrae.exotics@xtra.co.nz Hello John -- -- Saw your comment as below, and wondered if you knew that 'Chinese Arbutus' is not from any Arbutus species, but is a bayberry (Myrica) fruit, not related. If you still have some from the can, you might notice that each fruit has a single large central seed, not scattered small seeds as in Irish Strawberry. -- I quite like the flavour of fruit from my Arbutos unedo (species name unedo said to be Latin for 'you only eat one'), although they are rather mealy. There are many related species, including one from Mexico which has large bright red fruit, said to be somewhat narcotic! David Noel mailto:davidn@AOI.com.au / 2004 Feb 5 ====================== : Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 20:20:39 +1300 : From: "Nestlebrae.Exotics" : : Subject: Re: Arbutus unedo : : I think, without a doubt, that a can of these from China : were, incontrovertibly, the worst things I've ever eaten out : of tinned/frozen/canned vegetables or fruit! I grow a tree : of it, but, apart from trying one every five years just to : remind myself of what a fantastically misleading name it is : (Strawberry Tree- life must have been tough in Ireland!), I : don't bother to eat them. John : : John D Prince & Rosemary Steele ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Point Loma Fruit From: Geoff Buckner Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 11:19:45 -0800 To: Jennifer Jennifer, Yes, with respect to rare fruits, living in Point Loma is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is there is no frost and the curse is the damp cool sea breeze. Myself and others live on the Sunset Cliffs side (the windy cold side) of the hill and grow the plants that you want to grow plus many others. Here is a list of varieties of the plants that you want to grow that seem to do well here on the coast. Mango - Valencia Pride, excellent disease resistance, good tasting and fiberless. Cherimoya - They all do very well on the coast. Plant the one you like or graft on different varieties. A lot of people seem to like Honeyhart and El Bumpo. White Sapote - Same as Cherimoya they all seem to do well. Star Fruit - Despite what the literature says, plant in full sun on coast. Sri Kembangan may not do well here. I may try Kari in the near future. Banana - They all do well here. Dwarf varieties are best on the windy side of the point. Dwarf Brazilian is a good one. Fuyu Persimmon - I have a Jiro sited in a cold windy location that has not performed very well at all. Here in Point Loma, maybe persimmons need warm protected areas? I do see them growing okay in some protected backyards... Hope this helps. Are you a member of CRFG? If not, it is a good organization with a lot of valuable information. http://www.crfg.org/ http://www.crfgsandiego.org/ Geoff Buckner mailto:bucknergt@pl1.sdcoxmail.com Point Loma [Check out the local CRFG meetings in Balboa Park monthly, on the fourth Thursday. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: To Import Rare Seeds Through Customs Safely - How? From: Luc Vleeracker Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 13:56:17 -0600 Dear Leo, First I want to thank you again for the yellow pitahaya cutting. It's doing well and new buds are growing. Now this is for the next newsletter, maybe somebody can give me advice: I am planning a trip to Bali and Malaysia this month of june ( yes right in the middle of Durion season ) , you probably guessed the rest of my message , right.. , i 'm gonna bring back a bunch of seeds, only rare of course , so here's the question : who had any experience with this , since they most will have a short life and the risk of confiscation at us custom??? I live in Mexico so i'll be only in transit in the us. Looking forward to hear from you guys! Luc mailto:lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com Luc Vleeracker Gardenias 241 Fracc. Amapas Puerto Vallarta, Jal. Mexico 322-22-32791/Work <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><><><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. Subject: Peaches - Some Low Chill From: Leo Manuel Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 11:35:34 -0800 Low Chill UF Gold Peach (PP#10315) An attractive, high-quality, yellow and non-melting flesh peach. It produces fruit with tree-ripened full flavor while retaining firmness for longer shelf life than fruit from conventional melting-flesh market varieties. It possesses a very low chilling requirement (200 chill units). Fruit shape is nearly round and averages about 110 g and 6.4 cm in diameter. Flesh is non-melting and clingy with a little separation from the stone when soft ripe. Leaves and fruit are moderately resistant to bacterial spot. UF 2000 Peach (PP#12019) An attractive, high quality peach with yellow non-melting flesh. It produces fruit with tree-ripened aroma and sweetness with softens slowly, allowing for longer shelf life than fruit from conventional melting-flesh, fresh market cultivates. Trees possess a low chilling requirement of 300 chill units. Fruit is large and average 150 g and 7 cm in diameter. Ripe fruit has 50% to 70% bright red skin with a deep orange ground color. Flordadawn One of the first commercially shipped peaches to ripen in North America (usually late April in north Florida); good color, shape, and flavor; heavy, prolonged bloom; blooms early; fruit are relatively small but acceptable for their season. Flordaglobe Early ripening (with or before Flordaking); blooms later than Flordaking; good color, shape, and flavor; fewer split pits than Flordaking; smaller than Flordaking. FlordaRio Large fruit; good shape, color, and flavor; blooms earlier than JuneGold. Flordglo Large fruit for its season; firm, nonbrowning white flesh; ripens about 1 week after Flordaprince. Florida Prince Ripens 78-83 days after full bloom. Requires 150 chilling units, early harvest, fruit round with good color. Standard of the season. Tropic Beauty Ripens 85-94 days after full bloom. Requires 150 chilling units, mid season harvest, fruit round, very good firmness, good color and size. Tropic Sweet Ripens 90-100 days after bloom. Requires 175 chilling units, late season harvest. Fruit large, round and good color. Tropic Prince (Patent Pending) Texas A&M University selection made in 1994. Begins to ripen as Florida Prince is fruiting. Good cropping, size, firmness, shape, and blush. Better ground coloration than Earligrande. Somewhat blotchy blush. Chill requirements: 150 Chill units to fruit. Ripe:7 days after Florda Prince (about 4/23 at Weslaco, Texas). Gulf Prince (Patent Pending) A jointly released peach from Florida and Georgia Ag Experiment Stations with wide area adaptation. Very firm, sweet yellow, non-melting flesh fruit with a longer shelf life than fruit from conventional non-melting flesh market varieties. Leaves are resistant to bacterial spot. Fruit is large, symmetrical (6.4 to 7 cm diameter) and attractive, ranging from 140 to 150 g ub weight. Ripe fruit exhibits 45% ti 55% red over a deep yellow to orange ground color. Trees possessa low chilling requirement to 400 chill units. Florda Grande Ripens 100-105 days after full bloom. Requires less than 100 chilling units, harvests late, average color, large fruit. Tropic Snow Ripens 110 days after full bloom. Requires 200 chilling units. White flesh peach, excellent flavor. Cling Peaches Thiara Cling (PP#8744) A vigorous growing tree harvesting a week before Loadel. Fruit holds well on tree and colors evenly inside to outside, no splits and sizes well. Third Leaf Orchard in Yuba City planted 18x20 @ 121 trees/acre yielded 16 tons per acre in 1997. Kingsburg Cling (PP#11739) Discovered as a mutation of Dr. Davis. Fruit ripens 10 days ahead of Dr. Davis, after Andross with excellent quality, shape and firmness. Cut-outs have revealed exceptional canning quality. Kingsburg Cling has been well received by Del Monte. Fruit size is comparable to Dr. Davis with consistent cropping. Tree's vigorous. Late Ross (PP#11208) This is a new variety which was discovered as a bud mutation of Ross. Late Ross exhibits many of the same quality characteristics as its parent except that it ripens about five to seven days later. Fruit displays good shape, size, firmness and color. Ceres Carson (Patent Pending) Ripening approximately five days ahead of Loadel. Ceres Carson was discovered as a bud sport. Fruit set appears to be lighter than Loadel, but with better size and production. Ceres Carson has a good tree vigor, cans well and holds up well in cold storage. Goodwin Harvests August 4. Late. This new University of California variety ripens with Andross about the first week of August. Fruit is medium size with a slight tip. Flesh is slightly less fuzzy than Andross. Pit is small to medium with no fragments. Tree is semi-upright with a medium cropping habit. Fresh Market Peaches Sierra Gem (PP#10810) Sierra Gem is a promising new peach which ripens the 2nd week of June. The fruit is large for the season with 70-80% red blush with orange background. Flesh is yellow-orange, non-melting, and has good flavor. Pick date will be with June Lady and Flavorcrest, but with better size than June Lady and fewer splits than Flavorcrest. Opal ® Moncav (Patent Pending) A new mid-season white flesh sub-acid peach. Very good firmness with excellent color. Very good flavor. Ripens July 15-20. August Flame (B2.034) (PP#12405) A new mid-late season freestone peach. Ripens Aug. 15-29 in Fresno. August Flame has excellent firmness and color (90 percent bright red blush over yellow/orange background), it also exhibits very good shape, size and flavor. August Flame is a new introduction from The Burchell Nursery Breeding Program. June Flame (B4.098) (Patent Pending) Firm freestone peach with very high color. Fruit is very large for season. Ripens just ahead of Red Top. Ripens June 15-22 in Fresno. July Flame (PP#12505) This is a very firm peach with outstanding flavor. Highly colored, good shape and ripens 7 days before Elegant Lady. Commercially planted. September Flame (A22.003) (PP#12507) Fresh market cling. Fruit is large, well-colored, with excellent flavor. Ripens August 20-30, Very Productive. Spring Flame (D2.102)(PP#12156) Ripens May 27-June 4. Good size, round fairly good flavor, gold with red blush, good firmness and a good producer. Summer Flame (Patent Pending) Beautiful red freestone peach with excellent firmness and productivity. Fruit is very large and of good dessert quality. Ripens July 17-22 in Fresno. August Lady (PP#8956) August Lady is a late variety freestone with large, firm, flavorful fruit with a rich, red color. This is a mutation of Summer Lady. August Lady ripens approximately August 10-15. Henry II (A39.006) (PP#12157) Ripens August 3-7. Clingstone fresh market peach. Harvests at same time as O'Henry but is sweeter, firmer and has a more round uniform shape. Brighter color than O'Henry. O'Henry Ripens August 3-7. Medium to large size, shape slightly irregular, excellent flavor, good red color, good firmness, good production. Elegant Lady Ripens July 8-15. Large size, good flavor, bright red skin, round, excellent producer, and excellent shipping peach. Low Chill UF Gold Peach (PP#10315) An attractive, high-quality, yellow and non-melting flesh peach. It produces fruit with tree-ripened full flavor while retaining firmness for longer shelf life than fruit from conventional melting-flesh market varieties. It possesses a very low chilling requirement (200 chill units). Fruit shape is nearly round and averages about 110 g and 6.4 cm in diameter. Flesh is non-melting and clingy with a little separation from the stone when soft ripe. Leaves and fruit are moderately resistant to bacterial spot. UF 2000 Peach (PP#12019) An attractive, high quality peach with yellow non-melting flesh. It produces fruit with tree-ripened aroma and sweetness with softens slowly, allowing for longer shelf life than fruit from conventional melting-flesh, fresh market cultivates. Trees possess a low chilling requirement of 300 chill units. Fruit is large and average 150 g and 7 cm in diameter. Ripe fruit has 50% to 70% bright red skin with a deep orange ground color. Flordadawn One of the first commercially shipped peaches to ripen in North America (usually late April in north Florida); good color, shape, and flavor; heavy, prolonged bloom; blooms early; fruit are relatively small but acceptable for their season. Flordaglobe Early ripening (with or before Flordaking); blooms later than Flordaking; good color, shape, and flavor; fewer split pits than Flordaking; smaller than Flordaking. FlordaRio Large fruit; good shape, color, and flavor; blooms earlier than JuneGold. Flordglo Large fruit for its season; firm, nonbrowning white flesh; ripens about 1 week after Flordaprince. Florida Prince Ripens 78-83 days after full bloom. Requires 150 chilling units, early harvest, fruit round with good color. Standard of the season. Tropic Beauty Ripens 85-94 days after full bloom. Requires 150 chilling units, mid season harvest, fruit round, very good firmness, good color and size. Tropic Sweet Ripens 90-100 days after bloom. Requires 175 chilling units, late season harvest. Fruit large, round and good color. Tropic Prince (Patent Pending) Texas A&M University selection made in 1994. Begins to ripen as Florida Prince is fruiting. Good cropping, size, firmness, shape, and blush. Better ground coloration than Earligrande. Somewhat blotchy blush. Chill requirements: 150 Chill units to fruit. Ripe:7 days after Florda Prince (about 4/23 at Weslaco, Texas). Gulf Prince (Patent Pending) A jointly released peach from Florida and Georgia Ag Experiment Stations with wide area adaptation. Very firm, sweet yellow, non-melting flesh fruit with a longer shelf life than fruit from conventional non-melting flesh market varieties. Leaves are resistant to bacterial spot. Fruit is large, symmetrical (6.4 to 7 cm diameter) and attractive, ranging from 140 to 150 g ub weight. Ripe fruit exhibits 45% ti 55% red over a deep yellow to orange ground color. Trees possessa low chilling requirement to 400 chill units. Florda Grande Ripens 100-105 days after full bloom. Requires less than 100 chilling units, harvests late, average color, large fruit. Tropic Snow Ripens 110 days after full bloom. Requires 200 chilling units. White flesh peach, excellent flavor. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><>Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/<><> From: "Scott D. Russell" Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/ None, this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Winning the Fruit Fly Battle in Hawaii From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 08:55:15 -0500 To: ARS News subscriber Agricultural Research Service scientists in Hawaii are leading the first successful effort to deal with the exotic fruit flies that have devastated Hawaiian farms and gardens for a century. The program is not only controlling fruit flies and improving Hawaiian agriculture, but also may help keep foreign fruit flies out of the United States. If exotic fruit flies became established in California, the direct and indirect losses could amount to $1.4 billion annually in that state alone. The Hawaii Area-Wide Fruit Fly Integrated Pest Management Program (HAW-FLYPM, www.fruitfly.hawaii.edu) is under the direction of ARS entomologist Roger Vargas at the agency's U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii. The program, a joint effort of ARS, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaii, depends primarily on a system of field sanitation, biological controls and lures, rather than chemical insecticides. Growers on three Hawaiian islands have already been recruited as cooperators, and more are joining every growing season. Aloun Farms, one of the largest and most diversified farms in Oahu, has already been able to reduce its insecticide use by 60 to 70 percent. By enabling farmers to cut back on insecticide spraying, the program benefits the Hawaiian environment. Fruit fly control is also allowing farmers to grow more types of crops. Because of fruit fly problems, Earl Yamamoto of B.E.S.T. Farm in Waimea had been limited to growing peppers and melon crops. Now he's experimenting with blueberries and has added zucchini and persimmons. Persimmons are a popular fruit crop in Hawaii, but many orchards were abandoned as fruit fly problems worsened. Now, persimmon trees are being planted again, and harvests are increasing. Read more about this research in the February issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb04/flies0204.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Troubles in Chocolate Land From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 08:13:34 -0500 To: ARS News subscriber Here's some sobering news for Valentine's Day gift-seekers: All is not well in the world of chocolate. That's because several fungi, most significantly Crinipellis perniciosa, are attacking Theobroma cacao trees, source of the seeds that are the chief ingredient for cocoa and chocolate. C. perniciosa penetrates the stem and fruit tissue of cacao trees, inhibiting their formation of seed pods and destroying mature pods. But scientists with the Agricultural Research Service have been tackling the problem. Raymond J. Schnell and colleagues at ARS' Subtropical Horticultural Research Unit in Miami, Fla., have studied cacao's genome and have found genetic markers for resistance to witches' broom, the disease caused by C. perniciosa. Schnell and other ARS scientists are participating this week in a first-of-its-kind symposium on T. cacao, hosted by the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Schnell will discuss research on cacao's genome, its historic origins, and current and future challenges in tropical tree crop breeding. The meeting is expected to draw scientists from Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria, as well as the United States, to discuss recent advances in cacao research. Latin America was a traditional hub of cocoa production until witches' broom began to devastate production a little more than a decade ago. Since then, Brazil, which used to export $100 million worth of cocoa beans to the United States annually, has gone from being the world's third-largest exporter to a net importer. Western Africa is now the world's premier cacao-growing region, with the Ivory Coast supplying about half of the world's cocoa beans. Schnell is currently in the third year of a five-year cooperative agreement with Masterfoods, Inc., of Hackettstown, N.J.--makers of M&Ms, Dove Chocolate and Snickers candy bars--to breed cacao that resists serious diseases. Breeding populations established in Costa Rica and Ecuador have shown tolerance to witches' broom and to frosty pod and black pod, both of which rot cacao pods, as well as to Ceratocystis, a fungus that causes cankers on branches and stems. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Soybean Promises Healthier Soy Oil From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 06:32:59 -0500 To: ARS News subscriber Oil from soybeans bred from a new line of germplasm could someday be a contender for olive oil's front-runner position as highest in heart-healthy levels of monounsaturated fats. The germplasm--the starting point for cultivating new soybean lines--was developed through traditional breeding methods by Agricultural Research Service scientists. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. The scientists, with the ARS Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research Laboratory in Raleigh, N.C., were led by agronomist Joseph W. Burton. The germplasm will be a useful genetic resource for breeding soybean varieties suitable for different growing regions. Oil from beans from the germplasm line contains increased levels of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat stable enough for use in salad dressings or frying oils without treatment by the hardening process called hydrogenation. Such hardening is achieved by chemically adding hydrogen to a chain of oil molecules. The hydrogenation serves as a stabilizer to make oils suitable for use in solid products such as margarines, breakfast bars and baked goods. But it also creates less healthy trans fatty acids. Oil from the germplasm line also has less than half the highly unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids (PFAs) of today's commercial soy oils. PFAs are liquid fats known to cause undesirable odors and to break down when oxidized by aging or the high heat of frying. The new line's low PFA level means that even without hydrogenation, its oils would be as stable as most hydrogenated oils, and yet not oxidize as quickly as other soybean oils. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200402B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - March 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200403A.txt ___________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Help! Rare Fruit News Online can only function if readers write - maybe to ask questions, to report on news in their yards, or to comment on letters others have written. This past couple of weeks has produced very little mail from you, and it has definitely gotten my attention! It is quite possible that spammers mail has overloaded my server causing mail to be rejected. I have had that reported by at least one correspondent. This winter has been colder in my part of San Diego than any in the ten years I've lived here. I hadn't seen evidence of cold damage until this year when one papaya had a few leaves cold-damaged. Has it been colder for any others of you in Southern California? -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Pennsylvania R Kuzmich New Subscriber, San Jose, CA, Suzy Jones <><><> Readers Write <><><> Re: Information Sought: Thai Sweetsop, Firm and Soft Sainarong Siripen Rasananda Richard Sar Re: Information Sought: Thai Sweetsop, Firm and Soft Richard Sar sainaron@loxinfo.co.th Moringa Trees Information Sought By Rodney Eveland Lon J. Rombough Pitahaya in Borrego - Question Ben Poirier Fruit in the Corpus area junderwoodz@netscape.net Sally <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> California Agriculture Online: Vol. 58, No. 1 California Agriculture CALAG-L@LISTSERV.UCOP.EDU San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org Shttp://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><>Bot-Linx List <> From: Scott D. Russell None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> Bailey's Marvel Mango Tree bananaizme@aol.com PASSIONFLOWER Photos The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Re: PASSIONFLOWER George F. Emerich mailto:gemerich@tfb.com Re: PASSIONFLOWER KEN LOVE mailto:shb00363@nifty.ne.jp Re: PASSIONFLOWER The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Re: Bailey's Marvel Mango Tree Console G4 mailto:CannonConsult@yahoo.com Re: Bailey's Marvel Mango Tree bananaizme@aol.com Phillipine MANGO Photos The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Macadamia Toxicity Erin Leff DVM. mailto:edldvm@bellsouth.net The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com JAPANESE PERSIMMON Photos Markku Häkkinen mailto:markku.hakkinen@kymp.net Re: growing bananas inside Got (lychee) flowers? mcgiverin mailto:giverin@coqui.net Re: Got (lychee) flowers? oscarrj mailto:fruitlovers@eudoramail.com Re: Got (lychee) flowers? brbrunner mailto:brbrunner@yahoo.com Re: Got (lychee) flowers? tomling8 mailto:h.ling@qut.edu.au Re: Got (lychee) flowers? brbrunner mailto:brbrunner@yahoo.com Re: Got (lychee) flowers? KEN LOVE mailto:shb00363@nifty.ne.jp <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Senior Gardeners Helping to Save Hawaiian Agriculture ARS News Service Groundbreaking for Arid-Land Study Center ARS News Service With Just a Sprinkle, Plants Soak Up More Selenium ARS News Service Raspberries' Year-Round Protective Light Show ARS News Service <><><> New Subscribers <><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Pennsylvania From: R Kuzmich Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 22:14:19 -0500 Hi, My name is Ray Kuzmich I live near Titusville in N W Pennsylvania Some different plants I am growing are Kiwi, Honeyberry, Pawpaw, Ginko, Snow Bamboo, Persimmon and Russian Olive along with many edible plants common to our area. I would like to try other non-native plants that can survive our rather cool climate. (-20 degrees maximum low temperature) Additionally, I am interested in disease resistant and pest free edible fruit and vegetables. Ray Kuzmich mailto:rkuzmich@hotmail.com [I would also suggest that you acquaint yourself with NAFEX, North American Fruit Explorers. To subscribe, write to mailto:nafex@lists.ibiblio.org. Most of their subscribers live in similar growing conditions to yours. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, San Jose, CA, From: Suzy Jones Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 21:20:09 +0000 Hi, If this is Leo, I just sent you a check for the Pitahaya book. I'd like to sign up for the newsletter. My name is Suzy Jones and I live in San Jose, at the moment. Right now I am growing passion flower, haas avocado, pineapple guava, murcott orange, meyer and eureka lemons, Blenheim apricots (not rare, but yummy), mystery plums, and prickly pear cactus. I want to grow dragon fruit, lychee, rambutan, mangosteen, raspberries, yuzu, olives, pomelo, key limes and jackfruit, and I am going to move so that I can! I also have a veggie garden, cacti bed, and water plants in my pond. I would swap seeds, cuttings, or bulbs with fellow gardeners. Any suggestions for growing dragon fruit, including soil mix, would be appreciated. Thanks Suzy mailto:jungle__woman@hotmail.com (that has 2 underbars) [For pitaya fruit information, visit the Yahoo newsgroup http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PitayaFruit/ -Leo] <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Re: Information Sought: Thai Sweetsop, Firm and Soft From: Sainarong Siripen Rasananda Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 06:28:40 +0700 CC: Richard Sar : Richard Sar (with such a name, I am not sure if he will : be welcome back into Thailand) writes: : : I'm looking for information on Thai Sweetsop. When I : visited Thailand years ago, I sampled 2 types of : sweetsop. One had firm flesh and one had very soft, : smooth flesh. The soft flesh one had flesh segments : that would easily separate, the firm flesh one didn't : and was almost chewy in a way. Does any one know which : category Florida grown sweetsops are in? When it comes : to the firm flesh, is this a desirable quality? I : thought it was very enjoyable. Sainarong Rasananda from Thailand writes: As the name sweetsop is quite unfamiliar to me, I searched the Net and came up with the information below. Yes, sweepsop, sugar apple or Noi Nar and its close relatives are quite common in all tropical and subtropical climates. The preference for fimness/softness of the flesh depends on one's individual taste I guess. However, the firm flesh one would be more easily transported. I think my fellow readers would like to comment further on the status of sugar apple in Florida, a subject on which I am not qualified. sweetsop = sugar apple Notes: This sweet tropical fruit looks a bit like a small cherimoya. It's great for eating of hand or for making shakes. It's available in the fall, but it's hard to find outside of Florida. Substitutes: atemoya (this is a cross between the sweetsop Sugar Apple (Noi-Na) Also known as a custard apple, it is a heart shaped fruit with a lumpy green skin covering masses of sweet scented white flesh. In most cases the fruit can be divided into two and the creamy flesh eaten with a spoon. Alternatively it is used as a base for ice cream. Common name: Sugar Apple, Sweetsop Botanical name: Annona squamosa Family: Annonaceae Origin: Tropical America Normal FL size: 10' x 10' Varieties: Thai-Lessard, Kampong Mauve Season: August - November. Older trees may continue fruiting into January during warm winter. Trees reach full dormancy during cold winters. Comments: Sheer deliciousness. Sweet custard-like pulp. Very highly regarded in all tropical areas. Very well suited to Florida. Sainarong Siripen Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Information Sought: Thai Sweetsop, Firm and Soft From: Richard Sar Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 16:42:43 -0800 To: sainaron@loxinfo.co.th Hi Sainarong, Thanks for the reply. > with such a name, I am not sure if he will be welcome > back into Thailand. Well what can I say, when it says its SARS free, I guess they won't be talking about me. I was hoping you could elaborate a little bit more about the Thai sugar apple. Are there named cultivars that represent the firm or the soft flesh ones? While most Thais seem to be familiar with this characteristic, I could simply find no information at all when it comes to firm flesh or soft flesh sugar apple on the web. Any description I find does not seem to mention this very important(to me) characteristics at all. Any and all comments would be appreciated. Thanks, Richard mailto:richardsar01@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Moringa Trees Information Sought By Rodney Eveland From: Lon J. Rombough Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 07:42:46 -0800 Rodney Eveland mailto:reveland@collinscom.net wants information from people in the U.S. who have experience in growing Moringa Trees. : What I (am) looking for (is) the voice of experience : from US growers. There doesn't seem to be much/any. mailto:reveland@collinscom.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pitahaya in Borrego - Question From: Ben Poirier Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 10:56:49 -0800 Hello All, We were in Borrego a couple weekends ago and driving past Citrus trees, we noticed a giant shadehouse structure behind some of the rows. It was filled with row upon row of Pitahaya plants. This was a huge structure and had to cover 5 acres (my guess). The plants had to be at least three years or older judging from their size. There was nobody about and many "No trespassing" signs, so I have no other information, but lots of questions: Varieties planted, cultural practices and fruit production. Anyone have any information ? This has also been posted on the Pitahaya group. Ben Poirier mailto:benplant@tfb.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Fruit in the Corpus area From: junderwoodz@netscape.net Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 19:29:51 -0500 To: Sally Hi Sally, I grew up in the Corpus area. I grew papayas and had friends that grew avocados, bananas, citrus and loquat trees so you should be successful with cherimoyas if you have a few good winters to get them established (I now live in southern California and have three cherimoyas (We've been eating cherimoyas for several months and I've been watching two large cherimoyas for the past several days as we are experiencing high winds and they may blow down.) in my yard as well as 8 avocados and other fruit). Pecans do very well. Pawpaw and dates should also do well. As best as I remember Corpus probably only had seven or eight extremely cold winters in the twentieth century (However pipes 'burst' all over town when they occur because water pipes are not buried very deeply in Corpus). Weather forecasting is improved to the point now that you should be able to wrap 'bubblewrap' around your trees while they are small to protect them if the temperature is going to drop much below freezing. Joe mailto:junderwoodz@netscape.net <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><><><><><> Subject: California Agriculture Online: Vol. 58, No. 1 From: California Agriculture Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 13:24:52 -0800 To: CALAG-L@LISTSERV.UCOP.EDU CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE January-March 2004 Welcome to the newest edition of California Agriculture! The contents (Vol. 58 No. 1) can now be viewed online at: http://CaliforniaAgriculture.ucop.edu/ Research highlights: The hunger-obesity dilemma How can Californians be overweight and hungry? Crawford et al. Overweight has replaced malnutrition as the main nutritional problem of the poor; a study of low-income Latino families links food insecurity and overweight. Food insecurity prominent among low-income California Latinos Kaiser et al. In a study of low-income Latino households, more than 60% were food insecure with varying degrees of hunger; food for preschoolers was affected. Focus on human resources: Rural Latino families in California are missing earned income tax benefits Varcoe, Lees, Lopez Due to lack of information, many qualified and eligible recipients are not qualified and eligible recipients are not receiving an important federal tax benefit and potential income supplement. Project engages culturally diverse parents in Proposition 10 decisions Campbell, Wright An evaluation team reviewed six civic engagement tools used in eight counties to promote the fair distribution of tobacco tax funds to benefit young children. Expanded production of labor-intensive crops increases agricultural employment Khan, Martin, Hardiman It may be possible to employ a smaller total farm workforce, with each worker employed more hours and achieving higher earnings Other research articles: Irrigation and planting density affect river red gum growth Cockerham In a 6-year study, nitrogen fertilizer had no impact while water and spacing significantly influenced growth of a potential fuel-wood source. Autoguidance system operated at high speed causes almost no tomato damage Abidine et al. A real-time kinematic global positioning system (RTKK GPS) operated at 7 mph and 2 inches from crops caused almost no damage to plants or drip tape. Drip irrigation evaluated in Santa Maria Valley strawberries Hanson, Bendixen In studies, drip irrigation did not negatively impact soil salinity or canopy coverage, which can reduce strawberry yields. In vitro gas production provides effective method for assessing ruminant feeds Getachew, DePeters, Robinson Ruminants convert feedstuffs into human edible foods; by better utilizing feed byproducts, environmental impacts can be reduced. Tomato pomace may be a good source of vitamin D in broiler diets King, Zeidler Wastes from tomato processing could provide a rich source of vitamin E for chickens, reducing fat deterioration and prolonging shelf life. Editorial: California's growing diversity drives profound change News departments: Science briefs Immigration reform, Klamath ecosystem, dairy supplement, GPR Outreach news Fire outreach, Elliott reserve Research update Pre-caucusing, rural youth, EatFit, yo-yo dieting To our readers: Please feel free to share this e-mail with others. If you wish to be dropped from this list, send a reply with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. Let us know if you are having difficulty with any aspect of our Web site. Where possible, we will make changes in response to reader requests. California Agriculture is the University of California's peer-reviewed journal of research in agricultural, human and natural resources. For a free subscription, go to http://CaliforniaAgriculture.ucop.edu/, write to calag@ucop.edu or call (510) 987-0044. California Agriculture ANR, University of California 1111 Franklin St., 6th floor Oakland, CA 94607-5200 v 510-987-0044 f 510-465-2659 CAL AG Web site: http://californiaagriculture.ucop.edu/ ------------------------------------------------ San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org ------------------------------------------------ Shttp://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><>Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/<><> From: "Scott D. Russell" Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/ None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 10:27:00 EST From: bananaizme@aol.com Subject: Bailey's Marvel Mango Tree Hi Group Was just curious if anyone in this group is growing Bailey's Marvel in a colder climate where frost can occur? I just got one this weekend and was told that Bailey's Marvel can tolerate more cold than most mangos. I am reletively new to mango growing. I did purchase a Keitt, Ice Cream, Manila, Thomson, Thai Everbearing, Turpentine, Ataulfo, These were puchased last year and I waited on planting them because I was in the process of buying this home I'm living in now and didnt want to plant anything until I was sure the deal would go through. Anyway I ended up putting them under a patio (Just a roof without sides) to over winter them and they came through winter fine. We do get down to 28F or so a few times each winter so I am planning on throwing a row cover over them on cold nights. Anyway I would appreciate any comments on your experiences with growing them in colder locations. William in Visalia Ca ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 19:06:16 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Subject: PASSIONFLOWER Photos Here are my photos to share of Passionflower (Passiflora violacea). The vine was growing in Rockledge, Florida in Zone 10a. All photos were taken in July. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19588 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19595 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19596 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19609 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19613 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19615 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 21:26:47 -0800 From: George F. Emerich mailto:gemerich@tfb.com Subject: Re: Re: PASSIONFLOWER Tabbydan: If you are really interested in Passiflora, start with Passiflora Society International (PSI) at: http://www.passiflora.org/. The best book available is probably Passion Flowers by John Vanderplank. There are literally many hundreds of species recorded with many more being identified every year in places like Ecuador and Borneo. There are only a few that are really 'eatable' although a great many are said to be edible. George ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 14:46:48 +0900 From: KEN LOVE mailto:shb00363@nifty.ne.jp Subject: Re: PASSIONFLOWER Dr. Maurizio Vecchia has a great site in Italy for passiflora. http://www.passiflora.it/ There are also a number of links to other sites. Ken ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 02:59:49 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Subject: Re: PASSIONFLOWER Dan Possibly the best all-rounded book is, Passion Flowers By John Vanderplank Thanks. Asit ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 08:33:46 -0800 (PST) From: Console G4 mailto:CannonConsult@yahoo.com Subject: Re: Bailey's Marvel Mango Tree Hi William, Despite its being a fairly new variety there is already some confusion on Bailey's Marvel. Seems that there may be a second variety named Bailey's that is oft confused. I have a young Bailey's Marvel from the Treehouse (Bob and Vivian) on Pine Island, Florida that is the true form. So far it has been a great tree that survived the light frosts we had last year and the year before with no problems. Three winters back there was a heavier frost that did some damage bt the tree was also smaller and younger. My Bailey's Marvel also seems sensitive to the weedy Casurina that I need to remove as this last year the growth is somewhat stunted. I have a few flowers starting to emerge now. The fruit from Bailey's Marvel that I have tasted has a good flavor and it is a variety I recommend. Best of growing, Bob SW Florida ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 11:48:18 EST From: bananaizme@aol.com Subject: Re: Bailey's Marvel Mango Tree Hi Bob Thanks for the comments on the Bailey's marvel. I bought it from a guy in CRFG near Riverside Ca. I am anxious to see how the mangos will do here. Last summer although they were in pots I fed them with a mixture of fish emulsion- liquid kelp- liquid iron (all foliar fed) and they continued to put on growth flushes most of the summer. My Manila was the most agressive as it almost doubled in size. I am glad to hear that they can tolerate some light frost. Has anyone in this group ever used antitranspirants? I use one from home depot called cloudcover and it does seem to help somewhat against frost. William ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 11:35:42 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Subject: Phillipine MANGO Photos Here are my photos to share of the Philippine Mango (Mangifera indica). The 9-year old tree is located in Merritt Island, Florida in Zone 10a. All photos were taken in July. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33530 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33536 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33550 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33561 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33573 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 07:52:50 -0500 From: Erin Leff DVM. mailto:edldvm@bellsouth.net Subject: Macadamia Toxicity Hi Thought the group might like some research on Macadamia Toxicity. Macadamia Nut Toxicosis in Dogs Vet Med 97[4]:274-276 Apr'02 Toxicology Brief 3 Refs Steven R. Hansen, DVM, MS, DABVT ASPCA Animal Control Center 1717 S. Philo Rd., Suite 36, Urbana, IL 61802; (888) 4ANI-HELP Clinical signs From 1987 to 2001, the ASPCA APCC received 48 calls concerning dogs consuming macadamia nuts. Clinical signs commonly reported from most to least frequent were weakness, depression, vomiting, ataxia, tremors, and hyperthermia. In 94% of cases, dogs that had consumed macadamia nuts were reported to be showing at least one of these clinical signs. Clinical signs were reported over a wide dosage range. Based on ASPCA APCC data, weakness was reported after dogs ingested as little as 2.4 to as much as 62.4 g/kg. Vomiting was reported to occur after the ingestion of 7 to 62.4 g/kg. The mean amount of macadamia nuts ingested was estimated to be 11.7 g/kg (range 2.2 to 62.4 g/kg). The reported time from ingestion of nuts to development of clinical signs was less than 12 hours in 79% of the cases. The exact cause of the clinical signs of toxicosis resulting from macadamia nut ingestion by dogs is unknown. The actual mechanism of action could be specific to the dog and may involve constituents of the nuts themselves, contaminants from processing, mycotoxins, or other unidentified causes. Additional research is needed to answer this question. The ASPCA APCC recommends home observation for uncomplicated, clearly evident macadamia nut toxicosis in dogs. Admit dogs with preexisting conditions or atypical presentations to a veterinary hospital for further care. Administering activated charcoal (2 g/kg orally) with a cathartic such as 70% sorbitol (3 ml/kg orally) hastens the passage of nuts through the digestive tract and may reduce the absorption of unidentified causative compounds. A complete medical investigation is indicated to rule out preexisting conditions or concurrent ingestions that could warrant further care. The prognosis for complete recovery of dogs showing common signs of macadamia nut toxicosis with no evidence of complicating concurrent ingestion is extremely good. In the ASPCA APCC's experience, dogs routinely return to normal within 24 to 48 hours with only observation at home. All case consultations managed by the ASPCA APCC to date have resulted in complete recovery. Erin D. Leff, DVM Veterinary Relief Services ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 05:31:50 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Subject: JAPANESE PERSIMMON Photos Here are my photos to share of the Japanese Persimmon (Diospyros kaki). This 8-year old, 7-ft tall tree of unknown cultivar is located in Rockledge, Florida in Zone 10a. All photos were taken in October and November. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29011 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29104 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29664 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29666 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29676 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29680 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29737 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29799 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29975 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/30517 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/30523 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 10:44:02 +0200 From: Markku Häkkinen mailto:markku.hakkinen@kymp.net Subject: Re: growing bananas inside Jeremy: I have grown 25 years and still grow all kind of bananas also indoors here in Finland latitude 61 degrees North in addition to those ones in greenhouse. There are few things to noticeable: 1) The dwarf form of cultivars might be dwarf form of big one so it might be as well ten feet high and take a lot of space indoors. 2) The pod must be big enough but not at the beginning. It must be changed to bigger ones when the plant is growing. The soil what I use is normal garden soil but it must have good drainage otherwise it comes soon water locked. 3) There must be enough light. Near the window. Here my bananas goes dormant in November and continue growing in February due to lack of light. The extra lights do not help very much because one cannot use so bright lights indoors. 4) You can also chop your banana down few times when it is less than 3 feet high. By this mean you can keep it smaller and corm is growing bigger. Please do not do it near the fall. 5) I am fertilizing first with high nitrogen and during flowering high potassium fertilizer. 6) The spider mites are problem when bananas is grown indoors. I am spraying them with PENTAC around three times every year. If you have any additional questions just come back to the forum. Markku. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 06:10:40 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist mailto:asitkghosh@yahoo.com Subject: SURINAM CHERRY Photos Here are my photos to share of Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora). Fruits were from a hedge growing in Merritt Island, Florida, in Zone 10a. All photos were taken in June. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/23482 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/23485 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/23491 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/23493 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 02:12:39 -0000 From: mcgiverin mailto:giverin@coqui.net Subject: Got (lychee) flowers? My one lychee old enough to flower, a Hak Ip,'s got nothing. Oh well, as we Cubs fans say, there's always next year. My neighbor has four varieties of lychee, all about 3 years old, and last summer he was distressed at having backed over one of his trees with his riding lawn mower, partially uprooting it and breaking a few branches. Guess which one of his trees is now full of flowers! Bryan, got flowers on any of yours this year? Bruce, Cidra, PR. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 04:28:30 -0000 From: oscarrj mailto:fruitlovers@eudoramail.com Subject: Re: Got (lychee) flowers? Bruce, would not suggest riding over your Hak Ip with the lawn mower, but girdling definitely works! Previously skeptical, Oscar, Big Island, Hawaii ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 12:07:37 -0000 From: brbrunner mailto:brbrunner@yahoo.com Subject: Re: Got (lychee) flowers? Hi Bruce, Have some Brewster and Amboina flowers, but its still to early to see whether it is going to be just a few or heavy. Last year I girdled 7 Brewster branches in September, and those branches were loaded with fruit. This year I didn't girdle because I was doing a lot of air layers, and it looks like I won't have the same good flowering. Definitely worth doing!!! Bryan ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 10:15:30 -0000 From: tomling8 mailto:h.ling@qut.edu.au Subject: Re: Got (lychee) flowers? Bryan, I just want to confirm with you that the right time to girdle is before flower bud forming and not during blooming. Correct? How well advanced before flower bud forming? Ling ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 11:24:55 -0000 From: brbrunner mailto:brbrunner@yahoo.com Subject: Re: Got (lychee) flowers? Hi Ling, I have limited experience with girdling, but it worked for me when done 4-5 months before the normal blooming season. Here in Puerto Rico (Northern Hemisphere), that is in September for January/February flowering. Bryan Maricao, PR ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 02:26:10 +0900 From: KEN LOVE mailto:shb00363@nifty.ne.jp Subject: Re: Got (lychee) flowers I usual girdle around thanksgiving as we generally want a later fruiting. It helps to some extent with timing. This practice is common in Taiwan. Looks like it will be a good lychee year in Kona for kaimana if the winds stay away. Ken <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Senior Gardeners Helping to Save Hawaiian Agriculture From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 09:41:51 -0500 Hawaiian senior citizens who garden are helping the state's farmers solve a big pest problem--controlling foreign fruit flies that devastate the harvest for every grower, large and small. The Agricultural Research Service is leading a cooperative effort in Hawaii to suppress Mediterranean, Oriental, Malaysian and melon fruit flies that lay eggs in and damage more than 400 fruits and vegetables, many of which are raised by backyard gardeners. An area-wide fruit fly control program, led by the ARS U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii, in cooperation with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and University of Hawaii, has been having remarkable success suppressing these tiny but terrible pests among large and small commercial growers in Hawaii. But home gardens often act as reservoirs of fruit flies, and achieving real control requires preventing these reservoirs from supplying new generations of the pests. For this reason, ARS researcher Hannah Revis began meeting with the Kohala Senior Citizens Club, many of whom are avid gardeners and who were willing to be cooperators in a fruit fly control pilot test and then to demonstrate the system to other gardeners. Revis is teaching them how to apply the control program, which relies primarily on a system of field sanitation, biological controls and traps with lures, rather than on chemical insecticides. You can read more about the fruit fly control research in the February issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb04/flies0204.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Groundbreaking for Arid-Land Study Center From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 12:23:12 -0500 MARICOPA, Ariz., Feb. 20--Federal officials broke ground today outside Phoenix for a new $28 million U.S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center. Upon completion in 2006, it will house 30 scientists plus support staff for the Agricultural Research Service, chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The ARS facility will be co-located with the University of Arizona's Maricopa Agricultural Center. Participants at today's event included ARS officials from Arizona and California. "When completed, this new center will be one of the premier agricultural research centers in the world dealing with issues of arid and semiarid lands," said Antoinette A. Betschart, director for ARS' Pacific West Area. The new facility will combine in one center ARS' U.S. Water Conservation Research Laboratory and Western Cotton Research Laboratory, both currently located in Phoenix. Scientists at ARS' U.S. Water Conservation Lab conduct research on how crops will perform in the future as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase. They were among the first to show that elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide increases yields of field crops. They have also made significant advancements in terms of water measurement methods, automation of irrigation canal systems and on-farm water management technologies. Researchers at ARS' Western Cotton Research Laboratory focus on developing ways to help farmers grow cotton more efficiently and minimize damage from diseases and pests. For more than 30 years, this laboratory has been a leader in development of integrated management techniques to control the pink bollworm, one of the world's most devastating cotton pests. Research findings from the lab have played a key role in the 90 percent reduction in pesticides used against this pest. Completion of the new facility will enable ARS researchers to work more closely with the Maricopa Agricultural Center's researchers and extension faculty. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: With Just a Sprinkle, Plants Soak Up More Selenium From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 09:14:46 -0500 Because of their ability to sop up selenium, some plants have been enlisted in efforts to clean up soils and wastewater that have an excess of this potentially toxic element. Now Agricultural Research Service scientists have shown that the way contaminated irrigation water is delivered to plants affects how much selenium they will absorb from it. Soil scientist Donald L. Suarez and plant physiologist Catherine M. Grieve, working with soil scientist James A. Poss, found that sprinkling--rather than flooding--kale and turnip plants with selenium-laden drainage waters allowed the plants to absorb almost twice as much selenium from the water. Suarez, Grieve and Poss are at the agency's George E. Brown Jr. Salinity Laboratory in Riverside, Calif. Boosting plants' uptake of selenium creates a place to naturally "store" the element, thereby decreasing the amount of selenium that might otherwise leach into drainage and groundwater. As a possible additional benefit, the selenium-enriched kale and turnip plants--as well as other crops irrigated by sprinkling--could be used to supplement the diets of livestock raised in selenium-deficient regions of the United States. Animals must consume some of this essential nutrient for optimum growth and stress tolerance. Suarez expects the sprinkler method to work with other crops, so the findings are likely to aid growers who are interested in producing selenium-rich vegetables for health-conscious consumers. Sprinkling water onto the crops takes advantage of plants' ability to absorb droplets of water through openings in their leaves. Plants can also soak up selenium from water via their roots. But because plant roots screen out some elements, leaf uptake can be a more effective way to capture the selenium. ARS is USDA's chief in-house scientific research agency. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Raspberries' Year-Round Protective Light Show From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 09:20:39 -0500 Raspberries are playing enough tricks with light to suggest they are likely doing this to hide themselves from insects and deer, as well as protect themselves against disease, ultraviolet rays, oxidation and dehydration in freezing weather, according to a soil scientist with the Agricultural Research Service. Charles M. Feldhake, at ARS' Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center in Beaver, W.Va., used a special light sphere and fiber optic probe connected to a spectroradiometer to measure light reflected by wild black raspberries and an old variety of red raspberry growing along the edge of a row of scarlet oaks. It's part of Feldhake's research in agroforestry, the science of interspersing livestock and farm crops with trees and shrubs. Feldhake is studying raspberries as one of many possible "pick-your-own" crops for Appalachian farmers to plant at the edge of trees that might be grown for firewood, for example. He found that the fuzzy "white" undersides of raspberry leaves were highly reflective, about a third as much as a pure-white surface. In deserts, it's the upper sides of plant leaves that normally are reflective, to keep the plant from overheating. But raspberries grow well under partially shaded, moist conditions, so the light-reflecting fuzziness on the leaves' undersides seems instead designed to hide the plant from insects that expect plant leaves to be green. It also repels water, helping prevent moisture from spreading plant diseases, as well as keeping the leaf stomata free of moisture and open for the gas exchange required for photosynthesis. The "cane" stems of raspberries turn from green to red in the winter, offering protection against ultraviolet rays and oxidation. A white, waxy coating on the canes should help the plant blend in with snow and hide itself from deer when it is some of the only browsing food above the snow. The cane coating reflected nearly half as much light as a white surface. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200403A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - March 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200403B.txt ____________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Spring seems to have arrived and the deciduous fruit trees are either in bloom or have past blooming, in the case of an early plum. Most mango trees are blooming, and I hope I can keep the fungus off. I haven't kept up with it in the past. What treatment have you used on mangoes specifically? Have you begun airlayering? If you have guavas, lychees, longans to propagate, then it is a great way to do it. By summer's end you should find lots of roots inside. It is probably a bit early to graft mango and other 'rare' fruit trees, except possibly for cherimoya and white sapote. There has been more correspondence from readers than usual, and it makes the newsletter more useful to subscribers. As you learn of new fruit, or sources of trees, or anything that others may find to be of interest, please pass it along. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Macadamia Nut Trees Near San Francisco? Marc Schuyler New Subscriber Has Guava Trees For Sale Oscar Garcia New Subscriber Wants Pitaya Information And Plant Material Margaret Quinn <><><> Readers Write <><><> Want Fruit Trees That Don't Attract Snakes ProducingEvents@aol.com Report From Orange, CA - Mild Winter Amy Fernandez RE: Pitahaya in Borrego - Question Sven Merten Ben Poirier Green Sapote/Sapodilla In S. California Alan Schroeder My San Diego Garden Report Dmshuck@aol.com Cold Winter In Riverside Area, California Lawrence Dodson Thai Annona Grower Wants To Export Fruit To U.S. Charlie kasuwan Trip to SE Asia Lead By Chris Rollins, In July, 2004 Margaret Basile My Moringa Experience Eunice Messner Rodney Winter damage/pitahaya, Borrego, CA DesertFarms@aol.com San Diego County Garden Report Ben Pierce Sun Valley (California) Report James Freedner Avocados and Sunburned White Loquat Todd Abel Growing tropical fruit from seed questions Niki Wessels Doug Richardson's Whereabouts - Anyone Know? Jill Joy Rankin Bob Holzinger West Los Angeles Winter Slightly Cooler Than Usual John Michalak <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For San Diego Chapter Of CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><>Bot-Linx List <> From: "Scott D. Russell" None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm The Latest Research on Africanized Honey Bees ARS News Service Recruiting Helpful New Pest-Fighting Bacteria ARS News Service Tiny Mites Are Big Worry for Citrus ARS News Service New Red Seedless Grape ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Macadamia Nut Trees Near San Francisco? From: Marc Schuyler Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 09:18:41 -0800 (PST) Hi Leo and Betty: I would like to subscribe to your newsletter, and have some questions I'd like to ask your readers. My name is Marc and I live in Mountain View, CA, in between San Jose and San Francisco. Currently, aside from some conventional fruits for this area (different avocados, almonds, citrus) the unconventional fruits I am growing include starfruit, several banana varieties, pineapple, mango (more trying rather than succeeding), Kukui, papaya, sapote, babacao, cherimoya, coffee and a rather slow growing macnut seedling. Many of these spend most of the time in my tiny greenhouse, but the ones I've found do fine outdoors in this climate are cherimoya, starfruit, citrus and avocado (I've found that most published literature that says to use Mexican varieties in this climate are wrong, as the Hass type varieties do just fine here all over the area notwithstanding some winter nighttime low 30s and high 20s). Here are two questions I want to ask: (1) Having a small house and plot, I'd like to grow a macnut tree in container until we someday move to a larger property when I can plant it. Is this feasible for the common macnut cultivars, e.g., Cate, Beaumont etc.? The macnut tree is supposed to be a large tree, so perhaps I'm better off just waiting (if a young tree wouldn't develop much in a 30-32 gallon container). I'm looking for unusual fruits that I can grow year round outside in this climate, and since the avocados and citrus do just fine right now outside year round (and since the published literature indicate that the macnut can go where these go), the macnut looks like a promising variety here. I have no more winter space in the greenhouse. Do you have any comments about containerized macnut and the typical size of Beaumont? (2) The second question relates to white sapote, and I have several in containers, including a Suebelle and a seedling, right next to each other with good sun exposure. Just coming out of that winter period where we get occasional frosts and lots of rain, the Suebelle shows a significant amount of upper extremity leaf 'wrinkling' whereas the seedling seems to be doing just fine. Is this Suebelle symptom most likely a symptom of susceptibility to cold or poor drainage? Containerized Sapote in my limited experience seems very easily damaged during transplant, so I'm reluctant to do that, but suspect that poor drainage might be the cause, and that moving the Suebelle to a larger, better drained container might be the answer. [It'll also go in the ground someday once we get that larger house] Sincerely, Marc Schuyler mailto:marc_schuyler@yahoo.com [I'd plant Macadamia nut trees in the ground, when you get your new place. While you can keep them in pots for a while, I don't think anything is gained by it. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber Has Guava Trees For Sale From: Oscar Garcia Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 20:34:28 -0800 Dear Leo, Most of my guava seedlings are $25 each in a 5-gallon container except the seedless which is $50. Last Saturday I sold quite a few fruit at Seafood City in Mira Mesa. Today, I just transferred ten of them in the pots where I airlayerred them few months ago. I will call you as they get established in three weeks. Seedless are hot items. I have too many orders. Seedless have white flesh, shape like an apple, sweet and crunchy. They are really seedless as the name implies but sometimes they produce three to eight seeds in a fruit when you get lucky. I have only one seedless tree. I bought it from someone and it cost me $200. (I can't afford to have more, too expensive). It's about 4 feet tall and I use it as the mother guava. The leaves are heart shape unlike the ordinary guavas. The sweetest guavas I have are the Red Malaysians. They have purple skin and flesh. The leaves are purple as well. It's ideal as ornamental plant too. You should try this one. All my guava fruits don't fall on the ground. They stay in the tree even when over ripe. Come visit us sometime. OSCAR mailto:ilovebayabas@juno.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber Wants Pitaya Information And Plant Material From: Margaret Quinn Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 08:56:22 +0200 Dear Leo and Betty My Name is Margaret Quinn. I live in South Africa in a place called Piet Retief. I am interested in growing Pitahaya. I was first exposed to this fruit when I managed the acclimitisation department for Rahan Meristem, Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra, Israel. They, at the time had just started doing research on this fruit and had set up a demonstration plot. Then in Swaziland, while managing a nursery there I went as far as to germinate pitahaya seed before leaving there and returning back to South Africa. I have requested plant material from Israel to start growing. However most of thier knowledge is in Hebrew. Unfortunately my Hebrew is not good enough to understand all thier instructions. I would like to know if you would be prepared to help me. I would also like to know if it is possible for you to send me seed (anything else is complicated with red tape by the department of Agriculture), so that I might have 'variety'. Forgive my straightforwrdness. Unless I ask I won't know! I have identified a market for the fruit and would like to start propogating. If I can work in conjunction with other growers, I believe there would be benefit to all involved. I would also like to subscribe to your Newsletter. This address is fine. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you and would be most happy to answer any questions. Kind Regards Margaret Quinn mailto:maranatha_kidspc@lando.co.za Po Box 508 Piet Retief 2380 S Africa <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Want Fruit Trees That Don't Attract Snakes From: ProducingEvents@aol.com Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 20:06:05 -0500 (EST) Leo We are moving into our new home in Port St. Lucie in October 2004, the first thing we want to do is plant trees and we need your help. Other then honeybells and oranges what other tropical fruit will thrive here? When do we plant them? Where should we purchase them? Neither one of us are very good gardners and I want trees that are least likely to attract snakes (my phobia) Port St. Lucie is 70 miles north of Ft. Lauderdale it is right above Martin County which is the next county after Palm Beach. We are on the east coast 12 miles from the ocean. Thanks, Maria mailto:ProducingEvents@aol.com [I don't believe any tree in the U.S. will attract snakes. If you keep the height of the ground cover low around trees, I can't imagine that any snake would have any reason to be there. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Report From Orange, CA - Mild Winter From: Amy Fernandez Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 20:56:54 -0800 No, Leo, here in NE Orange (California) I've been saying we've had a very mild winter, not down into the 30's at all at night, more like mid 40's. It did get quite cold for a little while around Thanksgiving time. There were still some tomatoes fruiting in Newport Beach until I pulled out the ratty plants last week. I cleared out some tomato plants in front of my house last week and pushed up the eggplant which had fallen over and found 5 eggplants on it. My banana plants are fine in Orange. One in Newport Beach , a Kru, is making a hand of bananas on a poor plant which was roasted by a limo that caught on fire in front of the area. It's leaves are almost gone and I don't know if it will receive enough energy from what's left there to finish growing the bananas. Anyone growing the very dwarf Cavendish? It seems to take a VERY long time to fruit, at least in this area. I did send a message last time which didn't make it through to you. Amy mailto:marvelousgardens@earthlink.net [My Dwarf Cavendish bananas did take longer than most other bananas to fruit. Raja Puri seems to be the fastest, for me. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: RE: Pitahaya in Borrego - Question From: Sven Merten Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 09:41:34 -0800 To: Ben Poirier Hi Ben, It is actually 18 acres. They started planting 5 or 6 years ago. They have several different varieties, most are white fleshed, but I think they are also starting to plant red. Kevin brought some fruit to the San Diego chapter meeting when Dr. Mizrahi gave his talk, so we got to try some of their fruit. As far as I know they sold all their fruit to Melissa's this year. Unfortunately they are very secretive and don't like visitors. Regards, Sven mailto:Scoutdog@pacbell.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Green Sapote/Sapodilla In S. California From: Alan Schroeder Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 15:03:05 -0800 Dear Leo: A quick report on my Green Sapotes here in coastal Southern California. I have two varieties: TREC 32 and Makawao. These are grafted, the first onto Mamey rootstock and the later on Green Sapote seedling rootstock. They are both only two years old but both show slow growth even through our winters which have often this year been in the mid 30s (colder than normal). The Makawao is fullly exposed to the prevailing winter winds and shows it with the leaves turning a copper color as if cold stressed. The new growth leaves tend to fall off although the main branch continues to add length and the growth tips remain viable. The TREC 32 is sheltered from the winds and is in a protected area behind my house. Its leaves remain a vibrant green and all growth continues throughout the winter months. Neither have flowered/fruited as yet and are only 3 feet tall so far. Has anyone in Southern California fruited Green Sapotes? I remember seeing the large tree that existed at Paul Thomson's Edgehill grove some years ago but was at the time unfamiliar with the Green Sapote and consequently not as impressed as I should have been. I would also like to report about my 'Chiku' Sapodilla from Maurice Kong in Florida that I had in an earlier email to the group reported had not fruited. Some replies suggested it would need cross pollination. Well, this Fall it managed to set 6 fruit by itself and all are still hanging in there through the winter and showing signs of growth. This is still a small tree/shrub and is its first fruiting, but I am happy that it may be self fruitful here in my area. Alan Schroeder mailto:arschroeder@cox.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: My San Diego Garden Report From: Dmshuck@aol.com Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 22:07:09 -0500 (EST) Hi Leo, Right now in my garden my peach and nectarine trees are just about finished blooming. The apricot is just starting blooming. The pluots are still dormant. My new plumcot tree has some leaves and no blooms. It was bare root so I would had to pick any fruit that developed this year so no loss. I also picked up a donut peach tree. I was advised against getting it because the chill is a tiny bit higher then the other stone fruits but I wanted to try it any way. I pulled out a banana plant that never did well due to the poor location, too cold, I selected 10 years ago. So out it came and in went the donut peach. The Capulin Cherry had some blooms before the last windy day we had. The blueberries are blooming, some guavas are ready to pick. I bought a new mandarin tree a year ago. I thought it was a Kishu and was looking forward to the large sweet mandarins. I think it was mislabeled and it is really a gold nugget. The fruit is small, about the size of a golf ball. The fruit is not ready to eat. The sections are cute but sour right now. The solo papaya's have made it through the cold weather so far. I am babying them since they have more than 20 papayas. I have 2 squirrels in the garden. They have taken a liking to tomatoes, yes I still have a few plants left. Since the neighborhood cats like the garden I encourage them to stay so they can chase the squirrels away. It looks funny to watch a cat chasing something almost the same size as the cats. I may have to figure out a more permanent solution when the trees have fruit. Well, that is about half of what is going on right now. I thought this was long enough. Take care, Denise mailto:Dmshuck@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Cold Winter In Riverside Area, California From: Lawrence Dodson Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 22:25:48 -0800 Leo, We had some really cold nights in December. After several seasons pressing my luck and providing no protection for my more cold sensitive fruit trees, the freezing temperatures hit with a vengeance. We had a numbers of successive nights with frost here in Woodcrest, just outside of Riverside, CA. It looks like my papayas are a lost cause. One grafted mango and the black sapote are most surely dead. Another mango seedling suffered a bit, but will survive. Of the avocados, the Gwen, Jim Bacon, and Mexicola made it through with no signs of damage, while there was severe damage to the Reed. My Inga had all of its leaves freeze dried, but it is now sprouting new growth. Other fruits that unfazed by the weather were my passion fruit, carambola, pitanga, and jaboticaba. The bananas are all frazzled and the guavas suffered some. but they'll bounce back real quick. Larry Dodson mailto:dodsonlarry@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Thai Annona Grower Wants To Export Fruit To U.S. From: Charlie kasuwan Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2004 15:52:31 +0700 Dear Sir, My name is Mr. Charlie Kasuwan, I live in Thailand, and am growing Annona. This fruit is very good and I want to export to USA. I would like to to have contact persons to make export contact soon. Can you help me fine someone? Thank you. K.Charlie mailto:charlie@yamaha-motor.co.th ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Trip to SE Asia From: Margaret Basile Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2004 07:18:12 -0500 Chris Rollins, Director of the Miami Dade Fruit and Spice Park in Homestaead Florida, will lead a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in July '04. Please spread the word. Email Chris Rollin mailto:RTropicals@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: My Moringa Experience From: Eunice Messner Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2004 07:42:09 -0800 (PST) To: reveland@collinscom.net Rodney, I have grown the moringa from seed and find that it must be protected at least the first winter before setting out. Even though I live in a frost free area, it is still touchy. It develops a large tap root so grow it in an elongated pot. When you set the tree out into your garden put a cage around it covered with plastic. Animals ate mine right down to the ground. They find it tasty too. Mine is only 3 yrs old but a friend in Arizona, Maria Erlandson mailto:CErland593@aol.com finds it's easy to grow. She even breaks off a piece and sticks it in the ground for another tree. Maria would be happy to talk to you. Eunice Messner mailto:eunicemessner@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Winter damage/pitahaya, Borrego, CA From: DesertFarms@aol.com Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 09:44:51 -0500 (EST) Hi Leo Hope everything is good with you. Winter damage has been at a minimum and I should be back on track shortly. I am using lighter shade cloth (30%) that I started in October seems to be helping. The main stocks have thickened. It's amazing how frost can jump and you can have 1 or 2 plants damaged completely and find surrounding plants perfectly fine. Many seedlings (maybe 5-8 inches) were completely lost but overall I would say that I have survived this winter. I hope I see a lot more flowers this year because my patience has run thin. It's hard to know which direction one should take when he has no clue which varieties are best in the desert. If in fact the misting system is necessary to keep these plants cool in the summer time, a great deal of money will be needed to set this up. Hope to see you soon when I'm in your area. Take care, Rudy mailto:DesertFarms@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: San Diego County Garden Report From: Ben Pierce Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 07:32:14 -0800 It has been cold here too. So far lots of buds on the early bearing stone fruit trees. Im hoping this is the year I get plenty of apricots! Inca plum has plenty of blossoms on it too. Im hoping that my Tilton and Supkhany apricots bear fruit this year. I know they are high-chill but I did get plenty of fruit on both in colder years. When it got really cold in December I lost several small papaya. A mango I started from seed from Doug Richardson (best mango Ive ever had) was damaged but looks like it will recover. I put some protection around the rest of the papaya and mango after that freeze and it seemed to help get them through the rest of the cold and rain. Ben mailto:mariposafamily@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Sun Valley (California) Report From: James Freedner Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2004 18:40:08 -0800 It's been a quiet, dry winter here in Sun Valley! Nothing much to write about. Pitaya cactus when last mentioned had gone dormant for the season halfway up my driveway gatepost. I note one of the stems now is sprouting a bud as the curious pitaya continues its quest to get to the top of the wall and peek over. Should make it sometime this summer! "Anna Apple" baby tree is covered with flowers, and the peach tree is not far off. Cattails have gone to seed with our gusty winds and fuzzies are blowing all over the patio. They are in for a rude awakening when they discover this ain't no swamp. Little hydrangea plant died off, too dry or hot I suppose. I have no luck with them in our sandy soils. No exotics growing now, that I can tell. May try planting some seeds soon. I do have some dandelions growing in the bed of my pickup truck. That is amusing and unusual, if not exotic. J. Eric Freedner mailto:Freedner@msn.com Sun Valley, CA ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Avocados and Sunburned White Loquat From: Todd Abel Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2004 18:49:23 -0800 Leo, Finally have fruit on my Vista White Loquat, but some of the fruit has been sunburned by the extremely high temperatures here in Orange last weekend. I have heard the whites are supseptible to sunburn. My 1 year old Holiday Avocado is flowering like mad in a large clay pot. I also have a small amount of flowers on my 2 year old Wertz (dwarf) Avocado grown in large Clay pot. Todd mailto:table@socal.rr.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Growing tropical fruit from seed questions From: Niki Wessels Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 06:37:35 +0200 Hi I haven't written for quite a while, so I'll introduce myself again. I live in Centurion, South Africa, where the summers are fairly hot and often wet, and the winters cool and dry. I'm currently growing avocado, almonds, akebia, kiwi, pomegranate, white sapote, cape gooseberry and Malabar chestnut with mixed success. We also have a subtropical holiday home where I'm growing some of the above, as well as custard apple and wild custard apple. I've just returned from a wonderful holiday in Thailand, where I tucked into at least a dozen different fruit that I've never tasted before, and in some cases never heard of. (Starting with a durian cake as my very first meal was probably not a great idea, as I went on a tour smelling as if I'd swallowed my sock.) Identifying them wasn't always easy - I'd ask the sellers to write the Thai names down as best as they could in the western alphabet (there seems to be no standard western spelling for Thai words) and then tried to trace them on the Internet or in some books I'd bought in Bangkok. In addition, some fruit seem to change names when they cross borders - what they called longan is the five-parted fruit given as langsat in my guides, and their lychees are probably what we call longans! I managed to bring some fruit home, though, and would like to plant the seed at home, and take the young plants to our holiday home when they're older. Could you offer any advice on how to grow the following from seed - especially the first three: Snakefruit (Salacca) Gandaria (Bouia) Dragon fruit (Hylocereus) Longan Langsat Rambutan Cheers Niki mailto:mynah@mweb.co.za [Hylocereus spp are easy to grow from seed, but genetic variability may make the results disappointing. Longan may also differ greatly when produced from a seedling, and may take years to get a producing tree. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Doug Richardson's Whereabouts - Anyone Know? From: Jill Joy Rankin Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 11:24:41 -0800 To: Bob Holzinger Hello, I went to school with Doug Richardson. That was in Manhattan Beach. Someone mentioned Doug online and said he was growing bananas near Santa Barbara. Would you know how to reach Doug? There is a reunion of Doug's many friends from Mira Costa and I think he may be interested. Regards, Dave Rankin 310-809-5309 mailto:jill-rankin@mailexcite.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: West Los Angeles Winter Slightly Cooler Than Usual From: John Michalak Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2004 09:42:36 -0800 Dear Leo, In response to your question about the coolness of the winter, here in West Los Angeles it was possibly cooler than the mean but not by much. The bananas did not suffer greatly, not did the citrus, as a matter of fact the sweet lime tree is full of fruit. The papaya is still hanging on but not by much (the weather is probably the last reason). I have an information request to post for the group. I am looking for infromation and stock for bananas and culinary ginger. Is the ginger root at the supermarket treated with something that prohibits it from sprouting? John Michalak mailto:toucan.belize@prodigy.net [Grocery ginger seems to sprout readily here. -Leo] <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><><><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><>Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/<><> From: "Scott D. Russell" Bot-Linx List http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/ None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: The Latest Research on Africanized Honey Bees From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 10:09:34 -0500 While Hollywood has made Africanized honey bees a frightening villain of mythic proportions since the 1950s, the Agricultural Research Service has been helping people learn the best ways to live with them in the real world. Africanized honey bees (AHBs)--also melodramatically labeled "killer bees"--are the result of honey bees brought from Africa to Brazil in 1956 in hopes of breeding a bee better adapted to the South American tropical climate. They reached the Brazilian wilds in 1957 and then spread south and north until they arrived in this country in 1990. One of the most asked questions about AHBs has been how far they will spread into the United States. In 14 years, they have reached five states--Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, southern California and Nevada--as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ARS entomologist José D. Villa at the ARS Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Research Unit in Baton Rouge, La., has found a correlation between rainfall of more than 55 inches, distributed evenly throughout the year, and an almost complete barrier to AHB spread. He is far from ready to confirm a cause-and-effect relationship, but the connection is strong and he is planning research to look for the behavior or physiological mechanism that may explain the relationship. AHBs are more defensive, stinging more with less provocation than other honey bees and thus making beekeeping more difficult. Honey bees and beekeeping are essential to the country's agriculture, with pollination from bees estimated to be worth $14 billion annually. ARS entomologist Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Ariz., and her colleagues have found six biological and behavioral factors that may be responsible for making AHBs such a successful invader in areas to which they have spread. Armed with this information, they are working on ways for beekeepers to maintain the more manageable European-descended honey bees in AHB areas. Read more about this research in the March issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar04/bees0304.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Recruiting Helpful New Pest-Fighting Bacteria From: ARS News Service Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2004 09:28:57 -0500 A genetic fingerprinting technique developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists could point the way to new strains of Pasteuria bacteria with potential to biologically control soybean cyst nematodes. ARS nematologist Greg Noel and colleagues developed the method to help resolve confusion surrounding Pasteuria's taxonomic classification and clarify its parasite-host relationship with soil-dwelling roundworms like the soybean cyst nematode, a crop pest that costs $324 million to $1.4 billion annually in U.S. soy losses. Since Pasteuria can't be cultured in the lab, researchers seeking to determine its genetic affiliation must resort to extracting DNA from the spore-infected bodies of nematodes. It's a laborious, time-consuming affair that's sometimes prone to DNA contamination by other microbes, according to Noel. He is in the ARS Soybean/Maize Germplasm, Pathology and Genetics Research Unit at Urbana, Ill. There, rather than using centrifuging, heat and chemicals to obtain Pasteuria DNA, Noel resorted to "glass bead beating." The procedure involves grinding spore-infected nematodes so that any DNA within them is released into a sterile solution. Lab-built molecules called primers are then added. These bind only with Pasteuria DNA--if it's present--and ready the material for amplification by polymerase chain reaction. The DNA can then be cloned and sequenced as Pasteuria's unique, genetic fingerprint. According to Noel, the method is fast, easy to use, and highly specific. Besides its taxonomic applications, it should aid scientists in identification of Pasteuria species that attack different nematode species. Some of these Pasteuria also complete their life cycles in juvenile nematodes, while others do so in female nematodes. Either way, the pests face a grisly demise. Within a month, for example, infected soybean cyst nematode females become fragile to the point of crumbling apart, a fate that diminished the pest's population by 87 percent in Noel's field studies at Urbana. Read more about this research in the March issue of Agricultural Research magazine, on the Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar04/nema0304.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Tiny Mites Are Big Worry for Citrus From: ARS News Service Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 08:14:01 -0500 A mite-borne plant disease moving slowly north from South America is on the radar screen of many scientists, including those at the Agricultural Research Service's Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) in Beltsville, Md. They're concerned that citrus leprosis, a virus that substantially damaged Florida's orange crop early last century, will once again affect U.S. citrus growers. They're out to stop it by focusing on its vector: flat mites of the genus Brevipalpus. SEL's mite expert, entomologist Ronald Ochoa, says the disease's presence in Central America has caught the attention of U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists at ARS and at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). ARS is the USDA's chief scientific research agency. Mite species believed to be capable of spreading the disease are already abundant in Florida, California and Texas, three states that are the backbone of the U.S. citrus industry. SEL scientists are collaborating with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to clarify differences among the Brevipalpus species implicated as leprosis vectors. This work is part of a wider project--funded in part by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service and APHIS, and led by University of Florida acarologist Carl C. Childers--seeking to minimize the virus's impact. Symptoms of citrus leprosis include small, chestnut-brown spots commonly referred to as "nailhead rust" that appear on fruits, leaves and green twigs of afflicted trees. The resulting tree canopy growth loss and premature fruit and leaf drop reduce plant productivity. During its previous outbreak, the virus had spread to 17 Florida counties by 1925 before being eradicated by several factors, including citrus growers planting in new locations and controlling mites with sulfur. The overuse of sulfur can kill citrus trees. Read more about this research in the March issue of Agricultural Research magazine, online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar04/citrus0304.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Red Seedless Grape From: ARS News Service Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 07:25:41 -0500 A sweet, colorful red seedless grape called "Sweet Scarlet" has a surprise inside: The crisp flesh of this new grape has a light, pleasant, muscat flavor, an unusual treat that gives this grape a different taste than most red seedless varieties. Developed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the new grape also has another distinctive feature: its attractive, raspberry-red skin is a brighter color than that of other midseason, fresh red grapes. Ready to harvest in late August, Sweet Scarlet resulted from more than a decade of grape breeding and testing by ARS horticulturist David W. Ramming and technician Ronald E. Tarailo. The grape joins a series of top-quality red, white and black seedless grapes developed by this expert team. Ramming and Tarailo are with the Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit, located in central California at the ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier. Sweet Scarlet grapes could start showing up in supermarkets within three to four years, according to Ramming. Sweet Scarlet is the offspring of two ARS-developed parent seedless grapes. Though developed and tested in California, where most of the nation's fresh grapes are grown, Sweet Scarlet may also be suitable for planting in other locations where Vitis vinifera grapes can be grown. Most grapes produced commercially in the United States are varieties of V. vinifera. The California Table Grape Commission in Fresno, Calif., is the exclusive licensee for Sweet Scarlet, handling its distribution to nurseries. The average American eats about seven to eight pounds of fresh grapes in a year. Fresh grapes are a good source of phytonutrients, healthful compounds that may protect against cancer and heart disease. Also, fresh grapes provide potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and thiamin. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200403B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - April 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200404A.txt ___________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> See Florida [rarefruit] (below) for disease in a California nursery. Subject: New Disease Caution (California Nursery) Pictures Posted [rfno] Mamey Sapote 'Pantin' Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rfno/ I have just posted two pictures sent to me from Allen Bredeson in Hawaii. They are of his Mamey Sapote 'Pantin' and were taken in February and March of 2004. To see them go to Photos->Members' Photos->Allen Bredeson Also, I posted pictures from James Freedner, who has asked for your help in providing an I.D. (Not a fruiting plant.) If you have pictures to be posted for others to see, either post them yourself in the Members' Photo Folder, or attach them to an email and I'll do it for you. Leo Manuel mailto:rarefruit@san.rr.com Using Google To Search For Pictures(!) See letter to Priskilla (Holland) for discussion of using Google to more efficiently search for pictures. (New Subscribers section) -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, in Holland, Collects Fruit Pictures Priskilla Giorgini Using Google To Search For Pictures(!) Leo Manuel priskilla giorgini New Subscriber, San Diego County - Ravages Of Fire Doug Young New Subscriber, Bakersfield - Look At His Plant List! Steven Murray <><><> Readers Write <><><> Planting Tropical Fruit Seeds fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com mynah@mweb.co.za Whereabouts of Doug Richardson Eunice Messner jill-rankin@mailexcite.com Macadamia And Sapote Questions Tom Addison marc_schuyler@yahoo.com Winter In Pasadena, California Joel Johnson March in the my San Diego garden Dmshuck@aol.com RE: Pitaya Information Sven Merten maranatha_kidspc@lando.co.za Supkhany (Subhany/Suphany) Apricot Ben Pierce mzarky@earthlink.net White sapote leaf wrinkles. Shawn Hannon marc_schuyler@yahoo.com Please Help Identify This Unusual 3-leaved Plant James Freedner <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For San Diego Chapter Of CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> New Disease Caution (California Nursery) Console G4 BALSAM APPLE The Thaumaturgist LOQUAT: DWARF The Thaumaturgist SAPODILLA The Thaumaturgist MANGO: KENT The Thaumaturgist KUMQUAT: NAGAMI The Thaumaturgist CARAMBOLA (STAR FRUIT) The Thaumaturgist KUMQUAT: MEIWA The Thaumaturgist Fruitless Mangos Erica Lynne Re: Fruitless Mangos james singer Great Seed Site For Rarities! "Marcelo Aspiras" <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars Wild Potatoes Hold Genetic Key to Thwart Pests ARS News Service New Apricot Is Early Bloomer ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, in Holland, Collects Fruit Pictures From: Priskilla Giorgini Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:58:42 +0000 Hi! My name is Priskilla and I'm 14. I live in Holland in Waddinxveen but I used to live n the States so that's why my English isn't really bad. I would like the news letter even though I don't grow fruit trees or anything! I have a fruitsite with a girlfriend of mine. We collect fruit pictures and fun stuff to know about fruit! So can I please get your news letter?? Greets, Priskilla mailto:music_passionist@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Using Google To Search For Pictures(!) From: Leo Manuel Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:58:54 -0800 To: priskilla giorgini Hi Priskilla You probably know (but I only recently learned) if you have searched with Google, there are several types of searches you can have done, listed just above where you type what you want to find. The choices are: Web Images Groups Directory I had always just used what automatically opened, which was "Web" but a friend told me that if I select "Images" and type in anything you want to look at, you will get possibly several pages of thumbnail pictures and if you click on one of them, you get a larger one. If you haven't tried it, write Cherimoya or Mango or Pineapple ... or any other fruit you want to see pictured. I was surprised that the feature was there for all the years I have used Google without my knowing about it. I'll send the newsletter information in a separate email. Take care, Leo Manuel, San Diego, California ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, San Diego County - Ravages Of Fire From: Doug Young Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 15:22:01 -0800 (PST) Hi Leo, Please add me to your rare fruit newsletter. I am Doug Young and live between El Cajon and Crest with my wife and 2 children. We just built our home on 2.5 acres. The fires swept right through our lot, destroying everything except the house. "The fires swept right through our lot, destroying everything except the house. Hundreds of our neighbors were not so fortunate. This terrible tragedy did, however, leave our virgin lot cleared of brush, although we've had problems with mud in the last month." I put in some bare root trees in January... peach (mid-pride, August-pride, Santa Barbara), plum (Beauty), Nectarine (panamint), apple (Pettingill, Fuji), pecan (Western Schley, Wichita). Next on the list are Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, avocados, and Honeyhart Cherimoya. I grew Honeyharts in the National City area about 15 years ago with great success. Down the road, I'll be able to experiment with more trees, but I've got to get the irrigation system established. Thanks for your service! Doug mailto:douglasyo@sbcglobal.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Bakersfield - Look At His Plant List! Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 02:28:26 -0500 (EST) From: Steven Murray My name is Steven Murray. I live on a small farm outside the city of Bakersfield, California. Here is a list of all the fruit trees I am presently growing Fig, aprium, Apricot, Cherry: Sweet, Sour, Peach: Yellow, White, Nectarine: Yellow, White; Plum, Pluot; Citrus: Oranges: Sour, Naval, Blood, Valencia; Kumquat, Mandarinquat, Limequat, Grapefruit, Tangerine, tangelo, pumelo, lime, Lemon, Citron, Sweet grapefruit, Cocktail grapefruit, Tangor; Pomegranate, Passion fruit, White sapote, Fejoa, Crab apple, Apple, Jujube, Kiwi: paire: european, asion; pecan, persimmon, avocado, olive, Date, Quince, Grape (various species), Strawberries, High bush blueberry, Rabbit eye blueberry, jojoba, bambles: rasberry, red, Black, Logan berries, Blackberries, Olalla berries, Marion berry, Boysen berry; Guava, Loquat, Strawberry tree, Coconut, Jelly palm, Macadamia nut I am interested in acquiring some tropical fruit trees for a green house I just finished. What plants are recommend for a 3200 sq ft green house that is 20 ft tall. Also please list the varieties that are recommended. Steven Murray mailto:Mangareader2@aol.com <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Planting Tropical Fruit Seeds From: fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 00:28:08 -0800 To: mynah@mweb.co.za The hylocereus (dragon fruit or pitaya) should just be sprinkled on the surface of potting soil and pressed down with a board, do not cover. Keep moist and high temperature, 85 F is best. The langsat, longan, rambutan, and salak should all be planted right away. The seeds should not have been allowed to dry out, as drying them kills the seed. (This is a mistake that many travellers collecting tropical seeds make.) If your seeds were kept moist in transit, and you plant them right away, you should get very good germination. Cover them with 1/2 inch potting soil. Best to use a sterile mix. Water with water that does not contain salts or chlorine as these can kill the young seedlings. Start you plants under 50% shade cloth. Transplant into larger pots when they are 6 inches tall. Hope this helps. Oscar Jaitt mailto:fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Fruit Lover's Nursery http://www.fruitlovers.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Whereabouts of Doug Richardson From: Eunice Messner Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 08:13:48 -0800 (PST) To: jill-rankin@mailexcite.com Jill Doug Richardson teaches at Santa Barbara Community College. Eunice Messner mailto:eunicemessner@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Macadamia And Sapote Questions From: Tom Addison Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 12:30:33 -0800 (PST) To: marc_schuyler@yahoo.com Marc I saw your questions about macadamia and white sapote in Leo's rarefruit list. I also live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and share with you these thoughts. Beaumont and other macadamia varieties in the Bay Area can become big trees. The oldest specimen in the area I know of is at UC Berkeley, and is perhaps 40' tall. Within 10 years, they can be 15' or more here. They grow well throughout much of the Bay Area, and some trees yield a decent crop of nuts. I suspect that warmer nighttime temperatures in the cooler parts of the region (such as El Cerrito where I live) during bloom might increase yields, which can vary considerably from year to year, as well as location to location. While I have little experience with containerized macadamias, I think this is not a good long-term strategy for a healthy tree of this species. Different varieties of white sapote roll their leaves to differing extents, and Suebelle frequently does this more than some others. On trees with multiple varieties grafted onto them, varieties such as Suebelle with rolled leaves are quite distinctive at different times of year. It doesn't seem to be a problem in my experience, although it shows the wide range of characteristics present in this species. On the other hand, Suebelle and other varieties with pubescent leaf undersides do tend to attract pests such as scale in the Bay Area. But these can be controlled in a variety of ways, such as controlling the ants that farm the scale through sticky barriers. Finally, white sapotes seem fairly tolerant of the heavy clay soils in our region, and so I'd be surprised if you have a drainage problem with your potted plants. I think over time that keeping white sapotes in pots, especially seedlings or grafted more vigorous v! arieties, could be challenging. Some precocious varieties will fruit readily in relatively small pots, but they would be happier in the ground. Tom Addison mailto:elcerritotom@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Winter In Pasadena, California From: Joel Johnson Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 12:46:16 -0800 Hi Leo, In response to your question about the cool winter, I will say that in Pasadena it's been about normal (for the 4 years I've been here), though they have been growing shorter. However, we did get 3 nights of freeze here, enough to build 1/4 inch of ice on my half-barrel ponds, 1/2 inch in the bird bath. It was also the end of my 4' Carrie mango and severely damaged the Booth Cherimoya and pineapples, despite being covered with plastic sheeting. The Brewster lychee and the Manila Mango, however, were untouched. Bananas only lost their leaves. Joel Johnson mailto:email@aridscapes.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: March in the my San Diego garden From: Dmshuck@aol.com Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:02:20 -0500 (EST) Leo, This month my apricots are in full bloom. More then it has ever had. Looks like the cool winter in San Diego did some good for the apricots. Two of the three pluots are loaded with blooms. The third has several buds. Capulin cherry is in bloom. The donut peach is blooming along with the white sapote. The citrus is starting to bloom. Looks like it is going to be a good year for fruit. Now I just have to figure out how to get rid of the squirrels. I think they are here because of the wild fires we had not too long ago. Their home must have been destroyed so they moved in here. The passion vines, Fredrick, blue flower, and lilikoi are all doing well. No damage from the winter. I grew the lilikoi from seed and was worried about it's sensitivity to cold. The peanut butter fruit tree doesn't look good. It is in a container so I will try planting it in the garden and see what happens. I haven't been able to find much information on it so I am doing a trial and error approach. I planted six tomato plants this week. Normally I have 25-30 tomato plants but I am too busy for the up keep so I had to cut back this year. Of course I say that every year so we shall see how many I end up with by the end of October. Part of my vegetable garden is going towards fruit. I have had Surinam cherry in a container and decided to put it in one of the beds I use for vegetables. I put a couple of the pitiya next to some trellises for what I planned as a temporary home. I became busy and they took root. So now they are in their containers rooted into the garden. I was thinking about cutting the roots off under the container and then planting them. Do you think that would work or should I just leave them they way they are? The blueberry bushes are blooming. Last year I read in the local paper that we can't grow blueberries in San Diego. I still want to get a Big Jim Loquat. Do you know where they are available? Take care, Denise mailto:Dmshuck@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: RE: Pitaya Information From: Sven Merten Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 06:42:41 -0800 To: maranatha_kidspc@lando.co.za Margaret, Here is a link to an article I wrote, not tooting my own horn, just thought some of the info might help. http://www.jpacd.org/V5P98-105.pdf Best regards, Sven mailto:Scoutdog@pacbell.