Person123

Does anybody know of any good fruit trees for indoor growing? I would like to keep them small, under 5 feet.
I live in zone 5a, Illinois so I really can't grow any tropical fruit outdoors.
Some ideas...

Guavas?
Tiny Lychees?
Sapodillas?
Passion fruit?
Pineapples?
Bananas?
Sugar apple?
Citrus?
Thank you very much!

chong

Let me be the first to welcome you to the group!

Any of those you listed will grow indoors, given proper lighting and temperature environment. Most will not fruit, though.

I have had several Calamondin orange trees in pots indoors that have bloomed and fruited. We use the fruit for garnish and condiment, or flavoring, for Filipino dishes.

I grew 2 dwarf cavendish banana plants indoors, near a bright window, in 15-gallon pots from 1974 to 1994. The bananas just kept producing pups inside, so in 1994, I transplanted them in larger pots, and kept them outside. That winter, I covered them with clear plastic and placed 2 - 100 watt bulbs inside the canopy for heating. In the winter of 1996, they froze. Should have kept them inside.

Dean W.

Person123, welcome to the group.

I have a Kumquat or Calamondin tree still unsure. It's growing well and produces fruit. I would be intrested if any body has any experience growing Lychees indoors.

Dean

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Richard

O.K., there are both tropicals and sub-tropicals in your list. And for more fun, most of what you listed have both tropical and subtropical species.

To obtain fruit, I encourage you to try subtropicals in 25 to 40 gallon pots: indoors during the fall and winter months, and otherwise outdoors.

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Person123

Which ones would fruit?...sorry about the tropical/subtropical mix up.
Lots of people say sugar apple will grow in the north (zone 5a Illinois) in containers. Can anyone help me with that...I'm used to growing tomatoes and the like.
How big would the container be? Would I need to hand pollinate?

mskitty38583

im totally clueless( what else is new) but i did want to say welcome to the org. gladyou joined us!!!!!

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WELCOME TO THE GATOR NATION

chong

I would go with citrus, guava, and banana, in that order. I.e., if you want to grow 1 plant type, citrus is best bet. If 2, then citrus and guava. For citrus, make sure sure the plant that you get is grafted on Poncirus Trifoliata (Flying Dragon) rootstock or similar hybrid from this species. This rootstock is very cold hardy and has a dwarfing effect on the scion.

I have several citrus in 15-gallon pots that are in bloom and fruiting at the same time. One of them is an Oro Blanco grapefruit. I have a Variegated Ponderosa Lemon in a 5 gallon pot that blooms all the time, but never sets fruit. Guess it's time to repot to a bigger one. Calamondin, as I mentioned earlier, will fruit in a 1-gallon pot but you're not going to get very many that way, plus you will need to watch the soil to make sure that they do not run dry. A 5-gallon pot is a good compromise for Calamondin or Kumquat. 10-gallon would be ideal. For other citrus or guava, 20-gallon would be a minimum.

For super dwarf banana, a 30-gallon pot would be minimum. The dwarf banana, 50-gallons.

I had a Cherimoya, a Sugar Apple relative, in a 15 gallon pot in my greenhouse for over 5 years, and it never bloomed. I gave it away to a friend. If you keep the Sugar Apple inside your house, make sure it is in a very bright and warm area. You can try one that is grafted, and you might have better luck with it fruiting.

Dean W.

Chong,

Great point, "For citrus, make sure sure the plant that you get is grafted on Poncirus Trifoliata (Flying Dragon) rootstock or similar hybrid from this species. This rootstock is very cold hardy and has a dwarfing effect on the scion." I've heard that before on other sites.

Does anyone know about the Lychees? I sure am intrested in those. I may have to research it myself.

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chong

Dean,
When lychee's in season, buy some fruit and save the seeds. Wash them well, dry them for 24 hours, and plant them in sterile soil in 4" pots. They sprout in a couple of weeks, depending on how warm is the environment. A plastic cover would help keep the humidity high, but do not keep it wet. Lychee does need a warm environment to fruit, though. They may even need to be pollinated. When your seedlings are pencil sized in diameter, buy some scion wood to graft to it from the CRFG or some nurseries in FL to improve your fruiting chances. Sometimes, I've seen them(grafted) in Home Depot in FL and CA. Who knows, they may have them in south TX.

