tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44670872509269798652024-03-13T07:00:24.709-07:00MRFC ArticlesManatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-86388676060509678552021-06-07T05:28:00.003-07:002021-06-07T17:14:34.798-07:00A Beautiful Day in May<p> The 2021 Manatee Rare Fruit Council Fruit Tree Sale took place on May 16, through the efforts of</p><p>many club members. Payments from vendors are still coming in, so we don’t have the final numbers.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tMZEGGK2UWY/YL61_JIedVI/AAAAAAAABFE/hxmWKCGBjmkmWescqecVwDsrjE4K6P-_wCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_3812.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tMZEGGK2UWY/YL61_JIedVI/AAAAAAAABFE/hxmWKCGBjmkmWescqecVwDsrjE4K6P-_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/IMG_3812.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>But despite a pandemic and a tree shortage, the sale was successful enough to ensure the continue<p></p><p>financial soundness of the MRFC.</p><p>There was no shortage of customers, despite the change in location, but there was a shortage of</p><p>trees to sell. Eight (eight!) vendors from 2019 did not participate in this year’s sale, for an assortment</p><p>of reasons. Some have retired from the business, some had covid concerns, and some--- including</p><p>two of our medium-sized vendors who dropped out in the week before the sale--- were unable to</p><p>obtain enough inventory due to the ongoing shortage of trees. Three new vendors joined the sale.</p><p>Our new citrus vendor was mostly cleaned out in the first hour. Next time, he will know to bring more</p><p>trees!</p><p>In addition, some of our regular vendors had diminished inventory. One of our longstanding vendors</p><p>brought 130 fewer trees than in 2019, just due to difficulty obtaining wholesale trees.</p><p>Despite these challenges, vendors were selling and customers were buying. We had excellent</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-saKSPMR6njY/YL62RYDnl_I/AAAAAAAABFU/YlSOim2gIZc3SMusEzUcI4DV6QIMoEjXQCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_3811.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-saKSPMR6njY/YL62RYDnl_I/AAAAAAAABFU/YlSOim2gIZc3SMusEzUcI4DV6QIMoEjXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/IMG_3811.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>weather, warm but not very humid. The personnel that we worked with at the Premier Sports Campus</p><p>did a fine job, helping us plan the layout and traffic patterns, lining the sale area according to our</p><p>specifications, and providing water for thirsty plants on sale day. They also recommended a local</p><p>company to provide uniformed security, who directed traffic and kept it flowing smoothly and safely.</p><p>Many people helped make the sale happen. The Board is responsible for planning and overseeing</p><p>the sale, and put in many hours over the course of the past year. Tree sale veteran Donna Gretton</p><p>helped with the site selection and layout, in addition to her usual contribution of lining up and</p><p>contracting the vendors, and helping them prepare for sale day. Always a major task, organizing the</p><p>vendors was especially complex due to the many changes implemented this year.</p><p>The all-important publicity effort involved many volunteers to execute our 14-point plan. In</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>alphabetical order: Raleigh Barnes, Michael Jaster, Michael Kohlmann, Joshua Starry, and Celeste<p></p><p>Welch, plus the many club members who shared information about the sale on social media---</p><p>probably our most powerful means of spreading the word.</p><p>Hats off to Michael Jaster, together with our friends from Palma Sola, the Suncoast Beekeepers, and</p><p>the Master Gardeners, who were front and center at the MRFC Information Booth providing all</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9ghLTBf8fcw/YL62RUxCeJI/AAAAAAAABFQ/RsmS8O143CYPqS7JdOycphIjsAYAdRURgCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_3810.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9ghLTBf8fcw/YL62RUxCeJI/AAAAAAAABFQ/RsmS8O143CYPqS7JdOycphIjsAYAdRURgCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_3810.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>manner of knowledge to many customers.<p></p><p>Several others contributed in various ways, including a couple of dozen members who signed up to</p><p>help on sale day. We greatly appreciate all who turned out. We now have a better understanding of</p><p>the sale day needs. In this location and sale format, volunteer help is especially needed for setup</p><p>from 7 to 9 AM. </p>
<p>The Board is collecting feedback from vendors and customers, and we will seek to make any</p><p>adjustments we can in order to make the sale better. So far, most of the feedback has been very</p><p>positive. We’ll report on the final numbers, the feedback, and our final thoughts next month.</p><p><br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /><br /></p>MRFChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066595746668149737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-41160849814438064162017-06-26T04:41:00.000-07:002017-06-26T04:41:01.234-07:00A Visit To Homestead, Florida<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MrkfJ_6hhXM/WT7pKhrDM0I/AAAAAAAABOA/6sEXnFeI6qgUacyW25RmgkR0I5JddywdQCLcB/s1600/IMG_6290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MrkfJ_6hhXM/WT7pKhrDM0I/AAAAAAAABOA/6sEXnFeI6qgUacyW25RmgkR0I5JddywdQCLcB/s320/IMG_6290.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
Post by club member, <a href="http://www.sulcatagrove.com/" target="_blank">Celeste Welch:</a><br />
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Craig and I decided to once again celebrate our anniversary with a trip to Homestead, Florida - the fruit capital of Florida.<br />
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We left our farm at 5am so we could arrive at Fruit and Spice Park at 9am. Arriving early gives access to the most fallen fruits to sample. We arrived at 9am and headed straight for the mangos in the back of the park. We started with the Po Pyu Kalay mangos - one of our favorites. We will post some videos of the mangos we tasted while at the park. You can subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPdZq-3v_ACUU8vNOAEGTZg" target="_blank">YouTube channel here</a>.<br />
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We then headed over to the cinnamon apple tree near the smaller greenhouse at the park. On the way, we came upon the Redland white sapote tree. Much of the fruit was damaged, but still delicious. I love the fruit - it is so perfumey. Craig much prefers Smathers and the seedling white sapote which is in the same area. We then continued on our way to the cinnamon apple tree. Much to my delight, there was one perfectly ripe, dropped cinnamon apple on the ground. In the past, I have only been able to taste fruit which was half eaten by insects.<br />
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We then took the 10am tour. We've taken a tour each trip to Homestead - each with a different guide - but all wonderful. We learn something new each time and are able to taste new fruits. This time, we were showed the Rhedia tree which has sweet fruit - in the past, we had only tried the sour fruits from one of the other trees. During the tour, we noticed the a'ea'e banana in the large greenhouse had ripe fruit on it. The new manager of the park was willing to have the bunch cut down after we asked.<br />
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Our next stop was just right down the road. We went to the USDA Subtropical Research Station to pick up some plant material. Craig was able to find the jackfruit tree he ate the fruit off of during the fruit fly program last summer. The fruit was very unique and tasted a lot like butterscotch. The rag was edible and there was very low latex. He cut and bagged budwood to graft once we arrived back home.<br />
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The next morning, we had the pleasure of meeting up with Noris Ledesma at the Fairchild Farm. She brought out a beautiful box of Indian mangos shipped from India - and told us the story of the farm where they are grown. We were given one of the mangos and a bag of other mangos and mamey fruit. We headed out to the grove and looked at the beautifully pruned mango trees on the farm after walking through the beautiful arches of Rose Apple. Meeting with Noris is the highlight of our trips to Homestead.<br />
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Afterwards, we headed back to Fruit and Spice Park to sample more fruits before visiting our friend Don Chafin at his banana farm, Going Bananas. We enjoyed catching up, sampling bananas, and viewing the grove. We also picked up a jar of honey to bring back to my parents as a thank you for helping at our farm in our absence. My dad loves honey!<br />
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Friday afternoon, we stopped at Brothers Fruit Stand for Guanabana fruit and later to one of the many orchid stands along Krome Ave to pick up some orchids.<br />
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Saturday morning, started out with a great three hour class at Fairchild Farm taught by Noris. The class started with a sophisticated mango tasting. Noris shared with us how she learned about sophisticated tastings (think wine tastings) through a class on art of chocolate tasting in Europe. She did a great job of teaching us about setting up tastings according to geographical location of the fruit, smells, and comparative tasting. Such a treat! We then learned about growing mangos in Florida. Noris is growing organically at her farm and shared the difficulty being faced by fruit farmers in Florida due to low cost, imported fruit from Mexico. We learned about the cancer causing chemicals being used in Mexico to induce off season production, to satisfy the desire for typically seasonal fruits to be available year round. Florida fruit farmers are having to add value to fruit through tastings, better marketing, and niche markets. The class finished with a tour of the grove.<br />
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We then headed to Lara Farms to drop off some of our Purple Ambrosia passion fruit vines and picked up some loquat scions Craig had been wanting and some fruit trees. We then stopped at Pine Island Nursery to pick up some different jackfruit tree varieties.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Our final stop was Fruit and Spice park for a short visit during their Summer Fruit Festival. Because of all of the fruit trees and scions we had collected, we decided to head back home early Sunday morning. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">We ended Saturday night with our first dinner out the whole trip. We stopped at a fantastic Mexican restaurant in Homestead -<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-rincon-de-jalisco-homestead" target="_blank">El Rincon de Jalisco.</a></span></div>
