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Message
re: Louisiana Tropical Fruit Gardening - Experiences and Updates
Posted on 6/12/26 at 5:31 am to Tigerlaff
Posted on 6/12/26 at 5:31 am to Tigerlaff
Keep us updated on the loquat graft. I ordered scions of Argelino and Big Jim white to graft on a potted seedling that I have. Looks like a cleft graft? I’m thinking veneer or bud grafts since I’m not sure if the scion wood will be the same size as my rootstock or not.
1
Posted on 6/12/26 at 6:28 am to AyyyBaw
quote:
Keep us updated on the loquat graft. I ordered scions of Argelino and Big Jim white to graft on a potted seedling that I have. Looks like a cleft graft? I’m thinking veneer or bud grafts since I’m not sure if the scion wood will be the same size as my rootstock or not.
Will do. My 4 larger grafted trees were all cleft so I just did that assuming it worked well. It was not my best work. But you never know sometimes things like this just work out. It was mostly just having a big piece of good scion wood and not wanting to trash it.
Posted on 6/12/26 at 10:12 am to Tigerlaff
Was at chapel farms today getting some wood chip mulch for a bed, and browsed his tropical shipment. Ended up grabbing a Kari Starfruit. It was on my list of eventual purchases. lol.
Funny that common though process on potting up tree sizes to always go slow (3,7,15,25) bc of drainage issues and having the root all sit in a wet pot, but I don’t think that’s the case with Gary’s mix. I think you can go straight to a 10-15 from 3 and not have issues. That’s been my experience anyways so far. They usually stall for about 4 weeks after the bare root wash, then flourish!
Funny that common though process on potting up tree sizes to always go slow (3,7,15,25) bc of drainage issues and having the root all sit in a wet pot, but I don’t think that’s the case with Gary’s mix. I think you can go straight to a 10-15 from 3 and not have issues. That’s been my experience anyways so far. They usually stall for about 4 weeks after the bare root wash, then flourish!
Posted on 6/12/26 at 12:16 pm to DickTater
quote:
Kari Starfruit. It was on my list of eventual purchases. lol.
You will not be dissapointed. Excellent tree and fruit. Don't be afraid to prune it how you want it. It takes pruning even better than guava and grows fast. Also remember that unlike most fruit trees once old wood starts fruiting it never loses that ability. So you don't have to worry about lopping off new growth. It will still fruit.
quote:
Funny that common though process on potting up tree sizes to always go slow (3,7,15,25) bc of drainage issues and having the root all sit in a wet pot, but I don’t think that’s the case with Gary’s mix. I think you can go straight to a 10-15 from 3 and not have issues. That’s been my experience anyways so far. They usually stall for about 4 weeks after the bare root wash, then flourish
I have routinely gone from 3g to 25g with Gary's with no problem whatsoever. As long as it drains you're fine. One thing that never gets brought up is how bad small pots can be for trees. They get very hot, very cold, and very dry FAST. Small pots are at the whims of nature while larger pots maintain things more evenly. Obviously the ground is the ideal situation but that's not what we're doing here. Large pots also allow you to grow large canopies which will eventually shade their own pot.
This post was edited on 6/12/26 at 3:14 pm
Posted on 6/12/26 at 3:08 pm to DickTater
quote:
Funny that common though process on potting up tree sizes to always go slow (3,7,15,25) bc of drainage issues and having the root all sit in a wet pot, but I don’t think that’s the case with Gary’s mix. I think you can go straight to a 10-15 from 3 and not have issues. That’s been my experience anyways so far. They usually stall for about 4 weeks after the bare root wash, then flourish!
My Bell's starfruit looked really spindly and sad when I got it. I put it direct into a 15 gallon pot and like you said, it did nothing but look more and more sad for about a month. It's now probably the fastest growing thing I have.
This was it on May 13th.
This post was edited on 6/12/26 at 3:10 pm
Posted on 6/12/26 at 6:46 pm to Loup
Doing better than my Bell. It’s growing; but, admittedly pretty slowly. I need to do better about watering it. The drought here is bad and it’s sort of in a spot where it’s out of sight and thus out of mind.
