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Message
re: Louisiana Tropical Fruit Gardening - Experiences and Updates
Posted on 10/20/25 at 8:33 pm to Tigerlaff
Posted on 10/20/25 at 8:33 pm to Tigerlaff
quote:
Have you tried out any true lemons, like Lisbon or Eureka? Meyer has too much mandarin DNA and gets killed by HLB.
I’m honestly having very little luck with citrus. The Sun Limes have done okay. The one in the pic is in the ground and gets irrigation. It has a less dense and more leggy canopy which produces fewer fruits but of larger and better quality than its counterpart in a 15g pot. The potted one is very dense and produces lots of fruit; albeit much smaller. They are nutrient hogs and like lots of nitrogen.
My Giant Australian Fingerlime died within a few months. In its native territory; those things are basically weeds. Growing in arid understory conditions. I theorize the intense Florida sun and often windy conditions where it was planted proved too much for mine.
I have a Persian Lime and a Dwarf Meyer. Both in pots. The Meyer has fared better of the two. About 3 feet tall and neither has produced fruit. Leaf miners and greening likely an issue.
I have a SugarBelle in the ground. I planted it as a 15g tree about one year ago. About 4 feet tall. It’s really not shown much vegetative growth. Transplant shock is a thing; I’m hoping 26’ kicks it into action. They are delicious and have shown very good HLB resistance.
HLB is a real problem here in Florida. Some new data suggests injecting the trees with Oxytetracycline offers some relief and produces better fruit. An older commercial orange breed known as the Donaldson has also shown good resistance and is making a comeback.
I’m afraid the damage is largely already done. Citrus has declined so much here; the old groves are worth more for residential/commercial development and imported citrus is both cheaper and often better. I don’t see it making a meaningful comeback.
On a more fun note; I sourced a Red Dacca banana tree today to fill the spot left by the dead papaya tree. So new stuff going in soon.
1
Posted on 10/20/25 at 9:56 pm to wiltznucs
Sadly I agree about the Florida citrus industry. I think that genetic technology will either cure or neuter HLB within the next 20 years, but the damage is done as you say. I think there will eventually be a resurgence with backyard growers similar to what is currently going on with mangos.
HLB just makes the trees that survive so unproductive and the fruit bad. I have Meyer lemon, cara cara navel orange, yuzu, and meiwa kumquat in the ground and a container key lime and they all do great and produce excellent fruit in south Louisiana. One day y'all will get that back. Until then, plant more orange sherbet and lemon zest.
Red dacca is a cool banana. This thread is about to get very active as we move into winter and protection protocols get deployed. This winter I'm attempting to protect 4 bananas:
Ice cream/tall namwah: corm is now 2yrs old with multiple stems over 15ft. This will be the hardest to protect due to size.
Dwarf namwah: only about 6 feet tall right now. Will be very easy to provide robust protection and I expect fruit next season.
Rajapuri: mature stem about 7 feet tall. Also very easy to protect and closer to flowering than dwarf namwah. Drawback is a very long ripening period.
Veinte cohol: assuming I've got the real deal, this one is very interesting to me. Young stem about 3 feet tall, but pretty cold sensitive. Short cycle banana that should bear next year and ripen long before next winter if I can get it through this one alive. No idea what to expect with this one.
Dwarf Cavendish: not even wasting my time. Bananas are boring and similar to grocery store grand nain and much more cold sensitive than the namwahs/rajapuri. These are foliage trees in full shade and I'm not even covering them this year.
HLB just makes the trees that survive so unproductive and the fruit bad. I have Meyer lemon, cara cara navel orange, yuzu, and meiwa kumquat in the ground and a container key lime and they all do great and produce excellent fruit in south Louisiana. One day y'all will get that back. Until then, plant more orange sherbet and lemon zest.
Red dacca is a cool banana. This thread is about to get very active as we move into winter and protection protocols get deployed. This winter I'm attempting to protect 4 bananas:
Ice cream/tall namwah: corm is now 2yrs old with multiple stems over 15ft. This will be the hardest to protect due to size.