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Sunday morning, we made room in our packed van for our suitcase among all of the fruit trees and made one last stop to Brothers Fruit Stand for more guanabana. Our trip home provided many views of alligators and various species of turtles.<br />
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Once we arrived home, we had much more work ahead of us. Craig grafted all of the scions we collected onto rootstock we had at our farm while I potted up fruit trees we brought, planted coconuts, and placed orchids under our oak tree.<br />
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I also collected all of the passion fruit which had dropped while we were gone and packed some up for some of our fruit customers. It was great to come home to ripening lychees too!<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">We then filmed a couple of mango tasting videos with some of our mangos which were getting quite ripe.</span></div>
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<script async="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-8318246823278919452017-03-19T06:14:00.000-07:002017-03-19T06:14:56.663-07:00Moving OnToday marks the end of an era, as MRFC members gather at Palma Sola Park, at 2:00 this afternoon of March 19, in remembrance of Ray Jones. More than three decades have passed since he founded this organization, and all of us who have enjoyed its benefits--- and all of those who ever will--- owe him our gratitude. I’m very glad that I’ve had five years here to learn from Ray and so many other masters.<br />
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Today marks the end of another, far less significant era: my four years as weekly blogger at the MRFC websites. At the behest of Pete Ray, and with Ray Jones’ encouragement, I took on the task as a learning experience. I resolved that every Sunday, I would post whatever I could come up with that might be of interest to someone, somewhere. And I’ve enjoyed the experience, even though at times it seemed like Sunday came around every three or four days. But the world is ever-changing, and it’s time for me to devote more of my writing energy elsewhere. <br />
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I’ll continue to post articles, when inspiration strikes, and for the time being I’ll serve as blog editor. Any submission of writing about fruit trees and related topics, from anyone, anywhere, will be duly considered. If it’s appropriate for the MRFC Articles section of our site, I’ll help with whatever editing may be needed, and post the article and any accompanying photos. Of course each article will carry its writer’s name (unless they prefer to remain anonymous, in which case credit will go to “an author who prefers to remain anonymous”). It doesn’t matter whether you use fancy-dancy, stuck-up elitist words like “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behest" target="_blank">behest</a>”, or you don’t know what a <a href="https://www.englishgrammar.org/dangling-participles/" target="_blank">dangling participle</a> is. Just write from the heart, and leave it at the “Contact” section of the MRFC website, or email it directly to me, and we’ll see what we can do.<br />
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Our writers can share their hard-won knowledge of the unique horticultural conditions of our region. Or they can be the eyes and ears for news from the fruit tree world, or the recorders of the history of our club and of the larger fruit-tree community. They can recount the sights, sounds, and tastes from their travels. Or they can simply brighten our day with their observations, tales, or creative musings. There is much to say, if that is one’s calling.<br />
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Supporting the home growing of rare fruit in our region helps to address more different ecological, economic, health, and social challenges than, well, anything else I can think of, and its value is something that all of us, whatever our world view, ought to be able to agree on. Maybe your part in this enterprise is writing articles, or maybe it’s selling fruit and trees, or maybe just growing your own for family and friends, or maybe it’s something else. But however you choose to share this great blessing, I wish you, in one of Ray Jones’ favorite phrases, good growing!Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-19506924176019454952017-03-12T06:16:00.000-07:002017-03-12T06:16:23.779-07:00A Windy Day In MarchI hadn't been to East Bradenton Park <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-warm-day-in-december.html" target="_blank">since December</a>, and it's time for the first spring fertilization. So one afternoon this past week I headed up to the Park with a 50-pound bag of processed poultry litter, plus some Fertrell and elemental sulfur. Fortunately, as it turned out, I also brought along some bamboo poles and staking ribbon.<br />
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As spoiled rotten lucky as I am, it's not surprising that my property is surrounded by heavily treed land, including the conservation woods along the southern border, and the <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/12/good-neighbors.html" target="_blank">good neighbors</a> to the north. So I'm not used to the wind problems that can plague an unprotected grove like East Bradenton Park. I got a quick lesson.<br />
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At least there was only one total loss, this formerly beautiful canistel. It was well-staked when planted, like most of the trees in the grove, but the stake was nowhere to be found. I don't believe anyone unstaked it; most likely the mowing crew picked it up.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a1jviZ64jhM/WMLqO1cxrnI/AAAAAAAABo0/r79X0geSy8sZDKLvRnT7H9I5pQWa7uUGwCLcB/s1600/IMG_0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a1jviZ64jhM/WMLqO1cxrnI/AAAAAAAABo0/r79X0geSy8sZDKLvRnT7H9I5pQWa7uUGwCLcB/s320/IMG_0519.JPG" width="240" /></a>A couple of other trees looked like they just barely withstood the high winds of the past few weeks. First was the one and only guava tree in the grove, a Billy Hopkins selection called Pink Barbie.<br />
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Sporting three new stakes, it's now somewhat straighter.<br />
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The fast-growing Tice mulberry was leaning heavily. I didn't try to restore it to verticality, just to sustain it without further damage.<br />
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There were a few other signs of high wind. The carambolas had lost all of last season's leaves, but were leafing out nicely.<br />
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The trees aren't as pretty as most of what we see at home, but overall the grove is in good shape. Of course the community is eager to see some fruit. This year we will need to strip the mangos, longans, and most of the other fruit from these young trees, but there should be papayas, carambola, and maybe bananas. And maybe this little bunch of loquats will ripen up.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-78718806829482943922017-03-05T07:09:00.000-08:002017-03-05T07:09:09.628-08:00From The (E)mail Bag<i>Special Notice: The MRFC plans a remembrance event for Ray Jones, at Palma Sola Park. It is tentatively scheduled for 2:00 p. m. on Sunday, March 19. Details will be announced at this month's club meeting and also in an email to members.</i><br />
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From time to time, we receive plant questions at the fruit tree club email accounts. There isn't time to answer all of them, but once in a while I pitch in and help out. This is a recent one.<br />
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New Grower: I am a beginning gardener. I obtained a starfruit tree from an online nursery. The leaves looked slightly wilted so I may have overwatered it. The next day some of the leaves started to turn yellow and are slowly getting worse and falling off. I am now putting it out in the morning sun until noon. Is there anything else I should do? Thanks.<br />
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A: <strike>You should have bought your tree at one of the club sales, or else at a local nursery.</strike> Sorry to hear that you starfruit tree is having some trouble. Trees in containers need to be moist but not wet, and overwatering is a more common mistake than underwatering. Usually I use the very scientific approach of sticking my finger into the pot. If it feels moist, no water is needed.<br />
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What's tricky is that if the tree has been damaged by overwatering, then it's more vulnerable to underwatering than before. That's because it has root damage, and consequently is less able to draw enough water. So it's important not to overreact by underwatering. If there is any fruit on the tree, take it off. It's an extra demand that the tree can't handle until it regains its health. <br />
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The water needs depend of a container plant depend on the amount of foliage relative to the size of the pot, and the temperature. The more foliage and the warmer the temperature, the more water is needed. That's because the tree's main use for water is for evaporation to keep the leaves from overheating. You might consider some pruning--- a low branch or two that the tree doesn't need, or part of an overly long branch--- again to decrease the water needs.<br />
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Sometimes root-damaged trees will shed some or all of their leaves to protect themselves from evaporation, and leaf out after they have strengthened their root systems. I don't know whether this can happen with carambolas, but I've seen it in several species. So if your tree does lose all its leaves, don't give up until the wood is actually dead. However, your starfruit is almost surely a grafted tree (unless the seller robbed you). If the part above the graft dies and the tree starts growing back from below the graft, you'll need to send it to the compost and get another one. The rootstock will not make a desirable tree.<br />