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Supkhany (Subhany/Suphany) Apricot From: Ben Pierce Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:29:01 -0800 To: mzarky@earthlink.net Michael, Your email sent me on a quest to find out more about this apricot. The first thing I found was that the name is probably spelled either Subhany/Suphany. I found this information thru the USDA GRIN database. Also, Its spelled that way in an article published in the "Harrowsmith" magazine. The article was called "ColdGold". Here is what the article says about "Suphany" I am paraphrasing here. Hard to find but very aromatic, sweet, and juicy from the Soviet Union. The colour is pale, The size is medium to small. The tree is particularly resistant to late-winter temperature fluctuations. It matures in early August. On the GRIN site it states the apricot is from Turkmenistan. I tried to contact the contributer for more information but the email bounced. I suspect based on my observations that it may do well in lower chill environments. I did get some fruit one year after I grafted it. It has been a vigorous grower. I cant remember when I did get fruit but it was certainly before August. I know someone at work that is married to a Russian woman. I will ask him if she can translate the name for us. Ben Pierce mailto:mariposafamily@hotmail.com > From: Michael Zarky > To: mariposafamily@hotmail.com > Subject: Supkhany apricot > Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 11:52:36 -0800 > > Hi Ben, > I noticed your post in RFNO mentioning this > apricot. I have one graft with this name or approximate, and > I'm not sure where I got it. Do you have any info on this > variety? A web search turned up nothing at all; do we know > this is the correct spelling, etc etc?? Is it just a variety > named after its owner, not really in the trade or anything? > I'd love any thoughts you have. Looks like I will get some > fruit this year (well, it's blooming now...). > > Thanks very much, > > Michael Zarky > 10963 Citrus Drive > Moorpark, CA USA 93021 ------------------------------------------------ Subject: White sapote leaf wrinkles. From: Shawn Hannon Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 20:59:14 -0800 (PST) To: marc_schuyler@yahoo.com Marc, It is common for many cultivars of white sapote to show curls or wrinkles on the leaves in the winter time. I have a seedling in the ground outside in my San Francisco yard, it currently has 9 different cultivars grafted on it. Among the ones that showed curl this winter are Suebelle and Nettie. It may be a cold related thing, but Nettie seems curled most of the year. Go ahead and repot your Suebelle, but get it in the ground soon if you can. Also, are you a member of CRFG? Join one of the local chapter and you can meet others like us with related knowledge. Good luck, Shawn Hannon mailto:fruitgeek@yahoo.com Subject: Please Help Identify This Unusual 3-leaved Plant Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 22:59:02 -0800 From: James Freedner Hi, Leo! Perhaps you or someone in your rare plant network could help me out on this one! I own an acre of woodland in San Benito County, California. On this plot grows a single plant, the likes of which I have never seen before. It blooms in March after sending up a cluster of large three-leaved stems. Flowers are like little spadexes growing right on up out of the leaves--again, 3 to a stem. Leaves are variegated dark and light green. Flowers are brownish. Grows in a shady area frequented by a few ferns, and a lot of other smaller plants that bloom around now. Entire plant dies back after blooming, by the end of April. It seems to survive by rootstock to come up anew each spring. I have not seen any seeds on it, nor does it spread around. Some years there may be one or more leaves (perhaps depending on how much rain falls during the winter months). A photo is attached. Can anyone tell me just what it is? If you can't -- do you have any contacts with the State or perhaps a college of botany that could answer? I suspect "trillium" of some sort but that is not native to California. J. Eric Freedner Sun Valley, CA [I'll post a copy of the photos on the [rfno] page http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rfno/ Maybe someone will recognize it. -Leo] <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><><><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 23:16:10 -0500 From: Console G4 Subject: New Disease Caution (California Nursery) Hi Groups, I thought that the following message from one of the Palm groups would be of interest. I would suggest that members in Florida and other States use extreme caution in the acquisition of new plants. Be sure of your source and your source's source. None of us want to risk our own collection much less introduce this dangerous disease to our own areas. You may want to do some of your own research at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/news/2004/03/sod_ppq.html http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/ http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/sod_survey/ We can only hope that the powers that be stop arguing between themselves and work to prevent the spread of this into new areas. Best of growing, Bob SW Florida USA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ORIGINAL MESSAGE: Dear Plant Enthusiasts, We have just received a memorandum from the Florida Department of Agriculture. This memo was sent to all Florida Nurserymen and Nursery Stock Retailers. In brief, it stated that the organism Phytophthora ramorum (the causative agent for Sudden Oak Death) has been found in some 30 species of plants in the Monrovia Nurseries in Azusa, CA. Although palm and cycad species were not on the host list, the memo goes on to say that the list is not static and new species are continually being added. Apparently, eleven other nurseries in the Southern California area have also tested positive for this organism. When the State of Florida requested the names of these eleven nurseries, their request was denied. As a result, the State of Florida is now refusing the entry of all California Nursery stock. It has also issued a 'stop sale and hold' of recently purchased plant stock from Monrovia. We thought this was significant due to the large amount of sales and trades across state lines by members of the palm and cycad societies. We will keep you up-dated if we receive further memos and would appreciate any information anyone else has concerning this matter. Bob & Marita Bobick Bobicks / palm growers ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Press Release I downloaded from one of the above sites: News Release SUDDEN OAK DEATH FOUND IN A LOS ANGELES COUNTY NURSERY Date: March 10, 2004 Contact: Katie Palmieri Information Officer (510) 847-5482 SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY Today at the California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) meeting, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced that Phytophthora ramorum has been found at Monrovia Nursery, a large Los Angeles County wholesale horticultural nursery. Known to cause Sudden Oak Death, the pathogen was detected on several varieties of Camellia plants as part of a national P. ramorum nursery survey, in addition to a trace-back survey from a Washington state nursery found to have the disease. "This is the first time P. ramorum has been found in a Southern California nursery. I am very happy that regulatory officials are in cooperation with the nursery industry in addressing this in a timely manner," said Karen Suslow, COMTF Nursery Committee co-chair. Following the detection of P. ramorum at the nursery, all host plants have been placed on hold, and infected plants will be destroyed. Additionally, all host plants within 10 meters of the infected lots will be on hold for 90 days and inspected twice for symptoms of the disease before being released. Host plants beyond the 10 meters will go through an additional inspection before shipment. CDFA is currently conducting trace-back and trace-forward surveys for all host material shipped over the past year in an effort to identify any potentially infected material that may have been shipped unknowingly. Agricultural officials internationally will also be notified about shipments from the nursery that were potentially carrying the disease. Currently 12 California coastal counties* are regulated for Phytophthora ramorum in natural settings. It has killed tens of thousands of oak and tanoak trees in the 12 regulated California counties and is found in more than 40 plant species worldwide. To date, eight California nurseries have been found to have P. ramorum infestations, as have nurseries in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. In Europe, the disease has been found in hundreds of nurseries, and more recently, several isolated natural areas. For more information, contact Katie Palmieri, Pacific Southwest Research Station and COMTF public information officer, at (510) 847-5482. For general information on Sudden Oak Death or the COMTF, go to the Task Force website at: www.suddenoakdeath.org. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 20:47:39 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: BALSAM APPLE Here are my photos to share of Balsam Apple (Momordica balsamina). Used extensively in Asian cooking, this is one of Florida's many widespread pests that can be seen climbing fences, walls and thickets or simply covering small bushes. Much confusion still remain in its nomenclature. Known also as Balsam Pear or Bitter Melon, it is often confused with another member of the Cucurbita Family, Momordica charantia which is also known as Bitter Melon or Balsam Pear. Photos are of vines found growing wild in Cocoa, Rockledge and Orlando, Florida. Photos were taken in June and July, during the months of their prolific growths. The Product Look-Up(PLU) code is 4783. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19274 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19851 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19852 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19856 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19882 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/19938 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20051 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20076 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 18:19:50 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: LOQUAT: DWARF Here are my photos of Dwarf Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) to share. Fruits were from a tree in Rockledge, Florida in Zone 10a. Photos were taken in February and March. Product Look-Up code(PLU) for Loquat is 4308. ============================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37216 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37217 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37219 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37220 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37221 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37222 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37377 ============================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 20:17:18 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: SAPODILLA Here are my photos of Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) to share. The scientific name changes to Achras zapota in some countries. Fruits were from trees in Merritt Island, Rockledge and from stores in Orlando, Florida. Photos were taken throughout the year. Product Look-Up (PLU) code for Sapodilla is 3136. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37481 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29929 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29982 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29988 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/29998 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/30157 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 10:27:48 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: MANGO: KENT Here are my photos of Kent Mango (Mangifera indica) to share. Fruits were from trees in Merritt Island and Rockledge, Florida. For comparison purposes, Kent Mangoes grown in Mexico and Peru were bought from Supermarkets in Rockledge, Florida. Photos were taken in June, July and February. Product Look-Up (PLU) codes for Kent Mangoes are: 6024 = Small 6023 = Medium 5407 = Large 6022 = Extra Large =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/31329 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/31981 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/31989 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/32007 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/32061 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/32062 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/36205 Comparison of Mangoes http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/32068 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/32097 KENT from Mexico http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/32103 KENT from Peru http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/36202 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/36203 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 20:49:39 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: KUMQUAT: NAGAMI Here are my photos of Nagami Kumquat (Fortunella margarita) to share. Fruits were from trees in Rockledge, Florida in Zone 10a. Photos were taken in January. Product Look-Up(PLU) code is still unassigned. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33575 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33583 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33588 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33604 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33625 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33629 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33631 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 11:05:24 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: CARAMBOLA (STAR FRUIT) Here are my photos of Carambola or Star Fruit (Averrhoa carambola) to share. Fruits were from trees in Merritt Island, Florida in Zone 10a. Photos were taken in July, August, September and February. Product Look-Up(PLU) code is 4256. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20297 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20314 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20339 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20341 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20328 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/20288 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 22:58:36 -0800 (PST) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: KUMQUAT: MEIWA Here are my photos of Meiwa Kumquat (Fortunella crassifloia) to share. Fruits were from trees in Rockledge, Florida in Zone 10a. Photos were taken in January. Product Look-Up(PLU) code is 4303. =========================================== http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33576 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33584 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33589 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33605 COMPARISON WITH OTHER CITRUS: http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/33625 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37732 http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/37733 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 20:38:50 -0500 From: Erica Lynne Subject: Fruitless Mangos My Carrie and Edward mangos flowered profusely and then have not set hardly a single fruit. As much as I like many more exotic tropical fruits, my mainstay is mangoes and I am devastated. I hang dead fish in the trees for to attract pollinators (and the flowers were covered with pollinators) and spray with copper every week during flowering. The flower stalks just turned brown and dried up. This could be anthracnose? but there are no other signs of anthracnose on the trees - the leaves are healthy and green and no dark spots. There were two periods of rain during peak flowering. On another tropic fruit list originating mainly from the east coast of Florida), many others have reported similar losses. Some sprayed with copper, others did not. Below, a writer recommends what I suspect are powerful fungicides. Does anyone know about these compounds or how to use them. Is anyone else on this list having trouble with mangoes not setting fruit this year? So far, my Keitt, which of course flowers much later, appears to be setting fruit normally. Erica Lynne Naples, Southwest Florida, zone 10 ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 16:47:08 -0500 From: james singer Subject: Re: Fruitless Mangos Your note, Erica, caused me to go look. I have two mangos, one I've always thought of as a Kent [but have no idea why I think that] and an Alanpur. The Kent has just about finished blooming and it does not look promising. It's a bit early to be sure, but I see no indications of fruit. Last year, this tree produced about 50 fruits. The Alanpur is still blooming--maybe even at peak bloom--so it's too early to tell. It's a dwarf tree [double grafted] about 5 feet tall. Last year it produced four fruits, its first crop. My Brogdon avocado, which is near the Kent mango, blooms at the same time that the mango does. What I've noticed over the last few years is that if one has good fruit set, so will the other. And vice versa. I've decided that weather is the major factor; it influences the number of pollinators of both flowers. If it's cold and rainy during peak bloom, there is minimal fruit set. For someone who asked earlier, my lychees are beginning to bloom, that is, the flower buds, which have been around for a couple of weeks, are now opening. Which is good. Cold is behind us. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 00:14:57 -0000 From: "Marcelo Aspiras" Subject: Great Seed Site For Rarities! Hey, rarefruit friends, check out this website from Australia that offers some of the rarer fruits from SE Asia and S. America. This is the first site I've encountered that offers seeds of some of the rarer durians. I was particularly intrigued by the offerings rrom Borneo. Enjoy ! http://www.capetrib.com.au/Borneo.htm Marcelo <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Corn Fungus Tapped for Carotenoid Production From: ARS News Service Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 09:56:30 -0500 A fungus may hold the key to unlocking new, value-added uses for corn fiber and distiller's dry grains with solubles (DDGS) - the "leftovers" of making ethanol. That's the hope of Agricultural Research Service scientists, who modified the fungus Fusarium sporotrichioides with genes for making lycopene and other carotenoids. Lycopene, a pigment that makes tomatoes red, is considered a "nutraceutical" for its purported health benefits. Some research suggests lycopene helps prevent certain cancers in people who routinely consume foods containing the carotenoid. Supplements are available for consumers who can't or don't want to eat these foods, but still desire lycopene's benefits, notes geneticist Timothy Leathers, at the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Ill. In the modified fungus, Leathers sees a potential way to mass-produce lycopene from ethanol co-products like corn fiber rather than extract and purify the carotenoid from tomatoes. Corn fiber is ideal because it's abundant and costs about five cents a pound. The U.S. ethanol industry generates four million tons of the fiber annually, and sells it as livestock feed to avoid disposal fees. The same applies for DDGS, notes Leathers, at the ARS center's Fermentation Biotechnology Research Unit. Proof-of-concept studies at the Peoria center showed that when cultured in lab flasks, the modified fungus produced 0.5 milligram of lycopene per gram of dry weight within six days. The plan now is to scale up the studies by culturing the fungus in fermenters on a growth medium containing the corn fiber or DDGS. To equip F. sporotrichioides for the job, the team first "short-circuited" the metabolic pathways by which it makes natural trichothecene toxins. Then, using a patented recombinant technique (6,372,479), the team "re-wired" the fungus with new genes for making lycopene. ARS patented the microbe on Feb. 24 (6,696,282). Leathers' colleagues are James Jones of Northwestern University and Thomas Hohn of Syngenta. Both are former ARS scientists. ARS is USDA's chief scientific research agency. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Wild Potatoes Hold Genetic Key to Thwart Pests From: ARS News Service Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 09:46:46 -0500 Wild potatoes growing high above the desert in southeastern Arizona may hold the genetic keys to a defense against the Columbia root-knot nematode, according to Agricultural Research Service scientists. The tiny, wormlike pest is especially troublesome in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, where more than half of the U.S. tuber crop is grown. Growers fumigate fields to keep the nematode from damaging the crop's roots. Annually, they'll spend $20 million on fumigants to prevent crop losses of $40 million. Since resistance isn't found in U.S. potatoes, ARS scientists Chuck Brown and John Bamberg sought to fortify the crop with useful new genes from its wild mountain relatives, including Solanum fendleri, a native of the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico. Bamberg manages S. fendleri seedlots at the ARS U.S. Potato Genebank in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Early tests in Prosser, Wash., showed some specimens were nematode resistant. The researchers decided to repeat the tests. But first, they wished to see for themselves where the seed they had used originally came from, collect new specimens and answer the question: "Why would a wild potato be resistant to an agricultural pest?" In September 2002, this interest took them to the Huachuca and Chiricahua mountains in Arizona. There, they collected small tubers and seed from natural stands of S. fendleri at two sites at altitudes of 6,000-8,000 feet. Upon returning, they grew new plants from the seed and tubers they had collected. Later, they assessed the nematode resistance or susceptibility, observing that some individuals from the collection were good hosts (susceptible), while others were not, meaning they resisted the pest. Crossing the resistant S. fendleri plants with cultivated potatoes, however, is difficult to do because of chromosome number differences. Brown, at the ARS Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit in Prosser, tackled this hurdle using a breeding technique called "bridging crosses." The resulting plants are now growing in a greenhouse, and Brown plans to cross them with cultivated sources, setting the stage for breeders to develop new, nematode-resistant commercial varieties. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Apricot Is Early Bloomer From: ARS News Service Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:47:59 -0500 In the rich, fertile soil of California's central valley, some 8,000 young, newly planted Apache apricot trees are taking root, making the change from treefruit nursery to commercial apricot orchard. The number of Apache trees in California fruit ranches is impressive because Apache is a new variety that Agricultural Research Service scientists have only made available to nurseries, researchers and apricot breeders within the past two years. Growers are bringing Apache into their orchards because it ripens early, about the first week of May. That means it may command the premium, early-season prices that apricot aficionados are willing to pay for the first of the long-awaited fruit. By summer 2006, the new trees should be heavy with sweet, delicious fruit, ready to harvest and ship to supermarkets. It should arrive in good shape, because Apache ships and stores well. Apache is the result of more than a decade of fruit breeding and testing by ARS geneticist Craig A. Ledbetter and technician Louis Vuittonet of the agency's Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit. The unit is part of the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center at Parlier, Calif. Apache apricots are about average in size, with a delicate flavor and pleasing aroma. The fruit has an attractive, pinkish-orange skin, with smooth, finely textured orange flesh that's easy to separate from the small stone, or pit. The pollen that Apache needs in order to form its delectable fruit can be carried by bees or breezes to its blossoms from nearby "pollinator" apricot trees such as the well-known Castlebrite or Katy varieties. But Ledbetter and Vuittonet are in the final stages of testing a promising new pollinator variety that not only is a good biological match for Apache, but also yields excellent fruit of its own about two weeks after the Apache harvest ends. The new apricot variety might be ready to release to breeders and nurseries in a year or two, according to Ledbetter. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200404A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - April 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200404B.txt ____________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> There are more New Subscribers than usual. I hope you'll help answer their questions. It is great to have so many letters from readers. Sometimes I have wondered if there is sufficient interest to continue with the newsletter. I'm considering adding a new section to the newsletter for growers who do container gardening for their rare fruit trees. Some may not be able to put trees in the ground in their condominium or rented home while others may not have a suitable climate for the rare fruit trees to thrive. The section might cover greenhouse questions or varieties of rare fruit that will grow and produce in containers. Let me know what you think about it. See Growing Rare Fruit In Containers, Klaus Schaffer , in "Readers Write" below. My native pessimism makes me skeptical to the last letter in the "Readers Write" section below. "Advertisement: Florida Farmers ... Using Botanical Cleanser?" Suellen Wilshe Tell me if you have any personal knowledge about this concept or product. What do Floridians use to control fungi on mango blooms? I would prefer to not use chemicals. Someone recommended spraying affected blooms with milk. Has anyone of you actually tried this? If so, with what success? Which mango varieties are more and which less susceptible to this problem, which can seriously reduce the number of fruit set? EarlyGold has not been significantly affected at my home. Other varieties of mine are all more or less showing signs of damage. Which mango varieties seem to be best suited for your climate? If you write about this, would you explain where you live and discuss your rainfall, temperature extremes, and proximity to the ocean? Also, discuss which varieties of mango you have tested there. A few months ago, most of you seemed to find that Valencia Pride was good for most locations. Has any of you successfully rooted a papaya cutting? I How about air-layering a papaya? I have a branch I'd like to propagate by some method, but my previous efforts to root cuttings have failed. It's the best time of year but it's not easy to keep abreast of everything that you want to do, is it? I want to start grafting mango later this month. Also, I need to try to figure out how best (and most cheaply) to provide shade for my pitaya plants. Then there are the weeds.... -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, FL, Wants Hand-Pollination Annona Information Jose L. Lopez New Subscriber, Okinawa (Japan) Has Pitaya Questions Hiroshi Uezu New Subscriber, Okinawa (Japan) Has Pitaya Questions Leo Manuel Hiroshi Uezu New Subscriber, Fallbrook, CA, Grows Pitahayas Manuel Villarreal New Subscriber, Canary Islands, Spain-From England Peter N. Proquitte New Subscriber, Tennessee, Has Temperate-Fruit Nursery Hector Black New Subscriber, CA, With House In Brazil Haines Ely New Subscriber, San Diego, CA Monty Palmer New Subscriber, FL, Grows Mangos, Bananas, Anonas, .... Jose L. Lopez New Subscriber, Riyadh, Sauid Arabia Hamed M Abosabaah New Subscriber, AZ, Wants Glenn Mango & Ruby X Guava Sean McCarty <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Dragon Fruit - How Do You Cook It? Adams Re: Dragon Fruit Leo Manuel Adams (CRFG) Chapter Data In Newsletter - And New AZ CRFG President Dick Gross Trouble Viewing Pictures In RFNO Newsgroup Barry Resetco Plastic Wrap To Protect Plants Against Hard Freezes Joe Underwood Joel Growing Rare Fruit In Containers Klaus Schaffer Re: Growing Rare Fruit In Containers Leo Manuel Klaus Schaffer Mangos in Southern California Eunice Messner Erica Baby Pitahaya Seedling - Maybe - How To Tell? Suzy Jones Re: Baby Pitahaya Seedling - Maybe - How To Tell? Leo Manuel Suzy Jones Crosspollinating Epis To Get Dragon Fruit Marilynn Brandmeyer Re: Crosspollinating Epis To Get Dragon Fruit Leo Manuel Marilynn Brandmeyer Inagua Cactus - Opuntia bahamana? David Cates George Emerich Lecture On Cherimoya Leo Manuel Advertisement: Florida Farmers ... Using Botanical Cleanser? Suellen Wilshe <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org San Diego North County Chapter CRFG Information: CRFG Main Web Site: http://www.crfg.org/index.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm New Peach Looks Funny, Tastes Great ARS News Service Trio of New Plums for Consumers ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, FL, Wants Hand-Pollination Annona Info Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 21:44:33 -0500 From: Jose L. Lopez I am Jose L. Lopez, living in Miami, FL. I am currently growing Mangos, Bananas, Anonas (Cuban Cherimoya, Atemoya, Anon, Guanabara) and Mamey. I would like to grow more but space is really tight! Anybody know of a site that shows how to hand pollinate Atemoyas? Pictures would be nice. Here is a good one but only covers two steps: http://lightworksnursery.com/annonas.html It would be nice to see the next step. Best Regards, Jose L. Lopez mailto:josel227@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Okinawa (Japan) Has Pitaya Questions Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 20:50:53 +0900 From: Hiroshi Uezu Dear Sir, My name is Hiroshi Uezu, 64 years of age. I live in Okinawa where is located far from the mainland Japan and only sub-tropical area in Japan. My e-mail address is siawase24@yahoo.com, alternate info@kamis-inc.jp. I have been growing Pitaya for 4 years or so, and wish to try other tropical fruits, such as Atemoya, star-fruit, etc. in the future. Okinawa will be often attacked by typhoon, like cyclone or harricane, in April through November. I found Pitaya will be damaged by salt contained in typhoon's wind and rain. Especially, Selenecereus Megalanthus will be mostly blasted. Among many varieties of Hylocereus undatus and Selenexcereus Megalanthus, I have heard of some varieties with the following features. 1. Selenecereus Megalanthus with pink flesh. 2. Hylocereus undatus with yellow skin as shown in the back cover of the Paul Thomson's book. 3. Hylocereus Megalanthus with day flowering or diural. 4. Hylocereus Megalanthus with good flavor flesh. I wonder if anybody grows such a variety. If possible, I wish to know more detail about them. Best regards. Hiroshi Uezu mailto:info@kamis-inc.jp ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Okinawa (Japan) Has Pitaya Questions Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 06:39:24 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: Hiroshi Uezu Dear Hiroshi I would advise you to post your excellent letter to the Yahoo group, Pitaya Fruit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PitayaFruit/ If anyone will know the answers to your questions, if will probably be someone who reads the letters posted thers. Also, Israel is advanced in the research and development of Pitaya and I know that they have the yellow-skin Hylocereus undatus because I got the picture that is on the back of Paul Thomson's book from Professor Mizrahi in Israel mailto:mizrahi@bgumail.bgu.ac.il He visited in my home a few months ago and he talked about it. They have a plan to exchange plant material of their breeding program outside of the country, but they require that you not propagate it for others. Horticordially, Leo Manuel, San Diego ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Fallbrook, CA, Grows Pitahayas Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 02:05:18 -0400 (EDT) From: Manuel Villarreal Hi Leo, I have been experimenting with pitahayas for the past three years. At present I have over one hundred plants,last year they went into production, for the first time. And like you most of my clones came from Paul H. Thomson. I live in Fallbrook, Ca. I am interested in further comunication with you. Sincerely Manuel Villarreal mailto:Deaconmanny1@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Canary Islands, Spain-From England Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 10:45:51 +0100 From: Peter N. Proquitte Dear Mr. and Mrs. Manuel, May I wish you first of all a very happy Easter. I was delighted to have found your web-site. All my working life I lived in England and have now take early retirement in Lanzarote ( Canary Islands) Spain. I thoroughly enjoy gardening and presently I am in the process of building my own house with a fair size garden. It is my intention to grow as many as possible exotic fruits and plants as possible. The temperatures in the Canaries are very favourable, although we do get a fair amount of wind, which I suppose is not ideal for some plants. So far I have planted Lemons, Oranges, Papayas and Figs, From my last visit to Thailand and Vietnam I brought with me some Dragon fruit, Sweet Orange and Mangosteen seeds and indeed I retrieved some Rose apple seeds and hope that they might take. I shall take my time in reading your past News letters, as I have only now discovered your Web-site. Thank you very much in advance for all your fantastic help in distributing your and other people's knowledge. With kind regards, Peter Proquitte mailto:proquitte@telefonica.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Tennessee, Has Temperate-Fruit Nursery Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 09:24:40 -0500 From: Hector Black Hi, I would appreciate it if you would add my name to your rarefruit list. Thanks. Hector Black mailto:hblack@twlakes.net [NAFEX webpage says: "Hidden Springs Nursery, Hector Black, 170 Hidden Springs Lane, Cookeville, TN 38501. (615) 268-2592. Many unusual trees and plants--some from Russia."] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, CA, With House In Brazil Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 15:17:22 -0700 From: Haines Ely Hi I'm Haines Ely, living in Grass Valley CA, but also have a house in Brazil. I'm interested in rare fruits...the rarer the better. Haines Ely mailto:haines@netshel.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, San Diego, CA Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 13:14:01 -0700 From: Monty Palmer Leo, I enjoyed talking to you at the meeting in March. Below is most of what I tried to get to you last time. As I'm now working in San Diego I came to the scion exchange and expect to attend every month. Thanks, Monty mailto:t_montyp@qualcomm.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Riyadh, Sauid Arabia Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 15:08:16 +0300 From: Hamed M Abosabaah Dear Sir Could you please add our name to your mailing list. Thank You Hamed M Abosabaah mailto:abosabaah@suhuf.net.sa ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, AZ, Wants Glenn Mango & Ruby X Guava Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 11:15:26 -0600 From: Sean McCarty My name is Sean. I live in Phoenix but I am originally from SoCal (South Orange County) Currently, I am growing many things not typically seen in Phoenix in landscapes (beyond fruits). The only fruit I have growing is a Rio Red Grapefruit, a Key Lime tree, and a Tarocco Blood Orange. Actually I have a fantastic pepper garden as well. Citrus is common except for the less common varieties. I love fruit and that is why I am writing you. I am interested in growing a Ruby X Supreme Guava and a Glenn Mango. Perhaps not rare for California and Florida but VERY much so for Phoenix. It can be done, even with our sun. The urban heat island has helped moderate our lows greatly (which is very sad but not all bad, I suppose). I am having difficulty locating these varieities in Phoenix. We have but one place here to get these things but stock is sporadic at best and I know he gets them from California anyway. Looks like a trip to California is in my future (much like the palm I transported a month ago and planted - under shade cloth of course until my Royals fill out!) Anyone with suggestions for nursuries (preferably by personal experience) open on weekends where I can pick up the Glenn Mango and Ruby X Supreme Guava in So. California would be appreciated greatly! Happy Gardening, Sean McCarty mailto:sonotaps@yahoo.com <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Dragon Fruit - How Do You Cook It? Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 10:37:05 -0400 From: James Dear Mr. Manuel; My name James and I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada. I work the Atlantic Super Store in Charlottetown and saw this (new) fruit. I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me about this strange fruit. 1. How do you eat it? (is it like a kiwi? an orange? an apple?) 2. Can you cook with it? 3. Can you put it in salads? 4. Can you eat it raw? Thank you Sincerely James Waugh mailto:tktc@eastlink.ca ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Dragon Fruit Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 07:33:35 -0800 From: Leo Manuel To: James Hi James Anything you can do with a ripe watermelon would work for a pitaya (Dragon Fruit, Pitahaya, etc.) I like to chill it, cut it in half, and eat with a spoon. The seeds are black, quite soft, and I eat them, unless I want to grow them from seed. You can put them in fruit salad. A friend removes the flesh from the cut-in-half pieces, adds the flesh (diced) with a fruit salad, and serve the fruit salad from the shell of the pitaya. You can make frozen desserts using it, but I can't imagine cooking it. Seeds are like those in a kiwi - very soft and barely noticeable when eaten. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: (CRFG) Chapter Data In Newsletter - And New AZ CRFG President Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 10:02:09 -0700 From: Dick Gross Hi, Leo. I like the chapter data feature in your newsletter. Will this be a permanent feature? My purpose in writing is to inform you that we have a new president. Jim Oravetz, Chairman Arizona Rare Fruit Growers 19612 36th Place Phoenix, Arizona 85024 Phone:602-569-0040 mailto:oravetz@cox.net Thanks Leo. Dick Gross mailto:rkgross3@cox.net [I plan to continue keeping CRFG Information in the newsletter. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Trouble Viewing Pictures In RFNO Newsgroup Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 12:18:34 -0800 (PST) From: Barry Resetco Leo: I tried to look at the pictures but I guess I'm not a member of your news group. I tried to sign up but I can't - something to do with my user profile I think. I'll keep trying. Just wondered if you had any suggestions. Barry Resetco mailto:bresetco@pacbell.net [I don't know what to suggest, and hope you got it to work. If anyone has a problem registering and viewing the pictures, please let me know and I'll see if I can find out anything. Please tell me exactly what happens when you try to either register or to view the pictures. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Plastic Wrap To Protect Plants Against Hard Freezes Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 21:03:04 -0800 (PST) From: Joe Underwood To: Joel Hi Joel, I suggest you consider using 'bubble-wrap' (bubble side in towards the plant) to protect your plants during cold weather. I used bubble-wrap on the inside wall of my fiberglass wall greenhouse (bubbles were in contact with fiberglass) in upstate new York 32 - 34 years ago and it worked very well. The small bubbles prevent loss of much heat by convection, there is little radiative heat loss, and the plastic doesn't provide much conductive heat loss. Use double layer or more if you wish. I haven't used bubble-wrap for freeze protection for 30 years (live near Anaheim, CA) but experience related in next paragraph may cause me to start using it again. My Java banana was 'hit' so hard by the December freeze that I thought it was a 'goner' until about three weeks ago (I was in Texas at the time.). All bananas lost most leaves except for a Cambodian miniature (about 30 inches high). Almost all leaves were lost on my papayas but didn't lose any fruit (about 5 - 6 dozen on large tree; dozen or so on smaller tree). Happy growing! Joe Underwood mailto:junderwoodz@sbcglobal.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Growing Rare Fruit In Containers Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 13:28:04 -0800 From: Klaus Schaffer After reading the rarefruit newsletter for several years, I'm finally ready to contribute my part. My name is Klaus Schaffer. I live in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. My interest in rare fruit growing began approximately 18 years ago. Because of lack of knowledge, my first attempt to grow rare fruit ended in failure. I don't give up easily, however, and at the present I'm growing jaboticaba, white sapote, cherimoya, chilean guava and strawberry guava. Because of my location all my fruit is container grown. Space limitations prevent me from growing an unlimited number of plants, however. The container growing medium I use is composed of silica, earthworm castings, peat moss and perlite. The use of too much peat moss in the past led to plant losses due to root rot. Maybe someone would like to respond to the subject of growing medium by sharing what container growing medium the've successfully grown plants in. There is also the question whether all fruit plants should be grown in the same medium. I'm experimenting with specialty containers, like RootMaker to grow plants. I'd like to receive feedback of other rarefruit growers who have used similar products. Klaus mailto:kschaffer@telus.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Growing Rare Fruit In Containers Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2004 10:51:11 -0800 From: Leo Manuel To: Klaus Schaffer Hi Mr. Shaffer, I couldn't find your name on the mailing list but am really glad you wrote. I get numerous letters asking about growing rare fruit in pots and your experience will be excellent for us. I'd like to know whether you have had fruit on your plants? If so, which ones? What size pots do you use? What amount of each of those ingredrients for soil mix do you use? Is silica a type of sand? Do you harvest your own earthworm castings? I guess perlite is important to keep the pots weight down? How do you control disease and pests in the greenhouse in cold weather? I would expect that to be a considerable problem. What kind of light source do you recommend? Horticordially, Leo P.S. Would you consider contributing on a somewhat regular basis information on growing rare fruit in containers? And as you get email questions, would you forward those as well along with your replies? I would set aside a section of Rare Fruit News Online "Growing Rare Fruit In Containers" devoted to correspondence on this topic. I think there is a considerable interest in this for either those living in colder-winter regions, or those who can't plant into the ground, for whatever reasons. I hope readers will write to me about the possible usefulness of this in RFNO. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Mangos in Southern California Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2004 13:39:22 -0800 (PST) From: Eunice Messner To: Erica Erica, Here in California many of the mango varieties start to bloom in January. But our rains start in February and the blossoms usually end up with mildew or anthracnose. Sometimes a second set of blossoms will be successful. The mango trees that bloom now (after the rains) usually set a good crop. A California mango, 'Thomson' sets fruit every year. But some mature trees of other late flowering varieties set fruit only every other year. I never get around to spraying but it is said that if you spray for mildew before it appears you will be able to control it. Mangos and peaches are my favorite fruits Eunice Messner mailto:eunicemessner@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Baby Pitahaya Seedling - Maybe - How To Tell? Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 18:54:58 +0000 From: Suzy Jones Please tell me what a pitahaya seedling looks like. I think I have one, but it looks so unlike a cactus at this point that I'm not sure. It is about 1 month old. The seeds were from 1997, planted about 5 weeks ago, and only one of about 10 sprouted. Suzy Jones mailto:suzyjones@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Baby Pitahaya Seedling - Maybe - How To Tell? From: Leo Manuel Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 13:07:05 -0700 To: Suzy Jones Hi Suzy For several weeks they look almost like almost any other seedling, but will develop a tiny vertical shoot between the cotyledons - the two initial leaves and as it grows, you'll see fine hair-like spines. One shoot grows initially, but it will branch in time. Do you see any fine spine hairs? Can you attach a photo to email? It is surprising that the seed remained viable for seven years. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Crosspollinating Epis To Get Dragon Fruit Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 14:29:41 -0700 From: Marilynn Brandmeyer I have several large epiphyllum which are starting to bloom. Where does one get the pollen to X-pollenate to produce the dragonfruit? And how do you do it? I just ran across this website and it sounds fascinating and another challenge! Thanks Marilynn Brandmeyer mailto:marilynnb@charter.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Crosspollinating Epis To Get Dragon Fruit Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 16:57:01 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: Marilynn Brandmeyer Hi Marilynn Fruit from Epis can be eaten - and some are rather tasty. However, Dragon Fruit aka Pitaya aka Pitahaya, are produced on a different member of the Cacti family- namely, Hylocereus undatus. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Inagua Cactus - Opuntia bahamana? Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 11:51:44 -0400 From: David Cates Dear Leo, Attached is a photograph of a cactus I photographed on the island of Inagua (southern most island in the Bahamas) during a visit some weeks ago. It is very impressive to look at. This specimen was about six feet tall with a single main stem with the ears growing out like branches from a tree. I think it is Opuntia bahamana, a species endemic to the Southern Bahamas. How are your Hylocereus cactus these days? Do you have any fruit? The Selenicereus cactus that I found has not flowered as yet for the season but we are having very dry weather at the present time. Once the flowers emerge I plan to try pollinating them. I haven't given up in my quest to find some good cultivars of Hylocereus. Not many nurseries offer them. Best regards, David Cates mailto:dcates@coralwave.com [I don't expect blooms to appear for at least another month on my pitaya, but epiphyllums are beginning to bloom. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: George Emerich Lecture On Cherimoya Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 16:45:46 -0700 From: Leo Manuel San Diego North County CRFG - MARCH MEETING George Emerich spoke on the Cherimoya. Some notes follow; you should have been there for the talk. Origin and Culture: The origin of the Cherimoya is believed to be in Ecuador or Peru at the 5,000 - 8,000 feet above sea level zone. The nights are cool and the days arent too hot (less than 90F). If the nights are warm, the Cherimoya dont produce well, if at all. The water requirements are as much as for avocado or a little more. They can tolerate some frost but not much. Pests: Mealy bugs often appear. Just control the ants to control the mealies. Giant white fly appears on Dr. White and some selected other varieties but do not appear on others. Black scale is a problem from time to time; again the ants dont help any with this problem. Pollination: One doesnt have to hand pollinate to have fruit, only if one wants nice fruit. Naturally pollinated fruit tends to be one-sided since the pollen is not evenly distributed. Pollinate each tree once a week from May to October. A flower opens about 1/2 way about 9 AM on the first day and stays that way until about 4 PM of the next day when it fully opens and the pollen is shed. It appears that a drop of about 15F triggers the full opening of the flower and the shedding of the pollen about an hour later. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Advertisement: Florida Farmers ... Using Botanical Cleanser? Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2004 11:07:09 -0400 From: Suellen Wilshe Farming with Farm-Grown Products? Florida Farmers Report Outstanding Results Using Botanical Cleanser PINE ISLAND, Fla. -- Our mothers used to say that clean hands are happy hands. Some growers in Florida are now saying that clean plants are happy plants - very, very happy plants. Nobody understands how, but it works, says Robert Murray (239 283-3688), owner of Treehouse Nursery on Pine Island and one of Florida's top growers of tropical trees. And why would I argue with this kind of success? Murray started spraying mango trees covered in fungus and scale last spring with an all-purpose cleaner manufactured by 1st EnviroSafety, a neighboring Pine Island business. At first I thought it was crazy, but I'll try anything once, he says. He hasn't used anything toxic since that first trial. We haven't needed too - for the first time in years we don't have any scale, mites, fungus or whitefly, even on sensitive plants like mangos, guavas and lychees. When diluted, the cleanser is 99.5% natural, formulated with American-grown soybeans, corn and other plant products. The biobased ingredients are broken down into colloidal cells so small they can only be seen with an electron microscope. In a cleanser, those tiny cells harness the power of nanotechnology to penetrate oil and dirt molecules, so they break down into harmless substances that are easy to wipe away. Farmers have used insecticidal soaps for hundreds of years, controlling susceptible insects by washing away the insect's protective coating surface and disrupting normal membrane functions, notes Wilshe. It's a different process, but it appears to be similar, he said. However, traditional soaps rely on potassium salts of fatty acids, which can cause phytotoxicity, particularly during Florida's hot summer months. We haven't heard of any problems with phytotoxicity because our cleanser doesn't have any oil in it. Suellen Wilshe mailto:suellen@1stenvirosafety.com 10200 Betsy Parkway, St. James, FL 33956 1-888-578-9600 For Material Safety Data Sheet of Ecco Commercial All purpose Cleaner, visit http://www.1stenvirosafety.com/eccocomercialallpurposemsds.html It at least doesn't seem to have non-pocketbook risks: V. HEALTH HAZARD DATA EFFECTS OF ACUTE OVEREXPOSURE SWALLOWING No evidence of adverse effects. SKIN ABSORPTION No evidence of adverse effects. INHALATION No evidence of adverse effects. SKIN CONTACT No evidence of adverse effects. EYE CONTACT No evidence of adverse effects. EFFECTS OF REPEATED EXPOSURE No evidence of adverse effects. OTHER HEALTH HAZARDS None currently known. <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org ------------------------------------------------ San Diego North County Chapter CRFG Information: Chapter dues are $6.00/yr. CRFG Membership is $30 and is required. The chapter dues run from January 1 to December 31 of each year. Please send a separate check for each. Make checks payable to CRFG. Send new member dues, renewals and address corrections to: Dan Kinnard, CRFG North San Diego Chapter, 6901 Kellyn Lane, Vista, CA 92084. 2004 CALENDAR Fri. Apr. 16 Mira Costa A local nurseryman speaks. Fri. May 21 Mira Costa TBD Jun. 18,19,20 Cal State Pamona Festival of Fruit. Year of the Berry. No meeting. See you at the conference. CRFG Main Web Site: http://www.crfg.org/index.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Subject: New Peach Looks Funny, Tastes Great Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 09:34:37 -0400 From: ARS News Service A fun-to-eat peach called Galaxy has a great taste and an amusing, flat shape. It looks something like a bagel, and tastes sweet and juicy. Offered to nurseries and researchers for the first time last year by Agricultural Research Service tree fruit breeders in California, Galaxy is what fruit fanciers will recognize as a peento peach, short for the original Chinese Pan Tao. Galaxy has a delightful, delicate aroma; light-cream skin accented with an attractive red blush; and pleasantly firm-textured white flesh. It ripens at the same time of year--the third to fourth week of June--as a popular peento peach called Saturn. But Galaxy is bigger. Geneticist David W. Ramming and colleagues at the ARS Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit in Parlier developed Galaxy in 10 years of fruit breeding and testing. The new peach's lineage includes a nectarine developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers and a peento peach from Rutgers University. In 1994, Ramming hybridized, or crossed, the parent peaches that would yield Galaxy. The following year, he singled out Galaxy for further study in his research orchards at the ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier and those of the neighboring Kearney Agricultural Center. So far, Ramming's team has provided more than 33,000 buds for staffers at tree fruit nurseries to graft to familiar rootstocks. Galaxy peaches may begin showing up in supermarkets in 2006. Like most peaches, Galaxy is self-pollinating, so it doesn't require proximity to other peach trees--a boon for backyard gardeners who don't have room for more than one peach tree. And, although not yet tested outside of California, Galaxy might do well in southern peach-growing states such as Georgia and South Carolina Read more about the research in the April 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr04/fruit0404.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Trio of New Plums for Consumers Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 09:14:56 -0400 From: ARS News Service Three kinds of plump, tasty plums from Agricultural Research Service tree fruit breeders in California will make fans of this spring-through-fall stonefruit come back for more. The plums are the fruit of more than a decade of plant breeding and testing by ARS geneticist David W. Ramming and colleagues in the Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit, part of the agency's San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center at Parlier, Calif. Named Black Splendor, Owen T and John W, each of the new plum varieties ripens in a different season, giving shoppers more choices of this healthful fruit. The juicy, beet-red flesh of Black Splendor plum makes this big fruit an especially colorful addition to fresh fruit salads. It ripens in early June, and is both bigger and earlier than the well-known Santa Rosa plum. Owen T has blue-black skin with some touches of purple, and sweet, light-yellow flesh. It is ready to harvest in late June through early July. Ramming named this plum after Owen Tanner, who was a technician with the California tree fruit breeding team for more than 30 years. Ramming named the latest-ripening of the three plums, John W, for the late John Weinberger, who was a tree fruit and grape breeder with the ARS research center at its former location in Fresno, and was selected for the ARS scientific Hall of Fame. John W plums have purple skin dusted with light-tan specks, and luscious orange flesh. This fruit ripens in late August through early September. Since first offering these plums to nursery operators, researchers and others in 2001 and 2002, Ramming has filled requests for more than 1,200 cuttings and more than 50,000 buds, so the plums may begin showing up in supermarkets this year. Read more about the research in the April issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr04/fruit0404.htm <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200404B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - May 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200405A.txt _________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Why Is "Mayday" Used As A Distress Call? The month of May is so pleasant for some of us, that I looked on the internet for an explanation for any reason why the month was a cause for distress. I found: "Origins of Hamspeak" http://www.ac6v.com/73.htm#mayday Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for help? This comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning "help me" - and is pronounced "mayday." (Note: not exactly.... it's pronounced "med-ay", but close enough) Let's get started into the many projects around the orchard such as grafting mango, placing air-layers-if not already done, fertilizing, .... I'm feeling guilty already as I think of all of those tasks that I'm unlikely to complete. There are two letters in the new section, Growing Rare Fruit In Containers. I am writing this on a Macintosh, using font Times for Mac. Are you always to read every symbol I use, or do you sometimes guess as to what you can't read? Is there another font set that would be better - equally acceptable in both Windows and Macintosh operating systems? Please let me know if you sometimes have a problem. If you have a suggestion for a better font, let me know, or I'll look for other fonts to try. I have many different ones. -Leo This issue may have more errors than usual, as I put it together hastily. The past two weeks have put me through medical problems as yet not fully understood, with EEG, MRI, blood tests, and others. It has caused me to be fatigued, but I believe I'm improving. That also explains why this issue is late. -> -> -> Table Of Contents - Messages Come Later <- <- <- <><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><> New Subscriber, Southern California M Touch Re: New Subscriber, Southern California Leo Manuel M Touch Subscribing to Newsletter Terry Bohn New Subscriber, Florida, Growing & Selling.... Tamara Burton <><><><><><> Readers Write <><><><><><> Rooting Babaco Papaya Is Easy.... Lon J. Rombough Re: Florida Farmers ... Using Botanical Cleanser? Warren Condon Pitaya Fertilizer David Silverstein Australia Gold Coast Alexzandor & Mary Horvath Allergy for dragon fruit - Exist? - How to treat? P Menheere Fwd: Floridaa Newsletter ARBSFRUIT@aol.com Trouble grafting mango and... Deaconmanny1@aol.com Suggestions For Grafting Young Mango Trees Leo Manuel Mango Fruit Set Problems - Why? junderwoodz@netscape.net Re: Mango Fruit Set Problems - Why? Leo Manuel junderwoodz@netscape.net Re: Mango Fruit Set Problems - Why? Leo Manuel junderwoodz@netscape.net Suggestions For Grafting Young Mango Trees Leo Manuel Re: Difficulty Grafting and Airlayering Mango seedlings. Deaconmanny1@aol.com New Breadfruit Website fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Marking pen that lasts fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com <> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> Fruiting Tropical Fruits In Temperate Zones Leo Manuel Section Devoted To Growing In Containers-Good Idea Dmshuck@aol.com Section For Growing in Containers-Good Idea Marc Schuyler <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm After 17 Years, the Cicadas Are Coming ARS News Service World's Peaches, Plums Preserved in Unique Collection ARS News Service - > - > - > - > Now, The Messages < - < - < - < - <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Southern California From: M Touch Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 15:22:03 -0700 (PDT) Hi, my name is V. Monique Touch and I am interested in receiving Rare Fruit News Online. I live in Southern California and my email address is strwberique@yahoo.com. I am currently growing cherimoyas, guavas, lechees, persimmons, apple bananas, various citrus trees (mandarin, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime), persimmons, dragon fruits, peaches, nectarines,and a plum tree. I am successful with most, but I am most interested on information regarding the dragon fruit because it produces very little fruits. I have one dragon fruit cactus and in the past 2 years it grew only 2 fruits. I wondering what I can do so that it would produce more fruits and how I should trim the cactus. Is there is a special technique in cutting this plant? ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: New Subscriber, Southern California From: Leo Manuel Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 16:14:45 -0700 To: M Touch Where in Southern California are you located? An excellent internet source of information on the pitaya is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PitayaFruit/ where you can find lots of messages with useful information, as well as pictures. If you don't find answers to your questions, you can write a letter to post there, and will get good responses from the more than 400 growers all over the world. Does your pitaya have more blooms it has fruit set? Your pitaya aka Dragon Fruit aka pitahaya may not bear more fruit because of several possible reasons: a. Too much shade. b. The pitaya may not be self-fertile, but can still set a few fruit. May not be receiving the fertilizer that it needs. (I would suggest a high phosphorus bloom-promoting (nPk) fertilizer). c. Your plant may need more sunshine (especially if it's planted with too much shade. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Subscribing to Newsletter From: Terry Bohn Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2004 18:50:49 +0000 Dear Leo, I would like to be added to the subscription list of rarefruits.com. My name is Terry Bohn. I live in Mexico City and grow a variety of fruit trees I have started from seeds in pots in my outdoor patio. I currently have a cherimoya, pomegranet, manderin orange trees, lime trees, guava, 2 pineapples, platano -Banana), one called lemon real in Spanish (royal lemon - a sweet citrus fruit whose name I don´t know in English.), 2 nectarines, strawberries, 1 blueberry bush (I think!), a zarzamora bush (a variety of blackberry, I think), several small red grape vines and several small vines which produce a fruit called "granada de China" in Mexico. I also have two orange trees which I purchased and have planted passion fruit seeds and am waiting to see if they will grow. I don´t know the variety of any of my trees or plants. I would like to grow a second variety of cherimoya and a guanabana tree from seed but am not sure if their seeds have dormancy periods or not. Can anyone tell me anything about growing a guanabana from seed? Also, my lemon real is more than 7 years old and has never flowered. Is there a way to induce citrus trees to flower when grown in pots? Also, I have a big problem with insect infestations but I have small children and do not want to use commercial pesticides. Can anyone tell me natural nontoxic methods of controlling or deterring insect infestations. I have some kind of scale insect and an insect that lays its larva (a small green worm) in the tips of the flowers or crown of the leaves, which then eat lots of leaves when they hatch. Thank you for whatever help you may be able to give with these problems. Sincerely, Terry Bohn ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Florida, Growing & Selling.... From: Tamara Burton Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 16:34:28 -0500 My name is Tamara Burton. I live in La Belle, Florida. I grow tropicals for myself and I have just begun selling fruit trees. I'm want to learn as much as I can about various trees. I'm also interested in growing rare fruits and networking with others in my area. I am growing banana, (about 8 types), blood orange, grapes, guava, star fruit, mango, avocado, Meyer lemon, key lime, macadamia nut and some pineapple. Ask me next month and I'm sure the list will get longer. I had the idea to sell fruit trees and tropical plants because I love growing and because I needed a way to raise money to help care for the rescued farm animals I am taking care of. I'd like to take more but it's expensive. The farmers around here in South Florida think it's silly to care for a goat, pig, etc. just because they've been abused. Anyhow, I had the idea to sell exotic and tropical fruits to help raise money. So far it's going pretty good. I sell on the weekends and online at Ebay and pass out flyers. Anyhow, I can't afford to buy a lot of stock. Most growers want 500.00 min per order of each variety. A few here and there will work with me. I'm hoping to network to find small growers and animal lovers and buy wholesale smaller. I also think that through these relationships I will learn more about fruits and trees. I'm not sure how to enter into discussion. Is this possible? Do you have a board? Thank you Tamara <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Rooting Babaco Papaya Is Easy.... From: "Lon J. Rombough" Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 21:58:32 -0700 Hi Leo: Babaco roots very easily. Just cut a piece of stem 6 inches or longer and leave it to dry for a day or so. Then plant. Perhaps you could use a piece of babaco grafted to other papaya species as a nurse. Get the babaco rooted, graft the other papaya low on it, and once the graft takes, re-pot it with the graft union below soil to encourage the papaya to root. -Lon Rombough : Leo Manuel said : : Have any of you successfully rooted a papaya cutting? I : How about air-layering a papaya? I have a branch I'd : like to propagate by some method, but my previous : efforts to root cuttings have failed. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Florida Farmers ... Using Botanical Cleanser? From: Warren Condon Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 12:07:21 -0400 Hi Leo, It's funny that the below message was sent out today, as Bob Murray was speaking at the RFCI Miami last night. While last night was the first time I had actually met him, I have heard of both himself and his wife as premier nursery folk here in Florida. His nursery also seems to be quite successful. I should not that he made clear that he is not claiming the product to be in insecticide, miticide, or any other type of pesticide. It is merely a "tree cleaner". He was also skeptical at first, but he has been using it for 1 year now and has had no ill effects to his trees (he has a 3 1/2 acre nursery and a 37 acre grove). I think that he has invested in the company, and he is going around to different plant growers talking it up. One big advantage is the cost. He said that he used to spend about $800 per spray of his 3 1/2 acre nursery. Now each spray goes for about $40. Another benefit that he mentioned is that because it is organic, there is no need for the State to come and inspect his pesticide spraying operation. I would image that his insurance costs could also be headed downward. He showed up photos, including a mango tree that was flowering on fresh growth, ie, the flowers were emerging from a pink stemmed flush. He did mention that other growers were reporting success with most types of scale, white flies, mealy bugs and many others. As the company created the product as a commercial cleaner as opposed to an agricultural product, it hasn't been tested (officially) for use on dooryard fruit. I've purchased some and will test it and report back with the results. Warren Condon Miami, FL ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pitaya Fertilizer From: David Silverstein Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2004 19:55:26 -0700 Hi, Leo Two of my Pitayas are starting to put out new growth now. These are planted in the ground. I was thinking that this would be the time to give them fertilizer. Do you have any recomendations as to what they like and how much? Thanks for any information. David Silverstein [Fertilizer nPk (High Phosphorus) is good to promote bloom, and Quang fertilizes his almost monthly throughout the year. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Australia Gold Coast From: Alexzandor & Mary Horvath Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 12:54:59 +1000 Dear Leo, I am on the gold coast Australia, and tried a large pitaya with purple interior and black seeds, the fruit was red. About 8 in long. Not quite sure of the exact genus, it was delicious!! However I am renting, so I may move in a few years. Should I put this pitaya in a large planter and let it grow on the house or plant in the ground? And since it is a cactus should I use typical cactus soil ie 1/3 sand 2/3 rich soil? We are tropical here with lots of humidity during summer. I have kept the plants next to the house which is sunny during the morning and and shady afternoon. Also I was told that this plant will not fruit at sea level, is this true? Cheers Alex Horvath [It should bloom at sea level in some climate zones, at least. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Allergy for dragon fruit - Exist? - How to treat? From: P Menheere Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 12:49:11 +0200 Hello, Have you ever heard about allergic reactions to dragon fruit? If so, what kind of reactions are coming up? How much time between exposure and first clinical symptoms? How much time is needed for the signs and symptoms to disappear completely? Is it possible to have an analfylactique shock after eating dragon fruit? Can you refer me to a collegue that could inform me more about allergies against dragon fruit? Yours sincerely mailto:Menheer@klinchem.azm.nl Dr. P. Menheere, PhD clinical chemist/endocrinologist University Hospital Maastricht Maastricht, The Netherlands [I have not heard of an allergy to pitaya aka dragon fruit. I would suggest that you contact Professor Yosef Mizrahi in Israel, who has done considerable work with the fruit, mailto:mizrahi@bgumail.bgu.ac.il -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Fwd: Florida Newsletter From: ARBSFRUIT@aol.com Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 09:07:12 -0400 (EDT) Good morning Leo, I'm sending you the latest from my old friends dowm in Orlando. Hope you find it interesting. Have a great day, Lou Arbolida -------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APRIL LANDSCAPE - Jim Ford This month you will see blooms on Mango, Cattley Guava, Roseapple, Carissa, and many varieties of citrus. Most pineapples should be blooming or developing fruit by now. These will be ready to eat in July or August Thin your peaches to just one fruit every four to six inches along the branches. This will give you much larger fruit. Because of the mild winter, the Banana and Carambola harvest is continuing without a break. Now is a good time to air-layer your favorite tree varieties to have large well-established plants ready for next spring's Leu Gardens plant sale! Ray Jones, our March Speaker was kind enough to furnish the following notes: Myrtle Family: 1. Guava (Psidium Guajava). Both Indonesian seedless and the Ruby Supreme were discussed. 2. Jaboticaba, 3 types were discussed, Myrciaria Cauliflora, the common Jaboticaba, Myrciaria Jaboticaba, a smaller tree with smaller fruit and Myrciaria Trunciflora. Some experts question if Trunciflora is actually a separate species or not and others add a fourth, Myrciaria Tenella. Within Myrciaria Cauliflora are a number of different cultivars such as Grauda, the largest and best, Rajada, striped bronze and green and Branca which is smaller and less sweet than others but white in color. 3. Surinam Cherry (Eugenia Uniflora). 4. Uboticaba (Eugenia Uvalha). Three types discussed are the sweet Uboticaba (Eugenia Uvalha Doce), the sour (Eugenia Uvalha Azeda) and the third (Eugenia Uvalha sp) that is sweet but insipid and used only for juice. 5. Grumichama (Eugenia Brasielensis). 6. Pichi (Eugenia Stipata). Probably the largest of the true Eugenias, magnificent aroma but extremely tart. Used to make a juice, high in vitamin C. 7. Cherry of the Rio Grande (Eugenia Aggregata). 8. Malay Apple (Syzigium Malaccensis), best tasting of the syzigiums with the prettiest flower but extremely cold sensitive. Other Fruits: 9. Kwai Muk (Artocarpus Hypargyreae). 10. White Sapote or Matazano (Casimiroa Tetrameria) wooly leafed. Small tree or large shrub. Full leafed, large fruit, very aromatic and good. Recommended cultivar, Smathers. Casimiroa Edulis) smooth leafed. Sparsely leafed, tall, leggy, not as attractive as the wooly leafed variety. Fruit is normally not as good or large. 11. Sapodilla (Manikara Zapota). Several cultivars recommended, Marino large no grit, Hasya, Molix and Tikal all large with minimal grit and the Oxkutzcab the largest with very little grit. The Oxkutzcab does not appear to be as prolific as the aforementioned varieties. Thank your club for the invitation. Both my friend Larry Adkins and myself enjoyed meeting such avid growers and enthusiastic people. Good growing. Ray Jones ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Trouble grafting mango and... From: Deaconmanny1@aol.com Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 02:07:04 -0400 (EDT) Hi! Leo I have tried to graft my mango seedlings, but with very limited success. Also my air layaring was a total failure. I would appreciate any help. Sincerely Deac. Manny Villarreal ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Suggestions For Grafting Young Mango Trees From: Leo Manuel Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 13:59:29 -0700 In Southern California, the time of year to successfully graft mango trees probably is not much before June and continuing through August. Some varieties seem to be easier to graft than others. Success will depend on many factors: 1. Active growing of the rootstock, as shown by current new growth - usually color of orange to red. 2. State of health of tree from which the scion was taken. The best luck seem to come with tip growth that hasn't begun to show new growth from the tip, but which looks as if it will do so soon. If you find a tip which shows tiny raised bumps that will soon open and have new tiny branches-one from each of those bumps, use it, as it's most likely to succeed. Other parts of the relatively new growth - maybe last year's growth - may also be used if its diameter is the same as that of the rootstock. I like to use scions about four inches in length, and have a diameter of from 3/8" to 1/2". Graft as soon as possible after the scion is cut, keeping it in a ziplock type bag and maybe enclose a small bit if very slightly damp paper. 3. Time of year you do the graft - maybe best from June to August. 4. Experience of person grafting. If you have never grafted anything, I'd begin with apples or pears, which are much easier. 5. How the grafted tree is treated from the time of placing the graft until the time the graft begins to grow. Many of us with experience will use different methods, all with success. If you are grafting onto a young seedling, cut the rootstock at a point where the diameter of the rootstock will be the same as the diameter of the scion. The cleft method of grafting is easier for beginners. When you have cut the rootstock so that it will have the same diameter as the scion, the top will have the shape of a circle, or an O. You will take a sharp knife and cut straight down and all the way across the O. Then the top will look like the Greek letter Theta (I don't know how to make one in this font, but it is an O with a horizontal line going across the center. Then, shape the base of the scion to be wedge-shaped - with the cut surfaces tapering from about 1 or 1.5 inches to the base. Carefully pull the rootstock apart - maybe with your grafting knife - and carefully push down on the scion until the cut wedge is inside the rootstock. Then use plastic tape - with no adhesion - to *tightly* wrap several layers of tape - beginning slightly below the split in the rootstock, overlap on the first wrap around the rootstock, and continue until you reach the top. I even extend the top-most layer to slightly rise above the top. Then, continue wrapping going a few passes heading down the rootstock, where you tie off the tape and cut the tape - but maybe leave a few inches of tape after you tied it off. You can write the scion information on this strip including the date grafte. Use a black non-fading permanent felt pen. Now, here is where I treat the grafted mango somewhat differently than most people. I like to get a clear bag with no holes to come down over the top. Before tying with string to seal the air so that the scion doesn't get dry, I put a piece of damp paper towel in, wrapped around the rootstock at the top of the rootstock, and tie the clear plastic bag below the damp paper towel. I then tie a paper cover to keep the sun out, write again the graft information on the paper bag. If you do use a Kraft paper sandwich size, you may want to cut a very little for ventilation, and to permit you to look in to see how the scion is growing. Don't be hasty removing the plastic bag and don't remove the plastic tape used for several months after you remove the plastic bag. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Mango Fruit Set Problems - Why? From: junderwoodz@netscape.net Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 02:14:57 -0400 Hi Leo, I have a few mango 'proper care' questions. I have lots of blooms on my two Manila mangos, but have no prior experience with getting mango flowers pollinated. I haven't seen any pollinators on the flowers with the possible exception of one lone ant that looked 'lost'. Should I remove blooms and wait until trees are older or plan to thin fruit if fruit-set is 'heavy'? I planted one five-feet high mango in summer, 2003 (now about six feet high) and one ~2 1/2 -> 3 feet high mango in fall, 2002 (now about four feet high). Does hand pollination work very well? Should I avoid watering late in the day or getting leaves and flowers wet. Thank you. Joe ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Mango Fruit Set Problems - Why? From: Leo Manuel Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 12:59:29 -0700 To: junderwoodz@netscape.net Hi Joe I have removed my Manilla mango because it didn't set fruit. Other people grow them successfully, but I couldn't. I would suggest top-working one of them to Nam Doc Mai, Valencia Pride, Thomson (a Manilla type) or another of several possible cultivars. Several of us have ' I will put your letter in the May 1 issue of Rare Fruit News Online, so that someone with success can respond. 'Thompson' bears heavily but somewhat alternate bearing. The fruit hangs in clusters as with grapes. If you don't thin the fruit, they stay quite small. The seeds are polyembryonic. If the only mango trees you have are Manilla, I would top-work the other to one of the other two, or something different. Where do you live? Hand-pollination should not be needed and I have never tried it. There may be different clones of Manila, and yours is not the same as some that produce better. Take care, Leo Manuel, San Diego (Rancho Peasquitos) ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Mango Fruit Set Problems - Why? From: junderwoodz@netscape.net Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 02:45:21 -0400 Hi Leo, I live in north-east Tustin, about 8 or 9 miles south-east of Disneyland. I plan to attend a CRFG meeting at the Orange county fairgrounds soon but have not yet done so as I work in Redondo Beach and worked a lot of overtime after Labor Day until a few weeks ago. Is there a good source for grafting wood in southern California at a reasonable price? What are the preferred conditions for grafting mangos? My attempts to graft mango last year failed. My grafting success with other plants has been spotty. Persimmon took well as did apricot but loquat and avocado have not succeeded. I am about to retry grafting avocado as fruit from a seedling is good and it ripens in spring - summer. I also want to top-work one of my cherimoya seedlings (Fruit is acceptable but not 'good' quality.) with a good (unknown) 'named' variety (Label was lost at Laguna Hills Nursery). I have about 8 - 10 year-old seedlings and a couple of 2 year-old seedlings from different mango varieties (possibly including Manila). Didn't label them so identities are unknown (I buy several different-variety mangos at western, hispanic, and asian markets in Orange county.). Joe ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Difficulty Grafting and Airlayering.... From: Deaconmanny1@aol.com Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 01:51:52 -0400 (EDT) Thank you Leo. I am going to use your technique on grafting mangoes. I am sorry but I meant to airlayer guavas, not mangoes. Sincerely Deac. Manuel Villarreal ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Breadfruit Website From: fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:37:44 -0700 Here is an excellent new website from Diane Ragone at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Maui, Hawaii. http://www.breadfruit.org. This preservation site has the largest collection of breafruit varieties on the planet, 190 types! Contact information: -- Diane Ragone, PhD Director, The Breadfruit Institute National Tropical Botanical Garden 3530 Papalina Road Kalaheo, Hawaii 96741 Phone (808) 332-7324 ext 224 Fax (808) 332-9765 ragone@ntbg.org http:www.ntbg.org http:www.breadfruit.org Oscar, Big Island, Hawaii ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Marking pen that lasts From: fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:43:32 -0700 Leo, At last I found the information about the marking pen that really lasts. It is from the Gempler's catalogue, http://www.gemplers.com, tel: 800-382-8473, item number M4962, Permanent Garden Marker. It has ultraviolet protection in the ink. Really lasts! Much better than Sharpie. Added bonus it is alcohol based ink, so does not stink like the Sharpie. Hope this helps, Oscar Jaitt <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> Subject: "Fruiting Tropical Fruits In Temperate Zones" From: Leo Manuel Date: Sunday, 5 May 2004 The March/April issue of Florida's "Tropical Fruit News" (see http://www.tropicalfruitnews.com) has an article by Maurice Kong on page 4 "Fruiting Tropical Fruits In Temperate Zones" that you may find useful if you are growing rare fruit trees in containers. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Section Devoted To Growing In Containers-Good Idea From: Dmshuck@aol.com Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 10:39:47 -0400 (EDT) Hi Leo, Great idea about having a section for growing in containers. I would like to learn more about being a better container gardener. I had my peanut butter tree and some papayas in containers. I have recently transplanted them into the garden since they take more care in the containers and I haven't had the time over the last year to take care of them properly. They are doing well after the transplant but the peanut butter tree is a tropical and I am wondering how it will do out in the garden next winter. I had it in a pot by the warmest part of the yard next to the house. Not much information on a peanut butter tree so I guess this will be one of those trial and errors. Take care, Denise ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Section For Growing in Containers-Good Idea From: Marc Schuyler Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 10:41:06 -0700 (PDT) Hi Leo: Thanks for the message - I agree you might want to break things up in to forums, and that a focus on containers and greenhouses would be appropriate! Living in Norcal with a small plot & smaller "from scratch" greenhouse, I have interest in basically all categories - outside in ground, containers, and greenhouse culture. Sincerely, Marc Schuyler None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: After 17 Years, the Cicadas Are Coming From: ARS News Service Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 06:46:00 -0400 After a 17-year wait, billions of large, noisy, winged, red-eyed insects known as periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) will soon emerge from the ground, occupying large swaths of the eastern United States. They'll overrun many yards, pelt windows, fly into people, clog storm drains and basically wreak buggy havoc. But entomologist Michael Schauff of the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., has a message: Remain calm. Although cicadas may give many people the creeps, the bugs won't sting or bite, and they rarely damage plants. According to Schauff, the cicada explosion will start in early-to-mid May in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, western North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and southern Michigan. Other states may see them as well. This activity will peak between mid-May and mid-June, and the insects will die off about four weeks after first emerging. Schauff has good agricultural news as well: The cicadas pose little threat to crops, although small or newly planted hardwood or fruit trees and grape vines may need protection. That's because cicadas make small incisions near the tips of tree branches, where they lay eggs. The branch beyond the incisions often dies. The 17-year cicada is known as Brood X (10), or the Big Brood. Other broods have different cycles, and are not as intensely populated. According to Schauff, the first sign of the cicada emergence will be little mounds or mud turrets that look like miniature volcanoes around the bases of trees. The insects emerge soon after. Six to 10 weeks after eggs have been laid, nymphs will emerge, fall to the ground, crawl into the soil and stay out of sight as they slowly develop in cells attached to plant roots, subsisting on tree sap over the next 17 years. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: World's Peaches, Plums Preserved in Unique Collection From: ARS News Service Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 07:59:09 -0400 Exotic peaches and plums from around the globe are safeguarded in greenhouses and orchards at America's official collection of these fruits. Known formally as the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Fruit and Nut Crops, it is a living treasury of both common and uncommon peaches and plums. >From the repository's offices, laboratories and greenhouses at Davis, Calif., it's only a short drive to the research orchards at Winters, where about 750 peach trees and about 700 plums flourish. Most of the peaches are varieties of Prunus persica, such as the historically important "Shanghai" and "J.H. Hale," two varieties that are in the parentage of nearly all of today's U.S.-grown peaches. Other distinctive peaches include a white-fleshed cling peach from Korea named "Yumyeong," and the red-fleshed "Sanguine de Tardiff " from France. Predominant in the plum collection are the European plum, Prunus domestica, produced as a fresh fruit or dried into prunes; and the Japanese plum, P. salicina, typically sold in this country as a dessert plum. Among the most unusual: the squat, green-apple-flavored P. simonii from Asia; Europe's P. spinosa, of sloe gin fame; and the North American P. hortulana, a stately ornamental tree. Also distinctive: South Africa's "Laetitia," a P. salicina variety that bears large fruit, and "Sans Noay," a pit-free French P. domestica plum commonly dried into prunes. From spring through fall, plant breeders inspect the collection to choose varieties they can incorporate into their own fruit-breeding programs. Researchers who are studying the genetic makeup of the world's plums use leaf samples from the repository to extract DNA for their research. ARS scientists at the repository conduct analyses of plum DNA as well, to be sure all the plums in the collection are correctly identified and catalogued. Read more about the research in the April 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr04/fruit0404.htm ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200405A.txt <><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - May 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200405B.txt __________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Several of us who have pitaya plants have Paul Thomson's 'Rixford.' Both Jim Neitzel and Sven Merten (and possibly others of us) have had blossoms already on them - a whole month earlier than usual. Paul says 'Rixford' is a Nicuaraguan type, as are his G-1, G-2, and G-3. One of my G-3 is showing bloom buds. George Emerich had a bloom on one of his self-fertile hybrids. Then, there is my last-of-the-season Yellow Pitaya fruit - Selenicereus megalanthus. It appears to be ready to harvest. It's an attractive yellow-skinned fruit, but it seems to ripen over the winter in our climate, which may keep it from tasting as good as in more tropical climates - where it seems to be the universal favorite for its sweetness. In the Florida [rarefruit] section are locations of lots of excellent photographs and information, posted by Asit K. Ghosh of Florida. There will be another plant sale at my home in a few weeks, if I can get organized. Included will be pitaya plants and/or cuttings. I will get a plant list together, and make an announcement later for the date. You may contact me in a week or so for more information. -Leo -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Pennsylvania - Rarefruit In A Greenhouse Bass Samaan New Subscriber, Arizona - Grow Pitaya In Desert? Celeste Gornick New Subscriber, Visalia, CA Bananaizme@aol.com <><><> Readers Write <><><> Re: Feeling Out Of Sorts nanapapabrodie@webtv.net (Marion & John) Dragon Fruit at Home Depot William Chow Wax Jambu, Longan, White Sapote, Blueberry Todd Abel Nabal Avocado Doug Young <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> GUAVA: Ruby Red Supreme (Photos) The Thaumaturgist MALAY APPLE (Photos) The Thaumaturgist Wax Jambu/Malay Apple/Water Apple: THE BIG CONFUSION (Photos) The Thaumaturgist <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Helping Beneficial Fungi Work ARS News Service Agricultural Research Service Hosts Fruit Fly Conference ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Pennsylvania-Rarefruit In A Greenhouse Date: Mon, 03 May 2004 08:37:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Bass Samaan I am Bass Samaan, in Bethlehem, PA, and I'm growing subtropical trees in my greenhouse. Different varieties of figs, pomegranate, Guava, spondias dulcis, Annona squamosa, Banana basjoo, persimmon different varieties, pawpaws, and Jujube. It's a challange to grow sub-tropical fruiting trees in containers. I'm always looking for more rare fruits that would grow well in container and kept in a cool greenhouse. I like to meet people in my area growing rare trees. Bass Samaan mailto:Bassem@musician.org ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Arizona - Grow Pitaya In Desert? Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 10:23:27 -0400 (EDT) From: HHeaven77@aol.com Hi there, My name is Celeste Gornick and I live in Phoenix, AZ. I have a loquat tree and a black fig. Also raise many cacti and succulent plants. Am interested in Pitaya now. Would like to acquire some Hylocereus varieties and grow them here in the desert. Have shadehouses. Need sun and bird protection. If you have recommendation for where to get plants, please pass that along. Thank you, Celeste mailto:HHeaven77@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Visalia, CA Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 01:49:54 -0400 (EDT) From: Bananaizme@aol.com Hi Leo I am William Butler, live in Visalia, Ca, and would like to subscribe to your montly newsletter. I am growing a large variety to tropical fruit trees which would take along time to list here. Perhaps some other time I can list what I'm growing. I look forward to receiving your newsletter. William Visalia Ca <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Re: Feeling Out Of Sorts Date: Sun, 02 May 2004 10:36:56 -0700 From: nanapapabrodie@webtv.net (Marion & John) Hope your health improves Leo and that your tests come out good, since my illness got started 5 years ago it has really reduced my once very active life-style, so do all you can to remain healthy and well. All the very best to you [ I am hoping that one of these days we can attend your monthly meetings as we are only here in El Cajon] Regards, Marion Brodie [After a couple of weeks of fatigue and feeling pretty sorry for myself, I have regained most of my former energy level. Thank you and others, for your concern. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Dragon Fruit at Home Depot Date: Mon, 03 May 2004 14:44:13 -0700 From: William Chow Hi Leo, A few months ago I saw Home Depot at Genesee and Balboa selling self fruiting Dragon Fruit for $30 each 5 gallon pots. I guess the public does not know that much about this plant. They had reduced the price to $15 to move the plants out. Apparently they sold very few plants. I saw today that they are sell the plants for $5. I bought one. It is a bit dry from lack of watering and proper care. But the plant looks okay. I will try to water that a bit to get it to grow. It is getting hot out there. I am cleaning up the yard from months of neglect. Please come to visit! William mailto:wchow@znet.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Wax Jambu, Longan, White Sapote, Blueberry Date: Fri, 07 May 2004 18:04:40 -0700 From: Todd Abel Leo, I have a Wax Jambu grafted onto Rose Apple (by Ben Poirier) thats about 2 or 3 years in the ground. It about 5 ft tall, and I hit it with bone meal for the first time this spring. It has alot of flowers, and I am hoping for fruit. It is not protected at all, and is in full sun, but gets the best care including Coffee grounds. I'll keep you updated and send you some seeds for sure. Longan has copious amounts of flowers again this year, but they seem to all be falling again. The tree is about 7 ft, and in the ground for 3 years from marcottage. The ants seem to be on the flowers, but so are the bees. No fruit in sight, and falling flowers. What can I do? White Sapote is 4 years in ground, and a seedling Suebelle at about 8 ft. (I have grafted a branch or two) The tree has flowered, but keeps dropping its leaves and refoliating every 3-4 months. The leaves are yellow, so I have given it fertilizer, and even Coffee grounds to no avail. What to do? Anyone hoping to cash in on Blueberries should take note to the effect of the 100+ degree heat here in socal last week. I have 3 bushes that only get sun to about 1 PM, and one that gets all day. The one in full sun has lost it crop, as ALL the blueberries are sunburn. The ones in part sun still have the great tasting berries. PS- mulching with Peat Moss and Bark helps them grow well here. Todd Abel mailto:table@socal.rr.com [Todd, I'm not sure coffee grounds are always a good idea. They may rob the soil of nitrogen as they break down, and I don't know what the pH is. It might be safer to use it as a soil amendment rather than as a mulch. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Nabal Avocado Source - Walter Andersen's Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 15:52:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug Young A question was raised a while back about where to find a Nabal avocado. I was just at Walter Andersen's Nursery (Pt Loma, San Diego) and they have Nabal. In fact I will probably get a Nabal and a Reed for my yard. Doug Young mailto:douglasyo@sbcglobal.net El Cajon, CA <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 10:46:15 -0700 (PDT) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: GUAVA: Ruby Red Supreme Here are my photos of Ruby Red Supreme Guava (Psidium guajava) to share. Fruits were from 2 trees located in Cracker Box Palace, a certified Organic Farm in Merritt Island, Florida in Zone 10a. Photos were taken in April. Product Look-Up (PLU) code is 4299. =========================================== Trees http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/39469 A bunch http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/39470 A pair http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/39471 A study in symmetry http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/39472 Halves, horizontal and vertical cuts http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/39476 COMPARISONS WITH WHITE ROUND GUAVA Ripe vertical halves, external surfaces (white at left) http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/39478 Ripe vertical halves, insides (white at left) http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40555 Ripe horizontal halves (white at left) http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40556 Ripe halves, vertical & horizontal http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40557 =========================================== Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 08:31:03 -0700 (PDT) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: MALAY APPLE "A delight to the eye in every respect, the Malay Apple is much admired for the beauty of the tree, its flowers and its colorful, glistening fruits, without parallel in the family Myrtaceae." .Julia Morton ***************************************************** Here are my photos of Malay Apple (Syzygium malaccense) to share. The leaves belonging to a 2-year old tree growing in Rockledge, Florida in Zone 10a, were photographed in May and in August. Fruits bought from a Flea Market in Melbourne, Florida in Zone 10a in March were photographed in March. Product Look-Up (PLU) code is 5376. =========================================== New leaves http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40480 New & old leaves http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40481 4 whole fruits http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40482 Horizontal cut http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40896 Vertical cut, insides http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40899 Vertical cut, inside & outside surfaces http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40900 Vert. & horizontal cuts http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/40486 ============================================ Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 20:36:33 -0700 (PDT) From: The Thaumaturgist Subject: Wax Jambu/Malay Apple/Water Apple: THE BIG CONFUSION A Malay Apple is hardly distinguishable from an Wax Jambu and to make things worse, they even taste the same. And as if that was not enough of a confusion, we also have the rarest of rare, Water Apple. You can distinguish an Wax Jambu from a Malay Apple only, and only when you have leaves of both in front of you. Wax Jambu leaves have DULL finish. Malay Apple leaves have GLOSSY finish. Differentiating an Wax Jambu from an Water Apple is so difficult that many experts now are considering one being the same as the other. Because they all look and taste alike or almost alike, the names of them in various languages had evolved into being alike or almost alike. I am listing below all three with their common English names, Scientific names and names in languages of countries where they are found the most. ======================================================== (1)WAX JAMBU Syzygium samarangense/Syzygium javanicum/Eugenia javanica ENGLISH: Java Apple, Java Rose Apple, Samarang Rose Apple, Wax Apple. THAI: Chom pu kao, Chom pu kio MALAY: Jambu air mawar, Jambu ayer rhio, Jambu semarang (Indonesia). SPANISH: Cajuil de solimn (Dominican Rep.), Makopa (Costa Rica), Maraon de Curacao (Panama), Cashu di Surinam, Manzana de Java TAGALOG: Makopa. -------------------------------------------------- (2)MALAY APPLE Syzygium malaccense/Eugenia malaccensis. ENGLISH: Mountain Apple, Malay Rose Apple THAI: Chom phu daeng, Chom phu sa raek MALAY: Jambu bar, Jambu bol (Indonesia), Jambu merah, SPANISH: Cajualito (Dominica Rep.), Mazana de agua (Costa Rica), Pera de agua (Venezuela), Pomags (Venezuela), Pomalaca, Pomarosa de Malaca (Colombia), Maraon japons (El Salvador), Pomarrosa de Malaca, Manzana malaya TAGALOG : Makopang kalabo, Makopang kalabaw, Tersana, Yanba, Yanbu. ----------------------------------------------------- (3)WATER APPLE Syzygium aqueum/Eugenia aquea/Jambosa aquea ENGLISH: Bell fruit, Watery Rose Apple THAI: Chom Phu Pa MALAY: Jambu ayer, Jambu air mawar SPANISH: Cajuilito Solimn (Dominican Rep.), Manzana de agua PORTUGUESE(Brazil): Jambo branco, Jambo d'gua, Jambeiro aguado. TAGALOG: Tambis. ======================================================== And if you are interested in sharing the frustrations of a researcher trying to identify the above three in Micronesia, please go to this profusely illustrated article at, http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/4705/proj98/syzygium.html ======================================================= Asit K. Ghosh Rockledge, Florida 32955 Zone 10a <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Helping Beneficial Fungi Work Date: Thu, 06 May 2004 11:49:55 -0400 From: ARS News Service Certain fertilizers can actually inhibit beneficial, naturally occurring fungi that help plants use water and nutrients while suppressing diseases, according to an Agricultural Research Service scientist studying these beneficial root-dwelling fungi. ARS plant pathologist Robert Linderman at the Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Ore., is studying how these fungi, called mycorrhizae, interact with fertilizers and other soil amendments that have been commonly used in agriculture over the past half century. Linderman is one of only a few scientists studying how mycorrhizae affect the nutrition and health of nursery crops. He has measured the level of mycorrhizal colonization of roots to see whether various materials added to soil help or inhibit fungal growth. He studied a range of commercial fertilizers and found that organic ones are usually compatible with mycorrhizae, while phosphorus-rich inorganic fertilizers usually inhibit them. He also looked at peat moss, a popular additive to potting mixes used to grow nursery crops. He found that in some cases it helps mycorrhizal associations, while in others it hinders the fungi. Coir, a coconut fiber that has become a popular potting mix additive, does not inhibit mycorrhizae, but it may reduce growth of some plants. Linderman is currently studying various types of composts to see what, if any, effect they'll have on the establishment of mycorrhizae. His initial finding is that some composts may suppress the fungi because of high phosphorus levels. After spending years researching these important fungi, Linderman believes that he will now be able to advise growers as to which potting mix additives will help establish mycorrhizae that can enhance plant growth and health. Read more about this research in the May 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/may04/fungi0504.htm Subject: Agricultural Research Service Hosts Fruit Fly Conference Date: May 14, 2004 From: ARS News Service WASHINGTON, May 14--Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service will co-host the 5th Meeting of the Working Group of Fruit Flies of the Western Hemisphere, set for May 16-21 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The conference is designed to bring together entomologists, chemists, geneticists, biologists, taxonomists, consultants, managers and regulators who are actively involved in all aspects of tephritid fruit fly detection. Among the attendees will be representatives from scientific organizations in Guatemala, Austria, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Suriname, the Netherlands and the United States. The speakers will discuss methods of detection, control and eradication, as well as biological control and regulatory procedures. ARS' Subtropical Horticulture Research Station at Miami is co-hosting the meeting together with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in Miami and the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Gainesville. APHIS manages programs using biological control for invasive species. ARS is the chief in-house scientific research agency of USDA. Meeting participants will review research and formulate new goals and approaches to management strategies and action programs for Mediterranean fruit flies, also known as medflies, as well as Anastrepha, Bactrocera, Rhagoletis and other tephritid fruit flies. The adult female medfly damages ripe fruit by making a hole and depositing her eggs under the skin of the fruit. Once the larvae hatch, they satisfy their appetites by feeding on the pulp of the fruit, rendering it unfit for human consumption. APHIS estimates that agricultural losses would be about $1.5 billion a year if medflies were to become established in the continental United States. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200405B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - June 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200406A.txt __________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Mobile Tropical Fruit Orchards - or Under Cover Crops Ray Bayer wrote several excellent articles in The Tropical Fruit World more than a decade ago. Ray wrote about growing rare fruit in Pennsylvania! I got permission today from him to distribute the collection to readers who are interested. I will post a copy in the new RFNO Yahoo newsgroup. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, San Diego, Wants Mulberry Information Dawn Standke New Subscriber-Quito, Ecuador-High Altitude Problems Daniel Roberts New Subscriber, Los Angeles, Has Wish List For Fruit Ken S New Subscriber, Turkey, Wants To Grow Deciduous Fruit Trees Ugur Aytac <><><> Readers Write <><><> Plant Sale At Leo's Home - Not Yet - With Apologies Leo Manuel Re: Your Tropical Fruit World Articles Ray Bayer WSU Master Gardener Stewardship Gardening - Composting Coffee Grounds Todd Abel What I'm Growing In Visalia (Impressive List!) William Giant Persimmon Loses All Fruit - Again! "Shaun Brodie" Propagating Jujubes - Problems William Chow Propagating Jujubes - And Avocado Alternate Bearing Leo Manuel William Chow Eugenia pest found in Florida - Alert Issued "Lon J. Rombough" <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. Poway Home With 1.62 Acre Lot, Fruit Trees ~$625,000 <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm New For You: Summer Fruits From ARS Research Richard Lychees Safeguarded in ARS Collection ARS News Service Red Imported Fire Ant Nemesis Gains Permanent Foothold ARS News Service Irrigating Through Drainage Pipes Helps Farmers the Environment ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber-Mulberry Question - And .... Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 14:06:19 -0700 From: Dawn Standke I am Dawn Standke, in Rancho Penasquitos suburb of San Diego. I am now growing citrus, apricot, nectarine, Kaffir Plum, white sapote, Surinam cherry, mulberry I was just at Exotica and tasted the "Oscar" mulberry. I liked it much better than my current mulberry. Does anyone have any experience with Oscar or with Illinois Everbearing mulberry? I found it on the website for Raintree Nursery. It's supposed to bear for three months. We're expanding our garden up onto the slope in our backyard. As soon as we get some paths built, we'll be ready to plant. Ideally, I'm looking for something that can get by with about a half day sun, grow on sloping ground, in proximity to pine trees, fruit over an extended period, and be kept in the range of 6 - 10 feet tall. We have the standard Penasquitos clay and cobble soil. Thanks in advance, Dawn mailto:dstandke@san.rr.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber-Quito, Ecuador-High Altitude Problems Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 15:18:00 +0000 From: Daniel Roberts Hello, My name is Danny Roberts. Im originally from Key west, Florida, but have been living in Quito, Ecuador, S.A. for the past 11 years. Just over a year and a half ago we bought what they call down here, a Quinta. I guess you could say its a little bigger than an acre (5,000 sq. m). Its located about 45 minutes outside of Quito at an altitude of just over 7,000 feet above sea level. Fruit trees that I am growing that presently produce for me are: Avocados, coffee (I mentioned them because the fruit on the outside of the two beans is small, but delicious), yellow and red plums, small peaches, cherimoya, palma granite, guava, guava (Spanish name for a tree that has a long pod with big black seeds covered with something like cotton that gives a sweet juice when sucked), fig, frambuesa (poor quality raspberry with lots of seeds), lemon from Florida, lima (like a sweet lime), 6 different varieties of limes, tangerine, orange (navel, a variety from Chile, and a national variety that is not very sweet), blackberry (mora), mango (small and of a poor quality because its too cold here for them), apple (very small variety supposedly from Israel called Ana), taxo, and tomate de arbol. Fruit trees that I have planted several months ago that are not yet producing are (names are what they are called down here): anona, arasha, babaco, arayan, capuli, cereza (very sour cherry), chamburo, guanabana, guayaba hawayana, jaibana, maracuya, mispero, noni, pepino dulce, pera, puma rosa, grapefruit (ruby red from Florida), tuna (a prickly pear from Mexico), coconut (dying), and several grape vines (variety unknown) There is a plant nursery a few miles away that brings me fruit trees that are hard to get. They are making a trip to the oriente soon. One of the plants that I am sure they will be bringing is called chonta. They charge very high prices, mainly because Im a gringo, but theyre the only nursery that will bring me rare and exotic fruit trees. I recently had my soil analyzed, found out the deficiencies, and am slowly fertilizing. My mango tree produces, but the mangos are small and pitted on the outside. I took a sample to the ministry of agriculture and was told that there was no disease or insect problem. They felt that the fruit looked like it did because it was out of its environment. Many of the fruit trees that I have recently purchased come from the coast or the jungle, and the altitude is just about at sea level. I think the trees will live at the altitude of my Quinta, but I dont know if they will produce fruit for me. The only question I have at this time for your newsletter readers to possibly answer is how to grow fruit trees at a much higher altitude. It gets cold here. Maybe it sometimes gets down to the high 40s at night, but it never freezes. And it can get into the mid 80s, but no matter the temperature, there is little humidity. Im sure you can tell that Im no farmer. Up to a year and a half ago I had absolutely no experience growing anything. But I must say, I am having fun and will be having even more when I start receiving your newsletter. Thank you so much, Danny Roberts mailto:roberts_daniel@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Los Angeles, Has Wish List For Fruit Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 04:56:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Ken S I am Ken from Los Angeles. I just returned from Amsterdam where I enjoyed numerous exotic fruits. Does anyone in Los Angeles know where I can find the following: Jack fruit, Pitaya, Mangosteens, and Golden berries Thanks Ken mailto:kenvegan@yahoo.com [If you want fruit rather than fruit trees, you may want to check Oriental markets. In San Diego, our Ranch 99 would be more likely to have them in season than most other stores. Pitaya fruit may show up in farmer markets starting in mid-summer. Hopefully, residents of the area will write with more suggestions. