MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

The Manatee Rare Fruit Council's annual tree sale is Sunday, May 20th at the Bradenton Area Convention Center. We will be there with lots of banana plants and grafted fruit trees and Don from Going Bananas is usually there too. There are over 20 vendors and typically around 5000 plants.

If you come, stop by and say hello. We would love to meet other banana growers. Our booth is in the back, inside left corner (Sulcata Grove)

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Wow, I wish such a show existed here in SoCal that had this many varieties of tropical and subtropical plants. Most of the stuff available around here is common citrus and stone fruit. If anyone makes it to this show can you please comment here as to what varieties of lychee were available? I'm jealous.

Bill

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

It’s such a great event. A couple of vendors being super rare and multi grafted trees (and multi rootstock trees too). I’ll try to see what lychees are available. We had lychee mite imported to FL, so many vendors are currently not allowed to sell their lychee trees until they are reinspected.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

I have always wanted to go also! I have heard first hand how amazing the sale is. Go if you can!!

That’s sad about the mites!

We are in such an amazing area to grow! South FL better than me! People buying and importing from tropical parts of the world is putting our “no disease advantage” at risk!

Don’t ship from outside the cont. US! Keep our sub-tropics clean! It’s our only advantage! We have winter! We need our advantage! Even if winter kills the plant! The disease stays! Even buying in the 48 states, make sure to inspect the corm and leaves upon arrival!

Even if being offered FREE plants!!

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

BBTV scares me - I believe we have the vector here in Florida. Do you know if agristarts tests material for viruses before tissue culturing bananas?

The state wasn’t aware of everyone who had purchased lychees from the wholesale nursery who had the mite on their plants. We inspected ourselves and put our own stopsale on our trees, bought back lychees we had sold, and burned them. My guess is there are many trees still around. We were told the mite came from a grower who imported material illegally from Asia (not from the wholesale nursery).
Here is the alert if anyone in FL wants to check their trees. We haven’t seen any evidence of the mites on our mature trees. There will be inspectors at the sale checking all plants vendors bring for pests/disease of concern.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Kudos to Geosulcata!......Not everyone will do that!......That will tell you what kind of person you are dealing!......Awesome job Celeste!.....



:2723::bananarow::2723:

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Is there a vendor list anywhere?

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

I have asked the tree sale committee for a list, but I don’t think they are planning to release one. I know we will be there (Sulcata Grove) and Starry Nursery, and Wayne Clifton. These vendors have been there is the past and would expect them to be there this year as well - Going Bananas, Flying Fox Farms, Top Tropicals, Hopkins. There is also a citrus vendor who has brought Finger Limes in years past (they have grown really well for us and no symptoms of citrus greening so far). There are many other vendors including an herb vendor. Most vendors have fruit trees. Typically 3-4 have bananas.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Thanks, I found your site easy enough by googling the name you mentioned in the OP. I'll check those other names too. :2738:

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

what I want to know is...………………………………………...what time is breakfast served. dixie lilly grits? I know that is what everybody is standing in line for. cant be just plants. I will bring an appetite. got the belly to prove it.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

just got back. can you believe it; thar warnt no breakfast. everybody was actually there to buy plants.

I bought two bananas. the prices were good but the shipping was astronomical. 40 dollars in gas. but it was a lot of fun.

it rained most of the way down, mostly on 75 but the traffic was good. made it to the doors 4 minutes before the doors opened. everybody pretty much made it in there right away, but inside it was black Friday. it was fun. they had enough blue java in there to plant my yard, which is big. goldfinger sweetheart, on and on. people were selling bananas 8 ft. tall but I cant remember what they were, saw them first...

the wife loved it. saw some things she wanted to buy but nobody could tell us how cold hardy they were. dragon fruit, which I thought would be ok and a garlic vine. beautiful.

I bought 2 bananas. raja puri from geosulcata [I thought celeste would be older]. and a viente cohol from going bananas. both were 16 inches in p-stem heighth, there were bigger but diidnt think I would get them in the car. seat belted them in the back seat like a couple of little kids.

oh yes and there were little kids in black t-shirts pushing and pulling carts. we got a little girl, might of been 7 had a shopping cart we used, cute as a button. followed us around with it. they don't charge nothing but it is mandatory. gave her a tip and a hard time. not mean. just tried to make her day.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Great meeting you today! I'm older than I look :)
The sale really puts into perspective just how many people grow fruit in FL - and how passionate people are about fruit growing!

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

You should view the shipping as Free and the $40 as entertainment fee to keep the wife happy. You got out cheap dude. ... The Dragon Fruit, I think will grow in out area, 9a & 8b. I want one too.

... :nanadrink:

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

I got a nice Blue Jave from Celeste a week before the sale, I guess around 4foot tall. I was surprised I got it to fit in my car upright but it worked well. Celeste and her husband were very nice and friendly and have the passion for growing plants.

I went to the plant sale later than expected and there were still banana plants at her booth as well as Going Bananas. I got a smaller blue java from Celeste and walked around and checked out going bananas and he sold alot of bananas by then which was probably 12:30 out 1pm at that time. He had alot of the same varieties I already had. I was looking for plantains and he said they were all sold out. I did see a African rhino horn which I thought was a plantain but he was busy with a customer so I didn't want to bother him and it was larger than would fit in my car anyways so I passed on it. I went back to Celeste's booth and bought a Hua Moi as it was one I don't have. Overall a very good time.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

African rhino horn is a plantain, you could have topped it to get it in your car, they come back really fast. very serious pupper from what I have read. glad to see you got your blue java. there were some other plantain varieties but I cannot remember what.

here is what I got rajapuri on the left, viente cohol on the right. with pup

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Pretty stout RP you got there Beam. Nice thick pstem.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

yes, thank you. looks like she is going to be a hoss.

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

I (we) went down looking to get a passion fruit and a finger lime.

We left with a finger lime, a Florida Pineapple, a variegated pink lemon, a dwarf hawaiian starfruit, and (from geosulcata) a purple plum passion fruit!

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Did anyone notice what types of lychee were available? I'm just curious what varieties you guys have easy access to.

Bill

Re: MRFC Rare Fruit Tree Sale
 

Lychee trees were a bit more scarce due to the lychee mite which someone imported on plant material from Asia into FL.
We grow Sweetheart, Hak’ip, No Mai Tsze, Ohia, Brewster, and Mauritius. Emperor is also pretty common here. Here is what is sold at a nursery in south FL https://www.tropicalfruitnursery.com...ee-reference-3