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I would say that the half day of morning sun is a good idea if the tree is having problems. That will decrease the water needs. You might even give it sun only until mid-morning until the wilting diminishes. <br />
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Good luck with your tree, and don't get discouraged if things to go badly. All experienced growers have killed their fair share of plants!<br />
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NG: My star fruit tree is doing much better now. The leaves have stopped falling off and it seems to have stabilized. There are only about half the number of leaves as it started with, but they look healthy. I took your advice and am careful not to underwater it either. Thanks for your help.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-8372641569362785832017-02-26T05:09:00.000-08:002017-02-26T05:09:33.503-08:00Magnificent Flying MachinesRobotic technology has been a job killer in recent years, and <a href="http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-robot-bees-20170209-story.html" target="_blank">a recent article</a> suggests that our species may not be the only one put out of work. It reports on Japanese researchers who managed to pollinate lilies using small drones decked out in horsehair covered with a sticky gel that carries the pollen. Operating the $100 drone requires “a certain amount of practice with remote control”. The inventors concede that pollinating drones are not expected to replace bees altogether, only to help them.<br />
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As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up.<br />
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A <a href="http://airstrikebirdcontrol.com/news.htm" target="_blank">number of articles</a> tell of a different sort of aerial approach already at work in the grape fields of our Pacific coast. Falconers train their raptors to protect the Dionysian fruit from wild birds. For those concerned about animal welfare--- and I most certainly count myself among their ranks--- the falcons are trained to intimidate, not injure, and the falcons themselves are required to be captive-bred, not captured from the wild. As for efficiency, one falconer advises that “for projects larger than 1,000 acres, you’ll probably have to add a second falcon.”<br />
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Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I think I may have benefitted from a natural version of this approach. The woods adjoining my land are well populated by hawks, and though their noisy cries are not the most appealing, their aerial patrols keep the squirrels and smaller birds wary of the relatively open areas. Often as not, the birds and the bushy-tailed rats seem to pass up my fruit. Unfortunately there aren’t any fowl nasty enough to discourage the ring-tailed forest demons from their nighttime raids.<br />
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Between drones and trained falcons, my regular readers will easily guess which of the two I’m more enthusiastic about. I’m the first to admit that I’ve benefitted greatly from clever man-made tools both old and new--- indeed like many of us, I likely would not have lived as long nor nearly as comfortable a life without them. But how much better it is, in the long run, when we can use what nature provides, and just steer her natural course a bit to our benefit.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-71542561585109164872017-02-19T04:47:00.000-08:002017-02-19T04:47:42.150-08:00Calling All NewbiesWe interrupt this ongoing blog to plug this spring’s Fruit Tree Paradise Workshop. That’s my twice-a-year, 3-hour introductory class on fruit tree horticulture, which will take place on Saturday, March 25, from 2:00 to 5:00. If you know anyone who might want to take the class, you can send them to <a href="http://www.transitionsrq.org/events/fruit-tree-workshop" target="_blank">this web page</a> for more information and to register if they like.<br />
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The class costs $25, or $35 for a couple, but if that is a burden I’ll be happy to adjust the price appropriately. The proceeds all go to <a href="http://www.transitionsrq.org/" target="_blank">Transition Sarasota</a>, a non-profit non-political organization that seeks to build local community by supporting local food and local business (full disclosure--- I serve on its Board of Directors).<br />
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Of course there is a long list of folks in these parts who know a heck of a lot more than I do about growing fruit trees, but none of them offer such a class. If they do, I’ll be happy to send interested parties there, and to attend it myself. But for now, it’s up to me.<br />
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This will the fourth time for the class, and it’s been fun. I’m fortunate to have a convenient classroom--- my two acres here in north Sarasota County. Actually, it’s less than two, after allowing for the house, the driveway, the shade of the oaks, and the ornamentals, but that still leaves room for plenty of fruit trees for hands-on demonstrations.<br />
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In a 3-hour class, a lot of information is dispensed. But as an experienced teacher of subjects other than fruit trees, I’ve learned to ask myself “What are the key underlying ideas?” If I can’t sum them up in a few sentences, then I don’t really have a clear understanding of what I’m trying to get across. So, in a nutshell:<br />
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1. In selecting a species and variety of fruit tree, and then in growing it, one should consider seven basic horticultural concerns: sunlight, nutrition, drought, flood, wind, cold, and (for those lucky and unlucky enough to live right on the coast) salt.<br />
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2. A fruit tree is not a machine, but rather an adaptive system with enormous embodied intelligence. And it is part of a surrounding ecology, which is an adaptive system with enormous embodied intelligence. <br />
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I try to put most of what I say in the context of these big ideas. And I also ask myself “What are are the key takeaways that I want people to remember, even if they forget everything else?”. Simply put, they are:<br />
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1. Promote healthy ecologies above and below ground.<br />
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2. Prune aggressively, fertilize conservatively, and mulch heavily.<br />
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Of course there are lots of practical tips, for example:<br />
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1. Tip-prune to force bushy structure, and don’t allow the tree to grow tall.<br />
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2. Plant on mounds, and when you plant, free the roots enough for them to start growing straight into the surrounding soil. If necessary, root-prune to correct circling roots and other bad root structure.<br />
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And of course there’s the most important takeaway of all:<br />
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Join your local fruit club(s) and become part of the fruit tree growing community. Share your knowledge with others as they share theirs with you.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-37503339850691660782017-02-12T05:26:00.000-08:002017-02-12T05:26:51.062-08:00A Warm Day In DecemberReaders know of <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2017/01/finally-gold-star.html" target="_blank">my fondness for heavy mulch</a> in fruit tree groves. I won’t say it’s the solution to all fruit tree health problems, but throw in good root pruning when you plant a tree with a root system distorted by living in a container--- that is, any tree that has spent time in a container--- and you’re getting close. All those trees growing out in the woods, doing perfectly well without any babying from us, have at least two things going for them--- a natural root system and a rich soil ecology.<br />
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Early in the sequence of <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/10/ebp-faq.html" target="_blank">East Bradenton Park Grove project</a> organizational meetings, I began my lobbying effort for mulching the future grove. The County people, bless their hearts, think of mulch as something that comes a cubic foot or two at a time in a plastic bag, and makes things looks pretty, while controlling weeds. We fanatics think of it as something that comes in a huge orange or white truck, costs next to nothing, and after a month of weathering makes things look pretty, while controlling weeds. And after a year of decomposition, nourishes the tree and gives rise to that marvelous explosion of soil life.<br />
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Starting this far apart, the goal was not a full meeting of minds, but only some truckloads of wood chips in the grove. The county does trim trees and chip the wood into big trucks, but it’s not used to taking the resulting “waste” anywhere except the specified dropping area. Of course bureaucracies are hard to change, and that’s to be expected--- no one wants to be responsible for something that turns out badly, and the safe thing to do is what you’ve already been doing. But in my experience, most people really do want to do what’s best, and you just have to persist until you find the right combination of authority, willingness to listen and understand, and a bit of courage, and then change can happen.<br />
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So eventually, piles of mulch started appearing next to the grove. As autumn unfolded, MRFC member and East Bradenton Park super-volunteer Josh Starry moved vast quantities of it in his double-wide orange wheelbarrow. Once in a while, I showed up to move one load to each three of his.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KfFadgyuVhc/WJ41wsONewI/AAAAAAAABnI/77Ew-GQu124-V8UYKGyV2AybevZ_-FxSACLcB/s1600/IMG_0289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KfFadgyuVhc/WJ41wsONewI/AAAAAAAABnI/77Ew-GQu124-V8UYKGyV2AybevZ_-FxSACLcB/s320/IMG_0289.JPG" width="320" /></a>The grand finale, at least for this season, was on December 27, the day of the Palma Sola tour for MRFC and Tropical Fruit Society of Sarasota members. After the enjoyable walk in Palma Sola, four of us gathered our armloads of black sapote and starfruit, then drove over to East Bradenton. Josh and I, along with MRFC and TFSS member Kevin Hook and Susan Jennifer Griffith of the Manatee Extension, set to work.<br />