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Turkey, Wants To Grow Deciduous Fruit Trees Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 08:47:50 +0300 From: Ugur Aytac My name is Ugur Ayta and live in Bursa, Turkey. I want to grow cherry, peach, nectarine, fig. I bought 2 acre land. I'm mechanical engineer. This is my first experience of fruit growing and agriculture. I want to apply the scientific methods. I like to know the experience of the other people who grow fruits. I want to find new fruits which are not grown in my country. Best Regards; Ugur Aytac mailto:uguraytac@sarten.com.tr <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Plant Sale At Leo's Home - Not Yet - With Apologies Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 From: Leo Manuel I apologize for announcing an 'impending' plant sale, when preparations were so lacking. It occurred to me that if I would announce it, then it would happen - but it will be at least a couple of weeks yet. I do have several pitaya varieties that are available any time. I can send a list to anyone who wants to see it, along with prices. Sincerely, Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Your Tropical Fruit World Articles Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2004 15:56:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Ray Bayer Leo I've written for Horticulture magazine, California Rare Fruit Growers and a few others Feel free to include this e-mail address. I'll do my best to forward the questions and answers to you if indeed I am sent any. I have at least 1 article that I haven't sent out yet (on container growing citrus I believe). Regards Ray Bayer ------------------------------------------------ Subject: WSU Master Gardener Stewardship Gardening - Composting Coffee Grounds Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 08:12:39 -0700 From: Todd Abel Backyard Composting Composting coffee grounds Last year, three local coffee houses called WSU Cooperative in Thurston County for advice on composting coffee grounds. With the exception of worm bin composting, we were unable to find much information. Our Master Composter and Master Gardener volunteers decided to experiment. They composted about 270 pounds of coffee grounds donated by local espresso bars. They fed roughly 60 pounds to worms while composting the rest in regular bins. If coffee grounds are not worms' food of choice, they certainly must be high on the list. In appreciation for a meal of ready-to-consume grounds, the worms produced excellent compost. Incorporate coffee grounds soon after brewing into your worm box. This reduced the possibility of the grounds souring and attracting pesky fruit flies. We also experimented by composting coffee grounds in three types of traditional bins: 1) an enclosed holding bin made of recycled plastic, 2) a three-level wire stacking bin, and 3) a large, round, wire holding bin. Our primary concern was whether the coffee grounds would attract pests. We incorporated the grounds over a four month period yet experienced only one problem: fruit flies showed up in the enclosed plastic bin almost immediately after we added coffee grounds. In open wire bins, the grounds tended to dry out quickly. Overall, though, we found coffee grounds easy to work with and satisfactory for composting. Coffee grounds have a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 20:1, roughly equivalent to that of grass clippings. After brewing, coffee grounds contain up to 2% nitrogen. For composting purposes, consider coffee grounds "green" material similar to grass clippings. For "brown" material, we used leaves and sawdust. In these trials, we used a formula of one part green material (coffee grounds alone or mixed with grass clippings) to two parts leaves, or four parts green material to one part sawdust. Bob Smith, WSU Master Gardener Program Manager, Thurston County From The Gardener, Vol. 6, No. 4, Winter 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------ Subject: What I'm Growing In Visalia (Impressive List!) Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 12:48:29 -0400 (EDT) From: William Hi Leo I thought since I'm new to the group I'd take a few minutes to share what I'm growing here in Visalia. Acerola- Jamaican Giant; Annonas- Sugar Apples, Soursop, Rollinia, Reticulata, Atemoya; Allspice; Avocados- Bacon, Duke, Holiday, Stearns, Stewart; Babaco papaya- Having some trouble with root rot on this plant but it seems to be correcting the problem its self with careful watering; Bananas- Ice Cream, Manzano, Standard Orinoco, Super dwarf, 1000 finger, Dwarf Brazilian, Raja Puri, Pisang Raja, Williams, Dwarf Cavendish, Double, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Dwarf Namwah, Mysore, Goldfinger, Enano Gigante, Balbsiana, Dwarf Orinoco, Pace, Belle, Dwarf Jamaican Red; Berries- Tropical blackberries; Black Sapote; Blue berries-sunshineblue; Ceriman Cherimoyas- Bays, Booth, Carmela, Chaffey, Deliciosa, Elixer, Fino De jete, Honeyhart, Hugo, Knight, Libby, McPherson, Nata, Orton, Ott, Peirce, Selma, White; "Cherries"- Stella, Grumichama, Capulin, Cherry of the rio grande, Surinam, Pitomba, Java Plum, Jaboticaba; Citrus- Variegated Lemon; Curryleaf; Figs- Panachee, Brown Turkey, Kadota; Ginger- Variegated; Grapes- Black Maroo, Princess, Selma Pete, Thomcord; Guavas- Malaysian Red, Apple Guava, Dwarf Nana Guava, Cas Guava, Strawberry yellow and red Guava, Pineapple guava Nazemetz; Jakfruit- Seedlings; Loquat-Big Jim; Longan- Seedlings; Mangos- Thai Everbearing, Ataulfo, Manila, Thomson, Baileys Marvel, Carrie, Cogshall, Mallika; Passionfruit- Fredrick, P. Vitifolia, P. Flavacarpa; Pepino Dulce- Temptation; Pineapples- Variegated, Calbezona, Storebought tops rooted; Pears- Pineapple pear, Baldwin; Poha; Pitayas- "Alice"; Pomegranates- White fleshed variety; Sapotes- Canistel, Mammey seedling, Lucuma, White Sapote- Suebelle; Starapple- Seedling; Starfruit- Bens star, Sri Kembangan; Macadamia- Beaumont; Marabar Chestnut; Angels Trumpets, Lemon Grass. These are the things I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure I am overlooking somethings. As You can see I am a collector. If a plant has edible fruit then I am interested in it. I am always open to trading with other growers too. Right now I am on a kick collecting as many cherimoya varieties as I can and testing them here in Visalia. I am still looking for Big Sister, Ecuador, El Bumpo, Sabor, Whaley, Lisa, Concha Lisa, Carter, Ryerson, Mariella, Villa Park, Spain, Sabor. If anyone out there has any of these varieties and wants to trade for something I have then please let me know. William Visalia Ca mailto:Bananaizme@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Giant Persimmon Loses All Fruit - Again! Date: Thu, 27 May 2004 13:53:32 -0700 From: shaunbrodie@webtv.net (Shaun Brodie) Dear Leo, Well, it has happened again - our persimmon tree has lost all of its fruit - this is the 2nd year that this has happened! It only fruited 3 yrs ago, [ fruit was fine] but last year leaves were badly chewed and fruit fell off. This year I fertilzed well [organic] and tree/leaves were extremely healthy, tree loaded with blossom and fruit - same thing started again just recently - leaves ''chewed'' large pieces missing, and the fruit, very healthy but looks like it has been chewed at the storks too [ no withering or brown just very healthy green fruit and stalks] - I noticed a rose bush nearby is suffering the same fate [ looks like to me a very large insect - gigantic grasshopper but have not seen any grasshoppers as yet - could be too early for them] I was looking for a good harvest this year and am so disappointed. [ this is not natural fruit drop at all] Got any suggestions - would be very welcome. Regards, Marion Brodie mailto:shaunbrodie@webtv.net [How old is the tree? It seems to often happen that young persimmon trees abort heavily for a few years. However, I don't understand the chewed leaves. I've seen a few large grasshoppers at my San Diego home, but haven't noticed any particular damage. I'd consider removing those chewed leaves to see if more develop later. Hopefully, some reader will have experience with this problem. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Propagating Jujubes - Problems Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 19:27:52 -0700 From: William Chow Hi Leo, Have you try to airlayer Jujube? I have 4 or 5 jujube seedlings. The fruit is not edible. I have good jujube trees. But I have not been able to graft onto the seedlings. Do you know if jujube trees are more difficult or impossible to graft ? Do you want to take the seedlings I have and try to do the grafting ? My Hass avocado tree had lot of fruits last year. This year it skipped the flowering and will not have fruits. Luckily, my Reed avocado is bearing fruits. Do you have this alternate year bearing with your avocado trees ? Keep in touch and please come to visit. Cheers! William mailto:wchow@znet.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Propagating Jujubes - And Avocado Alternate Bearing Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 19:48:11 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: William Chow Hi William, I am struggling to get caught up with things from when I wasn't feeling so well, so it may be a while before I can come to visit, regretably. Jujube is reported to be difficult to graft and almost impossible to airlayer. I have one that may have been an airlayer, as its suckers are all true to the parent, and all good. Thanks for the offer of the seedlings, but I don't have time to try the 'extremely difficult' at this time. I will publish your letter, as I don't know much about avocados. I believe that some take almost two years from time of blooming until fruit, but I thought that they were still able to produce every year. Some varieties bloom and bear in the same year, I think. I enjoy hearing from you, and hope you don't give up on me. Take care, Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Eugenia pest found in Florida - Alert Issued Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 17:16:16 -0700 From: "Lon J. Rombough" Leo: Here is an item from a trade e-magazine (Weekly NMPRO e-mail, MAY 18, 2004 Issue) for nurserymen that I recieve. I am including the subscription info in case you want to get it, too. -Lon Rombough ---------- | Fla. Dept. of Ag. and Consumer Services issued an alert | | stating that eugenia psyllid (Trioza eugeniae) was | discovered in the state for the first time since 1993. | The pest had been considered eradicated from Florida, | but was found this year at several nurseries on plants | imported from California. FDACS believes the only host | plant in the state is Syzygium paniculatum (eugenia or | Australian bush cherry), which is a popular hedge and | topiary plant. To SUBSCRIBE: http://www.greenbeam.com/email/email_form.html (c) 2004 Branch-Smith Publications, 120 St. Louis Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76104. Before publishing or redistributing this information, visit http://www.greenbeam.com/copyright.html <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org ------------------------------------------------ http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Poway Home With 1.62 Acre Lot, Fruit Trees ~$625,000 Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 09:39:01 -0700 Bill Burson's Poway Home For Sale at 15361 Espola Road # 5+ bedroom, 3.5 bath, 2760 sq ft on a 1.62 acre lot. # New paint, carpet, kitchen, baths all completely refurbished. # Private 450 sq ft granny suite with kitchen, bath, family room and bedroom. # Extensive reconditioning just completed, with new: Sliding Glass doors, Interior doors, Entry doors, Garage Entry Doors, Garage Roll-up doors, Carpet, Wardrobe Doors, Baseboards & Trim, Room Fans, New Paint, Wainscoting, Electrical Switches & receptacles, Bathroom Vanities & Countertops, Bathroom Sinks & Faucets, Kitchen Cabinets - Refaced, Garden Window, New Ceiling Lights, Shower Walls & Fixture,s Roof top (6-8 years old), Marble bathtub & surround, New Lawn, Sprinklers, Landscaping # 105 different fruit trees 44 different varieties: Cherry, Capulin 9; Cherry, Rio Grande 2; Cherry, Surinam 2; Che (Chinese Mulberry) 2; Pitahaya 6; Pecan 2; Crabapple 1; Walnut 2; Rose Apple 2; Apricot 1; Mango 4; Plum 1; Pluot (2/3 Plum, 1/3 Apricot) 2; Inga (Ice Cream Bean) 2; Fig 1; Banana 6; Sapote, Black 2; Persimmon, Fuyu 1; Lucuma 1; Cherimoya 7; Annona 1; Citrus, Orange, Navel 4; Citrus, Orange, Valencia 2; Citrus, Orange, Blood 1; Citrus, Grapefruit 2; Citrus, Pumello 2; Citrus, Lime 1; Citrus, Lemon 2; Citrus, Kumquat 1; Macadamia 3; Passion Fruit 1; Pomegranate 4; Olive 1; Mulberry 2; Avocado 2; Guava, Tropical 4; Guava, Strawberry 1; Guava, Lemon 1; Guava, Pineapple 4; Pineapple 1; Loquat 5; Jujube 3; Asian Pear 1; Sycamore, California 3; Oak, Live 5. Presented by Shea Realty mailto:homes@shearealty.com (858) 485-5100 <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: New For You: Summer Fruits From ARS Research Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 17:23:49 -0700 From: Richard New For You: Summer Fruits From ARS Research fruits for you from ARS tree-fruit breeders in California. Each new fruit fits a distinct niche in the early-summer through early-fall fruit season, adding to your choices among luscious and healthful fresh produce. The exotic peach and tempting plums are the result of more than a decade of plant breeding and testing by geneticist David W. Ramming and colleagues with the ARS Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit in Parlier. Galaxy The Bagel Peach! Perhaps the most surprising new entry among the delectable new fruits from the Parlier research orchards is a specialty peach called Galaxy. It's known as a flat, saucer, or doughnut-type peach because of its round, squat appearance. Fresh-fruit aficionados may know this kind of peach as a peento, derived from the original Chinese Pan Tao. "But Galaxy could really be thought of as a bagel peach, because of its impressive size," comments Ramming. "It's about 3 inches across. And it's hefty. Galaxy peaches each weigh about a third of a pound." Galaxy has light-cream skin accented with an attractive red blush and features the traditional, delicate aroma of white-fleshed peaches. Inside, the flesh has a sweet taste and the pleasantly firm texture that growers describe as "melting." Galaxy ripens at the same time of yearthe third to fourth week of Juneas a popular peento peach called Saturn. But Galaxy is about 25 percent bigger and more than 50 percent heavier than Saturn. Galaxy's lineage includes a nectarine developed by USDA researchers and a doughnut-type peach from Rutgers University. In 1994, Ramming hybridized, or crossed, the parent peaches that would yield Galaxy. The following year he singled out Galaxy for further study in his research orchards at Parlier and those of the neighboring Kearney Agricultural Center. Ramming offered Galaxy to growers and breeders in 2003 and so far has provided more than 33,000 buds for grafting to familiar rootstocks. "All those budded trees are already sold to growers," Ramming reports. Galaxy is well suited not only for commercial orchards but also for backyard gardens. Like most peaches, it's self-pollinating and so doesn't require proximity to other peach trees. Though not yet tested outside California, Galaxy might do well in the climate of southern peach-growing states such as Georgia and South Carolina. As Ramming says of this scrumptious new peach, "Everyone who wants to grow peento peaches should try it." Superb New Plums Each of the three new plums, Black Splendor, Owen T, and John W, ripens in a different season. "That's deliberate," explains Ramming. "We wanted to provide U.S. growers with new plum varieties that they could market from earlier in the summer through later in the fall. We also wanted the trees to produce big, reliable harvests of large, high-quality fruit." "These new plum trees do all that." Black Splendor is big, sweet, and juicy. It has black skin with mahogany-colored shoulders and beet-red flesh. "People who have sampled this plum tell us they especially like it in fresh-fruit salads because of its rich color." "This plum ripens in early June and is earlierand biggerthan the well-known Santa Rosa plum," says Ramming. "Black Splendor may command premium, early-season prices, but once you bite into it you'll know it's worth your money." Owen T and John W Plums Honor Colleagues "All three of our new plums are large, but Owen T plums are the largest," says Ramming. "This plum averages nearly 3 inches across and can weigh close to a half-pound." Owen T plums have blue-black skin, with some touches of purple, and light-yellow flesh that Ramming describes as "crisp and sweet." Once growers start producing this plum, "you can expect to see it at your supermarket in late June through early July," he says. Ramming named it for Owen Tanner, who was a technician with the Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit for more than 30 years. You can enjoy the latest-ripening of the three new plums, John W, from late August through early September. This good-sized plum has purple skin dusted with light-tan speckles and delicious, light-orange flesh that's smooth and fine textured. Ramming named this plum for ARS Hall of Fame honoree John H. Weinberger. A long-time USDA tree-fruit and grape breeder, Weinberger developed the classic Flame Seedless, America's most important commercial red seedless grape. "We've worked with these three new plum varieties in the research orchards at Kearney Agricultural Center here in Parlier, and we've collaborated with growers who've planted them in their orchards for us to study," Ramming notes. "We've received requests from more than 200 growers, researchers, and nursery managers for more than 1,200 dormant cuttings and 50,000 buds. The big taste and big yields of these new plums have impressed growers." Shoppers, too, will be pleased with the new plums and peach from the Parlier team.By Marcia Wood, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff. This research is part of Plant, Microbial, and Insect Genetic Resources, Genomics, and Genetic Improvement, an ARS National Program (#301) described on the World Wide Web at www.nps.ars.usda.gov. David W. Ramming is with the USDA-ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit, 9611 S. Riverbend Ave., Parlier, CA 93648; phone (559) 596-2823, fax (559) 596-2791. ---------------------- Treasury of Peaches and Plums Preserved America's most famous breeder of peaches and plums, Luther Burbank, chose a valley north of San Francisco Bay to establish his renowned research orchards. Today, about 50 miles east of Burbank's farm, the Agricultural Research Service manages America's official collection of these fruits. Known as the National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Fruit and Nut Crops and headquartered in Davis, California, it shelters a publicly available assortment of both common and uncommon peaches and plumsincluding several developed by Burbank. The repository's plantings at its Winters, California, orchard include more than 700 peach trees, most of which are varieties of Prunus persica. Among them are historically important varieties such as Shanghai and J.H. Hale, which are in the parentage of nearly every U.S.-grown peach you've ever eaten. Other distinctive peaches include a white-fleshed cling peach from Korea named Yumyeong and the red-fleshed Sanguine de Tardiff from France. Says Clay Weeks, horticulturist at the repository, "Of course, we also have the unique peento flat peaches from China and ARS's new Galaxy flat peach bred by David Ramming at Parlier." (See above story.) There are more, including peaches from Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, and the former Soviet Union, according to Weeks. "And we have peaches from throughout the United States, including nectarines, which are technically peaches without fuzz." The collection continues to expand. For example, members of the California Rare Fruit Growers donate antique and heirloom varieties. Other peaches are being added from the botanical bounty collected by researcher Ramming and colleague David Bryne, a horticulturist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, during their expedition to China in 2000. The collection of plums includes 750 orchard trees. Most are either the European plum, Prunus domestica, produced as a fresh fruit or dried into prunes; or the Japanese plum, P. salicina, typically sold in this country as a dessert plum. In all, the collection includes 18 species and numerous hybrids. Among the most unusual: the squat, green-apple-flavored P. simonii from Asia; Europe's P. spinosaof sloe gin fame; and the North American P. hortulana, a stately ornamental tree. Also distinctive: South Africa's Laetitia, a P. salicina variety that bears large fruit, and Sans Noay, a stoneless French P. domestica plum commonly dried into prunes. Burbank introduced this pit-free plum into the United States and bred the stoneless trait into several of his own plums. "New For You: Summer Fruits From ARS Research" was published in the April 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Lychees Safeguarded in ARS Collection Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 08:30:40 -0400 From: ARS News Service Crack the thin peel of a tropical lychee and this sweet, fragrant fruit is ready to eat. Or, enjoy lychee's juicy, nearly translucent flesh in a compote of other exotic tropical fruits like papaya or kiwi. A collection of lychee trees from around the world is in the care of Agricultural Research Service scientists based at Hilo, Hawaii. This living botanical library preserves most of the best-known commercial lychee types, and the lesser-known varieties as well. In all, it's among the best assemblages of lychee outside of China and Southeast Asia. Included in this tropical treasure trove are many kinds of lychees that are grown in Hawaii. These varieties boast a range of shapes, colors and sizes. Hak Ip, for example, has thin, smooth, dull-red skin; round- to heart-shaped fruit and a single, large seed inside. Chen's Purple has bright, purplish-red skin and elliptical fruit. No Mai Tsz, the world's most sought-after lychee because of its exceptional flavor, often has only a single, shriveled seed inside. The seed looks like--and is nicknamed--a "chicken tongue." The collection also includes India's Bengal; Kwai May Pink, developed in Australia; and Groff and Kaimana, selected from other candidate lychee trees for their adaptability to Hawaii's soils and climates. All are descendants of China's Litchi chinensis, the source of all of today's commercial lychees. Some of the specimens were donated by the University of Hawaii. Others were collected by Francis T.P. Zee, research leader at ARS' Pacific Basin Tropical Plant Genetic Resource Unit at Hilo, and a university colleague, Philip Ito, on expeditions to China, Thailand and Taiwan. Still others were provided through an exchange of specimens with scientists in those countries. The Hilo repository is part of a nationwide network of plant collections managed by ARS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. An article in ARS' monthly magazine, Agricultural Research, tells more. View it on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/may04/lychee0504.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Red Imported Fire Ant Nemesis Gains Permanent Foothold Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 08:24:02 -0400 From: ARS News Service The permanent establishment of a new species of phorid fly is bad news for the red imported fire ant, according to Agricultural Research Service scientists who are working to control the aggressive ant that has spread across the southern United States. The establishment of the fly Pseudacteon curvatus is significant because it is the smallest of the decapitating flies. This means it can parasitize small worker ants--the most abundant workers in an ant colony. Phorid fly maggots live in the head capsules of their fire ant hosts, eventually decapitating them and pupating inside their heads. Phorid flies attack only fire ants. ARS scientists at the Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Fla., recently reported that they collected P. curvatus flies from a research site southwest of Gainesville, one year after the flies were initially released. This confirms the first overwinter survival and permanent establishment of P. curvatus on red imported fire ants in the United States. Sanford D. Porter, acting research leader of the ARS Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research Unit in Gainesville, and Juan Briano, director of the ARS South American Biological Control Laboratory in Argentina, originally collected P. curvatus in Argentina in October 2001. The flies were released at the Gainesville site in March 2003 and have been found in increasing numbers ever since. According to Porter, another biotype of P. curvatus was previously established on hybrid fire ants, but it did not prefer red fire ants. The more recent establishment came from a biotype that prefers the much more abundant red imported fire ants. There are about 20 species of phorid flies in South America that specifically attack fire ants. P. curvatus and P. tricuspis are the only ones known to be established here. P. curvatus is one more natural enemy of fire ants that scientists can add to their arsenal of biological control agents. Fire ant populations are much greater in the United States than they are in South America, where natural enemies appear to keep them from being the dominant species. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Irrigating Through Drainage Pipes Helps Farmers the Environment Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 08:47:43 -0400 From: ARS News Service Pumping water back through the same buried pipes used to drain wet fields could increase crop yields significantly while cleaning groundwater and providing a wetland wildlife habitat. Results from three test sites show corn yields went up nine to 60 bushels an acre, and soybean yields went up six to 11 bushels an acre, on average. During the drier growing seasons, corn and soybean yields went up by 48 and 40 percent, respectively. The test sites have been in operation for six to seven growing seasons in the northwest Ohio counties of Fulton, Defiance and Van Wert. ARS agricultural engineer Barry Allred, ARS soil scientist Norm Fausey and colleagues in Columbus, Ohio, developed the system in collaboration with Ohio State University and the Maumee Valley Resource Conservation and Development Area. Drainage water flows from farm fields through a wetland before being stored in a reservoir, to be used later for irrigation. Many farmers in the upper Midwest have soils so wet they must drain them. Drainage water can pollute surface and ground waters. Preliminary results show that water exiting the wetland had, on average, 75 percent less solids--organic matter and sediment, with pesticides possibly attached; 74 percent less nitrate from fertilizer and 63 percent less organic carbon. The wetland trapped the solids and organic carbon, and used the nitrogen to fertilize wetland plants. Vegetation is thriving in the healthy wetland, providing cover for a variety of wildlife, with up to 19 species of dragonflies--indicators of good water quality--as well as waterfowl, including herons and mallards. Blanchard's cricket frogs thrive at the Defiance County site, although they're on the decline elsewhere in Ohio. The reuse system keeps the water table constant during the growing season, giving crops all the water they need. The stable water table also limits nitrate-nitrogen from leaching below the reach of corn or soybean roots. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200406A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - June 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200406B.txt ___________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Fruit Festival Begins This Weekend! See Saturday speaker schedule at the beginning of the "Readers Write" section, posted by Ed Valdivia. I hope to see you there. Visit http://crfg.org/ for valuable information. Don't miss the CRFG exhibit at the Del Mar Fair that is currently underway. I'd suggest that you either go early in the day or on weekends, for a better parking choice. Horseman's Park parking was limited, and attendees were turned away, when I went around 11 a.m. on a week day. Weekend parking with shuttle is available at several satellite sites. Fair is open through July 4, except closed on Mondays. Pitaya blooming season has begun here, with the minor frustration of an occasional non-fertile variety blooming when no other pitaya pollen is available. I'm attempting some Epiphyllum bloom pollen, as it sometimes works. Lychee (Brewster) of mine seems to be holding fruit this year. Mango crop appears to be above average, possibly due to our drought and recent warmth. Some trees of mine have mildew, and I haven't taken time to control it. Jim Neitzel is presenting a section of the Fruit Festival Saturday on the mango. It promises to be quite interesting. Mango grafting should be relatively successful for the next several weeks, lasting into the early Autumn, for some of us. The Phantom Plant Sale: There will be a few Brewster Lychee airlayers, a lot of pitayas of various kinds, a few airlayers of guava, a few mango trees For more information, send me an email. I apologize for the delay, but just about any day after this Fruit Fair weekend will be good for me. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, Newport Beach, CA Joan Burke2 <><><> Readers Write <><><> CRFG Festival of Fruit "Edgar Valdivia" History Of Pitaya in Thailand "Sainarong Siripen Rasananda" Re: "Hass" Avocado - Alternate Bearers? Dmshuck@aol.com wchow@znet.com Rambai Mystery gerardo garcia Leo's Plant Sale Alice Rosenthal Pineapple birdrock2000us san_diego@crfg.org Re: Pineapple "david.crfg-sd" birdrock2000us Grafting white sapote Bananaizme@aol.com table@socal.rr.com Re: Grafting white sapote Todd Abel Bananaizme@aol.com Protect Your Plums & Peaches From Birds Edward Lin Need good pair of avocados for Bay Area Anothafela@aol.com Re: Need good pair of avocados for Bay Area Leo Manuel Susan Feller Re: Need good pair of avocados for Bay Area Anothafela@aol.com <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Uncovering Coffee Bean's Genes ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, Newport Beach, CA Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 09:27:00 -0700 From: Joan Burke2 I would like to subscribe. I am Joan Burke and live in Newport Beach, California and we grow Meyer lemons, Bear limes, Mexican limes, White grapefruit, apricots, plums, peaches, Gwen and Haas avocados, 'Beverly Hills' apple. I would like to try a dwarf mulberry, red grapefruit, papaya, any berries actually. Have a 15 year old fig tree that finally has a few figs on it. Don't know variety. Also have a red flame grape that had a few grapes the first year (7 years ago) and has not produced since. Something wrong there! Joan Burke mailto:healthygardener@cox.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Sacramento, CA, Growing Rare Fruit! Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 20:02:07 -0400 (EDT) From: TruNatrschild@aol.com Hi! I am Robyn Meyer, I live in Sacramento California. I am now growing: Theobroma cacao, strawberry and pineapple guava, Hylocereus peruvianus and undatus of varying types, I think this includes the Stenocereus? Anyway, I have several different Stenocereuses. Chocolate sapote, bananas a couple varieties, figs and pomegranates, though they aren't rare. I also grow pineapples and a manila mango. In the future, I hope to grow whatever tropical fruit trees I can get my hands on, I am an admitted tropical fruit addict. I'd like sapotes, well, anything! Thanks! Robyn <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: CRFG Festival of Fruit From: "Pat Valdivia" To: Date: Monday, May 31, 2004 9:13 AM Dear Folks, I know you are fruit lovers and CRFG supporters. For that reason we would like to encourage you to register as soon as possible so as not to miss our great Festival. I am attaching a schedule of speakers so that you can see we are going to have a dynamic program and a fun packed day. Edgar Valdivia Festival of Fruit - PROGRAM for SATURDAY, JUNE 19TH Location or Room "Number"......................Room 9am...C.Rollins...Tropicals.......................A 10am..R. Coronel..Edible Fruits of SE Asia........A ......J.Sortomme..Blueberries.....................B ......T.Spellman..Backyard Orchard Culture........C ......J. Klotz....Ant Entomology..................D ......B. Vieth....Growing/Greenhouse Environment..E 11am..D.Karp.......Raspberries-Red/Black..........A ......M.Gaskell....Blueberries....................B ......J.Ochoa......Passion Plants.................C ......B. Kemp......Mason Bees.....................D ......T. DelHotal..Eugenia/cherries...............E ......Chef Joze....Cooking with fruit.............G 12....LUNCH.......DAVE WILSON FRUIT TASTING.......F 2pm...G. Partida...Avocados.......................B ......J.Nietzel....Mangos.........................C ......E.Lavio......New deciduous fruits...........D ......B.Faber......Soils..........................E 3pm...C.Rollins......Subtropicals.................B ......S.Merten & ......R.Lobo.........Pitayas......................C ......D.Grossberger..Cherimoyas...................D ......D.Bayer........Mulberries...................E 4pm...N. Ramos.....Annonas........................B ......J.Sabol......Grafting.......................C ......G.Bender.....Blueberries....................D ......R. Meyer...Subtropicals in colder climates..E 5pm...TROPHY AWARD.....RAFFLE...ENTERTAINMENT OUTSIDE 6pm to 9pm..ROOM A...DINNER...SPEAKER BILL GERLACH PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE ABOVE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGES **We will be having plant sales, viewing of the winners of the Photo Shoot and Chapter Table Displays all day** ------------------------------------------------ Subject: History Of Pitaya in Thailand From: "Sainarong Siripen Rasananda" Date: Tue Jun 15, 2004 8:03am First, allow me to tell you how pitaya, or more specifically Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britt. and Rose, came to South-East Asia. As we all know, pitaya has its origin in Central America. It is thought that the French missionaries brought pitaya over to Vietnam about 100 years ago (Vietnam was a French colony). Pitaya became quite popular in Vietnam, and a few probably made their ways to neighboring Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Pitaya there mutates easily into many closely-related varieties, one of which turned out to be self-fertile, very much so. The Vietnamese probably selected and kept the better varieties before the long wars of independence against the French and the Americans. When peace came to Vietnam, the people started to recultivate the pitaya seriously and built up an export market to Hong Kong, China, etc. It did not take long for other countries in South-East Asia to follow suit, and, in some case, improve on the cultivation methods. The majority of the pitaya now grown in Thailand, and probably in other countries in South-East Asia as well, comes from Vietnam and are the self-fertile Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britt. and Rose variety. There are also a few local varieties found in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, all of which probably originally came from Vietnam. All the above are hypotheses, no one really knows for sure. As I have mentioned before, pitayas here mutates easily. So we now have pitaya of all sizes and tastes growing in Thailand; and the trouble is that it is not easy to identify each variety of Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britt. and Rose by looking at the stem or body. The problem is magnified by the fact that there are no certified nurseries in Thailand. So it is a case of Emptor Caveat, the buyer has to take a chance when buying pitaya stems. This is probably one of the reasons why pitaya took a long time to become popular in Thailand. Many of the early pitaya fruits came from not-so-delicious varieties; but the problem is now sorting itself out, the growers have been weeding out the less-popular varieties, and most of the fruits on sale are now quite attractive and delicious. And pitaya has been steadily becoming more and more popular in Thailand. Two years ago, pitaya are on sale only occasionally in supermarkets only; now they can be found regularly in every small rural market. Have Fun! Sainarong [Sainarong posted this to the Yahoo Pitaya Fruit Newsgroup http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PitayaFruit/ but I thought this audience would appreciate it as well. Thanks, Sainarong!] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: "Hass" Avocado - Alternate Bearers? Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 11:14:35 -0400 (EDT) From: Dmshuck@aol.com To: wchow@znet.com William, I read your post on Leo's newsletter. Hass avocado's ordinarily are alternate bearers. However, it would not be unusual to have good production two or three years in a row. Good to have a Reed to off set the Hass. Hope this helps, Denise Woo mailto:Dmshuck@aol.com : "My Hass avocado tree had lot of fruits last year. This : year it skipped the flowering and will not have fruits. : Luckily, my Reed avocado is bearing fruits. Do you have : this alternate year bearing with your avocado trees ?" ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Rambai Mystery Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 13:04:20 -0400 From: Gerardo Garcia Greetings Leo, I am forwarding two photos to see if anyone out there can help me out. I've had one of my rambai (Baccaurea motleyana) flower and fruit for the first time (I have two plants but the other one was planted out much later and is easily 2-3 years from fruiting). I was amazed that it set fruit alone since I've read the species is dioecious and you need both male and female flowers for fruit. Anyway, it did set about 40 thumb-sized fruit some weks ago, and when they turned yellow I was eager to taste them. Alas, they are empty, no pulp inside. Would anyone know if this is for lack of pollination? Furthermore, though the "hanging" habit of the fruit is the same as rambai, the fruits do not look like those in my books. They are usually pictured as oval, white/light brown and these are oblong and light yellow. Perhaps this is another Baccaurea? I got the original seeds from an agronomist in Borneo in 1993. Anyone who can shed some light on this is welcome to try. Gerardo mailto:manilkara@hotmail.com [Go to Yahoo Newsgroup RFNO to view the picture. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Plants I have - And When Is Leo's Plant Sale? Date: Sun, 06 Jun 2004 11:38:55 -0700 From: Alice Rosenthal I hope I have not missed the plant sale / plant exchange. I have some wonderful specimens myself. Some Cream Apple speciments (about 10). They are in the Cherimoya family and are known as Annona Robusta (but I'm not sure of the latin name). They produce excellent eating fruit and grow to be a tall shady tree of 25+ feet. I have most exotic fruit trees but I am missing a few specific varieties - like a manila mango, delisious red grapefruit like a Rio and some other odd ones (my minds focused on other things right now) - I'm also curious about Cacao and Vanilla bean growth in So. CA. and feedback on that? Sincerely Alice Rosenthal mailto:Truth@gigsville.org [It hasn't happened yet, and there probably won't be much to tempt you, considering what you have. There are a few Brewster Lychee airlayers, a lot of pitayas of various kinds, a few airlayers of guava, a few mango trees (but no Manila, as it didn't do well for me), and miscellaneous plants. For more information, send me an email. I apologize for the delay, but just about any day after this Fruit Fair weekend will be good for me. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pineapple From: birdrock2000us To: san_diego@crfg.org Date: Monday, June 07, 2004 4:55 PM I live in La Jolla and have three pineapple plants, all started from the top of the pineapples. Three store bought and one plant is from the top of a delicious pineapple I grew. My question is about a pineapple plant I have now that has a large pineapple on it. The problem is that the leaves on the plant are brown on the ends. Does this mean too much water or not enough? Please help, I don't want to lose the plant. Thank you Pat Caffee mailto:birdrock2000us ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pineapple Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2004 21:21:32 -0700 From: "david.crfg-sd" To: birdrock2000us Hi, Pat. I'm not an expert on pineapple growing so I'm going to copy a rarefruit newsgroup that has a lot of experienced fruit growers as subscribers. I live in Ocean Beach near the water. My pineapples all have varying degrees of browning on leaves as well, particularly my one with fruit. Mine are outside in pots in a sheltered microclimate. Much of what I'll tell you comes from Paul Fisher, the vice chairman of our San Diego CRFG chapter. A lot depends on what your growing situation is too. Are your plants outdoors or in a green house? Containers? How big? Growing mix? The ground? Microclimate area? Soil type? Fertilizers? Anyway. I'll assume that they are in large containers. If outside, the cold gloomy weather in winter through early summer can take a toll on the plants appearance. That is the time of year that it is particularly important that their growing mix drains well and that you water them a bit less. They probably only need it once a week or so right now or less with the weather what its been the last couple of days. A little liquid fertilizer like Miracle Grow for acid soil plants might also be helpful as well. Folks on the rarefruit newsletter will give you more insight. In addition, I'm sure that we would all like to read more about how you grow pineapples. If you are growing large delicious fruit, brown leaf tips or no brown leaf tips, you are doing something right. I'd be interested in learning more. Send it to Leo at the newsletter. If you want to recieve the newsletter too, just be sure to ask Leo. Maybe take a look at the archives at http://www.rarefruit.com/ first. I hope that this helped. David Silverstein Chair, mailto:david.crfg-sd@cox.net San Diego Chapter, California Rare Fruit Growers. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Grafting white sapote From: Bananaizme@aol.com To: table@socal.rr.com Date: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 8:05 AM Hi Todd I was reading through the RFNO letter from May 15th and saw where you mentioned grafting some limbs onto your white sapote. Did you get a take? I tried grafting some Nettie onto my Suebelle but it didn't take. Stayed green for several months then died. When is the best time to graft white sapote? George Emerich said he waits until the weather is warmer but did not mention a specific month. I'd like to graft several varieties onto my tree. William mailto:Bananaizme@aol.com Visalia Ca ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Grafting white sapote Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2004 18:00:10 -0700 From: Todd Abel To: Bananaizme@aol.com I have only grafted in March for White Sapote, which was my first time this year. The limbs have definitely taken. I think the method is important. I am near 100% take on my grafts since I have been doing cleft grafting with parafilm. There is an article a few years ago in CRFG aboiut grafting with parafilm (Mits). I wrap the scion and grafting union in parafilm, and it seems to work. White Sapote is my first subtropical. I cut the parafilm off a few months later. Decidous stone fruit is very easy. Todd Abel mailto:table@socal.rr.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Protect Your Plums & Peaches From Birds Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 01:33:35 -0400 From: Edward Lin Hi Leo, Tired of birds pecking away at your plums and peaches before they are ready for harvest? Try this: I have devised the following method and it works quite well: Get a drinking water bottle (about 2 in diameter) and cut the top and bottom off. Now you have a plastic tube left. Next, cut a slit down one side of the tube and you have a clear and semi rigid plastic wrap which you open to wrap around the limb, covering the fruit-bearing section. To help the tube stay on the tree, you may want to cut the slit in a wavy or diagonal path, using a pair of sharp scissors. The clear tube allows you to see the status of ripening of the fruit at a glance. You may find that an occasional daring bird still manages to peck at the fruit if it is not adequately shielded. Ed mailto:elin@ingenious.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Need good pair of avocados for Bay Area Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 11:29:01 -0400 (EDT) From: Anothafela@aol.com Hi Leo: I'd appreciate input on the types of avocados I could plant in the south Oakland hills which would give decent tasting (preferably Guatemalan type) fruit? I assume I need both an A and a B flower, since there are no other trees in the neighborhood. I used to have a tree grown from an unknown seed which had marvelous large, Guatemalan type fruit at my house in the Berkeley flatlands. My current location is warmer in the summer, a little cooler in the winter, and windy in the afternoon. Thanks. Susan Feller mailto:anothafela@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Need good pair of avocados for Bay Area Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 19:50:19 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: Susan Feller Hi Susan I asked a friend who suggested that you look for these, and believes any of them will bear without any other avocados and ranked them by his personal preference: Puebla - rare, but maybe the best - recent development Bacon Zutano I'll put your letter in the next newsletter. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Need good pair of avocados for Bay Area Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 13:22:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Anothafela@aol.com I checked the fruit facts published by CRFG, and according to that information these recommendations don't look that good. Although the fruit on Puebla is supposed to be very good, they say that it is the least hardy Mexican type, so that doesn't seem right for the SF bay area. Also that the fruit on Bacon is only fair, so there doesn't seem to be any reason to bother growing it, and that the Zutano fruit is "inferior" to Fuerte and has fibers. My goal is to have good, of not great, fruit, which is what I had on an unknown tree in Berkeley. I don't mind getting 2 trees (to put in the same hole) for pollination purposes if I have to. So I'd appreciate hearing what readers of the newsletter have to suggest. Thanks again. Susan Feller mailto:anothafela@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Nutritional Value Pitaya From: Leo Manuel Date: 2004/06/11 PM 10:04:02 GMT+03:00 To: "Mizrahi, Yossi" Nutritional Analysis of Pitaya Parameters.......... Pitaya.... Pitaya...... Pitaya .....................Yellow....Red-Flesh...White-Flesh pH....................No Data......3.7............5.4 Brix Percent..........19.0........12.0...........10.8 Total Solids.........No Data......12.0...........12.5 Moisture.............85.38........86.0...........87.5 Ash....................0.5.........0.7............0.9 Extracto etereo.......0.13.........0.4............0.9 (Ether Extract?) Protein...............0.40.........1.5............1.2 Crude Fiber...........0.70.........0.8............1.2 Carbohydrates.........9.91........13.2............8.3 Vitamin A (UI/100 g)...0..........Trace........7400.8 Vitamin C (mg/100 g)..No Data......0.5............0 Potassium (mg/100 g).74.88........ 2.4......... 272.5 Magnesium (mg/100 g).11.43.......No Data.........38.6 Calcium (mg/100 g)....3.47........50.0............7.5 ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Nutritional Value Pitaya Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 15:12:18 +0300 From: Yosef Mizrahi Dear Leo, Thanks for the message. In our gene bank we have about 10 clones which are going to ripen in 7-10 days while the normal undatus just started to show it's first flower buds. As for the data "Extracto etereo" means ether extract which is the lipid fraction which should be very low. Also I do not buy several numbers for example, Vitamin A in Hylocereus undatus should be either zero or close to zero. Mineral content depends on the type of irrigation water you have and your soil chemical composition rather than on the species involved. Wish you all the best, Yours, Yossi Professor Yosef Mizrahi Department of Life Sciences & Institutes for Applied Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. PO Box 653, Beer Sheva Israel 84105. Telephones 972-8-6461969 (office); 6461966 or 6461930 (lab) Fax 972-8-6472984, email mizrahi@bgu.ac.il URL http://www.bgu.ac.il/life/Faculty/Mizrahi/index.html -- =============================================================== Leo Manuel http://www.rarefruit.com mailto:rarefruit@san.rr.com Home Of Free Email Newsletter: Rare Fruit News Online Pitaya Fruit:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PitayaFruit/ =============================================================== <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> Subject: Sweet Sop in Thailand Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 10:23:02 +0700 From: Sainarong Siripen Rasnanda CC: Richard Sar This is a belated reply to Richard Sar's question on sweet sop in Thailand. Sweet sop is known by many names, such as sweet sop, sugar apple, custard apple, Annona Squamosa L. There are 2 main varieties of sweet sops grown in Thailand, namely, Nung and Fai. Nung: About 70% of the sweet sop grown in Thailand is of the Nung variety. Nung is sweeter, has firmer flesh, easier to peel, has a longer shelf life, and suffer less damge from transportation than the Fai variety. The price of either variety is roughly the same, but the consumers prefer the Nung variety. The ease of growing either variety is about the same. Fai: About 25% of the sweet sop grown in Thailand is of the Fai variety. The people who prefer Fai are mainly the older generation; they like it because the flesh is softer and more squashy. I do not know what varieties are grown in the USA. Enjoy Yourselves! Sainarong Rasananda <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Uncovering Coffee Bean's Genes Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 08:07:33 -0400 From: ARS News Service New, gourmet coffees might result from investigations by researchers in Hawaii. Agricultural Research Service scientists at the U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center and their Hawaii Agriculture Research Center colleagues are discovering more about the genetic makeup of this popular tropical crop. Their studies should benefit coffee lovers as well as coffee growers. Both research centers are located in Aiea, just outside of Honolulu. One of the scientists' goals is to ensure that coffee's genetic diversity, or gene pool, is preserved for the future. That's because as-yet-unknown genes in today's popular commercial coffee varieties or in their wild, uncultivated relatives might hold the key to delicious new coffees for tomorrow. The researchers examined coffee's genetic material, or DNA, to look for similarities and differences. Any dissimilarities among the species could be important. They could reveal interesting genes, such as ones that make some plants hardier or more disease resistant, or make their beans more flavorful. The researchers analyzed Coffea arabica and C. canephora, the two most widely grown coffees in the world, and C. liberica, grown commercially in the Philippines as well as in parts of Africa. C. arabica was about 50 percent different from C. canephora and C. liberica. These differences may explain why these species vary in their resistance to pests, for example, or thrive at disparate elevations. Of the five C. arabica varieties studied, Catimor and Mokka Hybrid differed the most from each other, information that could eventually result in a better cup of coffee. These studies are the most comprehensive genetic analyses to date of cultivated C. arabica coffees and the first to use a sophisticated laboratory technique called AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism). The scientists' findings were reported earlier in the journal Theoretical and Applied Genetics. Read more about the research in the June issue of Agricultural Research magazine, online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jun04/coffee0604.htm <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200406B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - July 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200407A.txt __________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Plant Sale Is Happening - See Announcements and Web Pages for more information, but it's at my home - no shipping. However, I can ship pitaya plants and cuttings within the contiguos United States. Leo's Recent Medical Problems In the last few weeks, I had severe pain that wouldn't respond to pain medications. I checked into the Emergency Room and have had three MRIs, one C-T (CAT) Scan, several X-rays, which seem to have provided a diagnosis of a herniated disk (in the spine, between T-11 and T-12). The more fortunate people with this can have surgery on the back side of the spine, but the some of us have the problem on the front of the spine, which will make for a longer recuperation. Tuesday, I'll get a second opinion, within the same (Kaiser) department, so I don't know how independent it will be. My visit with the Neurosurgeon tomorrow will give me more information as to when and whether surgery done. I've 'progressed' through Darvoset, and Vicodine to Endocet which seems to take care of the pain, if I don't wait too long between doses (currently ten a day, two pills at a time.) I was already in line for two knee replacements, but I'd like to spread them out a bit, if possible. The doctor says there is a calcified piece sticking into the disk and that possibly he'll be able to remove it without damaging the membrane around the chord. If not, he'll clip a piece to analyze. He seems certain that there is no maligancy possible. He hasn't decided whether to go in through the front or side, but the back isn't an option. I'm not totally comfortable in talking about me and my problems, but they may affect the newsletter. I know I have your full support. If you know someone who has had a similar problem, I would like to hear how surgery did or didn't remove the pain, and how much like 'life-as-normal' happened after surgery. Domain "Rarefruit.com" - Anyone with knowledge about leasing or selling domains? I want to continue to use it for Rare Fruit News Online, but would be willing to share it with proper protection. