harveyc

Oh, and Ramiro did bring 4 or 5 cuttings of different varieties from Nicaragua himself, but they were seized as he had import permits but not an import permit for endangered species as required by CITES. The authorities are required to turn them over to some public collection so that they are not destroyed. Although Irvine was the obvious best choice, they wouldn't do that since they'd be handing them right back to Ramiro. I know some other cuttings have been turned over to Huntington (unless I've got my botanical gardens mixed up) so maybe he eventually got them from there as well. Quang is a CDFA (or USDA) inspector and gets word of where some of these get sent to.

Mitchel, you sure don't want to grow kei apple if you're concerned with thorns! There are a pair plants growing in the front yard at Papaya Tree nursery that you might want to check out some time. That's where Bryan and I got some.

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Richard

Although I agree with what you are saying, the H. guatemalensis is cultivated in Nicaragua where the cuttings were obtained. The H. guatemalensis at the test plot and the plants I've propagated from it are definitely not very thorny.

On the otherhand, the H. ocamponis which I searched for, obtained, and gave Leo his first cutting is definitely a thorny plant. From that cutting, I see that many CRFG members in L.A. county now grow and sell it.

I'm only growing H. undatus for sentimental reasons. I will stop selling it this year and may stop Physical Graffiti as well. The anticipation around here are for fruits of "Guatemalan pitahaya" and "Pitahaya roja" (Cornucopia II, p.64). I have hundreds of varieties of fruiting plants and only room for a few specimens of each.

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Richard

Yes, but it was a different individual (I'll have a look in my contacts) who brought these and other plants back prior to the start of Ramiro's project.

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harveyc

One reason I suggest 8-S and Houghton are because they have a longer fruiting season than others and are self-fertile. I believe having a few different ones is good to have a variety (sure don't need 34), but these are nice individual varieties.

I wish I had met Paul in person. I would have probably taken the initiative if I had made my first trip down to Nicaragua a few years earlier.

What has amazed me on my trips there is that very few people have gardens. I saw a single pitaya plant in the garden of a the retreat house where we've stayed and also solitary plants at two private residences, but most people don't seem to be interested in gardening. I wish I could grow them so easy as they can but also wish they took advantage of their opportunities.

I met the guy that started up Pitaya Plus at last year's festival and hope to visit the plant in Nicaragua some day. Here is a nice video of their work: Pitaya Plus: A Superfruit on a Social Mission on Vimeo

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momoese

Nice work on those videos!

harveyc

Anybody here have flowers on their pitaya yet? A friend from San Luis Obispo had his first flower of the year last night.

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caliboy1994

How do they handle the cold in zone 9b, Harvey?

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harveyc

I had 24 varieties unprotected outside. About 6 did well, 6 died, and the rest had moderate damage. This was a colder than normalwinter, getting down to 22F one night and having 35 mornings with frost. I'm probably going to be building a cold frame to protect my plants.

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oakshadows

Can seeds be shipped out of California to Florida. We are interested in these,
8-S and Houghton. If not do you know where they might be available?
Thanks

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sunfish

No problems shipping seed

oakshadows

Do you know where we can obtain any of those two varieties? Thanks

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Yug

Ever see a dragon climb a tree?

I always wondered how these would grow if left alone. Now I know.



This one is about 8 ft up, and still climbing.

harveyc

Write Linda at Dragonfruit for 8-S (also called S-8 much of the time, but it's listed as 8-S in Paul Thomson's book and he's the one that bred it). Houghton is less common and very similar to 8-S and was one of it's parents when bred. The best dragon fruit I've tasted has been Houghton but S-8 are also very good and differences might be mostly due to growing conditions.

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GoAngels

I picked up a Haley's Comet dragon fruit from Home Depot last week. There were quite a few. This is the first time I'd ever seen a named DF cultivar at any retail location and, the best part, it was under $7. Now, I just have to hope that it actually is Haley's Comet...these were very prominently labeled with large hang tags.

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Richard

The pods can be shipped out of California to Florida. Make sure there is zero soil.

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harveyc

Richard, is a snail certificate required? That's how I understand it.

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Richard

Not for rootless, soilless Cacti cuttings.

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caliboy1994

Just recieved a bunch of DF cuttings from Richard (Thank you!) Does anyone know if they would do well if planted in a compost-perlite mix? How long would I be able to safely wait before planting them? If I put them in the ground, how much spacing is needed?

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harveyc

Your mix is fine. Don't plant them more than a couple of inches and support them with a stake. Don't plant them in a pot larger than 1 gallon, 4" pot is even better (that's what Ramiro Lobo and his crew use at the South Coast Research Station). Wait until you start seeing a fair amount of growth which can be in 1-3 months (depending on the cutting and conditions) and then transplant them. Gray Martin, a commercial grower who has planted hundreds (or thousands) of plants uses 1 gallon pots but cuts out the bottoms and plants those pots directly rather than disturb the roots. Good luck!

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sunfish

At the Zoo