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Even at its lowest point, the Florida sun packs some punch, and I was glad it was late in the day. Shadows were long by the time we finished, but the nineteen remaining trees now sit comfortably on their irrigated mounds, roots happy under their protective mulch layers, looking forward to spring and a vigorous 2017 growing season.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-86616112041261263102017-02-05T06:02:00.001-08:002017-02-05T06:02:41.521-08:00Heavy Hitters and ScoutsI wonder whether there is any place with more great local fruit tree clubs than Florida's Suncoast, with the MRFC and Sarasota's TFSS in the heart of it. I attend at least two dozen club talks every year, and the overall quality and entertainment value of the presentations is impressive. More often than not, the talks given by club members rival the big names. With the diversity of subjects--- from how to grow a good mango, to the fascinating species of annonas, to the health benefits of eating fruits and how best to cook them---- there is something for everyone.<br />
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This spring features a lineup of heavy hitters up and down the coast, and I'm not talking about baseball spring training:<br />
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This Wednesday, February 8, the <a href="http://www.growables.org/clubs/suncoast.html" target="_blank">Suncoast Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Club</a> in Nokomis hosts Noris Ledesma of the <a href="http://www.fairchildgarden.org/" target="_blank">Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden</a> on "Training and Pruning a Mango Orchard to Improve Blooming and Yield in South Florida". As most of us know, any talk by the effervescent Noris is a treat. If you miss the February 8 talk, you can hear Noris at the March 28 meeting of the Tropical Fruit Society of Sarasota. The topic is not posted, but will appear at the <a href="http://tropicalfruitsociety.org/" target="_blank">TFSS website</a> in due course.<br />
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February also gives you two chances to hear the famous Chris Rollins: at the MRFC meeting on the 13th, and the Tropical Fruit Society of Sarasota meeting on the 28th. The topic at both is Florida's Best Fruits For Homeowners. Retired after 40 years directing the <a href="http://www.fruitandspicepark.com/" target="_blank">Fruit and Spice Park</a> in South Florida, Chris is spending this month touring the state. The great fruit tree sage and raconteur is another treat not to be missed.<br />
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As if these weren't enough, May features Jonathan Crane, famed tropical fruit tree expert and Associate Director of the <a href="http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/" target="_blank">Tropical Research and Education Center</a>, speaking at the Sarasota club on May 23. Dr. Crane is a fount of knowledge on pretty much every aspect of growing tropical fruit, and always gives an enjoyable and informative talk.<br />
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All of the local clubs welcome guests, and details about the meeting times and locations can be found at the websites of these organizations: <a href="http://www.mrfc.org/" target="_blank">MRFC</a>, <a href="http://tropicalfruitsociety.org/" target="_blank">TFSS</a>, <a href="http://www.growables.org/clubs/suncoast.html" target="_blank">STFVC</a>.<br />
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It's certainly an historic spring lineup, but let's not forget the "scouts" who find these speakers, persuade them to visit, and make the arrangements. With apologies in advance to those I am failing to credit, thanks go to Jimmy and Sally Lee (along with Scott Petersen, Ray Jones, and Wayne Clifton in recent years) at the MRFC, and Bob Thinnes at the Suncoast club. In Sarasota, the entire Board pitches in, but past and current Chairman Will Wright deserves the lion's share of the credit. When we see these volunteers at our club meetings, let's remember to thank them for putting together the speaker programs that we all enjoy.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-11164492979756349682017-01-29T08:25:00.001-08:002017-01-29T08:25:05.808-08:00And Then There Were Twenty-SevenThe freeze cloths gather dust in my garage, as January continues with barely a chill hour. Still, last Sunday night saw some weather damage of a different sort, as an intense weather front barreled through the Suncoast. The 1.7-inch rainfall in my location was more than welcome, but the winds left their mark.<br />
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Monday morning my strawberry containers looked like the aftermath of an orgy of the ring-tailed forest gods, but the fruits were still on, and apart from a bit of spilled potting mix, no harm was done.<br />
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One of my unusual specimens, a <i>Moringa stenopetala</i>, was down again, about the same as after last October's flooding rains. I should have left the stake in. It's been righted and restaked, but looks like it's going to defoliate. Maybe it's a goner, but moringas are tough so I am hopeful.<br />
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The papayas, of course, were all over the place. I've begun the <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-little-tipsy.html" target="_blank">fallen papaya recovery sequence</a>, standing them up and bracing them with heavy sand packed in around the trunk. I expect that at least one of the two broadleaf papayas is destined for the next step--- chopping off at 4 feet--- but we'll see how things go.<br />
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A couple of newly planted jaboticabas, a Red and a Grimal, were pushed partway over. I think this was as much due to erosion of the loosely packed soil around the root balls as to the wind. But they've been stood up and repacked, and seem fine.<br />
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More impressively, this Grimal in a 25-gallon container was on its side, again with soft ground more than likely aiding the wind. But jabos are tough, and again no harm done.<br />
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The real damage was to <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2015/07/coconut-cream.html" target="_blank">my Coconut Cream mango</a>, planted back in August of 2013. With its 4-inch trunk and <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/07/mangos-mangos-mangos.html" target="_blank">a couple of fine fruit last summer</a>, it seemed to be on the road to good production this year. <br />
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No such luck. Monday morning the trunk was still there, but the rest was 50 feet away. Steve Cucura told me he had heard of this problem with Coconut Cream mangos, and indeed there is <a href="http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=30ab752a0b78933fa7153038296dd921&topic=22113.msg267577#msg267577" target="_blank">a thread at Tropical Fruit Forum</a> that documents some cases. It's said to be a "compatibility problem" at the graft union. CC's can exhibit a peculiar growth habit, as if they aeren't quite sure which way is up, and maybe this is somehow related. Whatever the reason, my collection of 28 mangos is now 27, but I can't complain about that. And for me, a no-freeze winter would be more than a fair trade. But <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-plunge-of-16.html" target="_blank">we're still a ways from that</a>.<br />
<br />Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-23187674565510964932017-01-22T04:49:00.000-08:002017-01-22T04:49:18.205-08:00And Then There Were Nineteen<br />
In planning the East Bradenton Park Grove, we gave due attention to security. With a lot of 7-gallon trees and even a 15-gallon avocado, all top quality varieties, the collection had retail value around a thousand bucks. And in addition to the desperate people willing to cart off and sell most anything that isn’t bolted down, there are the sad cases out there of folks so alienated that they want to vandalize any beauty that the rest of us enjoy. <br />
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We didn’t want to fence the area--- in addition to the cost, it would just advertise the value of the trees. And besides, how inspiring is a grove that you can’t walk around in?<br />
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Susan Jennifer Griffith consulted the police department, who agreed to step up patrols for a month. They also advised placing a “psychological barrier”--- just a way of saying “look but don't touch.” So on planting day I took along some marking ribbon and a pile of shortlasting wooden stakes, and at the end of the planting, we left these unsubtle messages around each tree.<br />
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It worked well, but not perfectly. Two of the mango trees, an Angie and a Pickering, walked away some time during the first week. But since then, no problem. It appears that we hoped, once the grove ceased to be a novelty, its interest as a target waned. And the appreciative comments Susan receives when visiting the grove tell us that the neighborhood is starting to feel some ownership for it. No security precaution that we could use could match that.<br />
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Come spring we’ll replace the departed mango trees, though most likely with a Cogshall in place of the Angie. Josh's Angie and both of mine showed fungal problems during the heavy rains of September and October. Also, Cogshalls are nearly dwarf, with an attractive compact look, and easier for home growers to find for sale--- overall a better choice for the demo project.<br />
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Setbacks are to be expected, of course, and frankly I'm relieved that nineteen of the twenty-one trees--- more than ninety percent--- have made it through the first six months. And those appreciative comments more than make up for the loss.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-41909984949569744292017-01-15T05:40:00.000-08:002017-01-15T05:40:09.912-08:00A Warm Day In September<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was painfully early in the morning when the MRFC's Josh Starry and Susan Jennifer Griffith of the Manatee County Extension arrived at my house to load up everything for planting day at the East Bradenton Park Grove. Susan’s County van, Josh’s pickup, and my little Civic were just barely enough for all the trees, wheelbarrows, tools, soil amendments, and plenty of cold water.<br />