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> Fruit Trees In Hawaii "Cambra, Wayne" New Member, Obsessed With Pitaya! Carolyn New Subscriber, Florida, Rick & Deb <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> Modesto Rare Fruit Jeff Earl Dragon Fruit In Tucson Arizona William Chow I Want Citrus Budwood - Offering Fig Cuttings JOHN FREEMAN Re: Offering Fig Cuttings Leo Manuel JOHN FREEMAN Re: Offering Fig Cuttings JOHN FREEMAN Hedge Suggestions With Rare Fruit Eunice Messner dstandke@san.rr.com, leom@rarefruit.com Hello caryocar2000 Cherimoya Pollination nanapapabrodie@webtv.net (Marion & John) fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Pitayas Blooming Tonight! James Freedner Re: Pitayas Blooming Tonight! Leo Manuel James Freedner Sycamore Fig Bassem [Rare Tropical Fruit Gardening] For Your Information Leo Manuel <><><> Readers Write <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. Leo Manuel Plant Sale At Home in San Diego (Rancho Peasquitos) <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars Tomatoes Get Genetic "Boost" Under Sustainable Ag System ARS News Service Water-Treatment Residues Curb Phosphorus Runoff ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: Fruit Trees In Hawaii Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2004 01:58:25 -1000 From: "Cambra, Wayne" My name is W. Nick Cambra and I live on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. I am currently growing citrus, breadfruit, guava, mango, lychee, avocado, coconuts, mountain apples and other flowering trees. I am interested in sapote, cherry, rambutan, jackfruit, durian and cherimoya trees. Wayne Cambra mailto:wcambra@co.honolulu.hi.us ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Member, Obsessed With Pitaya! Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2004 12:42:49 +0000 From: gracesmith03@comcast.net Hello! My name is Carolyn Turcotte, and I live in Longmeadow, MA. Grrrrr for the amount of sunlight in New England and the wretched 4 seasons! (worth it for approx the first two weeks of each season...lol) I hope to move to California in a few years, and plan on acquiring a grow light to save what is left of my sanity in the meantime. My email address is gracesmith03@comcast.net. I am embarrassed to say that I'm a newbie, although I'm a voracious learner, and love to tend plants, beautifying my home and avoiding the winter doldrums by creating an indoor Eden, albeit in containers for the most part. Tips, advice on which plants to acquire? I've gotten a few vines/flowers (!), mostly tropical, from Logees Greenhouse located in Danielson, CT (my salvation!), but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use the internet for trade or mail-order. I'd love some suggestions about where and what to obtain. I currently have a Meyer tree, a fig carica, a psidium purple (dwarf guava), a punica granatum nana (dwarf pomegrate), and a dwarf cavendish, and passiflora that produce passion fruit. (well, they better, anyways! No free lunch for them!) All babies except for the Meyer and passion fruit...patience! Some fruit I want to grow are miracle fruit, and pitaya. Monstera deliciosa would also be a welcome addition, although I've read that they won't produce fruit indoors. (sad!..still a beautiful plant, but the current obsession is acquiring plants that fruit) Any suggestions about good plants to acquire, container or otherwise, would be happily welcomed. :) Also, if anyone can recommend a good grow light/s, I would be so grateful. Specs/salespeople are telling me contradicting things, and I would so love to be able to have fruiting trees year-round! I would also love to hear about any trials/tribulations concerning grow lights... Thanks, and talk to you soon! Carolyn mailto:gracesmith03@comcast.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Florida, Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2004 15:00:20 -0400 From: Rick & Deb My name is Debra Sims, I have been a member of the Sarasota Fruit & Nut Society of at least 10 years. I am a past president and have been on the board of directors for about 7 years. I have lived in Nokomis, FL for the past 15 years, having moved here from the San Francisco Bay area. My yard has about 50 edible plants including bananas, mangos, carambola, grapes, persimmons, pomegranate, akee, citrus, muntingia, pitahaya, jaboticaba, etc. I am interested in growing more! Rick & Deb mailto:cruxx@comcast.net <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Modesto Rare Fruit Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 10:08:25 -0700 From: Jeff Earl Hi All, I just wanted to give a brief report on my rare fruit successes here in the San Joaquin Valley. Most of my trees have been in the ground for at least 4 winters, some as long as 10. I have never provided any frost protection. Here in Modesto, Ca I have growing and fruiting...a 12 ft Mango ( seedling ) , several 12 ft Tropical guavas ( various vars) , a 25 ft Macadamia var Beaumont., two 8 ft Roseapples ( seedlings ) two Babaco papayas, two 8 ft tall Jaboticabas ( seedling) a 8 ft Longan var Kohala ( loaded with fruit right now), a 15 ft Cherimoya var White ( loaded with about 30 fruit) as well as several different types of bananas. I live on a small 5000sq ft lot so I cram all of these trees into my small yard. The density seems to provide my plants their own canopy for natural frost protection. It seems that the more that you grow, the more that you can grow. Also we've been kind of mild the past 4 winters, with the lowest temps of the year running of around 26f/27f. Here is a link to a photo of my Cherimoya fruit. http://www.jeffearl.com/three.JPG They seem to love our heat. These fruit are 30 days from hand pollination and during those days our average high temp was 91f and our low was 58f. Jeff Earl mailto:earlj@yosemite.cc.ca.us ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Dragon Fruit In Tucson Arizona Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 11:14:09 -0700 From: William Chow Hi Leo, I gave my friend in Tucson Mr. Galen Miller a dragon fruit plant. He had that in the shade of a Palo Verde tree for 3 years. The plant is growing big. But not flowers or fruits. Mr. Lerman bought 4 pieces of cutting from me about 9 months ago. He has that planted in pots under a south facing porch. It seems to do fine. Regards, William Chow mailto:wchow@znet.com ========================================================== -----Original Message----- Subject: Re: dragon fruit From: Juan-Carlos Lerman [mailto:jclerm@dakotacom.net] Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 4:05 PM To: William Chow HI William: Sorry for the delay and for this very short reply. I owe you replies to several messages. My health is not great and I get late in all my correspondence and anything else I have to do. Plant A has been growing for 2 months, grew 3 new thick sections and is beginning to extend them with 3 more. Plant B has been growing for 1 month, grew a very long section (~1 ft), and is beginning to extend it with a new shoot. Plant C was dormant like me (I'm narcoleptic and sleepy most of the time) and just begun yesterday to grow. Also some nopal cactus I was trying to grow begun yesterday. And now I have neck/back pain and can't continue typing. That's why I try to cultivate edible cacti: they don't mind if I take care of them when and if I'm awake and not in pain, and give me some food if I can't go to the store! Kind regards, I'll write again when I feel better... Juan-Carlos === William Chow wrote: > > Hi Mr. Lerman, > > How are your dragon fruit plants ? > > I was in Tucson last weekend. My friend in Tucson has the plant > there for 3 years now. It is growing under a palo verde tree and > is growing well. It has no flowers or fruit. The dragon fruit > does not need much water, and indirect bright light is good for it. > > I suspect it may take many years to get strong enough and big > enough to flower. If you get flowers, it is an accomplishment. > I know some people are getting fruits in Phoenix. Maybe they > have green house ? > > Cheers ! > > William ------------------------------------------------ Subject: I Want Citrus Budwood - Offering Fig Cuttings Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 15:44:35 -0700 (PDT) From: JOHN FREEMAN I am interested in obtaining a few pieces of budwood of following: Ichang Lemon; Dunstan 'grapefruit' (actually a citrumelo, and not Duncan grapefruit.) Have Gillette fig at my NC place 25 ft, tall in 5 years with very heavy breba crop now of 2.5 inch diameter extremely soft delicately flavored yellow fruit. Glad to send cuttings to people for sase. John Freeman mailto:yatama@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Offering Fig Cuttings Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 20:02:17 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: JOHN FREEMAN Hi John That fig sounds like one that may be popular. I'd suggest that you ask for more than a SASE, as letter postage won't cover a cutting. It would be reasonable to ask for at least one dollar from any who want a cutting. I think that the diameter of the fig wood should be at least one-half inch, with a length of at least six inches. You might try cutting one and weighing it. You know that the postage rate is 37 cents for the first ounce and 23 cents for each additional ounce, which could be about 83 cents for a two to three ounce package. Have you done fig cuttings by mail before? If so, you know what you're getting yourself into. I may try to get a piece for myself.... I'll wait to hear from you before putting the notice in RFNO. Take care, Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Offering Fig Cuttings Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 07:00:41 -0700 (PDT) From: JOHN FREEMAN Leo Actually the gillete fig also known as Croisic was brought to CA in the old days and is now at UC. originally intended as pollinizer for caprifigs. Everything I read claims fruit is lousy. But what you get is a very large EXTREMELY soft green fig with a mild delicate flavor, not a rich extremely sweet one. But as such one caneat a dozen in a rowand get full. Figs here are so soft they actually flatten out a bit lyng on a table under their own weight. definitely not a keper But yeaerday i measured several and the average 6. 5 inches circumference. I generally cut off shoots with a terminal bud of anywhere from 3/8 to 1 inch diameter and root in water then transfer to soil in pots for first year. Most grow,I can handle several requests but appreciate your comments on getting a dollar plus sase with 2 ounce postage on it. I have never seen a fig like Gillette before but it suits my palate precisely. in fact am going to eat a dozen for lunch. It also has the later crop as well which figs are slightly smaller but similar. I hope someone can send me the citrus budwood I want, but am always scared of getting diseases with that stuff. So go ahead and run my offer of fig wood. Best, John Freeman mailto:yatama@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Hedge Suggestions With Rare Fruit Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 19:09:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Eunice Messner To: dstandke@san.rr.com, leom@rarefruit.com Dawn... For a hedge Surinam cherry is often used. You can usually buy seedlings real cheap but they won't be as nice as grafted ones - unless you just get lucky. The Strawberry or Lemon Strawberry Guava have fruit over a long period and can be kept small. Pineapple Guava is also manageable but only fruits in early winter. For a specimen tree in your lawn area, you might like to try the Roseapple. It is a beautiful, sort of weeping tree with attractive blossoms and red new growth. Be sure though to keep the area under the dripline mulched and deep water your lawn -- not the usual everyday light sprinkling. It does however have a seed inside the fruit, so at fruiting time you will have to rake up the fallen fruit. A black persimmon is evergreen and very attractive. I have seen both columnar and round headed varities. It is not usually eaten out-of-hand but mixed with lime juice and whipped cream it tastes like choclate mousse. Also passerbys are not apt to steal them as the interior looks like axle grease (dark brown). Eunice Messner mailto:eunicemessner@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Hello Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 22:23:29 +0000 From: caryocar2000 Hello Leo I have just joined this group. I am kind of new to thre Pitaya world but I have been collecting fruit trees species from around the world the last 5 years. Is it possible to get cuttings from pitayas (red/white fleshed and Yellow (S. megalanthus) from you? 1 cutting of each will be great. In exchange I can send you seeds any fruit tree you would be interested . I just bought a 15 acres property at the remainings of Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Rain Forest) , 160 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. I have intention of planting 1 hectare of Pitaya . let me know what do you think. Regards Marcos mailto:masobrosa@globo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Cherimoya Pollination - Am I Doing It Right? Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2004 19:26:55 -0700 From: nanapapabrodie@webtv.net (Marion & John) To: fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Dear Leo, Am not getting much posted on my webtv as it has been full [too many junk mail messages] I am trying to do something about it but MSN not very helpful. however it will sort out just not getting incoming mail. I have been hand pollinating my cherimoya and to my delight I think it is working. I read up on it about the half open female blossom then fully open male blossom, so have used both a small brush and also a Q-tip when I forget the brush. There is now about 2 doz quite plump little ''buds'' on the ends of the stalks [ the 3 petals have fallen off] it is the first time this has happened as I did not know what to do before [ the tree has bloomed for 3 years, never understood why no fruit] I am so pleased with myself [ sorry to sound just a wee bit giddy but for me this is an accomplishment] Know you are very busy, if I remember correctly you were at the Del Mar Fair, would like to hear about it but not sure if anything will be posted. I can be reached at mailto:marionbrodie2@webtv.net I wish I could have visited your plant sale, maybe one of these days. regards, and Blessings Marion B. mailto:nanapapabrodie@webtv.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pitayas Blooming Tonight! Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:02:01 -0700 From: James Freedner Hi, Leo, My inquisitive pitayas, having perhaps decided that our cars were off-limits for climbing upon, instead grace our yard tonight with 2 flowers. These opened before sundown, rather than later at night; the first time I have ever seen such a thing. Perhaps the high humidity in the air has something to do with it? Looked like a Mexican tropical storm system was breaking up and passing overhead this evening. Tried the paint brush pollination trick but had a hard time reaching up for them! J. Eric Freedner Sun Valley, CA mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pitayas Blooming Tonight! Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 06:27:14 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: James Freedner Hi James It will help if you train the vines to be no higher than what you can comfortably reach for pollination assistance. After this season ends, maybe you can figure out a way to do that. Take care, Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Sycamore Fig Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 14:21:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Bassem Is there any Sycamore Fig (Ficus Sycamorous) growing in the united states? I just came back from Lebanon where I found one old tree. the Fruits grows in clusters right on the bark. The fruits are simillar to the fig but smaller and reddish in color. the taste is even sweeter than the fig. It's native to the middleeast. very popular in Egypt and Israel. Bassem mailto:Beyrooti@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: [Rare Tropical Fruit Gardening] For Your Information Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2004 08:31:38 +0000 From: raretropicalfruitgardening@yahoogroups.com ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 16:56:13 -0000 From: "fruitverslaafde" Subject: Re: Where to find goji berries? Read this message, maybe he can help you, He has a wolfberry seedling but anyway it is near to the goji berry. Maybe you can get some from him, Lars Charas <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. Subject: Leo Manuel Plant Sale At Home in San Diego (Rancho Peasquitos) 858 484-9280 but email is better: rarefruit@san.rr.com or leom@rarefruit.com. Visit webpage http://www.rarefruit.com Address: 9028 Sundance Court; San Diego, CA 92129 I have added dozens of young mango trees of grafting size, as I will not be doing much grafting this spring. Mostly, the price range is from $10 to $15. Many are polyembryonic and will not need to be grafted. Unlisted are a few white pineapple plants from Hawaii. Please contact me before coming as I am not always home. Apple Grafted (Tag Lost) .has fruit.......................$5 Banana pups - GoldFinger..................................$5 Banana pups - Kru.........................................$5 Banana pups - Tomoc.......................................$5 Banana pups - You Dig 'Tomoc'............................$10 Banana pups - You Dig 'Mitsi Luki'.......................$15 Banana pups - You Dig Dwf Colorado Blanco................$10 Banana pups - You Dig Monthan............................$10 Capulin Cherry Sdlg......................................$10 Fig "3-Color" From North County Breeder...................$5 Guava Layer Brazilian Pear.......(Orange Flesh)..........$20 Guava Layer Benjamin (White Flesh).......................$15 Kamachili.......30 inch height...........................$10 Lychee 'Brewster' Layer.......30 inch height.............$20 Mango Sdlg of 20222......................................$15 Mango Sdlg of Thomson....................................$15 Mango Grafted Kensington.................................$50 Mango Grafted Early Gold.................................$25 Mango - Miscellaneous young ready-to-graft seedlings $10-$15 Moringa (Horseradish Tree)................................$5 Pitayas.....................................In Pots..Rooted ..Unrooted Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin): G-2........ $30.... $25..... $15 (Self-Fertile AND Red Flesh!) Rare Hylocereus undatus (Dragon Fruit)............. $25.... $20 .....$10 Self-fertile White Flesh Hylocereus polyrhizus..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus ocamponis ..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hybrids - Paul Thomson's...................... $20.... $15..... $10 1-S, 2-S, 3-S, 4-S, 5-S, 6-S, 7-S, 8-S, 9-S Selenicereus megalanthus...................... $20.... $15..... $10 (Yellow Pitaya) Self-Fertile Selenicereus grandiflorus..................... $25.... $20......$15 Very Large Flowers Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) #7.......... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) Jala #1..... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Pitaya Book - Paul Thomson...........................$15 Miscellaneous - Small Seedlings ...........$2 each Cherry Of The Rio Grande....................... $2 Fuyu Persimmon Seedling........................ $2 Kamachili Sdlg. Phillipine fruit............... $2 Lychee Seedling of Emperor..................... $2 Malabar Chestnut Sdlg. Produces edible nut..... $2 Pitanga Surinam Cherry "Vermillion" ........... $2 Very large, orange/red fruit, sweet Pigeon Pea Bush - perennial - Yellow Flower.... $2 (Rancho Peasquitos) 858 484-9280 but email is better: rarefruit@san.rr.com or leom@rarefruit.com. Visit webpage http://www.rarefruit.com I have added dozens of young mango trees of grafting size, as I will not be doing much grafting this spring. Mostly, the price range is from $10 to $15. Many are polyembryonic and will not need to be grafted. Please contact me before coming as I am not always home. Apple Grafted (Tag Lost) .has fruit.......................$5 Banana pups - GoldFinger..................................$5 Banana pups - Kru.........................................$5 Banana pups - Tomoc.......................................$5 Banana pups - You Dig 'Tomoc'............................$10 Banana pups - You Dig 'Mitsi Luki'.......................$15 Banana pups - You Dig Dwf Colorado Blanco................$10 Banana pups - You Dig Monthan............................$10 Capulin Cherry Sdlg......................................$10 Fig "3-Color" From North County Breeder...................$5 Guava Layer Brazilian Pear.......(Orange Flesh)..........$20 Guava Layer Benjamin (White Flesh).......................$15 Kamachili.......30 inch height...........................$10 Lychee 'Brewster' Layer.......30 inch height.............$20 Mango Sdlg of 20222......................................$15 Mango Sdlg of Thomson....................................$15 Mango Grafted Kensington.................................$50 Mango Grafted Early Gold.................................$25 Mango - Miscellaneous young ready-to-graft seedlings $10-$15 Moringa (Horseradish Tree)................................$5 Pitayas.....................................In Pots..Rooted ..Unrooted Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin): G-2........ $30.... $25..... $15 (Self-Fertile AND Red Flesh!) Rare Hylocereus undatus (Dragon Fruit)............. $25.... $20 .....$10 Self-fertile White Flesh Hylocereus polyrhizus..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus ocamponis ..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hybrids - Paul Thomson's...................... $20.... $15..... $10 1-S, 2-S, 3-S, 4-S, 5-S, 6-S, 7-S, 8-S, 9-S Selenicereus megalanthus...................... $20.... $15..... $10 (Yellow Pitaya) Self-Fertile Selenicereus grandiflorus..................... $25.... $20......$15 Very Large Flowers Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) #7.......... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) Jala #1..... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Pitaya Book - Paul Thomson...........................$15 Miscellaneous - Small Seedlings ...........$2 each Cherry Of The Rio Grande....................... $2 Fuyu Persimmon Seedling........................ $2 Kamachili Sdlg. Phillipine fruit............... $2 Lychee Seedling of Emperor..................... $2 Malabar Chestnut Sdlg. Produces edible nut..... $2 Pitanga Surinam Cherry "Vermillion" ........... $2 Very large, orange/red fruit, sweet Pigeon Pea Bush - perennial - Yellow Flower.... $2 <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Eyeing Forecast Models' Role for Drier Times Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 08:20:12 -0400 From: ARS News Service Have Americans grown used to an overabundance of rain? Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service's Grazinglands Research Laboratory in El Reno, Okla., think so. They want everyone involved in water management today to prepare for normal, drier precipitation patterns. Soil scientist Jean Steiner warns that drier conditions would increasingly stress water-supply systems, causing water-usage conflicts. She adds that management strategies that account for precipitation variations--and use the latest technologies--should be developed. One aspect Steiner and her colleagues--hydraulic engineer Jurgen Garbrecht and hydrologists Michael W. Van Liew and John X. Zhang--are focusing on is how computer-generated seasonal forecasts and precipitation-trend data can be tailored to help gauge long-term effects of drier conditions on streamflow and water supplies. Garbrecht and Schneider studied National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records from 1895 to 2001 and found that precipitation over the United States from 1971 to 2000 was about four percent higher than during the entire period studied. It's now been drier over the past couple of years, something the researchers see as perhaps the start of a new trend. One study, by Van Liew, showed how reliance on abundant rainfall can lead to problems in drier times. When precipitation in an Oklahoma creek was 20 percent greater than average, streamflow increased by 39 percent; but when precipitation was 40 percent greater than average, streamflow increased by 96 percent. Meanwhile, Zhang related this research directly to agriculture by using seasonal climate forecasts and climate-change projections to measure the effects of short- and long-range variations on water runoff, soil erosion and winter wheat production. He took actual changes in precipitation and temperatures between 1950 and 1999, and those projected for 2056 to 2085, and constructed five climate-change scenarios showing how soil erosion and crop production may change if various climate factors change. Read more about the research in the July issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul04/rain0704.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Tomatoes Get Genetic "Boost" Under Sustainable Ag System Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2004 10:01:42 -0400 From: ARS News Service Tomatoes grown in a sustainable agricultural system using a legume cover crop as fertilizer had better disease resistance and lived longer than tomatoes grown on black polyethylene mulch with chemical fertilizer, Agricultural Research Service scientists report. Based on a five-year sustainable agriculture study, the results are published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. The scientists showed that at least 10 genes in the leaves of tomatoes grown in the sustainable system were turned on longer, or "over-expressed," allowing those tomatoes to live longer than tomatoes grown on the plastic mulch. These "over-expressed" genes may respond to signals emanating from the specific ratio of nitrogen, carbon and other elements provided by the cover crop. The researchers compared the two tomato cultivation systems at the ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Md.) Agricultural Research Center. In one system, tomatoes were grown under the traditional method of black polyethylene mulch with chemical fertilizer, a common planting regimen in the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern states. In the other planting system, the scientists grew tomatoes in the sustainable system, in which the plants received half the chemical fertilizer and fungicide applied in the traditional system. The sustainable system relied on hairy vetch--a nitrogen-fixing legume cover crop--to provide soil nutrients and some natural leaf disease protection. The scientists also believe the cover crop allows the tomato root system to produce increased levels of cytokinins, a class of plant hormones that delay senescence and let the plant live longer. With the genes identified that impart disease tolerance and longevity, researchers may be able to use that knowledge to breed plants that are even more highly responsive to sustainable production systems. The research was conducted by Autar K. Mattoo and Vinod Kumar of the ARS Vegetable Laboratory, Beltsville; James D. Anderson of the ARS Plant Sciences Institute, Beltsville; and Douglas J. Mills, now at Georgia State University, Atlanta. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Water-Treatment Residues Curb Phosphorus Runoff Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 07:57:30 -0400 From: ARS News Service Residue from water-treatment plants, often discarded as waste into landfills, may make good soil treatments for preventing phosphorus runoff from farms. Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Jeffrey M. Novak at the agency's Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Center in Florence, S.C., is studying an alum-based water-treatment residual that increases soil's capacity to bond phosphorus, a vital plant nutrient. The studies, done in collaboration with Ray Bryant, research leader at the ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit in University Park, Pa., may benefit states along the nation's mid- to-southern-Atlantic seaboard, where sandy soils generally take up and hold less phosphorus than finer-textured soils. Increased bonding, or adsorption, of phosphorus would curb runoff of this nutrient that can lower the oxygen content of water bodies and spoil the taste of drinking water. Phosphorus in manure makes agricultural facilities, such as large livestock production operations, potential sources of runoff pollution. According to Novak, chemically binding phosphorus into water-insoluble complexes using residuals containing iron oxide, aluminum oxide and hydroxide may become an important management practice. The alum-based water-treatment residual this research focuses on has a high phosphorus-binding capacity. A separate study, conducted on wheat by agronomist Eton Codling at the ARS Animal Manure and Byproducts Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., found that the treatment has no negative effect on plants' absorption of phosphorus once plant roots grow beyond the 6-inch-deep layer the treatment creates in soil. In lab tests with sandy soil, the treatment increased phosphorus-binding potential four- to fivefold over that of untreated soil. The lab studies will be repeated, and additional research will be done in the field during the next two years. If successful, this use for waste from water-treatment processing not only could get rid of the waste, but would also hold phosphorus on the land until a crop uses it. Read more about this research in the June issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul04/water0704.htm ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. <><><><><><><><><> End of AKA RFN200407A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - July 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200407B.txt ___________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Plant Sale Is Happening - See Announcements and Web Pages for more information, but it's at my home - no shipping. However, I can ship pitaya plants and cuttings within the contiguos United States. Leo's Recent Medical Problems In the last few weeks, I had severe pain that wouldn't respond to pain medications. I checked into the Emergency Room and have had three MRIs, one C-T (CAT) Scan, several X-rays, which seem to have provided a diagnosis of a herniated disk (in the spine, between T-11 and T-12). The more fortunate people with this can have surgery on the back side of the spine, but the some of us have the problem on the front of the spine, which will make for a longer recuperation. Tuesday, I'll get a second opinion, within the same (Kaiser) department, so I don't know how independent it will be. My visit with the Neurosurgeon tomorrow will give me more information as to when and whether surgery done. I've 'progressed' through Darvoset, and Vicodine to Endocet which seems to take care of the pain, if I don't wait too long between doses (currently ten a day, two pills at a time.) I was already in line for two knee replacements, but I'd like to spread them out a bit, if possible. The doctor says there is a calcified piece sticking into the disk and that possibly he'll be able to remove it without damaging the membrane around the chord. If not, he'll clip a piece to analyze. He seems certain that there is no maligancy possible. He hasn't decided whether to go in through the front or side, but the back isn't an option. I'm not totally comfortable in talking about me and my problems, but they may affect the newsletter. I know I have your full support. If you know someone who has had a similar problem, I would like to hear how surgery did or didn't remove the pain, and how much like 'life-as-normal' happened after surgery. Domain "Rarefruit.com" - Anyone with knowledge about leasing or selling domains? I want to continue to use it for Rare Fruit News Online, but would be willing to share it with proper protection. -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> Fruit Trees In Hawaii "Cambra, Wayne" New Member, Obsessed With Pitaya! Carolyn New Subscriber, Florida, Rick & Deb <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> Modesto Rare Fruit Jeff Earl Dragon Fruit In Tucson Arizona William Chow I Want Citrus Budwood - Offering Fig Cuttings JOHN FREEMAN Re: Offering Fig Cuttings Leo Manuel JOHN FREEMAN Re: Offering Fig Cuttings JOHN FREEMAN Hedge Suggestions With Rare Fruit Eunice Messner dstandke@san.rr.com, leom@rarefruit.com Hello caryocar2000 Cherimoya Pollination nanapapabrodie@webtv.net (Marion & John) fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Pitayas Blooming Tonight! James Freedner Re: Pitayas Blooming Tonight! Leo Manuel James Freedner Sycamore Fig Bassem [Rare Tropical Fruit Gardening] For Your Information Leo Manuel <><><> Readers Write <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. Leo Manuel Plant Sale At Home in San Diego (Rancho Peasquitos) <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars Tomatoes Get Genetic "Boost" Under Sustainable Ag System ARS News Service Water-Treatment Residues Curb Phosphorus Runoff ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: Fruit Trees In Hawaii Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2004 01:58:25 -1000 From: "Cambra, Wayne" My name is W. Nick Cambra and I live on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. I am currently growing citrus, breadfruit, guava, mango, lychee, avocado, coconuts, mountain apples and other flowering trees. I am interested in sapote, cherry, rambutan, jackfruit, durian and cherimoya trees. Wayne Cambra mailto:wcambra@co.honolulu.hi.us ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Member, Obsessed With Pitaya! Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2004 12:42:49 +0000 From: gracesmith03@comcast.net Hello! My name is Carolyn Turcotte, and I live in Longmeadow, MA. Grrrrr for the amount of sunlight in New England and the wretched 4 seasons! (worth it for approx the first two weeks of each season...lol) I hope to move to California in a few years, and plan on acquiring a grow light to save what is left of my sanity in the meantime. My email address is gracesmith03@comcast.net. I am embarrassed to say that I'm a newbie, although I'm a voracious learner, and love to tend plants, beautifying my home and avoiding the winter doldrums by creating an indoor Eden, albeit in containers for the most part. Tips, advice on which plants to acquire? I've gotten a few vines/flowers (!), mostly tropical, from Logees Greenhouse located in Danielson, CT (my salvation!), but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use the internet for trade or mail-order. I'd love some suggestions about where and what to obtain. I currently have a Meyer tree, a fig carica, a psidium purple (dwarf guava), a punica granatum nana (dwarf pomegrate), and a dwarf cavendish, and passiflora that produce passion fruit. (well, they better, anyways! No free lunch for them!) All babies except for the Meyer and passion fruit...patience! Some fruit I want to grow are miracle fruit, and pitaya. Monstera deliciosa would also be a welcome addition, although I've read that they won't produce fruit indoors. (sad!..still a beautiful plant, but the current obsession is acquiring plants that fruit) Any suggestions about good plants to acquire, container or otherwise, would be happily welcomed. :) Also, if anyone can recommend a good grow light/s, I would be so grateful. Specs/salespeople are telling me contradicting things, and I would so love to be able to have fruiting trees year-round! I would also love to hear about any trials/tribulations concerning grow lights... Thanks, and talk to you soon! Carolyn mailto:gracesmith03@comcast.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Florida, Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2004 15:00:20 -0400 From: Rick & Deb My name is Debra Sims, I have been a member of the Sarasota Fruit & Nut Society of at least 10 years. I am a past president and have been on the board of directors for about 7 years. I have lived in Nokomis, FL for the past 15 years, having moved here from the San Francisco Bay area. My yard has about 50 edible plants including bananas, mangos, carambola, grapes, persimmons, pomegranate, akee, citrus, muntingia, pitahaya, jaboticaba, etc. I am interested in growing more! Rick & Deb mailto:cruxx@comcast.net <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Modesto Rare Fruit Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 10:08:25 -0700 From: Jeff Earl Hi All, I just wanted to give a brief report on my rare fruit successes here in the San Joaquin Valley. Most of my trees have been in the ground for at least 4 winters, some as long as 10. I have never provided any frost protection. Here in Modesto, Ca I have growing and fruiting...a 12 ft Mango ( seedling ) , several 12 ft Tropical guavas ( various vars) , a 25 ft Macadamia var Beaumont., two 8 ft Roseapples ( seedlings ) two Babaco papayas, two 8 ft tall Jaboticabas ( seedling) a 8 ft Longan var Kohala ( loaded with fruit right now), a 15 ft Cherimoya var White ( loaded with about 30 fruit) as well as several different types of bananas. I live on a small 5000sq ft lot so I cram all of these trees into my small yard. The density seems to provide my plants their own canopy for natural frost protection. It seems that the more that you grow, the more that you can grow. Also we've been kind of mild the past 4 winters, with the lowest temps of the year running of around 26f/27f. Here is a link to a photo of my Cherimoya fruit. http://www.jeffearl.com/three.JPG They seem to love our heat. These fruit are 30 days from hand pollination and during those days our average high temp was 91f and our low was 58f. Jeff Earl mailto:earlj@yosemite.cc.ca.us ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Dragon Fruit In Tucson Arizona Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 11:14:09 -0700 From: William Chow Hi Leo, I gave my friend in Tucson Mr. Galen Miller a dragon fruit plant. He had that in the shade of a Palo Verde tree for 3 years. The plant is growing big. But not flowers or fruits. Mr. Lerman bought 4 pieces of cutting from me about 9 months ago. He has that planted in pots under a south facing porch. It seems to do fine. Regards, William Chow mailto:wchow@znet.com ========================================================== -----Original Message----- Subject: Re: dragon fruit From: Juan-Carlos Lerman [mailto:jclerm@dakotacom.net] Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 4:05 PM To: William Chow HI William: Sorry for the delay and for this very short reply. I owe you replies to several messages. My health is not great and I get late in all my correspondence and anything else I have to do. Plant A has been growing for 2 months, grew 3 new thick sections and is beginning to extend them with 3 more. Plant B has been growing for 1 month, grew a very long section (~1 ft), and is beginning to extend it with a new shoot. Plant C was dormant like me (I'm narcoleptic and sleepy most of the time) and just begun yesterday to grow. Also some nopal cactus I was trying to grow begun yesterday. And now I have neck/back pain and can't continue typing. That's why I try to cultivate edible cacti: they don't mind if I take care of them when and if I'm awake and not in pain, and give me some food if I can't go to the store! Kind regards, I'll write again when I feel better... Juan-Carlos === William Chow wrote: > > Hi Mr. Lerman, > > How are your dragon fruit plants ? > > I was in Tucson last weekend. My friend in Tucson has the plant > there for 3 years now. It is growing under a palo verde tree and > is growing well. It has no flowers or fruit. The dragon fruit > does not need much water, and indirect bright light is good for it. > > I suspect it may take many years to get strong enough and big > enough to flower. If you get flowers, it is an accomplishment. > I know some people are getting fruits in Phoenix. Maybe they > have green house ? > > Cheers ! > > William ------------------------------------------------ Subject: I Want Citrus Budwood - Offering Fig Cuttings Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 15:44:35 -0700 (PDT) From: JOHN FREEMAN I am interested in obtaining a few pieces of budwood of following: Ichang Lemon; Dunstan 'grapefruit' (actually a citrumelo, and not Duncan grapefruit.) Have Gillette fig at my NC place 25 ft, tall in 5 years with very heavy breba crop now of 2.5 inch diameter extremely soft delicately flavored yellow fruit. Glad to send cuttings to people for sase. John Freeman mailto:yatama@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Offering Fig Cuttings Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 20:02:17 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: JOHN FREEMAN Hi John That fig sounds like one that may be popular. I'd suggest that you ask for more than a SASE, as letter postage won't cover a cutting. It would be reasonable to ask for at least one dollar from any who want a cutting. I think that the diameter of the fig wood should be at least one-half inch, with a length of at least six inches. You might try cutting one and weighing it. You know that the postage rate is 37 cents for the first ounce and 23 cents for each additional ounce, which could be about 83 cents for a two to three ounce package. Have you done fig cuttings by mail before? If so, you know what you're getting yourself into. I may try to get a piece for myself.... I'll wait to hear from you before putting the notice in RFNO. Take care, Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Offering Fig Cuttings Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 07:00:41 -0700 (PDT) From: JOHN FREEMAN Leo Actually the gillete fig also known as Croisic was brought to CA in the old days and is now at UC. originally intended as pollinizer for caprifigs. Everything I read claims fruit is lousy. But what you get is a very large EXTREMELY soft green fig with a mild delicate flavor, not a rich extremely sweet one. But as such one caneat a dozen in a rowand get full. Figs here are so soft they actually flatten out a bit lyng on a table under their own weight. definitely not a keper But yeaerday i measured several and the average 6. 5 inches circumference. I generally cut off shoots with a terminal bud of anywhere from 3/8 to 1 inch diameter and root in water then transfer to soil in pots for first year. Most grow,I can handle several requests but appreciate your comments on getting a dollar plus sase with 2 ounce postage on it. I have never seen a fig like Gillette before but it suits my palate precisely. in fact am going to eat a dozen for lunch. It also has the later crop as well which figs are slightly smaller but similar. I hope someone can send me the citrus budwood I want, but am always scared of getting diseases with that stuff. So go ahead and run my offer of fig wood. Best, John Freeman mailto:yatama@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Hedge Suggestions With Rare Fruit Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 19:09:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Eunice Messner To: dstandke@san.rr.com, leom@rarefruit.com Dawn... For a hedge Surinam cherry is often used. You can usually buy seedlings real cheap but they won't be as nice as grafted ones - unless you just get lucky. The Strawberry or Lemon Strawberry Guava have fruit over a long period and can be kept small. Pineapple Guava is also manageable but only fruits in early winter. For a specimen tree in your lawn area, you might like to try the Roseapple. It is a beautiful, sort of weeping tree with attractive blossoms and red new growth. Be sure though to keep the area under the dripline mulched and deep water your lawn -- not the usual everyday light sprinkling. It does however have a seed inside the fruit, so at fruiting time you will have to rake up the fallen fruit. A black persimmon is evergreen and very attractive. I have seen both columnar and round headed varities. It is not usually eaten out-of-hand but mixed with lime juice and whipped cream it tastes like choclate mousse. Also passerbys are not apt to steal them as the interior looks like axle grease (dark brown). Eunice Messner mailto:eunicemessner@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Hello Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 22:23:29 +0000 From: caryocar2000 Hello Leo I have just joined this group. I am kind of new to thre Pitaya world but I have been collecting fruit trees species from around the world the last 5 years. Is it possible to get cuttings from pitayas (red/white fleshed and Yellow (S. megalanthus) from you? 1 cutting of each will be great. In exchange I can send you seeds any fruit tree you would be interested . I just bought a 15 acres property at the remainings of Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Rain Forest) , 160 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. I have intention of planting 1 hectare of Pitaya . let me know what do you think. Regards Marcos mailto:masobrosa@globo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Cherimoya Pollination - Am I Doing It Right? Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2004 19:26:55 -0700 From: nanapapabrodie@webtv.net (Marion & John) To: fruitlovers@fruitlovers.com Dear Leo, Am not getting much posted on my webtv as it has been full [too many junk mail messages] I am trying to do something about it but MSN not very helpful. however it will sort out just not getting incoming mail. I have been hand pollinating my cherimoya and to my delight I think it is working. I read up on it about the half open female blossom then fully open male blossom, so have used both a small brush and also a Q-tip when I forget the brush. There is now about 2 doz quite plump little ''buds'' on the ends of the stalks [ the 3 petals have fallen off] it is the first time this has happened as I did not know what to do before [ the tree has bloomed for 3 years, never understood why no fruit] I am so pleased with myself [ sorry to sound just a wee bit giddy but for me this is an accomplishment] Know you are very busy, if I remember correctly you were at the Del Mar Fair, would like to hear about it but not sure if anything will be posted. I can be reached at mailto:marionbrodie2@webtv.net I wish I could have visited your plant sale, maybe one of these days. regards, and Blessings Marion B. mailto:nanapapabrodie@webtv.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pitayas Blooming Tonight! Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:02:01 -0700 From: James Freedner Hi, Leo, My inquisitive pitayas, having perhaps decided that our cars were off-limits for climbing upon, instead grace our yard tonight with 2 flowers. These opened before sundown, rather than later at night; the first time I have ever seen such a thing. Perhaps the high humidity in the air has something to do with it? Looked like a Mexican tropical storm system was breaking up and passing overhead this evening. Tried the paint brush pollination trick but had a hard time reaching up for them! J. Eric Freedner Sun Valley, CA mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pitayas Blooming Tonight! Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 06:27:14 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: James Freedner Hi James It will help if you train the vines to be no higher than what you can comfortably reach for pollination assistance. After this season ends, maybe you can figure out a way to do that. Take care, Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Sycamore Fig Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 14:21:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Bassem Is there any Sycamore Fig (Ficus Sycamorous) growing in the united states? I just came back from Lebanon where I found one old tree. the Fruits grows in clusters right on the bark. The fruits are simillar to the fig but smaller and reddish in color. the taste is even sweeter than the fig. It's native to the middleeast. very popular in Egypt and Israel. Bassem mailto:Beyrooti@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: [Rare Tropical Fruit Gardening] For Your Information Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2004 08:31:38 +0000 From: raretropicalfruitgardening@yahoogroups.com ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 16:56:13 -0000 From: "fruitverslaafde" Subject: Re: Where to find goji berries? Read this message, maybe he can help you, He has a wolfberry seedling but anyway it is near to the goji berry. Maybe you can get some from him, Lars Charas <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. Subject: Leo Manuel Plant Sale At Home in San Diego (Rancho Peasquitos) 858 484-9280 but email is better: rarefruit@san.rr.com or leom@rarefruit.com. Visit webpage http://www.rarefruit.com Address: 9028 Sundance Court; San Diego, CA 92129 I have added dozens of young mango trees of grafting size, as I will not be doing much grafting this spring. Mostly, the price range is from $10 to $15. Many are polyembryonic and will not need to be grafted. Unlisted are a few white pineapple plants from Hawaii. Please contact me before coming as I am not always home. Apple Grafted (Tag Lost) .has fruit.......................$5 Banana pups - GoldFinger..................................$5 Banana pups - Kru.........................................$5 Banana pups - Tomoc.......................................$5 Banana pups - You Dig 'Tomoc'............................$10 Banana pups - You Dig 'Mitsi Luki'.......................$15 Banana pups - You Dig Dwf Colorado Blanco................$10 Banana pups - You Dig Monthan............................$10 Capulin Cherry Sdlg......................................$10 Fig "3-Color" From North County Breeder...................$5 Guava Layer Brazilian Pear.......(Orange Flesh)..........$20 Guava Layer Benjamin (White Flesh).......................$15 Kamachili.......30 inch height...........................$10 Lychee 'Brewster' Layer.......30 inch height.............$20 Mango Sdlg of 20222......................................$15 Mango Sdlg of Thomson....................................$15 Mango Grafted Kensington.................................$50 Mango Grafted Early Gold.................................$25 Mango - Miscellaneous young ready-to-graft seedlings $10-$15 Moringa (Horseradish Tree)................................$5 Pitayas.....................................In Pots..Rooted ..Unrooted Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin): G-2........ $30.... $25..... $15 (Self-Fertile AND Red Flesh!) Rare Hylocereus undatus (Dragon Fruit)............. $25.... $20 .....$10 Self-fertile White Flesh Hylocereus polyrhizus..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus ocamponis ..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hybrids - Paul Thomson's...................... $20.... $15..... $10 1-S, 2-S, 3-S, 4-S, 5-S, 6-S, 7-S, 8-S, 9-S Selenicereus megalanthus...................... $20.... $15..... $10 (Yellow Pitaya) Self-Fertile Selenicereus grandiflorus..................... $25.... $20......$15 Very Large Flowers Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) #7.......... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) Jala #1..... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Pitaya Book - Paul Thomson...........................$15 Miscellaneous - Small Seedlings ...........$2 each Cherry Of The Rio Grande....................... $2 Fuyu Persimmon Seedling........................ $2 Kamachili Sdlg. Phillipine fruit............... $2 Lychee Seedling of Emperor..................... $2 Malabar Chestnut Sdlg. Produces edible nut..... $2 Pitanga Surinam Cherry "Vermillion" ........... $2 Very large, orange/red fruit, sweet Pigeon Pea Bush - perennial - Yellow Flower.... $2 (Rancho Peasquitos) 858 484-9280 but email is better: rarefruit@san.rr.com or leom@rarefruit.com. Visit webpage http://www.rarefruit.com I have added dozens of young mango trees of grafting size, as I will not be doing much grafting this spring. Mostly, the price range is from $10 to $15. Many are polyembryonic and will not need to be grafted. Please contact me before coming as I am not always home. Apple Grafted (Tag Lost) .has fruit.......................$5 Banana pups - GoldFinger..................................$5 Banana pups - Kru.........................................$5 Banana pups - Tomoc.......................................$5 Banana pups - You Dig 'Tomoc'............................$10 Banana pups - You Dig 'Mitsi Luki'.......................$15 Banana pups - You Dig Dwf Colorado Blanco................$10 Banana pups - You Dig Monthan............................$10 Capulin Cherry Sdlg......................................$10 Fig "3-Color" From North County Breeder...................$5 Guava Layer Brazilian Pear.......(Orange Flesh)..........$20 Guava Layer Benjamin (White Flesh).......................$15 Kamachili.......30 inch height...........................$10 Lychee 'Brewster' Layer.......30 inch height.............$20 Mango Sdlg of 20222......................................$15 Mango Sdlg of Thomson....................................$15 Mango Grafted Kensington.................................$50 Mango Grafted Early Gold.................................$25 Mango - Miscellaneous young ready-to-graft seedlings $10-$15 Moringa (Horseradish Tree)................................$5 Pitayas.....................................In Pots..Rooted ..Unrooted Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin): G-2........ $30.... $25..... $15 (Self-Fertile AND Red Flesh!) Rare Hylocereus undatus (Dragon Fruit)............. $25.... $20 .....$10 Self-fertile White Flesh Hylocereus polyrhizus..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus ocamponis ..........................$20.....$15......$10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hybrids - Paul Thomson's...................... $20.... $15..... $10 1-S, 2-S, 3-S, 4-S, 5-S, 6-S, 7-S, 8-S, 9-S Selenicereus megalanthus...................... $20.... $15..... $10 (Yellow Pitaya) Self-Fertile Selenicereus grandiflorus..................... $25.... $20......$15 Very Large Flowers Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) #7.......... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Hylocereus spp (uncertain origin) Jala #1..... $20.... $15..... $10 Red Flesh Not Reliably Self-fertile Pitaya Book - Paul Thomson...........................$15 Miscellaneous - Small Seedlings ...........