Dwarf namwah: only about 6 feet tall right now. Will be very easy to provide robust protection and I expect fruit next season.
Rajapuri: mature stem about 7 feet tall. Also very easy to protect and closer to flowering than dwarf namwah. Drawback is a very long ripening period.
Veinte cohol: assuming I've got the real deal, this one is very interesting to me. Young stem about 3 feet tall, but pretty cold sensitive. Short cycle banana that should bear next year and ripen long before next winter if I can get it through this one alive. No idea what to expect with this one.
Dwarf Cavendish: not even wasting my time. Bananas are boring and similar to grocery store grand nain and much more cold sensitive than the namwahs/rajapuri. These are foliage trees in full shade and I'm not even covering them this year.
This post was edited on 10/20/25 at 9:59 pm
Posted on 10/20/25 at 10:28 pm to Tigerlaff
I’ve got three Namwahs holding fruit right now! Ready for them to be ready. Probably 2-3 weeks away from ripening. Will post pics tomorrow.
My Lemon Zest mango has really exploded with new growth after a year of doing absolutely nothing. Hopeful that 26’ gives me fruit for the first time. The Sri Lankan weevils have gave it hell. Killing them on a daily basis right now.
Orange Sherbet gave me fruit this year; but, had issues with insects. Ants absolutely attacked that particular tree. They find a small fissure in the fruit and wear them out before they are ripe.
The mango tree that has really exploded is CAC. I planted it as a modest 15g tree last Summer and it’s now easily 8 feet tall and equally wide. It’s going to be a problem without judicious pruning next year.
My Cecilove has grown perhaps 2 inches in the past two years. I’m debating ripping it out and replacing it with Coconut Cream.
With some luck I’ll get more mangoes next year than this year. I’ll let a few trees produce that I held back this year.
I’m hopeful that two years later my avocados will finally produce. The Simmonds and Brogdon are now 4-6’ tall and should be ready.
My Lemon Zest mango has really exploded with new growth after a year of doing absolutely nothing. Hopeful that 26’ gives me fruit for the first time. The Sri Lankan weevils have gave it hell. Killing them on a daily basis right now.
Orange Sherbet gave me fruit this year; but, had issues with insects. Ants absolutely attacked that particular tree. They find a small fissure in the fruit and wear them out before they are ripe.
The mango tree that has really exploded is CAC. I planted it as a modest 15g tree last Summer and it’s now easily 8 feet tall and equally wide. It’s going to be a problem without judicious pruning next year.
My Cecilove has grown perhaps 2 inches in the past two years. I’m debating ripping it out and replacing it with Coconut Cream.
With some luck I’ll get more mangoes next year than this year. I’ll let a few trees produce that I held back this year.
I’m hopeful that two years later my avocados will finally produce. The Simmonds and Brogdon are now 4-6’ tall and should be ready.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 9:36 am to wiltznucs
I know almost nothing about bananas. Can someone tell me what I have here and if these would ever be edible?
Posted on 10/21/25 at 11:29 am to AlxTgr
There’s dozens of different banana types out there. Some edible species and some that are decorative. Identifying them based on the flower and leaves is nearly impossible.
If it does produce fruit; you can often narrow it down based on their color, size and the way bunches are distributed.
If it does produce fruit; you can often narrow it down based on their color, size and the way bunches are distributed.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 11:46 am to wiltznucs
Thanks. I was worried it may not be possible.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 9:18 pm to AlxTgr
Keep updating this thread with pics of the bunch. You probably don't have time to ripen before they freeze. But if you have pups you should protect the biggest one this winter and see if you can get it to flower earlier next year.
Good chance it's one of the common nursery bananas found in Louisiana (ice cream, dwarf Cavendish, grand nain). All edible.