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Once again the County turned out in force, though the fellows in striped shirts must have been somewhere else that day. In fact there was a bit more labor help than we needed, since Josh, Susan, and I wanted to do all of the actual planting ourselves. Next time, whenever that may be, we’ll know better what to request. Most importantly, the County's big water truck made all the difference to the planting, as the nearest water spigot to the grove is a good 200 meters away, and running a hose there would have been next to impossible.<br />
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We pulled out all the stops by amending the soil with biochar, crabshell, and azomite, and smearing the roots with Tammy Kovar’s mycorrhizal fungi. And after planting, a top dressing of organic fertilizer and then a little of the County’s bagged Florimulch. Rather short of our concept of adequate mulch, but that's a topic for another day.<br />
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Twenty-one trees is a lot, and though it was late September, by the time morning ended the Florida sun was packing quite a punch. Here are Josh and Susan taking a water break in the shade of a young bald cypress by the grove. <br />
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We had a pleasant surprise, a visit from Larry Atkins, fruit tree guru and past president of the MRFC as well as of the Sarasota club. Of course Larry planted many a fruit tree in his younger days, and we didn’t begrudge him relaxing in the shade and giving us moral support.<br />
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The trees were in excellent condition and looked mighty fine once they were all in the ground. Here is a nice Trompo canistel, and behind it a Tice mulberry, planted in the corner to give it plenty of room. <br />
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And they don't come much prettier than this young Kohala longan.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-31937570044513724492017-01-08T03:55:00.000-08:002017-01-08T03:55:35.451-08:00A Warm Day In AugustA good way to start the new year is to finish doing the things we promised to do last year (or the year before that, or …). Let’s get going on that!<br />
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Back in October I wrote about the <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/10/ebp-faq.html">East Bradenton Park Fruit Tree Grove</a> and promised to tell more later. As I wrote then, the concept was to create a demonstration of the trees that people in the underserved neighborhood near the park might be able to grow for home use, trade, or sale. <br />
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Several planning meetings took place during the spring and summer, involving different government agencies and non-governmental organizations (that us!). As with most any new initiative, things moved more slowly than we might have liked, but it was a good-faith effort all around.<br />
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By the end of August, the 29th to be exact, the County was ready to build mounds for the trees and put in irrigation according to our specifications. Susan Jennifer Griffith of the Manatee County Extension, a co-organizer of the project, joined me in laying out a spacious array of 21 tree locations. It was mighty hot, and the fire ants were out in force, but we got the job done.<br />
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Here are some of those County workers in front of a pile of well-tested soil, and behind that the Tropicana plant that borders the park to the west. The men who build parks for a living brought along plenty of machinery as well as muscle power--- several fit-looking county workers, plus a couple of officers and some fellows in striped clothing who didn’t look like good choices to pick a fistfight with. We left them to it, and I turned to the task of coming up with the trees.<br />
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Club members will remember that the MRFC contributed $200 toward the cost of the 21 trees, and the Tropical Fruit Society of Sarasota another $150. That didn’t quite cover it, but a suave, witty, drop-dead-handsome private donor, too modest to reveal his identity, closed the gap. <br />
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Friend-of-the-club and all-around good person Steve Cucura provided most of the trees at cost. With two of the MRFC’s reliable volunteers, Josh and Kevin, I made a shopping trip to Fruitscapes to select the trees, and on his next trip to Sarasota Steve dropped them off at my house. A few trees came from other sources, and by the time planting day arrived on September 16, I had the start of a nice fruit tree nursery on the pad behind the garage. Next week we’ll see how the planting went.<br />
<br />Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-47759843599879697782017-01-01T07:28:00.000-08:002017-01-01T07:28:30.890-08:00Finally, A Gold StarPerhaps you recall <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/01/joyner-road.html">my post from January 3, 2016</a> where I declared my fruit tree New Year’s Resolution. It was to go down Joyner Road--- to emulate Gene Joyner's famous Unbelievable Acres by laying down deep wood-chip mulch everywhere in my groves.<br />
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This has well-known benefits that include suppression of competing grass and weeds, holding soil moisture, and stabilizing soil temperature. And the breakdown of the wood by fungi and microorganisms acts as an excellent slow-release fertilizer. The process is fast in the summer and slow in the winter, adjusting automatically for the dormant season. <br />
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But the slow-composting mulch doesn’t just provide nutrients. Over time, the addition of organic matter to the soil improves its ability to <i>hold</i> water and nutrients. Just what we need on this big sand bar.<br />
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Most important to me, as an ecological grower, is that the mulch feeds not just the tree but the entire soil ecology. I’ll hold forth on ecological growing some other day, but the short version is that a rich ecology, starting with the fungi that perform the initial breakdown of much of the soil’s organic matter and working up through the soil food web, has enormous benefits to plant health.<br />
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It takes a lot of wood chips to deep-mulch a large area, but the local tree pruners--- the brawny fellows in the orange trucks and the smaller arborist and landscape companies--- generate truckloads of wood chips day after day. I’ll write more about them some other time, but suffice it to say that two of my good buddies who spend much of their days up in trees wielding chain saws--- a job where I wouldn't last two hours--- keep me well supplied. <br />
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A Bobcat can move one heck of a lot of mulch in one heck of a short time, but I follow the spiritual path of moving it by hand. A big 10-cubic foot wheelbarrow and both a 5-tine and a 10-tine pitchfork for different sizes of chips are all one needs. Plus some muscle power. I’ve moved a respectable amount, considering that I’m a skinny old geezer, but most of it was done by my right-hand man Josh, who’s truly impressive in action. <br />
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We laid down big cardboard sheets from furniture boxes obtained at a local warehouse, to suppress the grass and weeds, and then at least twelve inches or more of ground leaves, twigs, and branches. Everywhere except close in to the trees, which as they always say should be kept clear of mulch lest it promote fungal damage to the trunk.<br />
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So what about that resolution? Definitely a gold star. We got a lot down early in the year, and finished all the groves in time for the rainy season. The trees look happy and healthy, though of course they might have anyway. But I can point to one unexpected benefit that’s almost surely due to the effort.<br />
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Many fruit trees in our region, including some in the collection at Palma Sola, are plagued by Sri Lankan weevils. Little white crawlers, about 3/8 inch long. They can fly a little, and their life cycle involves an adult stage chewing the edges of the leaves, and an underground stage going at the roots. They don’t kill an otherwise healthy tree, but they do sap its energy and slow down growth, not to mention the cosmetic effect of half-eaten leaves all over the place.<br />
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The little pests apparently don’t have many enemies in these parts. They are often found on lychees and black sapotes, and occasionally on other species.<br />
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Several of my trees had quite an infestation of them, especially the black sapote. Manual removal was limiting the damage, but wasn’t going to be feasible when the trees grew larger.<br />
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As we moved into summer, a miracle occurred--- Sri Lankan weevils got rarer and rarer, and finally disappeared. The lychees and black sapote started growing like crazy--- here's the black sapote tree, 8 feet tall and 12 feet across, and loaded wth 1-inch fruit. My guess is that simply having a thick enough layer of mulch near the tree interrupts the cycle of getting into the ground and back up to the tree. How much better a solution can there be to a nasty pest problem?<br />
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Unfortunately I have to report that a few Sri Lankans have shown up on the east side of the property, which is mulched but not as thickly. There goes my 2017 New Year’s resolution to start getting less exercise.<br />
<br />Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-64042212093723045312016-12-25T06:15:00.000-08:002016-12-25T06:15:06.897-08:00Good NeighborsGood neighbors may not be the best thing one can have in life, but the list of better ones is mighty short. We are fortunate to live among a mix of good citizens who welcomed us, despite our kicking up dust with noisy house construction for what seemed an interminable time. <br />