$2 each Cherry Of The Rio Grande....................... $2 Fuyu Persimmon Seedling........................ $2 Kamachili Sdlg. Phillipine fruit............... $2 Lychee Seedling of Emperor..................... $2 Malabar Chestnut Sdlg. Produces edible nut..... $2 Pitanga Surinam Cherry "Vermillion" ........... $2 Very large, orange/red fruit, sweet Pigeon Pea Bush - perennial - Yellow Flower.... $2 <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Eyeing Forecast Models' Role for Drier Times Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 08:20:12 -0400 From: ARS News Service Have Americans grown used to an overabundance of rain? Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service's Grazinglands Research Laboratory in El Reno, Okla., think so. They want everyone involved in water management today to prepare for normal, drier precipitation patterns. Soil scientist Jean Steiner warns that drier conditions would increasingly stress water-supply systems, causing water-usage conflicts. She adds that management strategies that account for precipitation variations--and use the latest technologies--should be developed. One aspect Steiner and her colleagues--hydraulic engineer Jurgen Garbrecht and hydrologists Michael W. Van Liew and John X. Zhang--are focusing on is how computer-generated seasonal forecasts and precipitation-trend data can be tailored to help gauge long-term effects of drier conditions on streamflow and water supplies. Garbrecht and Schneider studied National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration records from 1895 to 2001 and found that precipitation over the United States from 1971 to 2000 was about four percent higher than during the entire period studied. It's now been drier over the past couple of years, something the researchers see as perhaps the start of a new trend. One study, by Van Liew, showed how reliance on abundant rainfall can lead to problems in drier times. When precipitation in an Oklahoma creek was 20 percent greater than average, streamflow increased by 39 percent; but when precipitation was 40 percent greater than average, streamflow increased by 96 percent. Meanwhile, Zhang related this research directly to agriculture by using seasonal climate forecasts and climate-change projections to measure the effects of short- and long-range variations on water runoff, soil erosion and winter wheat production. He took actual changes in precipitation and temperatures between 1950 and 1999, and those projected for 2056 to 2085, and constructed five climate-change scenarios showing how soil erosion and crop production may change if various climate factors change. Read more about the research in the July issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul04/rain0704.htm ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Tomatoes Get Genetic "Boost" Under Sustainable Ag System Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2004 10:01:42 -0400 From: ARS News Service Tomatoes grown in a sustainable agricultural system using a legume cover crop as fertilizer had better disease resistance and lived longer than tomatoes grown on black polyethylene mulch with chemical fertilizer, Agricultural Research Service scientists report. Based on a five-year sustainable agriculture study, the results are published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. The scientists showed that at least 10 genes in the leaves of tomatoes grown in the sustainable system were turned on longer, or "over-expressed," allowing those tomatoes to live longer than tomatoes grown on the plastic mulch. These "over-expressed" genes may respond to signals emanating from the specific ratio of nitrogen, carbon and other elements provided by the cover crop. The researchers compared the two tomato cultivation systems at the ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Md.) Agricultural Research Center. In one system, tomatoes were grown under the traditional method of black polyethylene mulch with chemical fertilizer, a common planting regimen in the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern states. In the other planting system, the scientists grew tomatoes in the sustainable system, in which the plants received half the chemical fertilizer and fungicide applied in the traditional system. The sustainable system relied on hairy vetch--a nitrogen-fixing legume cover crop--to provide soil nutrients and some natural leaf disease protection. The scientists also believe the cover crop allows the tomato root system to produce increased levels of cytokinins, a class of plant hormones that delay senescence and let the plant live longer. With the genes identified that impart disease tolerance and longevity, researchers may be able to use that knowledge to breed plants that are even more highly responsive to sustainable production systems. The research was conducted by Autar K. Mattoo and Vinod Kumar of the ARS Vegetable Laboratory, Beltsville; James D. Anderson of the ARS Plant Sciences Institute, Beltsville; and Douglas J. Mills, now at Georgia State University, Atlanta. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Water-Treatment Residues Curb Phosphorus Runoff Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 07:57:30 -0400 From: ARS News Service Residue from water-treatment plants, often discarded as waste into landfills, may make good soil treatments for preventing phosphorus runoff from farms. Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Jeffrey M. Novak at the agency's Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Center in Florence, S.C., is studying an alum-based water-treatment residual that increases soil's capacity to bond phosphorus, a vital plant nutrient. The studies, done in collaboration with Ray Bryant, research leader at the ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit in University Park, Pa., may benefit states along the nation's mid- to-southern-Atlantic seaboard, where sandy soils generally take up and hold less phosphorus than finer-textured soils. Increased bonding, or adsorption, of phosphorus would curb runoff of this nutrient that can lower the oxygen content of water bodies and spoil the taste of drinking water. Phosphorus in manure makes agricultural facilities, such as large livestock production operations, potential sources of runoff pollution. According to Novak, chemically binding phosphorus into water-insoluble complexes using residuals containing iron oxide, aluminum oxide and hydroxide may become an important management practice. The alum-based water-treatment residual this research focuses on has a high phosphorus-binding capacity. A separate study, conducted on wheat by agronomist Eton Codling at the ARS Animal Manure and Byproducts Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., found that the treatment has no negative effect on plants' absorption of phosphorus once plant roots grow beyond the 6-inch-deep layer the treatment creates in soil. In lab tests with sandy soil, the treatment increased phosphorus-binding potential four- to fivefold over that of untreated soil. The lab studies will be repeated, and additional research will be done in the field during the next two years. If successful, this use for waste from water-treatment processing not only could get rid of the waste, but would also hold phosphorus on the land until a crop uses it. Read more about this research in the June issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul04/water0704.htm ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. <><><><><><><><><> End of AKA RFN200407B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - August 1, 2004 - RFN200408A.txt ________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Phases Of Moon - Paul's Successfully Relies On It Paul says he has far better luck in grafting most fruit trees (especially difficult to graft ones) if he does it in the second quarter of the moon. Also, the last day of the fourth quarter is good. He mentioned Cancer as being especially good, and relies on the Old Farmers' Almanac. I'm sure I'd understand what he's saying better if I saw a copy. (He said it costs $5.00 per year for 3- year subscription.) Also, that same period is best for starting Pitahaya cuttings. I asked him if he had observed whether the phase of the moon relates to the time of blooming of Pitayas, and he had not noticed. Back Surgery - Guess I'll Have To Have it "Background" Two medicines - Percoset (narcotic) and Decadron (steroid) that I had been taking when I decided to wait and see on the surgery - and had been feeling pretty good. The steroid is one that has side-effects if kept on for too long was stopped, but the Percoset continued. Gradually, the pain got worse until there was no way I could tolerate it for an indefinite future, so I opted for surgery and started the steroid again. Almost immediately, the pain level dropped to a level that I would gladly stay on and avoid surgery, but apparently that is not an option - for that steroid. I don't know the date yet - probably not before the next newsletter, but I'll keep you posted. I gotten lots of supporting letter and really appreciate them! - Leo -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscribers - Palmetto, Florida KENNETHR DAVIS New Subscribers - San Luis, Obispo, CA Linda Seeley New Subscriber - Pismo Beach, CA PetMarv@aol.com New Subscriber Floyd H Hiller New Subscriber - San Luis Obispo, CA Evelynelai@aol.com <><><> Readers Write <><><> Bananas For Sale Near Lemon Grove, CA Jon Verdick Miracle fruit junderwoodz@netscape.net (junderwoodz) Re: How To Handle Your Domain Alfie Wishart Your Pitaya in Tucson, AZ Detrick Re: Your pitaya in Tucson, AZ Leo Manuel Detrick Re: Your pitaya in Tucson, AZ Detrick Variegated-LEAF figs - Exist? CHINO228@aol.com Variegated fig CHINO228@aol.com Re: Back Surgery, Or Not James Freedner Rhubarb Available In Santa Monica Mark Presky Rare Fruits from Brazil Tropicals & Atemoya Info Sought Paulo Re: Rare Fruits from Brazil Tropicals & Atemoya Info Sought Leo Manuel Paulo Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Paulo Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Leo Manuel Paulo Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals PRRog@aol.com Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Leo Manuel Paulo Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals PRRog@aol.com Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! James Freedner Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! Leo Manuel James Freedner Pitahaya William Chow Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! James Freedner Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! Leo Manuel James Freedner Can Dragon Fruit Thrive In South Texas? ACUSAINC@aol.com Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! James Freedner Dragonfruit, Tissue Culture and Avocados, OH MY! Console G4 Syzygium leuhmanni Photos On RFNO Ben Poirier Kishu Mandarin Doug Young Denise Breadfruit Question (Spanish or Portuguese?) jorge l rosell Rare fruit news Marion Brodie FW: Pitayas in Tucson William Chow <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. SWEET FRUIT ROOT, AKA Apple of the Earth, Arocona, Jacon, Yacon, Jiquima -Go to the HerbsAreSpecial webpage to purchase valuable book <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Prized Pomegranates Undergo Scrutiny of Nursery Staff, Growers ARS News Service Two New Peach Varieties Released ARS News Service Plant Enzyme Turns Scientists' Thoughts to Taxol ARS News Service Treating Both Swine Diets and Manure Can Slash Phosphorus Runoff ARS News Service New Plum Variety Released-Rich in Antioxidants ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscribers - Palmetto, Florida Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 16:45:08 -0400 From: KENNETHR DAVIS Hi Leo & Betty, We're Ken & Renee Davis, from Palmetto, Florida. We presently have a few citrus trees: oranges, grapefruit, key limes, limes, a Meyer Lemon and a mango. This is the first year that our mango tree has had more than a single fruit, but we are struggling with when to pick the fruit. Online research makes it apparent that we need to know what particular variety of mango we have, to know whether to pick when the skin turns yellow, or sooner. The fruit are a nice size now, and have patches of red, but are still hard to the touch. Most of the ones we see in the grocery stores here are not yet yellow, but they're considerably softer. We don't know the variety- we bought the young tree three years ago at a Rare Fruit Tree sale in Manatee County. Any suggestions other than trial and error? We moving to a new place in a few months, and will try to take the lemon tree with us. More land so more varieties of more trees. It was a lucky break to stumble across your newsletter. Please add us to your list. Many thanks Ken & Renee mailto:kenandrenee@verizon.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscribers - San Luis, Obispo, CA Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 21:06:38 -0700 From: Linda Seeley Hi We are Linda Seeley and Michael Wollman, and we live in San Luis Obispo. Right now, we are growing: 10 pineapple guavas (on the median strip in front of the house) 1 dwarf nectarine, a mission fig, a fuji apple, a royal blenham apricot, a santa rosa plum, a pomegranate, a meyer lemon, an etrog, several blueberries, a mango, two papayas, a mexican banana, and for fragrance, two plumerias. Not to mention 18 varieties of sage, 8 varieties of lavender, and several medicinal herbs.... This is on a very small lot, so I am a little worried about space. I would very much like to grow a cherry, but I'm afraid that it would get too big. Is there such thing as a dwarf cherry (like Ranier) that would grow in this climate? Thanks, Linda mailto:lindaseeley@charter.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber - Pismo Beach, CA Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 11:07:48 -0400 (EDT) From: PetMarv@aol.com Hi Leo, I am Pet Daniels in Pismo Beach, CA. My husband and I are Lifetime CRFG Members and also members of both the Central Coast Chapter and Ventura/Santa Barbara Chapter. We have a small home on a small lot 1 1/2 blocks from the ocean but love to grow 'Rare Fruit'. We grow Cherimoya, White Sapote, Babaco, Bananas, Grapes that actually are sweet in our area, Tropical Guavas, Fiejoa, Strawberry Guava, Goldenberry, Pepino Dulce, Blueberries, Avocado, and many varieties of Citrus. We also have a collection of Tropical Clumping Bamboo. Yes, our plants are good , close friends! I would like to have more Sapotes. They are double croppers and so good! We like to share our garden with friends and give cuttings, seedlings, and seeds to people who come to tour the garden. We also graft apple trees and give the grafted trees to different fund raisers and friends. During a recent problem on our computer we lost our newsletter connection. Thank you for adding us back onto the list. Pet Daniels aka, Pismo Pet mailto:PetMarv@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2004 13:17:44 -0400 From: Floyd H Hiller May I be added to your newsletter. I know that I live in a part of the country that is impossible to grow any of the fruit outside but maybe i could try some in my small greenhouse. Thank you Floyd mailto:floydfern@juno.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber - San Luis Obispo, CA Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 10:09:12 -0400 (EDT) From: Evelynelai@aol.com Dear Folks, My name is Evelyn E Cunningham and I am interested in getting your free rare fruit news letter..I belong to the San Luis Obispo chapter of the organization here..My address is 1230 Oceanaire Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405-4918. My email address is as shown in this news letter..I have moved back to this area to retire and have only a few trees that I will be planting in my back yard, but am interested in knowing and learning more about rare fruit and the benifit and pleasure there of..thank you for the opportunity to receive this free news letter. Sincerely, Evelyn Cunningham mailto:Evelynelai@aol.com <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Bananas For Sale Near Lemon Grove, CA Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 22:50:12 -0700 From: Jon Verdick Leo, If anyone is looking for bananas, I probably have about 30 different varieties in pots, ready to go at $10-15 each. Jon Verdick mailto:jonv1@cox.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Miracle fruit Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 02:04:51 -0400 From: junderwoodz@netscape.net (junderwoodz) Hi Carolyn, About two months ago I received synsepalum dulciferum (miracle fruit) seeds from the Banana Tree. Three sprouted seeds were wrapped in a damp piece of paper towel placed in a sealed plastic bag. I planted them and kept them moist but they have not grown. Unfortunately the fault is mine as I did not research their desired growing conditions. If I recall correctly they need/require water to have 4.5 -> 5.5 pH and probably will not grow if pH is much above 6.5 (My water is ~ 7.0 pH). I will probably reorder seeds at another time. You might want to order moringa oleifera seeds (also purchased from the Banana Tree). Moringa oleifera is also called the 'horseradish' tree as the ground-up roots supposedly taste like horseradish. Apparently all parts of the tree are edible. Other seeds I bought from Banana Tree include asimina triloba (pawpaw), morinda citrifolium (nani), and carica papaya (sunrise/solo, sunset, and waimanolo). Many of the carica papaya seedlings are 2" - 3" tall. Several of the horseradish tree seedlings are 5" - 8" tall. One pawpaw is 2" tall and one noni is also about 2" tall. waiting for more to break soil surface. If you like rhubarb I suggest you consider ordering seeds from Thompson and Morgan (T&M). I received my order of Glaskins Perpetual rhubarb (80 seeds) this week. Also ordered several different tomato, golden berry, strawberry, squash, and alstromaeria seeds from T&M. You may want to contact JOHN FREEMAN for a fig cutting (see this month's CRFG for his letters). I used to live near Schenectady New York and a friend of mine in Watervliet (near Troy) grew a delicious fig in a 'half-barrel'. He 'overwintered' it in his greenhouse each year and brought it outside after the worst of the spring frosts was probably over (If you try this you may want to put the barrel on rollers or wheels to make it easy to move about.). I probably will contact him myself as I have room for another fig (have several varieties now). A flower you might consider is alstromaeria (Peruvian lily). See T&M for seeds (see above.). Mine bloom from spring through fall as long as they do not get too hot and dry. mailto:junderwoodz@netscape.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: How To Handle Your Domain Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 09:44:04 -0500 From: Alfie Wishart Dear Leo, I am sorry to hear about your health challenges. I have myself have had my share of chronic pain. I have had several friends have back surgery and the outcome seems to depend mostly on the competence of the surgeon. I trust you will find the right one for the job. I wanted to respond also to your question about the domain, "rarefruit.com." I am a consultant and have worked with such issues. My recommendation is to retain ownership for now. The domain name is like the name of your business. As a matter of fact, I would recommend you also get variations of the name such as: rarefruit.us; rarefruit.info, rarefruit.org, and spelling variations as well, such as rare-fruit.com; rarefruits.com, .us, .org, etc. If you are thinking about retiring or having someone share the responsibilities of this newsletter and other duties, then the name is a part of the property for the negotiation. It is a tangible asset. There are companies on the Internet that will appraise your domain name for a nominal fee. I would get more than one appraisal and then average them. It is not an exact science, but there are objective criteria. One of, if not the, best domain registrars - if you don't already know about them, is godaddy.com The most economical on the net, very reliable, and excellent customer service. I hope this info is of some help to you and that this newsletter continues. Hope all is well. Thanks, Alfie Wishart mailto:lastword@awishart.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Your Pitaya in Tucson, AZ Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 16:20:36 +0000 From: Detrick Hello Leo, This is Detrick from Tucson. The cuttings that you sent me are rooted and growing quite well. I have placed them under a mesquite tree. They receive enough sunlight to flower. I guess it will take time before they flower. Oh well, I'm in it for the long haul. How is your Peniocereus greggii cactus that I sent you? Mine bloomed for the first time this year. Check out http://members.cox.net/plumeriaz/queen2.jpg to view the pic. What an incredible fragrance. Ciao, Detrick mailto:magnetogram@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Your pitaya in Tucson, AZ Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 09:39:13 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: Detrick Hi Detrick I really don't know how to care for the P. greggii. It's in a one-gallon pot and hasn't grown much. I'd like to get it to take off, but I was afraid I might kill it. Have you an idea if the fruit is of value? How big is yours? Most pitaya blooms don't have much fragrance. It seems to me that H. polyrhizus have more than the others. The blooms are also beautiful. Take care, Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Your pitaya in Tucson, AZ Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 20:07:45 -0700 From: solar flare Hello Leo, I believe that the fruit is edible. As to its value, I'm not sure. There are no farms and the plants mostly go unnoticed in the desert. They really look like dead sticks. I'll have to take a pic of mine and post it. One thing I know is that they require heat, but not necessarily too much direct sunlight. Perhaps, you can sit the pot on the cement or something like that for bottom heat. Just avoid too much rain if you are seaward. The fragrances reminded me of baby powder and honey. Very delightful! They actually captured the essence of the frangrance in a perfume. I haven't smelled it. Detrick mailto:magnetogram@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Variegated-LEAF figs - Exist? Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 23:58:57 -0400 From: CHINO228@aol.com Hi Leo: Hope you're feeling better. I'm presently in Bangkok having returned from Indonesia and Malaysia. One of my close RFCI Thai member wants to know if California members would have any figs with variegated leaves. I promised I'd find out for him. Maurice ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Variegated fig Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 06:14:54 -0400 From: CHINO228@aol.com Hi Leo: Thanks for your prompt response. My TFC collector friend is more interested in finding out if the LEAVES of both the Tiger and Panache are variegated which he would like to add to his collection. It seems members these days have all types of quirks. Would appreciate your making a few calls to confirm if the leaves are ALSO variegated. Leaving Bangkok for Brisbane, Australia next week. Maurice mailto:CHINO228@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Back Surgery, Or Not Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 01:38:06 -0700 From: James Freedner I thought you were leading into...."and then I found this rare fruit which cured my symptoms!" Alas, life is not so easy. Yes, I know a lady who had severe back pains, a herniated disc, I think; she was a nurse and injured herself trying to get huge men in and out of beds. (Sounds funny, but it's not!) She really was afraid of the surgery but after years of walking all stooped over, she finally had it done. Was on a walker for a brief time, then crutches and finally was able to get about in a normal manner. She feels much improved and life is looking up for her again. Can do some of her gardening and stuff; only problem is the steep stairs inside her house still give her a bit of a problem so she doesn't go down to the basement very often. Every case is a bit different, so it is a bit hard to tell if your problem would resolve in the same way. I think it took her about 6 months or so to regain her full strength but it's better than years of ongoing pain and problems. I do know that surgeons can do quite a bit of wonders nowadays in spinal surgery. Hope this helps out a bit in your decision. J. Eric Freedner mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Rhubarb Available In Santa Monica Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 13:21:17 -0700 From: Mark Presky Leo, A friend of mine, from whom I originally obtained my rhubarb plants, wants to thin hers out again, and is offering them to whomever wants them. She lives in the Santa Monica/Mar Vista area. Ask for Charlotte at 310-398-5052. I have her permission to put this out there to 'rare' fruit grower enthusiasts. Thank you. Mark Presky mailto:markpresky@att.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Rare Fruits from Brazil Tropicals & Atemoya Info Sought Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 11:52:05 -0300 From: paulo Dear Sirs, My name is Paul Rogerio. I am an engineer. But I am interested in plant ATEMOYA fruit. I buy them here. They are available regularly. I have so plenty here of another fruits I never saw in my life, only grwon here. They are sapoti, cashew apple, and so many names, that I can not describe as I do not know in English their names. Maybe they do not have. Passion fruit, papayas, and pineapples, coconuts and mangos are so plenty that I eat them every day. Thanks Paul Rogerio mailto:prrog@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Rare Fruits from Brazil Tropicals & Atemoya Info Sought Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 12:51:54 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: paulo Hi Paul Could I see pictures of the fruit? I'm not sure what would grow both here and there. Do you have pitaya? Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 20:04:08 -0400 From: PRRog@aol.com Fruits like that are so rare that I am just eating, to take a picture I never thought of that. I may do it. Pitanga is one of them, very sweet. There are so many, exotic, and naturally different from south Brazil fruits, due the climate conditions. Atemoya is one I met here, never saw in the south, I want grow Atemoya here. On the other hand the berries are non existing here, because they require at least 400 hours of cold climate, which is impossible here in the northern Brazil. Other fruits are sapoti, cupu au, etc.I will see if I can find some pics, and let you know. Thanks Paul mailto:prrog@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 17:23:27 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: PRRog@aol.com Surinam Cherry or Pitanga is one that does well here. Some are red-when-ripe (orange-red) and others are almost black-when-ripe. Some are quite good. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 06:43:37 -0400 From: PRRog@aol.com To: rarefruit@san.rr.com Leo. Good morning, I presume that any fruit in hot climate will do well in Florida. Florida is warm climate, it is tropical region. Pitanga here is red all the time, when is ripe also. We have plenty of acerola. Paulo mailto:prrog@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 07:48:13 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: PRRog@aol.com Hi Paulo In Southern California the pitanga does very well. I believe it could tolerate some frost. Acerola also does well in S. California. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: rare fruits from Brazil tropicals Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 12:45:10 -0400 From: PRRog@aol.com To: rarefruit@san.rr.com Leo. Can you be kind enough to inform me where I could get more informed about Atemoya, because I am interested in planting some here. Can I use seeds? They say because atemoya is hybrid, will not grow. Thanks Paul mailto:prrog@aol.com [Atemoya seeds probably have a 50% chance of producing an atemoya tree, with 50% chance of one of the two parents of atemoya. So I would plant seeds of several and the leaves may give you a clue to what the tree will become. Or, possibly, you could get graftwood of atemoya from someone. They may be more difficult to graft than many other fruit trees. I hope other more knowledgeable growers will give you their more valuable opinion about this. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 23:42:44 -0700 From: James Freedner Hi, just wanted to report that my pitaya plant has 2 flowers open tonight with more seemingly on the way for tomorrow. However - there is no full moon out! (If there was, my roommate would have turned into a werewolf) Usually the pitaya blooms only under a full moon (or a day or so within that event). What's causing it to go haywire? Any comments from the Pitaya Pitrol on this? J. Eric Freedner mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 05:35:47 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: James Freedner I haven't observed a correlation between a full moon and blooming. Where did you read this? Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pitahaya Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 20:36:03 -0700 From: William Chow Hi Leo, Sorry to see you left early last week's meeting. You must be tire and want to rest early. I won several of the raffle prizes. I took home some nice plants and the banana on the table. The new pitahay plant you gave me is growing. It puts out a new stem that is 9 inches long. There are also 3 more stems less than 1 inch long. The fuzzy ball never did anything. It is still on the plant. I had several flowers in June. Now there are 4 green fruits hanging on the plants. We are looking forward to the fruit. I hear more news about people growing dragon fruit in Tucson. The two people I gave plants to said the vine is doing well. I don't know how long it takes to bear fruit. Hope to visit you and take pictures of your fruits again in September. Cheers ! William mailto:wchow@znet.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 21:58:36 -0700 From: James Freedner Not so much what I have read (although I thought I did see it in some magazine at one point), but what I have observed over the years. My pitayas always seem to open to coincide with the full moon; however, this year they are acting on their own calendar! I had thought maybe exposure to light triggered the blooms, and thus if a cactus is near a street light, the constant light "mixes it up" so to speak. You mean to say there is no correlation between pitaya blossoms and the full moon? J. Eric Freedner mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 05:32:50 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: James Freedner I only mean that I haven't observed a correlation. Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Can Dragon Fruit Thrive In South Texas? Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 10:58:59 -0400 (EDT) From: ACUSAINC@aol.com To: leom@rarefruit.com, rarefruit@abac.com Can dragon fruit thrive in south Texas? ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Pitayas In Bloom Tonight?! Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 20:48:47 -0700 From: James Freedner All I know, Leo, is that mine seem to follow the full moon. It's known that certain animals are guided by the phases of the moon; grunion fish that spawn along our California coast, and the Yucca moths that pollinate those plants. What is stranger is when the plant (or animal) does NOT follow the observed calendar and instead "does its own thing." With grunion, it can be scientifically argued that the full moon brings extra-high and extra-low tides; one of those helps the fish get up onto the wet sand for their egg-laying. Perhaps the moths get more light to see by, and so can fly over acres and acres to find all the yuccas. The benefit to plants is a bit more murky; they don't need "light to see" and certainly the buds develop days in advance, opening at the right time. Last night's flowers were a bit wilted by the last few days' heat; the petals did not open all the way, and they sort of resembled big dandelions on a rainy day--all sort of shut up with only the tip of the stamen poking out. Tonight there seems to be one more flower brave enough to open and I'll see if it goes "all the way." I've been giving the cactus plant a bit more water lately, figuring that might help a fruit or two develop! Regards, J. Eric mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Dragonfruit, Tissue Culture and Avocados, OH MY! Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 01:58:46 -0400 From: Console G4 Hi Leo, A release for the rare fruit folks. You will find the review of Paul's book in this issue. Best of growing, Bob SW Florida USA Hi Group, Dragonfruit, Tissue Culture and Avocados, OH MY! Issue number 3 of Tropical Visions has been posted for your enjoyment. In fact, if you follow the link you will have access to all three issues: http://www.quisqualis.com This issue is open posted but, we are about to go to a password system and restrict much of the publication to our paid members - give it a look and let us know how to make it better! Join up! Best of growing, Bob SW Florida mailto:b.cannon@worldnet.att.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Syzygium leuhmanni Photos On RFNO Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 16:04:05 -0700 From: Ben Poirier Hi Leo Just took these photos of an unusual edible Myrtaceae in case you wanted to post them on the rfno site. Syzygium leuhmanni is called "Clove Lilly-pilly " in it's native Australia. Aussies call a lot of the Myrtaceae "Lilly-pilly"; clove comes from the unique spicy flavor of the fruit. Fruits are 5/8" long and born in clusters, fruit is mildly sweet with a spicy flavor like the spices used in a pumpkin pie. The shrub has a weeping growth habit and new growth is the color of a rose wine. This plant is very attractive in the landscape.It is well adapted for this area - our plant has been in the ground a few years now. Ben mailto:benplant@tfb.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Kishu Mandarin Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 17:30:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug Young To: dmshuck@aol.com Denise, In case you haven't gotten an answer yet, I was reading through the archives prior to my joining Leo's group and saw your query about Kishu mandarin. You said, "I thought it was a Kishu and was looking forward to the large sweet mandarins. I think it was mislabeled and it is really a gold nugget. The fruit is small, about the size of a golfball." According to 2 articles in the Fruit Gardener, Kishu mandarins are supposed to be small. I saved this quote from a previous issue (unsure of the date) concerning Kishu mandarins: "It's tiny, not much bigger than a walnut, but it peels very easily and it's addictively sweet and fragrant. Children go wild for the fruits, says Bier, who calls them "citrus candy." And this quote from the current (July-August) issue: "Toots saved the best two for last. The Kishu seedless mandarin makes a great backyard tree. The walnut-sized fruit is easy to peel and has been described as tasting like citrus candy. It is hard to stop eating them once you start." Interestingly, if you mistakenly got a Gold Nugget, Toots says that it is the other of the best two that were saved for last! So, it appears that if your fruit is small, it may indeed be a Kishu. The reason your question caught my attention is because, based on these two quotes, I'd like to get a Kishu myself. If yours turns out to be a Kishu, where did you get it? I have not been able to find it. Thanks, Doug Young El Cajon mailto:douglasyo@sbcglobal.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Breadfruit Question (Spanish or Portuguese?) Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 00:14:05 -0700 (PDT) From: jorge l rosell Hi leo, perdona la molestia pero he encontrado uin email con la direccion donde pueden tener arbol de fruta del pan, pero he tratado de enviar email me ha sido rechazado, podrias interceder para obtene la direccion y telefono si es posible? su direccion es: http//daphne.palomar.edu/wayne/jackfr1.htm te estare muy agradecido, p[ues hace anos tyrato de obtener un arbol pero me ha sido imposible, en espera de tu respuesta atte. jorge l rosell mailto:jorgel_rosell2000@yahoo.com >>> Breadfruit Question translated on web - If Spanish - HELP! Hi I read, pardons the annoyance but I have found uin email with the direction where can have arbol (tree) of fruit of the bread, but I have tried to send email has been rejected me, podrias to interyield for obtene the direction and I telephone if it is possible? its direction is: http//daphne.palomar.edu/wayne/jackfr1.htm you estare very been thankful, p[ues makes anuses tyrato obtain arbol (tree) but me it has been impossible, awaiting your answer atte. Jorge l rosell mailto:jorgel_rosell2000@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Rare fruit news Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 23:06:48 -0700 From: shaunbrodie@webtv.net (Shaun Brodie) Dear Leo, I am not getting any mail on my webtv address because it fills up too fast with junk mail and I cannot keep up with it. I have another email [ web address] and was wondering if you could post at the new address please.I have really missed the 'news' - marionbrodie3@webtv.net Thanks Leo Marion Brodie P.S. We have really given our trees a lot of good compost this year and our White Sapote is loaded with fruit buds, I am still hand pollinating Cherimoya and there are several good looking fruit buds on there too [ amazing when you see the form of these miniature fruit already taking shape] we will really have to give the tree a lot of support as it grows. Also, been reading up on the Lychee. Ours is doing so much better, again a good dose of good organic mulch. I remember what you told me about them not fruiting at all here. but was wonderintg if we got another cultivar, and perhaps tried to hand pollinate our tree next year, do you think this may prove successful I was tempted to purchase some Lychee fruit from Florida recently but my hubby said no [ $100.oo per basket] I would have tried them for that price. We will just have to accept that they are the best tasting fruit in the world! Regards, Marion Brodie mailto:shaunbrodie@webtv.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: FW: pitayas in Tucson Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 16:00:54 -0700 From: William Chow -----Original Message----- Subject: Pitayas in Tucson From: Chris Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 9:11 AM To: wchow@znet.com Greetings from Tucson, My name is Chris Marshall and I live in Tucson. I have quite a few pitayas but all too small to bloom yet. However, I know of blooming plants and even fruit grown here. If your friend is interested in learning more, the California Rare fruit Growers have a chapter here, which meets the third Thursday of each month at the Bookman's bookstore at the corner of Campbell and Grant. Some of our members have flowering/fruiting pitayas as well as many other plants of probable interest to your friend. Please pass this along. Saludos, Chris mailto:christopher.marshall@att.net <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. Subject: SWEET FRUIT ROOT, AKA Apple of the Earth, Arocona, Jacon, Yacon, Jiquima -Go to the HerbsAreSpecial webpage to purchase valuable book SWEET FRUIT ROOT - Apple of the Earth, Arocona, Jacon, Yacon, Jiquima Polymnia sonchifolia F. Asteraceae Description Indigenous to South America, the root of this plant can be eaten as a vegetable or a fruit. Due to its sweet taste and crunchy texture, it has been called apple of the earth. A stately upright perennial bush 1-2 metres tall with large velvety, arrow-shaped, dark-green leaves, 30cm long and 20cm across. The central trunk and off-shooting stems are hollow and of a soft fibre structure. Multiple stems can develop from the vegetative eyes of the underground rhizome. This central swollen, knobby, pink/purple rhizome may be eaten when young, but becomes fibrous and woody as it ages. It is the long, swollen, tuberous roots (developing from the central rhizome, 15-40cm in length, 5-10cm in diameter, forming like thick spokes around a wheel hub) that provide the portion prized for its sweet taste. Tuber skin is approximately 3mm thick, brown or purple in colour, while the inside of the tuber is white or cream coloured, juicy and easily cut with a knife. A tuber can weigh from 200g to 2 kg. From late summer to autumn, small, yellow, daisy flowers form as terminal clusters. These look like miniature sunflowers, which is not surprising as both plants belong to the Asteraceae family. Medicinal Uses The tubers are soothing as well as nourishing to the spleen, stomach, lungs and pancreas, and valued as a strengthening tonic for the whole body, giving energy and vitality. Being low in calories, this is a practical vegetable for dieters and diabetics, and the inulin has proved beneficial in stabilising blood sugar levels. The tuber can be eaten regularly as a food, or juiced for a refreshing drink. Some diabetics juice the tuber and freeze the juice in small containers, to have it available all through the year. Fructose enhances the digestion of foods, particularly the metabolism of carbohydrates, and has a thermogenetic effect, helping the body to burn off calories that have been stored as fat. Leaves are used fresh or dried as a tea with hypoglycemic properties and are commercially sold as such in Brazil. Sweet fruit root tubers are high in potassium, with 2230mg per 100g, only surpassed by dulse 8060mg, kelp 5237mg, salad mallow at 3680mg (p 298), sweet leaf 2770mg (p 312). Most other foods are well below sweet fruit root in potassium, with the next highest being soya beans (1677mg), rice bran (1495mg), wheat bran (1121mg), sunflower seeds (920mg) and parsley (717mg). Potassium is often called the healing mineral, because it is essential for the repair and health of all muscles and vital to the heart and liver. This mineral is important for balancing the acid/alkaline levels, transporting oxygen to the brain, for nerve impulses and to the blood and skin. Potassium is essential for digestion of carbohydrates, for the conversion of sugar to energy and for stimulating the kidneys to eliminate wastes. An interesting research finding is that cancer cells cannot live in a potassium rich environment. We can all benefit from potassium rich foods, daily. Sweet fruit root is also rich in calcium, yielding 143mg per 100g of tuber. The only foods higher in calcium are the leaves of turnip, kale and collard (probably never eaten by most people) and sesame seeds. Calcium is essential for glands, skin and digestion, for strong bones and teeth and for protection from viral infection and fatigue. The magnesium content of the tuber is 390mg per 100g of tuber, which is extremely high compared to most other foods we eat. Magnesium is important to the body for the formation of tissues and the strengthening the memory and the nervous system, and for the spinal cord and heart. Iron content is also exceptionally high at 55mg per 100g of tuber, with most other foods we eat being considerably lower; for example, wheat at 14.9mg, sesame seed 10.9mg, sunflower seed 7.1mg, and green leaf vegetables 3-6mg. Iron is essential to every cell of the body, and is vital for oxygenation of the body, and the haemoglobin in every red blood cell. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Prized Pomegranates Undergo Scrutiny of Nursery Staff, Growers Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:25:07 -0400 From: ARS News Service Imagine sweet, juicy pomegranates that are pink or yellow on the outside instead of the familiar red. These fruits are so unusual that you probably haven't seen them in the local supermarket's produce section. But that could change, depending on what orchardists, treefruit breeders and plant nursery staffers learn from growing samples of unique pomegranates that they've obtained from America's official pomegranate collection. Headquartered at Davis, Calif., this treasure trove of the delicious, fun-to-eat fruit is part of the National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Fruit and Nut Crops. The repository and other collections make up a nationwide network that's managed by the Agricultural Research Service--the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. Specialists working with cuttings from pomegranate trees in the collection will share what they've learned about the best strategies for helping these distinctive trees thrive at fruit farms in the United States. Pomegranate cuttings, if they adapt well, will take root and form sturdy, shrublike trees that will bear flavorful fruit in about three years. That's according to research geneticist and interim curator Mallikarjuna K. Aradhya. The ARS pomegranate collection, with more than 150 different kinds of pomegranates from around the globe, is likely the most diverse, publicly owned assortment of pomegranates in the United States. This ARS repository safeguards samples of the world's pomegranates to ensure that the genetic richness or diversity of this fruit won't be lost, even if groves of wild pomegranates on other continents are inadvertently destroyed, or if new commercial varieties displace older heirloom ones. In the repository's sunny orchards, pomegranates range from light pink to deep orange, burgundy red or golden yellow on the outside. Pomegranates are low in calories and sodium; provide vitamin C, potassium, and fiber; and are rich an antioxidants. ___________________________________________ * This is one of the news reports that ARS Information distributes to subscribers on weekdays. * Start, stop or change an e-mail subscription at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/subscribe.htm * NewsService@ars.usda.gov | www.ars.usda.gov/news * Phone (301) 504-1638 | fax (301) 504-1648 ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Two New Peach Varieties Released Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 06:10:57 -0400 From: ARS News Service Two new peach varieties, Scarletprince and Julyprince, developed by the Agricultural Research Service, are now available to growers and nurserymen. Budwood has been distributed to commercial nurseries for production of trees for the southeastern United States. Horticulturist W. R. Okie, at the ARS Southeastern Tree Nut and Fruit Laboratory in Byron, Ga., developed the new varieties to allow growers to have better varieties to fill the market's needs. Peach varieties are planted to ripen at different times to extend the growing season, thus providing a steady supply of fruit to consumers. Scarletprince ripens in late June or early July at Byron, about the same time as a similar peach, Redglobe, a leading variety. At maturity, the skin surface is 90 percent bright red with an attractive yellow background color. The flesh of this freestone fruit is yellow, with some red in the flesh if allowed to mature on the tree. It is firm, with excellent texture and good flavor. In addition to the wonderful fruit, the tree, first planted in Byron in 1987, appears to be moderately resistant to bacterial spot disease, though not highly resistant. Julyprince peach, first planted in Byron in 1993, ripens in early to mid-July at Byron, about three to 10 days after Redglobe. At Byron, the fruit develops a yellow background color early, but can be left firm on the tree another seven to 10 days to increase size and red color. At maturity, the surface is 70-80 percent bright red with an attractive yellow background color. The flesh is yellow with some red coloring near the pit. Julyprince trees are vigorous and productive and appear to be moderately resistant to bacterial spot disease. For both varieties, the fruit is large--almost 3 inches in diameter--and round. The fruit is also firm and softens slowly while on the tree, allowing it to be picked over a longer period than comparable varieties. A limited amount of budwood is available for research purposes. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Plant Enzyme Turns Scientists' Thoughts to Taxol Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 10:06:03 -0400 From: ARS News Service A synthetic peptide fashioned after a natural plant enzyme has surprised Agricultural Research Service scientists with its taxol-like ability to curtail abnormal cell growth in test tubes. ARS plant physiologist Steven Huber and colleagues originally created the peptide "SS2" to help study sucrose synthase, an enzyme that metabolizes sugar and delivers carbon for cellular growth and other uses. One approach involved using SS2 to identify regions of sucrose synthase that bind to actin, a filamentous protein comprising part of the "cytoskeleton" that plant cells use when dividing and elongating. Eventually, such investigations may yield clues to increasing cellular use of carbon for seed storage products like starch, oil and protein in crops, according to Huber, at the ARS Photosynthesis Research Unit, Urbana, Ill. He's working with Heike Winter, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC), Raleigh, and Carolyn Larabell, a cell biologist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif. During their studies, the team observed that SS2 caused actin filaments to clump together, a phenomenon called "bundling" that stops plant cells from dividing. Bundling is similar to how taxol, a yew tree derivative, checks the spread of some human cancer cells. Key differences--including ease of synthesis, water solubility and rapid degradation--led the team to wonder whether SS2 could mimic taxol's therapeutic powers, possibly without some of the drug's side effects, such as reduced blood counts, and cost. As a preliminary step to finding out, Larabell designed test tube experiments in which she infused frog eggs and tumor cells with SS2. As in plants, SS2 caused actin bundling in the cell cultures, halting their division and movement in the case of tumor cells. In another experiment, SS2 prevented the formation of "actin comet tails," which Listeria monocytogenes bacteria use to rapidly travel through cells in the human body, causing sickness. The Berkeley lab, a coapplicant with ARS and UNC on a patent for SS2, is seeking a licensing partner to investigate the peptide's potential medical applications. Meanwhile, the team's plant carbon studies continue. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Treating Both Swine Diets and Manure Can Slash Phosphorus Runoff Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 08:23:45 -0400 From: ARS News Service Feeding phytase to swine, combined with adding aluminum chloride to their manure, can cut phosphorus pollution of water by as much as 70 percent, according to a study by Agricultural Research Service scientists and cooperators. Douglas Smith, now a soil scientist at the ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory in West Lafayette, Ind., conducted the study while he was a graduate student at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. The study focused on the effects of combining both practices, which have usually been studied separately. Smith worked with soil scientist Phillip Moore at the ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit in Fayetteville, and with University of Arkansas scientists. Simply adding aluminum chloride to the manure reduced phosphorus in runoff by 53 percent. Aluminum chloride binds with phosphorus to form an aluminum phosphate, which is less susceptible to losses in runoff. Such a reduction could significantly reduce the amount of phosphorus reaching rivers, lakes and bays, where it can cause harmful algal blooms. Adding phytase, an enzyme, to animal feed reduced phosphorus in manure by 13 percent. Phytase allows livestock to digest more of the phosphorus that is in feed, lowering the amount excreted in manure. Smith and colleagues applied aluminum chloride-treated manure, from pigs fed the added phytase, to a pasture at a rate commonly used by farmers. Then they used sprinklers to simulate rainfall and analyzed the runoff. The scientists found that phosphorus runoff from the combined practices was no more than that from land to which no manure had been added. As swine operations become more concentrated, less land is available for manure spreading. Using this combination of practices might allow swine producers to apply more manure without increasing the risk of pollution. The addition of aluminum chloride also would prevent nitrogen in the manure from turning into ammonia and escaping into the atmosphere. This benefit would reduce atmospheric ammonia pollution and leave the manure with a higher nitrogen content. Poultry producers are already enjoying these benefits as a result of earlier work by Moore and colleagues. Smith's study was published in the May-June issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Plum Variety Released-Rich in Antioxidants Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 08:56:26 -0400 From: ARS News Service Ruby Queen, a high-quality, late-ripening plum well adapted to the humid climate of the southeastern United States, has recently been released by the Agricultural Research Service. W. R. Okie and his colleagues at the ARS Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Ga., selected the Ruby Queen seedling in 1985 for testing, after three years of development. Ruby Queen has performed well in central Georgia, New Jersey and New York and is recommended for trial in areas with similar climates. The fruit ripens in mid- to late July at Byron, about three to four weeks after Santa Rosa and Morris, two other plums commonly grown in Georgia. No other plums are available to ripen at this time. Ruby Queen's skin color is dark-red to reddish-black, with firm red flesh and outstanding flavor. The plum is round and about two inches in diameter. Tests conducted by research collaborators in New York show the flesh to have high antioxidant levels. Ruby Queen is compatible with common peach rootstocks such as Guardian and Lovell. Budded trees are moderately vigorous with somewhat upright growth. Ruby Queen appears to be moderately resistant to bacterial spot disease and bacterial canker disease. