Tropical fruit plants anyone?

[bluenkimchi]

How prolific and consistent of a producer are the lychee in SD? I read on line that lychee don't produce so well in California, even in the south. I have 4 small 2 feet tall $15 dollar air layer lychees that I got from an eBay seller in Florida that are of the Mauritius, Sweetheart and Emperor cultivar. But I'm in the central valley(Fresno, to be precise) so I have to overwinter them inside the garage or give them out door shelter until they are more establish. I envy your winters where you guys don't usually have to worry about frost, but you probably might envy my summer heat for some of your other fruit trees that need the extra heat

 

[ljseabreeze]

It took around 8 years to bear fruit on our good tree, the other tree might get 10 fruit and some years none. Our tree is not very big, maybe 5 feet tall even after 11 or 12 years. We get 50 or so lychee every winter. We never get a frost here by the coast.

 

[bluenkimchi]

I understand that lychee are slow growing trees, but 5' after 11-12 years. Are your trees seed grown or were they air layer or grafted trees. If the later one then they should have produce after 3-5 years. But then again they might not be getting their require chill hours since your by the coast? You should try using some potassium cholrate and low nitrogen fertilizer to encourage more blooms. Are they big seed or small seed compare to flesh ratio. And it might by the cultivar that you got, some cultivar are shy bearer and skip in between years. But getting some is always better than none. That's good with no frost.

 

[ljseabreeze]

We started with grafted trees. Good luck with your trees, some people never get fruit even with special attention. I am not concerned at all about the small crop of fruit. Living where we do some years are bad fruit years, being coastal and in the city there is a serious lack of bees some recent years and some years we get bad storms during blossom time. We now have 3 hives in our yard and that does help but not much we can do about the weather. We have more than 100 different trees and more fruit than I can possibly use. The fruit we do get is excellent, all organic and I spend 0$ on fertilizer all from our own compost.

 

[bluenkimchi]

I might ask you for some scion wood in the future as i'm starting some mango seedlings. Good luck to you too.

 

[Estephanie]

I have Cinnamon (cassi and ceylon), banana trees (about 10 varieties), jamaica Cherries, Avocados, Mame, sapote, and mombin.

 

[bluenkimchi]

Isn't Riverside zone 9? How are the Banana's and mamey sapote doing for you? Have either fruited for you? And do you provide any winter protection? I thought mamey sapote was really hard to get going any where outside of south Florida unless what you wrote is some other kind of fruit. Though the sapodilla(brown sugar fruit) does look similar but is much hardier.

 

[Estephanie]

Isn't Riverside zone 9? How are the Banana's and mamey sapote doing for you? Have either fruited for you? And do you provide any winter protection? I thought mamey sapote was really hard to get going any where outside of south Florida unless what you wrote is some other kind of fruit. Though the sapodilla(brown sugar fruit) does look similar but is much hardier.

The bananas have fruited quite well, and yes its mamey sapote but it hasnt fruited yet ive only had it a year but its growing beautifully I believe i got it shipped from Florida, alog with one of my cinnamon trees, the other two cinnamon trees i had imported from Hawaii. Still in pots because i should be moving to a 10 acre plot next year

 

[bluenkimchi]

Well good luck and hope you get plenty of fruits in the coming future from your mamey sapote and post up pictures if you can.