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The folks directly across our unpaved road are super neighbors, always ready with a friendly wave or a helping hand. And they are plant people, whose yard is a peaceful refuge of beautiful ornamentals. Their bougainvillea lights up the neighborhood on this Christmas Day.<br />
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Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-41621832345062449562016-12-18T05:47:00.000-08:002016-12-18T05:47:51.052-08:00SurvivorI love stories of wandering and struggle, that end with finding a home. I'm not sure why, since I was born lucky, in a stable home, and pretty much just had to follow the rules for everything to work out fine for me.<br />
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Maybe it goes back to the days even before agriculture, when the clan foraged for a while until a change of season or a stronger clan required a change of scenery, and everyone's lifelong fantasy was permanent residence in a land of plenty. Whatever the reason, tales of a harrowing journey to find a home have always been a favorite, around campfires or Smart TV's, and always will be.<br />
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The latest Odysseus in my groves was a pineapple pup. I'd decided to try growing some pineapples in pots, investing some time, effort, and potting mix in return for the ability to move them to safety on the porch when the fruit gets to the raccoon-ready stage. I pulled some pups from my in-ground plants and set them in 1-gallon pots, to be moved to their final 3-gallon homes once they had rooted out.<br />
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After setting up eight of his more fortunate cousins, I'd reached the point when the rest were going on the compost pile. For me that pile is just a big open pit surrounded by my papaya plants. Forest gods do come and feast, but I figure better there than in my fruit trees, and like as not they will leave the King of the Outdoors a blessing of natural fertilizer in return. <br />
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Little Ody was unceremoniously left for dead in the rotting pile, some time in the fall. Of course I couldn't see his intense struggle to root faster than he would die of thirst in the Florida sun. That is, not until a few weeks ago, when I noticed him showing a bit of verticality. As the days went by, he fought the rest of the way up and opened his leathery bromeliad leaves to the sky.<br />
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Of course after that I had to pot him up, in a mix with some really tasty organic amendments. After a few days in the shade to recover from the ascension to paradise, he's joined his eight had-it-easy mates. Someday he will reward my change of heart with a tasty fruit. Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-58238870606649219902016-12-11T05:26:00.000-08:002016-12-11T05:42:41.072-08:00L. G.Last week I wrote about how I connected with L. G. Allen, because he brought back lychee seeds from China and grew one for twenty years before it fruited, and it was delicious and he named it Sweet Song after his lady friend in China, and how Wayne propagated it and many years later gave me three of them, and how I loved the story and the name so much that I called my hobby business SweetSong Groves after L. G.'s lychee variety.<br />
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Arriving in Florida a dozen years after L. G.'s passing, I missed the opportunity to meet him. But Wayne was kind enough to share some remembrances that L. G.'s descendants wrote in tribute to him.<br />
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L. G.'s early life taught him to be a survivor. Growing up, he worked at various jobs, including in his father's brickyard in Montrose, Colorado, but found time to develop a lifelong interest in the outdoors and the natural world. In his teen years, his mother and brother were killed in a car accident. That, and the onset of the Great Depression when he was 17, forced him to grow up in a hurry, and to develop the knack of picking up new skills very quickly. <br />
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He married in 1936 and had one daughter. To support his family, he worked very long hours at Dupont, first in the payroll department and later with the newfangled IBM machines. He developed many other interests, including a lifelong fascination in working with clay and ceramics. It was that passion that would later take him to China to study Chinese art and rare porcelains, and would someday put three lychee sisters in my grove.<br />
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The tributes to L. G. paint a picture of a loving father and grandfather, a hardworking man who never tired of learning. He continued to grow in knowledge and wisdom throughout his life--- and accepted what life gave him with wit and humor. Two of his sayings became instant favorites of mine: “It's easier to get into than to get out of,” and “A chore done good beats two done ragged.” How very true.<br />
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Everything is connected to everything else, and each of us leaves a wake that spreads out and touches the lives of many others. L. G.'s put three Sweet Song sisters in mine.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-34708258635636926142016-12-04T06:37:00.001-08:002016-12-04T06:37:58.871-08:00Past Is Present“The past is not dead. It's not even past.”<br />
---William Faulkner<br />
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I'm a member of four fruit tree clubs, and each has a different feel. With the possible exception of the Tampa Bay Rare Fruit Council, which I rarely attend due to the long trip required, it is the MRFC where I sense the greatest presence of history. <br />
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When I joined almost five years ago, there were many members who dated from the club's founding in the mid-80's, or joined in the early years. There are still quite a few, and I've really enjoyed knowing and learning from them. But there's also a perceptible presence of members who did much, but departed, one way or another, before my arrival. <br />
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I did come to know Pete Ray for the just last year or so of his life. Perhaps hoping that my loves for language and fruit trees could balance out my beginner's ignorance, he encouraged me to take on the blogger role. But I never met L. G. Allen.<br />
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Through fortunate circumstances, I recently felt L. G.'s presence. <br />
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Master frutier Wayne Clifton has a fine lychee variety called Sweet Song. As Larry Schokman says, every tree should have a story, and the Sweet Song has a good one. Long-time MRFC members know that L. G. was quite an expert on lychees, among many other subjects, and quite a traveler. During an extended sojourn to China, he ran across some wonderful lychee fruit, and managed to save and bring back some of its seeds. From them, he grew a seedling that took a couple of decades to fruit. I've not yet tasted it, but word is that it was worth the long wait.<br />
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L. G. named the new variety Sweet Song, after a Chinese lady friend he had spent time with during his journey.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iYqtDGFKJwc/WEQkuXgDEfI/AAAAAAAABgk/YCRsseua4aciAWLdUw3OTGhi6kVi7WBWACLcB/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iYqtDGFKJwc/WEQkuXgDEfI/AAAAAAAABgk/YCRsseua4aciAWLdUw3OTGhi6kVi7WBWACLcB/s320/IMG_0026.JPG" width="320" /></a>Wayne propagated L. G.'s tree in the 1990's. The copy grew into this beautiful tree at Wayne's house, but not until now did he produce more Sweet Songs from it. I obtained three of the first airlayers. They are growing happily, and already have names--- Sweet Sister #1, #2, and #3.<br />
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I love the name Sweet Song and its story, so when I recently decided to form an LLC for selling some of my fresh tropical fruit, the name SweetSong Groves was as irresistible as, perhaps, its original inspiration.<br />
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When L. G. passed away, his children wrote beautiful tributes to him. Wayne has copies that he generously shared with me, and next week we'll see a bit about L. G.'s interesting life.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-90277256027091197652016-11-27T05:24:00.002-08:002016-11-27T05:24:49.710-08:00Inoculation Day<a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/11/going-underground.html">Last week</a> we talked about using mycorrhizal fungi to improve the health of fruit trees. The fungi are best placed between three and twelve inches below the surface, and either in contact with the roots, or close enough that the roots will find them quickly. So how best to get them there?<br />
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When I asked Tammy Kovar how her workers accomplish this for contract jobs, she said they use an auger to bore circular holes, an inch or two in diameter, and fill them with a mix of fungi and soil. That's fine, but augering is not a low-effort pastime. And there's some damage done to the roots, perhaps inconsequential, but I'd prefer not to damage the roots at all if possible.<br />
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MRFC Secretary Josh Starry invented a simple but ingenious device to get the job done, as long as there's a good water supply available. A shaft of PVC pipe shoots a jet of water out the end, focused enough to excavate a narrow hole in the soil without actually cutting anything. A valve next to the handle controls the flow, and a bit of experimentation yields a flow rate that works without spewing excess water all over the place.<br />
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The hole is about 1½ inches across, and as deep as one wants.<br />
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Meanwhile, I mixed Tammy's mycorrhizal product with some dry biochar, about 1 part to 4.<br />
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Here I am dropping in the mix up to about 3 inches from the surface. I filled the rest with topsoil and Josh watered it all in.<br />
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Maybe our efforts will get an extra year or two of fruit out of the
struggling citrus, which would be well worth it. The process is
fast and easy, and some afternoon we'll do the smaller fruit trees. <br />
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With so many variables in play, it's mighty hard to tell which pampering
of our trees has an impact and which is just a waste of time and money.