Posted on 6/12/26 at 7:02 pm to Loup
That thing is going to take off . Get ready. Most productive fruit tree on earth.
. Get ready. Most productive fruit tree on earth. Posted on 6/13/26 at 6:29 am to Tigerlaff
quote:
One thing that never gets brought up is how bad small pots can be for trees. They get very hot, very cold, and very dry FAST. Small pots are at the whims of nature while larger pots maintain things more evenly. Obviously the ground is the ideal situation but that's not what we're doing here. Large pots also allow you to grow large canopies which will eventually shade their own pot.
This is something I honestly haven’t thought about. I think that matters so much more for our climate. We have large temp swings daily, and the larger pots allow that air temp swing to be mitigated more.
Any particular good shape for a starfruit, mine has a very strong central leader with laterals spaced well..do you tip prune it to encourage more branching ?
Posted on 6/13/26 at 7:01 am to DickTater
quote:
Any particular good shape for a starfruit, mine has a very strong central leader with laterals spaced well..
My only rules on starfruit are keep it short enough for the greenhouse and trim lower branches so that the fruit won't drag on the ground.
quote:
do you tip prune it to encourage more branching ?
You will have no choice. It will grow too fast and you'll have to cut to maintain overall size.
Here's how I keep my 20g Kari. I have to prune every couple of weeks during the growing season.
Posted on 6/13/26 at 10:46 am to Tigerlaff
Tried Glenn and Sweet Tart. Sweet tart is much better thank Glenn but it didn’t really wow me. Have had better store bought mangos.
Didn’t care for Glenn. It had lots of Melon flavor which isn’t my thing.
Hope the others are better.
Didn’t care for Glenn. It had lots of Melon flavor which isn’t my thing.
Hope the others are better.
Posted on 6/13/26 at 10:51 am to Neauxla
Where did you buy from? I also dislike melon, which is why I dont bother with papaya or certain figs.
This post was edited on 6/13/26 at 11:13 am
Posted on 6/13/26 at 3:04 pm to Tigerlaff
Had a fun experience today. Found a local selling fresh mangoes for $25 for 15 fruits on FB Marketplace. She admitted that she didn’t know the type; but, I figured it’s worth a shot.
She provides me with the address and I’m pretty sure I know exactly what tree she’s picking from. It’s in the oldest part of town very near the waterfront.
We arrive and sure enough; I’ve spotted this tree before. It’s enormous; can’t miss it. It’s clearly grown from a chance seedling as I don’t see any indication that’s it’s been grafted. Given its age it has to be from a classic varietal. It looks like a Keitt or a Kent to me which would definitely be something that fits the timeline. The tree has to be 30+ years old. The owner says it was a mature tree when she bought the property 20 years ago.
Anyhow; the owner hands me a bag of fruit averaging 1-1.5lbs each. So 20+ lbs of fresh mangoes for $25. Not mad at it. Will let them ripen up before giving them a try.
She provides me with the address and I’m pretty sure I know exactly what tree she’s picking from. It’s in the oldest part of town very near the waterfront.
We arrive and sure enough; I’ve spotted this tree before. It’s enormous; can’t miss it. It’s clearly grown from a chance seedling as I don’t see any indication that’s it’s been grafted. Given its age it has to be from a classic varietal. It looks like a Keitt or a Kent to me which would definitely be something that fits the timeline. The tree has to be 30+ years old. The owner says it was a mature tree when she bought the property 20 years ago.
Anyhow; the owner hands me a bag of fruit averaging 1-1.5lbs each. So 20+ lbs of fresh mangoes for $25. Not mad at it. Will let them ripen up before giving them a try.
Posted on 6/13/26 at 3:10 pm to Neauxla
quote:
Sweet Tart
This is honestly one of my top 3 mangoes. It was the first tree I replanted after the freeze. Can’t imagine not having one in my grove.
There is some variability with them. Those picked too green will never get a full color change and maintain a more tart/acidic profile even after softening up a bit on the counter. Those allowed to mature on the tree a bit more will lose some of that acidity and get sweeter. Almost a cola like sweetness.
