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Originally Posted by tanfenton
It's amazing to me that this thread has only six pages of responses in the years that it has existed.
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Wow..thank you! Very flattered by your nice comments! Dozens of Banana.org members have visited the garden (as many as 5 at a time) and taken thousands of corms. I have made many awesome friends in person and on-line thanks to the Board.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tanfenton
Your citrus collection is more idiosyncratic than most. How did you decide on what citrus to include? To exclude?
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Thanks, I have lost more citrus than I am currently growing. I have always loved citrus, 20 years ago I had a good friend that owned a citrus nursery. Buying grafted plants for $3 each is a bargain. I wanted fruit that was unavailable for purchase in stores and Key Limes are awesome! I first saw Pommelos at another friend’s local nursery. 20 years ago I was pretty active in the Tampa RFCI (Rare Fruit Council) chapter.
Citrus....
Tampa, Florida January 6, 2007
Left to Right:
Arkin Carambola (star fruit), Sri Kembangan Carambola (star fruit), Lula Avocado, Nippon Orangequat, Variegated Pink Eureka Lemon, Valencia Orange, Honey Murcott Tangor/Tangerine, Duncan Grapefruit, Lee Pumelo and on top Variegated Calamondin
Citrus Thread:
Growing Citrus
Quote:
Originally Posted by tanfenton
How many of your seedling avocados have remained in situ through to first-fruiting? Or have more of them spent their first years in containers?
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They key was to spend zero time in containers as this restricts the root growth/development significantly. Ten or so years ago I was on a Mango eating expedition with the Tampa RFCI and we visited a Merritt Island Mango grove, picked and ate different mangos to our heart’s content! The grove owner, whose name is escaping my memory right now, eschewed grafted plants that had circuitous root balls. I did not plan which avocado seedlings would grow, I just shoved avocado seeds throughout the yard, fast forward a few years and thriving trees. It is amazing how much faster seedlings grow than grafted pants. We have seedling canistels , avocados and a mango (all grow at triple the rate of grafted plants I have purchased at nurseries).
I am notorious for biting off “way” more than I can chew. I was at an abandoned trailer park (destined for demolition to make way for a planned development) collecting (2,500) old style Augusta and other bricks at 9 ˝ pounds each I collected over 2,500 pounds (severely going over my truck’s cargo capacity) nightly for a week until 11 p.m. When I came across a seedling avocado…..my mind thought “wow…a big mature avocado”. Easy enough I dug the avocado tree out of the ground…getting the tree in to the truck..another issue. At over 400 pounds..even the crazy fitness beast that I was at the time (2006) I could not leverage that tree in to the truck. I gave up and called a friend and went back with my wife and friend and we got the tree in the truck. This is the avocado tree in the videos referred to as the “Trailer Park” avocado. It has massive so so tasting fruit with very smooth green skin. It was over 7 years in our yard before it started fruiting. The tree had been “banded” by it former owner to induce fruiting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tanfenton
Have you fruited your Inga?
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No, it froze completely to the ground in 2011. I gave it up for dead when a tiny sprig popped out of the dead stump.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tanfenton
I'd be interested to know if you've taken a core sample to examine your development of humus over time. I'd love to see a picture of that! (Do you chip the trimmings from your own trees? What does that amount to annually?)
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No, we have never take a core sample…most of the garden (50’ by 110’) looked like this in December of 2005:
Same section of the Garden August 2008:
We do not chip our own trees.
In good years we add over 15 tons of leaves, horse manure and wood chippings, following is post that goes in to more detail:
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Rmplmnz Garden Tour