But methods that enrich the ecology rank high in my book.<br />
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Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-73478845151185267392016-11-20T06:23:00.000-08:002016-11-20T06:23:50.847-08:00Going Underground<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This story begins last July 11, when Tammy Kovar spoke at our MRFC meeting. I had read about the use of mycorrhizal fungi to stimulate the ecology of plant root zones and provide <a href="http://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/ecology/mycorrhizas/">multiple symbiotic benefits</a> to the host plant. And I had heard about Tammy's <a href="http://stores.sustainablelandscapesupply.com/">Sustainable Landscape Supply</a> company here in Sarasota. But it took her informative presentation and passion for mycorrhizae to spur me into action.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mp28cBENCic/WDDDr5AiZ4I/AAAAAAAABew/QNTJIKYpLzkSKosc8a01yXEuUU5Wb1IkACLcB/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mp28cBENCic/WDDDr5AiZ4I/AAAAAAAABew/QNTJIKYpLzkSKosc8a01yXEuUU5Wb1IkACLcB/s320/IMG_0174.JPG" width="240" /></a>So a few weeks ago I stopped by Sustainable Landscape Supply and purchased 50 pounds of mychorrhizal fungi for my fruit trees. That's a lot, but kept in controlled conditions it will stay alive for three years and that will be plenty of time for me to use it all. Thanks to heavy mulching and other ecologically oriented techniques, most of my fruit trees look very happy, but the <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-last-stand.html">multiply challenged citrus trees</a> have been on a long downhill slide. So naturally I'm starting with them.<br />
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The challenge with mycorrhizal fungi is to get them growing on the roots of the tree. On healthy soil, most every other fertilizer or soil builder can just be top-dressed around the tree. Over time, the action of rain and the constant nutrient circulation in a healthy ecology will move the tasty stuff underground where the tree's roots will find it. But soil mycorrhizae can't survive exposed to this above-ground nightmare world of UV bombardment and wild temperature swings. They need to be placed on or near the roots. Once in contact with the root system, they will gradually spread and colonize it, and life will be good.<br />
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It's easy peasy with new plantings--- at the point when you are loosening the roots from their potbound condition and fluffing them out to help them start into the surrounding soil, just wet them and smear on some of the fine mycorrhizal granules.<br />
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Bu when the tree is already established in the ground, it's not so simple. Next week we'll learn about MRFC Secretary Josh Starry's ingenious method, and see photos of it in action.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-23944172818291643922016-11-13T04:31:00.000-08:002016-11-13T04:31:02.043-08:00The Ancient ArtThe Tropical Fruit Society of Sarasota meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month, and in October this falls during Eat Local Week. So naturally, we (wearing now my other hat as TFSS Treasurer) have made it an Eat Local Week event and tried to put together an October program that would pique the interest of one-time attendees. This year we hit a home run.<br />
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The presenters were longtime TFSS members Nick Ostrye and TFSS Vice President Dr. Tony Hemmer. Each has cultivated the ancient art of winemaking, using tropical fruit instead of those non-local wine grapes. <br />
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Tony is a Manatee County resident (that's only turnabout since many MRFC members, including yours truly, grow our fruit down here in Sarasota). He takes a scientific approach to winemaking, and presented the technical basics in a concise powerpoint presentation. <br />
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A table displayed an impressive collection of home winemaking gear.</div>
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Tony then turned the mic over to Nick, who is more of a traditional "intuitive" winemaker. Like Tony, he's not afraid to try making wine out of almost anything that is sweet and grows on a plant.<br />
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Nick emceed the wine tasting. He had procured clear plastic egg cartons and a boatload of little plastic cups that fit perfectly into the compartments.<br />
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With their better halves and other volunteers, the speakers had filled the cups with half-ounce servings of ten homemade wines, plus crackers and cheese cubes. A printed insert told what each cup contained.<br />
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The duo described each wine in turn, describing the ingredients, sugar content, and special idiosyncrasies of each batch. We sipped exotic flavors like mulberry-jaboticaba, with many tints and levels of sweetness.<br />
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Ten rounds later we were all impressed with the variety and quality of the home brews. Ten half-ounces only add up to one glass of wine, but the crowd left in an especially cheery mood. I've stashed the leftover cartons and cups for a repeat performance down the road.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-63819127868471764332016-11-06T03:00:00.001-08:002016-11-06T03:00:02.691-08:00The Great Banana Flower ControversyHere at MRFC Articles we don't shy away from the great issues of the day. We're going to look at the question of when to remove the male flower--- the big red bud at the end of the fruiting stalk--- from a forming bunch of bananas.<br />
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A <a href="http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=30ab752a0b78933fa7153038296dd921&topic=7589.0;all">2014 thread</a> at the Tropical Fruit Forum discussion board delved into this question. The most common reason cited for removal of the flower was to let the plant put its energy into the fruit rather than maintaining the flower. According to several posters, this has been tested in multiple controlled studies. Some show no effect, others a slight increase in the weight of the banana bunch--- negligible in comparison with the effects of proper watering, fertilization, and so on. <br />
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A second reason given for flower removal is that stalks often break or fall over under the increasing weight of the fruit, ruining the lot of them, and the couple of pounds or so that the flower adds is a useless additional burden. An answer to this is that if the stalk is really in any danger of collapse, one should prop it up with a couple of long poles tied together in an "X", or build a support out of PVC pipe, or otherwise rig up some support to prevent it.<br />
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Yet another reason, for commercial growers, is that when the flower is removed, a fair amount of sticky sap pours out of the stem. Added to the unavoidable seepage from the stalk end, this is more than a minor annoyance when you're harvesting hundreds of bunches in a day. So better to lop off the flower ahead of time, allowing the cut to seal by harvest time.<br />
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Some posters mentioned that the banana flower is edible. Though it's not a common practice in this country, in Asia they are often eaten and considered quite tasty by those who know how to prepare and cook them properly.<br />
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Why would you not want to remove the flower? There are reports of fungus gaining a foothold at the cut and working its way into the stem. If it really doesn't make any difference otherwise, why risk this?<br />
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The bottom line is that for the home grower, at least, it doesn't much matter. If you like the look of flower buds on your banana stalks, by all means leave them there. And it may be worth looking up how to cook them and giving it a try, you might love them. Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-65772768076033655672016-10-30T06:58:00.000-07:002016-10-30T06:58:46.034-07:00Bananas 101For a couple of weeks we'll be talking about bananas. Next time we'll look at the question of whether to remove the banana flower once the fruit has formed. For now, let's make sure everyone has seen the basics about banana plants.<br />
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The first thing to know is that there is no such thing as a banana <i>tree</i>--- banana plants contain no wood. They consist of a tuberlike underground stem, called a corm, and individual stalks that emerge from it. Each stalk will flower and fruit only once, and then should be removed. Indeed, once the plant is well established, you can whack off stems without hurting it a bit. An often-recommended approach is to allow only three stems at a time: a full-sized one, a partially grown one, and a small one. This forces the plant to put all of its energy into fruiting on one stalk at a time.<br />