For now, I will be propagating Dwarf Ambarella from seed (if I can survive the importing protocols with the USDA.) This plant can bloom in 9 months from transplanting at 14-inches high. The fruit tastes a little like mango and a little like pineapple. The fruit size can be as large as twice the size of large plums and has a shape like plums. They have one 3/4" spiny seed. Since this plant grows to 6-feet, in-ground, it is probably very ideal for potted plant. Logee's Nursery sells them.

Dean W.

Chong,

Thanks you really know your fruit trees my friend.

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buzzwinder

Welcome to the forum Person 123, where in northern Illinois are you? I'm here to, Rockford area. I have several Bananas in pots and three Citrus in pots.
Bananas:
Dwarf Cavs.
Zebrina Rojo ( 2 )
Gran nain ( 2 )

Citrus:

2 Meyer improved Lemon. Finicky little things.
Dwarf Washington Navel Orange, Tough sob.
I've about killed my orange tree twice, but the little thing has a will of its own to survive.

This is the beginning of my second year trying this stuff. MASSIVE learning curve, but very enjoyable with people here and citrus north or citrus growers association. Enjoy the forum, these folks here are the BEST!!!!!!

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Bill for my friend

Person123

I'm in the Chicago area...not too much space for growing trees and large plants. I am interested in trying citrus, but I am curious to know if anyone has tried any of the Anona (sugar apple, cherimoya, soursop, pawpaw etc.) trees indoors.

chong

You're welcome, Dean!

So, you're in the Austin area. I see a lot of green in your area. Is it pretty humid over there? How much driving is there from Austin to Port Lavaca, Palacios, and Rockport on the coast?

Person123

What's this ambarella fruit you guys are talking about? What is it?

Dean W.

chong,

Yes, it can be green. During the summer it can get hot and dry though. I would say were about 2 1/2-3 hrs from the coast.

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chong

Here are some photos. This plant is a mango relative. The plants shown here are 9 month old seedlings. The fruits are obviously still green. But they ripen to mostly yellow with a little green leftover, about 2-1/2" - 3" long. One spiny seed, 3/4" dia., in each fruit. Flesh is yellow with little fiber. Tastes like a cross between a mango and a pineapple.





The first one appears to be in a 15 gallon pot. If I find the other pictures I have, I will post them.

Richard

Chong, is the dwarf a selection of Spondias dulcis, or another species like the common Spondias pinnata ??

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chong

S. pinnata is not the same as S. dulcis. S. dulcis is the same as S. cytherea. S. pinnata fruit is smaller than the S. dulcis' and not very good tasting. Sometimes, Pinnata is used as rootstock for Dulcis because they have a stronger root system. Sometimes S. pinnata is referred to as Mangifera pinnata. That's how closely related it is to Mangifera indica, the mango.

Richard

Yes, this was my understanding. What I don't understand is why Logee's is advertising a dwarf variety. It is unheard of elsewhere. I suspect this is a marketing tactic, esp. since they also incorrectly list S. dulcis as a "new world" fruit when in fact it is native to New Guinea, Borneo, etc.

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chong

Most of the Vendors of this plant/seed correctly identify it as from Southeast Asia. In fact, it was only introduced into India in the 1500s (not sure about the date, but it was that late in terms of nativity to India). Missionaries from the Philippines and Indonesia brought this fruit with others to the new world - the Americas.

There are other plants that are incorrectly labeled as natives of the new world that are, in fact, from Southeast Asia. One example is the rare dwarf form of the Ylang-Ylang (Cananga Odorata), Perfume tree, from which Channel No. 5 is derived. The dwarf form, C. Odorata var. 'Fruticosa', a shrub whose flowers have double petals, is labeled by a few Vendors as indigenous from Guatemala to Peru.

In the case of Logee's, I think it's just they may be misinformed. My impression is that they label it from the new world because there is a specie, that is a native of South America, called "Hog Plum" or "Yellow or Red Mombin", Spondias Mombin, that were brought to the tropics by missionaries. They have yellow and red forms, and trees grow as tall as 35 feet. This specie has no dwarf form, while on the other hand, the Dwarf Ambarella or June Plum, has a tree form that grows as tall as the Hog Plum.