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200408A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - August 15, 2004 - AKA RFN200408B.txt _____________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Brewster Lychee - Beginning To Ripen. There are not many, but the size is good. I picked the first few too soon. Different varieties seem to be of different shades of red - right? Early Gold Mango - Not nearly as early as in Florida, but earlier than other varieties I have - and a very few have begun to ripen. Most are without seeds, but not all. I am still grafting mango, having obtained scions from both Golden Globe and R-2/E-2. If our heat continues they could begin to grow, even at this late time. I've occasionally had success into early September. Surgery seems likely within the next couple of weeks, if the surgeon can squeeze me in. There are a couple of you who planned to stop by for plants, so I would recommend that you do it relatively soon. I actually feel great, but am relying on powerful medicine that can't be trusted. Last year Yellow Pitaya didn't bloom until really late. This year, when I wasn't paying attention, there were two that opened - and, of course, I didn't save the pollen! -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber - Orem, Utah Janet Meiners New Subscriber, Modesto, CA - Wants Rare Fruit Seed Info Irene DeAguilar New Subscriber - Dade, Florida Jorge L Rosell <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Re: Lychees shaunbrodie@webtv.net (Shaun Brodie) David Silverstein Re: Lychees David Silverstein Shaun Brodie Finding Lychee Fruit David Silverstein shaunbrodie@webtv.net Humor In Machine-Translated Portuguese Gerardo Garcia Fruit of P. greggii Tastes Terrible Chris Marshall New Pitahaya AND Questions: Rambuttan, Pulasan, Durian.... Luc Vleeracker Do I Need Grow Two Mango Trees? Nengxian Yao Double Crop Loquat and Fruit falling Wax Jambu Todd Abel Dragon Fruit William Chow Musa Basjoo - Banana For Colder Climates Leo Manuel Neem Tree For Southern California - Any Suggestions? Leo Manuel Use Of One Acre Orchard Space - No Cost Loan - Poway George F. Emerich Satish Ram <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm None, this time <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber - Orem, Utah Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2004 14:17:24 -0600 From: Janet Meiners I am Janet Meiners, in Orem, Utah. Ive been too mobile lately to have planted fruit trees, but I plan to when I am more permanent. Some I want to grow are pomegranates, noni, pineapple, kumquat (spell), key limes (I know, not rare, but in Utah they are) Can you suggest the names of good web sites to buy miniature fruit trees? Has anyone successful in growing noni plant in the US? Thanks, Janet Meiners mailto:Janet_Meiners@tni.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Modesto, CA - Wants Rare Fruit Seed Info Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 01:32:53 -0400 (EDT) From: Irene DeAguilar My name is Irene Aguilar I live in Modesto, California on a bowling-alley like corner lot My e-mail address is deaguilars@aol.com Fruit trees I am now growing are: Navel orange, ruby-red grapefruit, avocado, meyer lemon, white fig, nectarine, peach, green plum Some I want to grow are banana, sapote, cherimoya, passion fruit, mango, blueberry, and whatever else I get a chance to try Comments: Glad to have found this site! Questions to be answered by newsletter readers: What are some good sites to visit for seeds of rare tropical fruit trees? Irene DeAguilar mailto:DeAguilars@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber - Dade, Florida Date: Fri, 06 Aug 2004 22:04:53 -0700 (PDT) From: jorge l rosell I am Jorge L Rosell, in Hialeah, Dade, Florida Fruit trees I am now growing are: avocados, mangos, star fruit, chirimolla, maranon, papaya, mamey, black zapote, w. zapote, coconut trees, barbados cherry and bananas I want to grow: jackfruit, breadfruit I feel very happy find RARE FRUIT NEWS online Thank, Thank you. Jorge L Rosell mailto:jorgel_rosell2000@yahoo.com <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Re: Lychees Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2004 07:29:12 -0700 From: shaunbrodie@webtv.net (Shaun Brodie) To: David Silverstein Thanks so much David for all the great information, I will check for the Lychees at the markets. Also, good advice about the misting, I will try that next year [ Leo mentioned that the Longans were easier to grow] - could really be that low humidity - after living in Florida can understand why some of our trees do not do well with the dryness here. It just kills me to see a perfectly good, healthy specimen, no visible problems, it is as happy as can be [ I believe] gives a good show of flowers and abundant new growth, and little else. Also was reading that insects [ particlarly bees] are not attracted to the Lychee so commercial growers keep bee hives nearby ....that is going to the extreme for me. Was also thinking too of planting some strongly scented nectar producing flowering plants nearby [ the bees could get lost and end up fertilising the lychee] ??..will certainly give it a try also...maybe next year I will have some good news. In the meanwhile will check those markets out. Thanks Again, Marion mailto:shaunbrodie@webtv.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Lychees Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2004 00:49:42 -0700 To: David Silverstein To: Shaun Brodie Your welcome. I was just at 99 Ranch today. With their club card, which is just a matter of applying for it, Lychees were 1.88 per pound. The baskets were 17.98. I saw them once at Vons a long time ago, but they were in the specialty fruit and vegetable section and they were over 7 dollars per pound. I don't grow them. I have a couple of young Longan trees which are too young to bear fruit. Longans are supposed to e easier. Leo Manuel has a Lychee that set fruit this year I think. I forget the cultivar. (It's a Brewster. -Leo) One idea I heard from a reputable source was to place a mist nozzle up in the tree like people use for cooling the air in hot dry climates like Tuscon in the summer. These do not use much water and you would place it on a timer to just run during the hot daylight hours. The idea is that one of the problems here in california is the low humidity causing the blossoms to dry out. This kind of reproduces the effect of a humid climate. Good luck with your tree. David ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Finding Lychee Fruit Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 21:04:51 -0700 To: David Silverstein To: shaunbrodie@webtv.net Marion: I saw your post on Leo's newsletter regarding Lychees. I'm not sure where you live, but if you have a good chinese supermarket near you they probably carry them for a reasonable price right now. We have a branch of the 99 Ranch Market in San Diego that has Lychees lately for under 2.00 per pound and around 24.95 for a basket. They also have loose ones out for you to taste before you buy. Kent mangos have also been going for about 3.00 per case of 9 recently. David Silverstein mailto:bentleye@cox.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Humor In Machine-Translated Portuguese Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 11:38:47 -0400 From: Gerardo Garcia Leo, seems you used one of those translation programs for Jorge Rosell's letter, when I saw the "anuses" in the text I couldn't help but laugh ("aos" are years, "anos" are butts), the correct translation would read like this: Hi Leo, Sorry to bother you, but I've found an e-mail with an address where they may have breadfruit trees, but I've tried to send an e-mail and it has been rejected, could you intervene to get the address and phone if possible? Their address is: http//daphne.palomar.edu/wayne/jackfr1.htm I'll be very grateful, since I've been trying to obtain a tree for some years but I haven't been able to, awaiting your response, Sincerely, Jorge l. Rosell Jorge's original composition and syntax leave something to be desired, but that's the gist of it. If you have any Spanish or Portuguese messages you need translated for the newsletter, drop me a line, I can help out pro bono, that's my sideline besides advertising copy. I'm currently certified by the American Translators Association for English-Spanish translations and though I'm not sufficiently proficient in Portuguese as to write it, I can render it into English if need be. Regards, Gerardo mailto:manilkara@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Fruit of P. greggii - Tastes Terrible Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2004 14:10:41 +0000 From: christopher.marshall@att.net Hi Leo, Forgive me for jumping in. The fruit of P.greggii looks wonderful but tastes terrible. Apparently, the fruit of a related species from Baja California, P.johnstonii is edible but my plant has never bloomed, much less set fruit.Hope to try it some day. My Pitaya cuttings are doing well also, thanks. I've augmented those you sent me with a number of other species of Hylocereus from Bob Smoley's, a good source for species Hylocereus, if anyone else is interested. Going to have to find a place to plant them all so I can actually produce fruit from them. Regards, Chris mailto:christopher.marshall@att.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Pitahaya AND Questions: Rambuttan, Pulasan, Durian.... Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 10:42:49 -0500 From: luc vleeracker Hi Leo , How's your back ? I discovered a pitahaya that i had not seen before ( on one of my jungle trips ) the fruit was small and bright red and lots of spines , the fruit was about 7 cm x 3 to 4 cm wide half eaten by some animal , i could only bring back a small cutting and will send you some in a few months when it starts to grow. Here's my question , i brought back from malaysia seeds from the yellow variety of rambuttan and pulasan ( beside others ) as you know these need male and female plants to fruit , since i dont have enough space to plant all of them i was thingking of planting 3 little plants as close as possible next to each other like you would do for approach grafting , so maybe they would form one plant growing up , this way chances are good to have at least a few of each sex ??? Does anybody has any experience with this?? Next: When Durion sprouts ,the seed is lifted by a thick rootlike stem , after the seed falls off another stem starts to grow with leaves on top of this first stem , when you transplant the seedling do you cover this enlarged stem with soil or not??? In the last newsletter i noticed your correspondance with a fellow fruitlover in Brasil , he was interested in gowing fruit from the annona family , i e.mailed him offering to send some seeds ( free of charge ) maybe my mail got blocked by a spam filter because i never heard back from him> That's it for this time. Saludos Luc mailto:lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com Luc Vleeracker Gardenias 241 Fracc. Amapas Puerto Vallarta, Jal. Mexico 322-22-32791/Work ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Do I Need Grow Two Mango Trees? Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 16:32:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Nengxian Yao Hi: My name is Haixia, I'm living in plano of texas. I want to grow mango tree. But I do not know if I need grow a male and a female mango tree to get pollen? Can you tell me if there are any rare fruit tree nursery in Plano or Garland, Murphy of plano? Thanks. haixia mailto:nxyao@yahoo.com [You do NOT need two mango trees for setting fruit. You must keep the trees from freezing, however. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Double Crop Loquat and Fruit falling Wax Jambu Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 06:56:26 -0700 From: Todd Abel Leo, Hope you are well. My Vista White Loquat is getting a second crop of fruit. Is this normal? My Wax Jambu has White fruit (partially green), but over half the crop has dropped or burned in the sun. The tree is still only 4ft tall and gets some afternoon reflected heat. I have an Ice Cream Bean near by, it has grown over 10 ft in 1 year. Just for kicks I also have a Coconut Palm. It's OK for now. Trying to get a Canopy going, and well on my way. Todd Abel mailto:table@socal.rr.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Dragon Fruit Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 12:05:38 -0700 From: William Chow Hi Leo, My plants flowered in May and June. There are 4 fruits there and one of that has already turn red and ready to eat. A strange thing happened. 3 other plants grow several flower buds this last 2 weeks. It looks like I will have flowers late August and another set of fruits in October. Is it usual to have some fruits ready to eat and other plants just ready to flower ? I wonder if it is caused by irregular water. The plants that flower late are getting water in July ? I clean up my yard a lot. This year I am getting a good crop of Nagaimo. It is the long mountain yam from Japan. This plant is difficult to grow because the roots grow 6 feet straight into the ground. Cheers! William mailto:wchow@znet.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Musa Basjoo - Banana For Colder Climates Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 14:28:26 -0700 From: Leo Manuel Several years ago I bought from Home Depot a plant of Musa basjoo after seeing a colorful photo of the yellow flower that opens upwards (doesn't hang down), with short yellow stubby fruit. I'm removing mine without trying to harvest fruit, but did see it bloom, and it is interesting. I don't think anyone would grow this one, unless they were in a climate zone too cold for Musa dessert bananas. I have potted a dozen or so up, have no idea how they will do, but will sell them in the ongoing plant sale, if they look as though they will succeed. Also, I have a Mulberry (no idea the name) that is most unusual for beginning to bear in January here in San Diego. I have several larger airlayers and several cutting-grown plants that I will include, again if I think they appear to be able to survive. I will send the revised plant list, for anyone who is interested. Leo mailto:rarefruit@san.rr.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Neem Tree For Southern California - Any Suggestions? Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 14:35:06 -0700 From: Leo Manuel Neem trees have been discussed before, but I don't remember whether anyone has been successful in growing them in Southern California or not. I'd like to try, if it doesn't take heroic efforts. Thanks Leo mailto:rarefruit@san.rr.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: [Fwd: Fruit orchard space] Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 18:16:08 -0700 From: "George F. Emerich" Leo: Is this close enough to you to be of interest? George -------- Original Message -------- Subject: One Acre Poway Fruit Orchard Space - No Cost? Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:34:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Satish Ram We have about an acre of open land in our backyard in Poway, CA, that we would like to lend (at no cost) to a fruit grower to use. We would like to contact any fruit grower that might be interested in utilizing the 1 acre land to grow fruits for their own commercial use. If there are any interested growers in CRFG, please let me know the contact info and I will follow up with them. Thank you for your help. Regards, Satish Ram mailto:snram@yahoo.com <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Some Flowers Can Stand the Salt--and Save Precious Water ARS News Service Probing the Plants' Pollen Puzzles ARS News Service A Search for Nematodes' Biological Soft Spots ARS News Service Newly Explored Rice Gene Could Help "Blast" Killer Fungus ARS News Service <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200408B.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - September 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200409A.txt ______________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> Subject: I'm Back! Date: Wed, 08 Sep 2004 16:41:51 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: rarefruit@san.rr.com I just got home from the hospital. Surgery was 8/22, and today is 9/8. I'm pretty much as I expected to be - pain wise, but I didn't expect to have double vision. I have to wear a patch - and I do it on one glass lens - to be able to see anything with accuracy. So, I won't try to do much editing, and just hope I can get new subscribers on the mailing list. I guess I'll label this one September 1 and the September 15 one will try to come close to that date. I appreciate the support of you all.Several local fruit folks came to the room to chat. I'd like to have letters from you S.E. U.S. folks about the disruption the weather has caused, and how your coping. How do you prepare your trees for a storm? How long before they recover? My mango crop is doing well, and I'll write more about it later. One amazing thing I learned is the way they stopped the mother of all headaches I had. They took a drop of blood from my arm and injected it in my spine. They called it a blood patch. Isn't it amazing that anyone would think of such a procedure? But within a few hours my headache went away and did not return! I was at Kaiser hospital on Zion street and had excellent care. There was only one of several dozens of nurses who should have found a different career, as she was not anywhere close to being sympathetic and caring as ALL of the rest. The double vision has something to do with brain fluid being lower on one side than the other - I think he (Dr. Abdu) said, and he's optimistic that it will correct itself in a few weeks. I MAY have to go briefly to some kind of prism lens for eyeglasses, but he doesn't think so. It's great to be back. Sincerely, Leo -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber, India Shivprasad Mangale New Subscriber, Camarillio, CA Thomas Clock Collector of rare fruits heltonsaputa <><><> Readers Write <><><> Rambutan, pulasan and durian Bryan Brunner lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com Neem trees Michael Zarky Travel in Israel Yasmin Bar-Maor Davis Modesto tropical fruit Jeff Earl DeAguilars@aol.com Neem (Azadiracta indica) Dick Gross Neem tree Eunice Messner Fruit growing in Central California Eunice Messner DeAguilars@aol.com, leom@rarefruit.com Re: Rose apple seeds. marionbrodie3@webtv.net (Marion Brodie) lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com Re: Travel in Israel Leo Manuel Yasmin Bar-Maor Davis I don't like ants!! James Freedner Re: Rose apple seeds. marionbrodie3@webtv.net (Marion Brodie) lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com (luc vleeracker) Re: Rose apple seeds. luc vleeracker marionbrodie3@webtv.net Pepino Dulce " Temptation " William Butler Banana shovel "R Snow Sr." Leo Manuel Breadfruit tree SkyB5@aol.com <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Root-Knot Nematode Species Identified ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber, India Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 20:38:57 +0100 (BST) From: Shivprasad Mangale My Real Name is Shivprasad A. Mangale Address F6 Rohit Residency, Koynavasahat, Karad Satara , Maharashtra India Email mangaleshiva@yahoo.co.in Fruit Trees I am Growing No Specific Some I want to Grow - Passion fruit comments Till today I have not seen commercial Plantation of passion fruit. & not even Technical know how. Question to be answered Technical Know how ( Agronomical Practses, Peocessing, Market, Profitability per ha.etc So please send reliable information as early as possilbe. yours Shivprasad mangale mailto:mangaleshiva@yahoo.co.in ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber, Camarillio, CA Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 12:52:06 -0700 From: Thomas Clock Hi, I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. My name is Tom and I live Camarillo, CA I am now growing in addition to 4 varities of blueberries and 2 different blackberries I have a compact Stella Cherry, Goldmine Nectarine, Royal Apricot, Hass avocado, and a Pierce Cherimoya Some I want to grow are more varities of Cherimoya, maybe a Pawpaw (but I have to taste it first), and any other unusual fruit Comments: Questions to be answered by newsletter readers: It's very difficult to find information on what the best Cherimoya cultivars to grow in my area are. Does anyone have a favorite as far as taste and a low amount of seeds? Thomas Clock mailto:thomas_clock@hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Collector of rare fruits Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2004 20:27:34 -0300 From: heltonsaputa Dear Leo - Betty Manuel, researching the internet found yours it makes up, and it will be very good to share information because I am a collector of fruits of full hands. My name is Helton Josu and I live in the southeast area of the state of So Paulo in Brazil. I have a collection of more than 350 species of fruits, of the which can be seen at: http:heltonsaputa.vilabol.uol.com.br (written in Portuguese). My e-mail for exchange of information is heltonsaputa@bol.with.br Tenho produo e comercializo mudas e sementes raras aqui no Brasil. It would like to receive any information of rare fruits for e-mail. Thankful for the attention! Helton mailto:heltonsaputa@bol.com.br <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Rambutan, pulasan and durian Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 06:47:49 -0700 (PDT) From: Bryan Brunner To: lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com Hi Luc, I saw your letter in Leo's newsletter, and thought I could help answer some of your questions. About planting the rambutan and pulasan seedlings, I would recommend planting them as far apart as possible, to minimize competition between them. If you absolutely have to plant them together due to extreme lack of space, that would work too, but the more vigorous ones might outgrow the smaller, weaker ones (which may turn out to have the best fruit!). Rambutan and pulasan can be male, female or hermaphrodite. Hermaphrodites can fruit alone, but females need hermaphrodites or males for pollen. Once your trees flower, you can see which sex they are, and then can eliminate the males (unless you don't have hermaphrodites). To save space, you could graft hermaphrodite or male branches on female trees. About durian transplanting, it is preferable to plant one seed per bag or pot, so you don't have to transplant them at all. But, if you do have to transplant, don't plant them any lower than they were in the first container (don't cover up that thickened lower stem). Hope that helps, Bryan mailto:brbrunner@yahoo.com Puerto Rico http://www.montosogardens.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Neem trees Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 07:05:51 -0700 From: Michael Zarky Hi Leo, I tried neem ( I brought back seeds from India), but it is too cold here . Only got a few feet high; eventually the frost was too much. I know Exotica was selling them - I gave them some seeds. So you might ask them who might have bought plants and whether they had success. I imagine in the San Diego area they would survive. Thriving is another question. Hope you are doing well. Michael mailto:mzarky@earthlink.net Michael Zarky 10963 Citrus Drive Moorpark, CA USA 93021 ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Travel in Israel Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 16:16:24 +0200 From: Yasmin Bar-Maor Davis Hello Leo, All the best with the coming operation. You will be in our thoughts. I am currently in Israel visiting the family. Are you familiar with the Maya mango? It is a hit in the markets and the flavor and texture are amazing. Pitayas can be found in every supermarket, although somewhat expensive. Customers seem to be using them more and more. Anything you would like me to bring or inquire about while I am here? Take care and get well quickly, Yasmin mailto:ydavis@featherstoneconsulting.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Modesto tropical fruit Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 07:36:32 -0700 From: Jeff Earl To: DeAguilars@aol.com Hi Irene, I also live in Modesto and have knack for growing tropical fruit and palms in our marginal climate. Some of what I am growing and fruiting without winter protection include, several different types of Bananas, Tropical guavas, Lychee, Longan, Macadamia, Mango, Cherimoya ( all loaded with fruit right now ) Avocado, Sapodilla, Roseapple ( just finished fruiting ) If you are ever in my neighborhood, drop by and I'll give you tour of my garden. Jeff Earl mailto:Jeffearl@sbcglobal.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Neem (Azadiracta indica) Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 10:43:01 -0700 From: Dick Gross I have a neem tree snuggled between a China White guava, Chandler pommelo, a Fiejoa, a Goldfinger banana and a cherimoya.all receiving the same kind and amount of care in the middle of "subtropical" Phoenix, Arizona surviving two mild frosts. I would think this tree would grow in any mild climate in most soils. The Neen seedling grew to 8 feet in two years and died with a 4" trunk. I broke the dead stump off at the ground level and made letter openers from the wood. But, behold, multiple suckers sprung up last summer, are now above the roof and healthy. This tree came from a seed from the Glendale, Az library that had not a single bloom this year (the prior year the ground was covered with seed) nor has my own tree ever bloomed. The seed are viable for only a few days. Talking recently to a computer tech in Delhi, I told him about my tree. Greatly astonished, he said, "Sir, I hope you know how lucky you are. Everyone in India has a neem tree." I plan to try air layering, rooting and mound layering. Do any of you have experience with either technique with neem? Some years ago, I bought several bare root neem trees from Florida but sold them to a cult that claimed they chewed the leaves for nuance. I have never tried that, hick!, and don't recommend you do either although I have no idea of their toxicity. Leo, our well wishes and prayers are with you on your medical procedure. Dick Gross, Secretary/Editor mailto:rkgross3@cox.net Arizona Rare Fruit Growers ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Neem tree Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 12:27:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Eunice Messner Leo, I planted a Neem tree from seed maybe 8 years ago. It has been flowering but not setting nuts for 4 years. I read that it takes 10 to 15 years before it bears. In the meantime one can use the leaves to repel insects in the home. Probably an infusion of the leaves would also have some insecticidal effect. Dick Gross showed me a Neem tree growing in Arizona. I have a lot of informatiion accumulated about the tree and will maybe write an article on it someday. If you have access to fresh seeds, here is how to plant them: Cut shallow slit from end to end in the hull and soak for 24 hours. Plant 1/2" deep in a mineral enriched potting soil and keep warm. After germination water twice daily. Tranfer to a tall pot with good drainage when about 4" high. The tap root is twice the length of the tree height. The tree is not frost tolerant when young. Eunice Messner r mailto:eunicemessner@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Fruit growing in Central California Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 12:33:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Eunice Messner To: DeAguilars@aol.com, leom@rarefruit.com Irene, I see you live in Modesto. The California Rare Fruit Growers have a Specialist there for Hardier Subtropicals. You may have heard him on local radio. He is Jeff Earl and his email is jearl@sbcglobal.net He loves to share info. Eunice Messner mailto:eunicemessner@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Rose apple seeds. Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 15:08:36 -0700 From: marionbrodie3@webtv.net (Marion Brodie) To: lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com Dear Luc, This question has nothing to do with Durion sprouting... but I have the same effects with the Rose apple seeds I planted...ie thick greenish black stems rising from the soil mix with the seeds half buried in the planting mix but no growth showing [ leaves sprouting] ?? is this usual or not ? I was intrigued reading your mail about the Durion [ which I am unfamiliar with] This is the first time for planting these seeds. If you do not have any info, can any one else answer please. Thanks, Marion mailto:marionbrodie3@webtv.net blessings ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Rare Fruit News Online - August 15, 2004 - 4 Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 15:27:57 -0700 From: Leo Manuel To: Yasmin Bar-Maor Davis Hi Yasmin No, I'm not familiar with the Maya mango. Tell me about it, and what makes it stand out from others. Maybe it is around here but that I haven't known of it. Have a good visit. Be safe! Leo ------------------------------------------------ Subject: I don't like ants!! Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 23:14:26 -0700 From: James Freedner Good evening, Leo! ANTS (and APHIDS) have discovered my pitaya buds!! Found 2 buds, almost ready to open, but just covered with the bugs. While I have noticed a few ants around the flowers before, that's mostly been in the mornings when the flowers were on their way out. Gave the infested bugs a squirt of malathion which made short work of the pests but any fruit developing from those flowers, I suppose, should not be eaten. We have a nice flower out tonight, near the cars. For some reason, the ants had not discovered that part of the cactus vine. So out came the paintbrush and we shall see what happens. At least it smells nice. Many more buds on the way on this same plant. I don't like ants!! Also have a Great Mullein growing in our back yard. Definitely from up north originally as they aren't native to Los Angeles at all. However, not a "rare fruit" so I guess it is a bit far from your website topic. Take care, J. Eric Freedner mailto:Freedner@msn.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Rose apple seeds. Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 09:17:12 -0700 From: marionbrodie3@webtv.net (Marion Brodie) To: lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com (luc vleeracker) Dear Luc, Thanks so much for your reply, I had to smile..seems I will have some lovely fruit to perfume our bedroom tho! [ I think it sounds intriquing] I know there is such a variety of fruit that you must be able to grow where you are. I did look up 'Durion' which you mentioned, and that is very unusual, especially the odor from it, but apparantly a delectable fruit. I would be very interested to find out about yours, and how yours grow from seed. [ has anyone answered your question about repotting the seeds ?] We live in San Diego county [inland], so much warmercolder than San Diego. [ we can get a hard frost in the winter sometimes]. The Maly apple [ s.Malaccense] sounds very interesting too so will look out for those seeds too. Thanks Luc, please keep us posted about the Durian. Marion mailto:marionbrodie3@webtv.net blessings ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Rose apple seeds. Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 10:51:06 -0500 From: luc vleeracker To: marionbrodie3@webtv.net Hi Marion, If your rose apple is SYZYGIUM JAMBOS dont worry leaves will come out later, it's easy to grow we have a lot of wild trees here and they are huge , nobody eats the fruit , i only use it to perfume the bedroom ( i put a branch with fruits on the nightstand ) Actually i cut my tree down it was taking to much space and shading other trees , the flowers are beautifull though and the smell when in fruit is wonderfull. If you are in the right climate and lots of space is availlable plant it for shade purpose , forget the fruit!!!!!! Anything else I can do for you just ask ok ! Luc mailto:lucvleeracker241@hotmail.com Ps: If you are interested in the Syzygium family I'd rather plant the Malay apple (S. Malaccense) Luc Vleeracker Gardenias 241 Fracc. Amapas Puerto Vallarta, Jal. Mexico 322-22-32791Work ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pepino Dulce " Temptation " Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 10:22:46 -0700 (PDT) From: William Butler Hi Leo I have a question to you and the rest of the group about my pepino dulce variety " Temptation " It has been in the ground now since the end of april, Grown profusely and flowering very heavily but I cant find any fruit on it at all. My question to you and the group is: Do I need another variety as a pollinater? Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get it to set fruit? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. William mailto:butlerfamly5@sbcglobal.net Visalia Ca ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Banana shovel Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:36:33 -0700 From: "R Snow Sr." To: Leo Manuel Leo Do you have or know of a source for "banana Shovels?" Keep us posted on your surgery plans. Dick mailto:rhsnowsr@cox.net ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Breadfruit tree Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 20:47:32 -0400 (EDT) From: SkyB5@aol.com Dear leo, i've got this incredible neighbor, richard wilson, who owns excalibur nursery. he's got all kinds of tropical rare fruits including breadfruit trees, jacfruits, and you name it, he has it. thought i'd let you know about him. i did write jorge roselle who is interested in acquiring a breadfruit tree about richard and gave his phone number too. he takes frequent trips overseas. he's telling me about his new find which is a jacfruit that is reddish in color and also has practically no latex and no rags. i've seen pictures of them and they look like prepared jacfruits in a bowl all lined up except this is the fruit itself. very interesting. those who live in the southeast coast of florida would find his nursery interesting, almost like taking a trip to wonderland. and he's quite an authority on rarefruits too. hope your back gets better whichever way you treat it. have you tried acupuncture? regards, Lily mailto:skyb5@aol.com <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Root-Knot Nematode Species Identified Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2004 08:20:09 -0400 From: ARS News Service A root-knot nematode species, previously unnamed and assumed to be "race 3" of Meloidogyne incognita, has now been classified as its own species, M. floridensis. The discovery is based on studies by an international team including scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Md., and Byron, Ga., Laboratoire de Biologie des Invertbrs in France, and Plant Research International in the Netherlands. The newly named nematode was isolated from nematode-resistant Nemaguard and Okinawa peach rootstocks in Gainesville, Fla. This explains why nematodes were infesting and reproducing in these root knot nematode resistant rootstocks. ARS plant pathologist Andrew Nyczepir, of the Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Ga., found the pest's penchant for nematode-resistant rootstock uncharacteristic and formed the group to conduct various studies. Morphological, cytological, molecular and host-range studies conclusively determined the taxonomic position of the nematode. Through the use of a scanning electron microscope, the team, led by ARS microbiologist Zafar Handoo of the Nematology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., showed important physical differences between M. floridensis and M. incognita. Nyczepir used host-range testing to determine that M. floridensis didn't exhibit the same host affinities as M. incognita. For instance, M. floridensis reproduced abundantly on Nemaguard and Guardian peach rootstocks, whereby M. incognita does not. Alternately, M. floridensis doesn't reproduce in peppers as M. incognita does. Molecular studies confirm the uniqueness of M. floridensis from M. incognita and other root-knot nematodes. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200409A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Rare Fruit News Online - October 1, 2004 - AKA RFN200410A.txt _____________________________________________________________ <><><><> Notes In Passing - Leo <><><><> I was at home for about 5 days before being re-admitted to the hospital, and have no recollection of the problems that developed. I was re-admitted with 3 quarts of fluid on collapsed lung, totally incoherent, and with numerous other problems. I was in the hospital this second time for about five weeks, had very poor appetite and lost at least 30 pounds. Eating is easier for me now, but it is still hard to maintain any enthusiasm about it. I am physically very weak but mending and have a favor to ask of you: I don't have time to provide many answers to questions that are being raised in the newsletter. Will you please make a special effort to help answer questions that are raised. Not only is time short, but my attention is short and it takes much longer than it would if I felt better. I'll get over it, but not as quickly as I would have expected. Also, if you have written to me and your letter didn't appear, it is quite possible that it got lost. There were almost 3000 emails - most of which were junk - but it is hard to separate good mail from spam when you have the clarity deficit that I am experiencing. So, please write again. Also make the subject of mail attention-grabbing, so that I see it. Thanks for your patience. This too will pass - or so I've been told. Take care, Leo -> -> -> Messages follow the Table Of Contents <- <- <- <><><> New Subscribers <><><> New Subscriber - Big Island - Hawaii "H. McDaniel" New Subscriber - Fayetteville, Ark With PawPaw Question Michelle Burnett Rare Fruit News Online-in Florida Bill Burson New Subscriber - Tyler, Texas Florrie Wallace <><><> Readers Write <><><> Delicious Treats Using Our Exotic Fruits Lon Rombough BKearns644@aol.com Question about Pitahaya William Chow Where In Canada Can I Try Dragon Fruit? Sarah Baehl de Lescure Grafting Capulin cherry onto regular cherry - Possible? William Butler Dragon fruit Market In So. CA - Exist? Robert Raspberries In Florida Chris Kopp Rarefruit Newsletter Richard Sar Pitahaya Questions Kuniko Iwamoto Haga <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><> Announcements and / or Web Sites To Consider <><><> http://www.crfgsandiego.org For *San Diego Chapter* CRFG Information http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about ALL CRFG chapters. <><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><> None, this time <><><> NAFEX List <><><> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex Archives at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex None, this time <><><> From "rarefruit list" - rarefruit@yahoogroups.com <><><> None, this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars>news@arsgrin.gov <> http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm Making Lychee and Longan Harvests Predictable ARS News Service <><><><><><><><> New Subscribers <><><><><><><><><> Subject: New Subscriber - Big Island - Hawaii Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 18:38:28 -1000 From: "H. McDaniel" My name is H. W. McDaniel. I am a retired research tech formerly in USDA I am presently living on the southern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii. I am presently growing coconuts, mangos, litchii, passionfruit, pitaya, Moringa, Avocados, limes, lemons, oranges, tangerines, and cardomom. Coming up are kava, ginger, and rose apple. I purchased a house from a Filipino family that planted specimens from their homeland. That is where the Moringa and a tree called Alakon came from. The Alakon is sometimes called Birch Flower. In addition, there is a small tree putting on fruit now they call "Teesa", "Tisa" or "Tessa". It has a small spindle-shaped fruit they assure me will grow to 6" long, 3" in diameter and will turn yellow. I have no idea and cannot find anything about it after diligent inquiries. I am willing to send budwood of the following: Lane orange' Reed orange' Tahitian lime Honey Tangerine Mango "Haden" and seeds of Royal Poinciana, Dwf Poinciana (yellow or red) or others. Just ask, if anyone is desiring of same. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber - Fayetteville, Ark With PawPaw Question Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 13:19:54 -0500 From: Michelle Burnett Hello, My name is John Burnett, and I live in Fayetteville Arkansas. I am 27 years old and have been married now for one and a half years now. I have been in Northwest Arkansas for 4 years now and God willing would like to live out the rest of my life here. The Ozark Mountains are amaizing, and I live within an hour of countless outdoor activities. Anyway my wife Michelle thinks that I am crazy because I would like to build a green house with the sole purpose of growing tropical / exotic fruits. But she is still very supportive of the Idea. We both love fruit I would like to grow papaya, mango, sour sop, sweet sop among others, although I am not sure on the feasibility due to the size of some of the fruit bearing trees. My question for the readers is: Yesterday someone brought a fruit in to me that I had never seen before, he called it an Arkansas banana, or a paw paw? apparently, this fruit is native to the ozarks, and is green on the outside, and bright yellow on the inside, with large black/ drk brown seeds. The fruit is delicious, and would be closest taste is to the jack fruit. Does anyone have any idea on a more common name for this fruit, or have even heard of it. John mailto:jmburne@cox-internet.com ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Rare Fruit News Online-in Florida Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 23:27:49 -0500 From: Bill Burson Leo, Tracy & I have officially landed in Pace, FL (just outside of Pensacola). After so many years in Poway, CA the change will be refreshing. Ivan welcomed us but we have survived. What grows around here? We have several Oak & Pine trees that have recently departed due to Ivan. The only fruit trees I have seen outside of a nursery are Loquats. Please add us back to your distribution @ powaybill@mchsi.com Thanks Leo & be sure to tell Jim & everyone else (in San Diego) hello ------------------------------------------------ Subject: New Subscriber - Tyler, Texas Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 10:49:11 -0500 From: Florrie Wallace I am Florrie Wallace, in Tyler, Texas I am a Research Associate with Kincannon & Reed, an executive search firm specializing in the food, agribusiness and life sciences sectors. I do quite a bit of work in the produce arena and have done several searches concerning specialty produce. I'm subscribing to better educate myself on specialty produce. Thanks for providing this service! Florrie Wallace Research Associate Kincannon & Reed <><><><><><><><><> Readers Write<><><><><><><><><><> Subject: Delicious Treats Using Our Exotic Fruits Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 22:44:50 -0700 From: Lon Rombough To: BKearns644@aol.com Delicious Treats Using Our Exotic Fruits. 273 pages, $20 plus $3.95 shipping. Published by the Manatee Rare Fruit Council Available ONLY by sending a check or money order for $23.95 made payable to "MRFC" and mail it to: Ms. Betty Kearns MRFC 6505 28th Avenue E. Palmetto, FL 34221 If you ever needed ways to use fruit, this very ambitious collection from the Florida group, the Manatee Rare Fruit Council, is an excellent place to start. Granted, most of the fruits and nuts covered in this book are tropical or subtropical, but by no means does that limit its usefulness to people in other climates. First, there are a fair number of fruits covered, that, while they grow in Florida, will be found in much of the rest of the country. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and persimmons, for example. Second, a good number of the fruits and nuts in the book are commonly sold in grocery stores in the rest of the country. Coconuts, macadamia nuts, guavas, citrus fruit of many sorts, pomegranates, etc. There ARE some tropical fruits in the book youll never be able to try unless you live right where they grow or have a really outstanding greenhouse, e.g. Jabotica, Jackfruit, Mamey Sapote, and more. You will see some similarities among a number of the recipes making it apparent that in some cases, like ice cream, the recipes were mostly a matter of substituting a different fruit, with adjustments in other ingredients to make up for variations in sweetness, acidity, etc. of the fruits. And there are recipes that are fairly obvious substitutions, where tropical fruits replace temperate fruits in older recipes. Nothing wrong with that, by any means, since the fruit is still the star of the show. Its the exotic flavor of the fruit that makes the recipe, rather than the recipe making the fruit. And there are some special gems in the mix. A recipe for lychee salsa made me almost willing to live down in hurricane country in southern Florida just so I could get to try this recipe. Delicious Treats Using Our Exotic Fruits is definitely a no-frills book in many ways. Even the descriptions of the various fruits assumes youve already grown or been exposed to them, as youd have a hard time recognizing them from the few lines included in each section. But for sheer number of recipes, you are not shortchanged at all. And though many of the recipes are rather basic, that also means you can easily figure out how to substitute other fruits and still make many of them work. In short, if you need more ideas on how to use all the fruits you raise, this book is a solid addition to the cooks reference library. Lots of recipes to use and lots to adapt to other fruits, depending on what you are able to grow. ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Question about Pitahaya Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 15:40:54 -0700 From: William Chow Hi Leo, It seems that the Hylocereus can have both the white flesh and magenta flesh. I believe the white flesh is most likely Hylocereus undatus. I heard the magenta flesh is Hylocereus polyrhizus. In Paul Thomson's book he listed 26 species. There must be many other with magenta flesh? Another question I have is the story in LA Times on 9/18/2002. David Karp mistaken a different cactus fruit, which is completely smooth on the outside for a smooth skinned pitahaya. I remember you said the fruit is smaller and not as tasty as the dragon fruit. What is that cactus called ? I remember I saw a caactus like that. It is columnar, erect and need no support. The trunk itself has very few spines. The flowers look a lot like the pitahaya flower. Can you tell me that name once again? Thanks ! William ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Where In Canada Can I Try Dragon Fruit? Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 22:58:44 -0600 From: Sarah Baehl de Lescure Hello my name is Sarah Baehl de Lescure. I recently was watching a show with my children on trying new foods and the dragon fruit was shown. I would like to have my family try a sample however I am not sure where I should start looking ?! We live in Calgary Alberta Canada. If you have any suggestions please feel free to write back mailto:sbaehl@shaw.ca I would also like to know if this fruit needs to be prepared in any special way. Thank you for your time and your website on the fruit. Sincerely Sarah Baehl de Lescure [Imagine the ways you can eat watermelon. Dragon Fruit can be eaten in the same ways, pretty much. -Leo] ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Grafting Capulin cherry onto regular cherry - Possible? Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2004 21:49:19 -0700 (PDT) From: William Butler Hi Group I have been wondering for awhile if Capulin and regular cherries are compatable. I have a "Stella" and a " Harriet" capulin and was thinking of trying this. Was just wondering if anyone has tried it and could comment on it. I am planning on grafting my capulin to a 4 variety tree this winter anyway. William Visalia Ca ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Dragon fruit Market In So. CA - Exist? Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 13:29:52 -0700 From: Robert First of all, is there a market here in So. Calif. for the Dragon Fruit? Second, how long does it take to produce a piece of fruit after starting with a stem cutting? And thirdly, please explain the need or necessity for cross pollination and if so, what with? Thanks, Bob ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Raspberries In Florida Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:38:33 -0400 From: Chris Kopp Mysore Raspberry(Black Raspberry) Rubus neveus The Mysore raspberry is from India. If it is provided with some irrigation and mulched, this raspberry grows vigorously and produces fall through spring. Some shade is beneficial. Flavor is variable and is sweet only part of the year. External link: NewCrop website. I live in Fort Lauderdale and would like to grow raspberries. Will the above variety survive the heat in South Florida? ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Rarefruit Newsletter Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 23:27:51 -0700 From: Richard Sar Hi Leo, I hope you been doing well. I am sending you this email because I haven't received any of the newsletter for a while now, maybe two months. I also just realized that you had changed your email address. I hope you could send the newsletter to my other email address at richardsar01@yahoo.com Thanks you, Richard ------------------------------------------------ Subject: Pitahaya Questions Date: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 09:26:18 -0300 From: Kuniko Iwamoto Haga Hi! I need the information about Pitahaya, dragon fruit, and about Selenicereus polirizus. (Do you mean Selenicereus megalanthus?) Thank you by attention Kuniko Iwamoto Haga <><> Mailbag of Sainarong Rasananda mailto:sainaron@loxinfo.co.th <><> None, this time <><><><><> Growing Rare Fruit In Containers <><><><><> None, this time <><><><> Announcements And Web Pages To Consider <><><><> San Diego Chapter California Rare Fruit Growers Meeting: Where: Casa del Prado Building Room 101, Balboa Park When: Fourth Thursday Of Each Month (Except December) See: http://www.crfgsandiego.org http://www.crfg.org/chapters.html For information about all CRFG chapters. <><><><><><><><> Zingiber List (Bananas, Gingers) <><><><><><><><> None this time <><><> NAFEX List From: nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org <><><> None this time <><> [rarefruit] List - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rarefruit <><> None this time <> Agricultural Research Service (ARS) mailto:ars http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm. Subject: Making Lychee and Longan Harvests Predictable Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:57:56 -0400 From: ARS News Service Beneath the thin, crisp peel of an exotic tropical lychee, sweet, delicious fruit is ready to eat. To growers in Hawaii, however, lychee and its smaller cousin, longan, present a problem. Harvests are unpredictable, yielding too much fruit one year and too little the next. Studies led by Agricultural Research Service horticulturist Tracie Matsumoto at the agency's U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, on Hawaii Island, may resolve the problem. That would be a boon not only for Hawaii's growers, but also for shoppers in Hawaii and elsewhere who simply can't get enough of these delectable fruits. Matsumoto's research is a fusion of old and new. Research elsewhere has shown that a compound in Chinese firecrackers, which have been used for hundreds of years at religious ceremonies or other special events, triggers longan trees to flower and bear fruit. That happens--even out of season--to trees growing where these events take place, such as at a temple. In Matsumoto's research, the firecracker finding fits neatly with new discoveries from plant geneticists. Those scientists, who are investigating the genetic makeup of thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana--the "lab rat" of contemporary plant genetic research--have discovered that a gene called FLC can block flowering, but is typically suppressed by other genes. Matsumoto wants to see if lychee or longan have an anti-flowering gene, or genes, similar to FLC. If they do, she'll next determine if the culprit genes can be squelched by applying a less-explosive version of the firecracker compound. Matsumoto estimates that the first phase of the research--in which she'll determine if lychee or longan has an FLC-like anti-flowering gene--could be completed in about three to four years. <><><><><><><><><> End of RFN200410A.txt <><><><><><><><><><> Interested in reading past issues of RFNO? Those published in previous years can be accessed at the homepage for Rare Fruit News Online http://www.rarefruit.com or at a mirror site, http://www.geocities.com/leo92129/ RFNO in 2003: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN2003AllYr.txt RFNO in 2002: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN2002AllYr.txt RFNO in 2001: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN2001AllYr.txt RFNO in 2000: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN2000AllYr.txt RFNO in 1999: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN1999AllYr.txt RFNO in 1998: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN1998AllYr.txt RFNO in 1997: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN1997AllYr.txt RFNO in 1996: http://www.rarefruit.com/RFN1996AllYr.txt The newsletter for the current year will be updated after each publication. At least, that's my hope. If you respond to questions in the newsletter, why not send a CC to me to include in the next issue? Often other readers have the same question, and would appreciate your information. -- =============================================================== Leo Manuel http://www.rarefruit.com mailto:rarefruit@san.rr.com Home Of Free Email Newsletter: Rare Fruit News Online Pitaya Fruit:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PitayaFruit/ ===============================================================