Glenn is a classic Florida mango. Soft, juicy with peach flavors. Hints of spice sometimes. Not as complex as others; but, sort of considered an insurance mango. Even in the bad years; it tends to produce. Consistently better than store bought Tommy’s. So very common here.
This post was edited on 6/13/26 at 4:09 pm
Posted on 6/13/26 at 3:31 pm to wiltznucs
that is a beautiful tree. I’d have given it a hug
Posted on 6/13/26 at 4:57 pm to cgrand
quote:
I’d have given it a hug
The community where I live was founded in 1958. That home was probably built sometime in the mid to late 60’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if the seedling was planted very soon thereafter. It’s watched the community turn into a busy small town. It’s has survived a half dozen or more hurricanes making landfall close by. Hurricane Helene flooded that area back in 24’ and it was submerged for some amount of time. If that tree could talk it would certainly have some stories.
This post was edited on 6/13/26 at 4:59 pm
Posted on 6/13/26 at 5:16 pm to wiltznucs
Looks like the forced branching attempt on my pickering is going to be successful. There are some lil buds forming at each leaf. It was looking pretty sad after I took most of the leaves off of the top.
What do yall spray for leaf miners? I keep flicking them off but two of them have been living on the mango. I'm not seeing them on any of my other trees.
What do yall spray for leaf miners? I keep flicking them off but two of them have been living on the mango. I'm not seeing them on any of my other trees.
Posted on 6/13/26 at 5:43 pm to wiltznucs
That is a hell of a tree. Will need a taste report once ripe. Great price too.
Also agree on Sweet Tart. That is an unbelievable mango. It's why I'm so focused on Cecilove. Closest thing I can get to Sweet Tart without the high vigor.
Also agree on Sweet Tart. That is an unbelievable mango. It's why I'm so focused on Cecilove. Closest thing I can get to Sweet Tart without the high vigor.
This post was edited on 6/13/26 at 5:45 pm
Posted on 6/13/26 at 5:45 pm to Loup
quote:
What do yall spray for leaf miners? I keep flicking them off but two of them have been living on the mango. I'm not seeing them on any of my other trees.
Spinosad. Best control for leaf miner.
Great work on the mango topping. It's doing exactly what you wanted.
Posted on 6/13/26 at 5:46 pm to Loup
quote:
What do yall spray for leaf miners? I keep flicking them off but two of them have been living on the mango. I'm not seeing them on any of my other trees.
Spinosad works for me. Neem oil does as well; just has to be applied when it’s cool to avoid sun scalding the leaves.
Posted on 6/13/26 at 5:56 pm to Tigerlaff
Sapodilla update:
I've got both trees setting fruit. Was starting to worry about the Makok. Dropped tons of flowers but is finally setting.
The Silas Wood, despite being 50% smaller than the Makok tree, is setting fruit all over.
At this point, I can say a few things about the two dwarf sapodilla varieties. Growth habit on both is the same: grows slowly, outward, and bushy. The Silas Wood is clearly better at setting fruit. They both flower profusely but Makok has set maybe 20% of what SW did. Makok has excellent flavor. Super sweet with deep brown sugar flavor. I have not had SW yet. If SW has flavor near or equal to Makok I will probably sell the Makok. I don't want to jump the gun because I have seen potted Makoks fruiting prolifically. Long way to go to find out. Sapodilla take about a year or more to ripen.
I've got both trees setting fruit. Was starting to worry about the Makok. Dropped tons of flowers but is finally setting.
The Silas Wood, despite being 50% smaller than the Makok tree, is setting fruit all over.
At this point, I can say a few things about the two dwarf sapodilla varieties. Growth habit on both is the same: grows slowly, outward, and bushy. The Silas Wood is clearly better at setting fruit. They both flower profusely but Makok has set maybe 20% of what SW did. Makok has excellent flavor. Super sweet with deep brown sugar flavor. I have not had SW yet. If SW has flavor near or equal to Makok I will probably sell the Makok. I don't want to jump the gun because I have seen potted Makoks fruiting prolifically. Long way to go to find out. Sapodilla take about a year or more to ripen.
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