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Remove young stems by chopping them off the corm with a sharp-edged shovel, as cutting them at ground level just lets them keep growing. Allow a stem to grow only if it shoots up close to a big stalk and puts out just a few narrow leaves at first. These are "spears" growing directly from the corm and drawing on its stored energy. The smaller new stems that leaf out more, and are usually farther from the big stalks, are starting more-or-less from scratch, and will take much longer to grow and fruit. These should go in the compost, but spears can easily be potted up or just directly planted to make a new banana plant.<br />
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If you've never seen a banana plant forming fruit, it's like something from another planet. Each stalk puts out one large leaf at a time as it grows, keeping the last five to ten leaves as older ones wilt. After about 35 leaves, a single large deep red bud emerges on a leafless central stem. As the stem lengthens, little hands of tiny bananas are formed just behind the bud. Eventually this process stops, and the bananas grow in size until you or the squirrels decide they are ready to harvest.<br />
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The bud is generally called the banana flower, but it's really a housing for the male flowers that are exposed as leaves curl off the bud. The tiny female flowers that actually become the bananas are on the stalk itself. After the formation, the bud just sits there at the end of the stalk as the bananas grow and ripen. Many folks, including commercial growers, cut the flower off once the fruits are formed, but others leave them on. Next time, we'll look at the arguments on both sides of this grand controversy.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-62493362235853540122016-10-23T04:13:00.000-07:002016-10-23T04:13:30.624-07:00EBP FAQ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I expect to make several posts about the East Bradenton Park Fruit Tree Grove project in upcoming months. A good way to start might be with the current draft of our FAQ. Amber Mills, Public Health Specialist of the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, provided many helpful edits to my first draft. Amber has spearheaded the East Bradenton Park revitalization project, and it has been a pleasure to work with her and all of those involved in it.<br />
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<i>Who planted the grove?</i><br />
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The grove is a joint project involving the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, the Manatee County Government, the Manatee Rare Fruit Council, the Tropical Fruit Society of Sarasota and the UF/IFAS Extensions of Manatee and Sarasota County.<br />
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<i>Why a fruit tree grove?</i><br />
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In Manatee County, survey results to assess interventions for healthy food access and consumption evaluated access to fruit trees, gardening and educational opportunities, farm stands, and lower costs. According to assessment findings, the East Bradenton community perceived fresh fruits and vegetables to be expensive, and found the time it takes to obtain and prepare them to be a barrier to consuming healthy food. The fruit tree orchard in the East Bradenton Park will provide inexpensive access to fruits as well as increase the availability of locally grown food for its community members.<br />
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<i>How can it help the community?</i><br />
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There are several benefits. The East Bradenton Park neighborhood is a designated food desert, with insufficient fresh produce available. When the trees start to produce fruit, it will be freely available to area residents for their personal consumption (not for resale). When the 21 trees reach full production size, this will be a considerable amount of food. More importantly, the grove will provide both knowledge and inspiration for area residents to grow more of their own fruit in backyards and other available areas. If not just 21, but several hundred productive fruit trees can be established in the neighborhood, a tremendous amount of fruit can be produced for consumption, trade, or income. Finally, we hope that this beautiful grove will be a model for other such projects, and that the residents of the community will take pride in being the leader in this initiative.<br />
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<i>When will there be fruit to eat?</i><br />
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A fruit tree planted as a seed will usually take 5 to 10 years before it begins to produce, and the resulting fruit might not be high quality. However, the trees in the East Bradenton Park grove are grafted trees, which will yield high-quality fruit as soon as they are large enough. How soon will depend on the kind of tree. Some, like the starfruit, bananas, and papaya, might produce within a year. Most will take two or three years, and a few, like the avocados, may take four years. Don't be shocked to see some of the experts who are initially maintaining the grove remove the fruit from some of the trees before it is ripe. In those cases, the tree is too small to produce good fruit, and needs another year or two of growth before fruiting. Without the burden of producing fruit, the young tree will grow much faster, and will produce far more in the long run.<br />
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<i>How were these trees selected?</i><br />
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Experts from the UF/IFAS Extension Office and members of area fruit tree clubs worked together to make the selection, based on several considerations. All of these trees will grow very well in our area, and can be very productive without spraying pesticides or using expensive fertilizers. They produce fruit in different seasons, so eventually there should be at least some fruit almost any day of the year. Finally, the trees provide options for many situations: some do well in wetter soils, others in drier, some will get large and others will stay fairly small, and so on. Most any space with some sunlight and soil can be a home for at least one of these types of trees.<br />
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<i>Who will take care of the trees?</i><br />
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Fruit trees like these, that are well adapted to our area, do not require much care. Initially, volunteers from the local fruit tree clubs will tend to the grove. As time goes on, local residents can take “ownership” of this responsibility. Those who are interested but do not have experience can learn through many sources: either directly from the volunteers (feel free to ask them questions, or just say hi), through self-study, by joining local fruit tree clubs that have monthly meetings to share knowledge and information, and finally through local volunteers who provide one-day classes in all the basics.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4467087250926979865.post-74325136257550123452016-10-16T05:46:00.000-07:002016-10-16T05:46:15.185-07:00The Magnificent Five and Two Halves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The rains onto saturated soil continued into early autumn, dropping another of my Sunrise papayas. It got <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-little-tipsy.html">the same makeover as its mate</a>. New growth is already bursting forth from that first tipsy survivor.<br />
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The bigger news is that we're now eating our own papayas. Considering that the <a href="http://mrfcarticles.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-magnificent-or-perhaps-puny-seven.html">Magnificent Seven</a> went in the ground on March 1 after starting from seed last year, this qualifies as instant gratification on the fruit-tree time scale. <br />
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The Sunrise produce very small fruits, ironic enough given the size and vigor of the plant. The Queen of the Indoors loves them, and indeed they are fine-tasting. It will be interesting to see how the topped-off plants fruit next year and how their productivity is affected.<br />
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I was more curious about the broadleaf papayas. As you can see here, the fruit is much larger than the hand-size Sunrise's.<br />
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After the hefty fruit ripened to yellow with just a hint of green remaining, the flesh was a beautiful deep orange. But after all the hype, the taste was disappointing. There seemed to be an edge to the flavor not present in the smooth-tasting Sunrises. I found them good enough to eat, but the Queen said to call back when there were more Sunrise's. We'll see how the fruit of these two varieties evolves as the plants age, and whether dry-season product tastes different.<br />
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Meanwhile the two Costa Ricans are loaded with large fruits. I can hardly wait to see what it's like.Manatee Rare Fruit Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636396953926099657noreply@blogger.com0