Good chance it's one of the common nursery bananas found in Louisiana (ice cream, dwarf Cavendish, grand nain). All edible.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 9:29 pm to Tigerlaff
quote:Help me with this- I don't know what it means.
But if you have pups you should protect the biggest one this winter and see if you can get it to flower earlier next year.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 9:39 pm to Tigerlaff
Originally sold as a Blue Java Ice Cream Banana from Fast Growing Trees; I’m convinced it’s actually a Namwah. Which is a win I’m told. Purchased in 2020. Kept in a pot until 22’. Then finally put in the ground. Today it has 10-12 healthy trunks. On average 10-15 feet tall. I give it 10-10-10 in the Spring and Fall.
Got one bunch last year. This year I have three. Not a huge amount; but, definitely delicious. Separated off some pups and established a new corm on the other side of the house. I’m thinking another 2-3 weeks before they ripen.
Got one bunch last year. This year I have three. Not a huge amount; but, definitely delicious. Separated off some pups and established a new corm on the other side of the house. I’m thinking another 2-3 weeks before they ripen.
Posted on 10/22/25 at 9:02 am to wiltznucs
That is 100% namwah. You can tell by the lack of a "knuckle."
Better banana than blue java anyway. Mine are like 20 feet tall right now.
Better banana than blue java anyway. Mine are like 20 feet tall right now.
This post was edited on 10/22/25 at 2:49 pm
Posted on 10/22/25 at 9:05 am to AlxTgr
quote:
Help me with this- I don't know what it means.
The small banana stalks that grow up next to the bigger stalks are called pups. In south Louisiana, the best way to actually harvest fruit is to get a pup up to about 6 feet tall. At that size, it is easy to wrap and heat it to save it from freezing. The leaves will all freeze off but as long as the trunk survives you are fine. In the spring it will wake up, produce new leaves, and hopefully flower early enough to harvest the fruit before cold weather returns.
Your big stem with the flower will not have time to develop and ripen before it freezes. It's all about timing.
This post was edited on 10/22/25 at 10:18 am
Posted on 10/22/25 at 9:21 am to Tigerlaff
Posted on 10/23/25 at 9:07 am to AlxTgr
Ruby supreme guavas still coming off the tree. This one needs a day or two in a paper bag to ripen to perfection.
This post was edited on 10/23/25 at 9:08 am
Posted on 10/24/25 at 5:01 pm to Tigerlaff
I reloaded all of my spray bottles this morning and snapped a pic for anyone wanting to see what kinds of insecticides, fungicides, and nutritional sprays I find effective. I use some of these all the time and some of them almost never and only for very particular purposes. Happy to answer any questions about these products.
Posted on 10/27/25 at 10:51 am to Tigerlaff
Some high winds over the weekend had one Nanwah tree snap under its own weight and hit the ground overnight. Two days later and they are ripening up beautifully.
Banana season is officially upon us.
Posted on 10/27/25 at 1:17 pm to Tigerlaff
quote:Most recent pic. The unfolding of the purple parts has slowed significantly. It had been one per day for a while.
Keep updating this thread with pics of the bunch.
Posted on 10/27/25 at 9:12 pm to wiltznucs
Those filled out perfectly. Gonna be great.
Posted on 10/27/25 at 9:13 pm to AlxTgr
quote:
The unfolding of the purple parts has slowed significantly. It had been one per day for a while.
That's the cold. Bananas completely stop when temps get below about 65F.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 12:58 pm to Tigerlaff
So I did my morning round and lo and behold, my jalisco roja guava is finally going to bloom. Just in time for winter.
Among tropical fruit nerds, this guava is alleged to be flat out absurdly excellent. Brix readings as high as mangos. It originated as a chance seedling of Mexican cream in California and the tree's owner sold cuttings some years ago. He does not sell them anymore. People who bought the cuttings then grafted them (extremely difficult) and later air layered the grown plants for sale. If this fruit turns out to be what it is purported to be, I will probably sell all my other guavas and propagate as many of these trees as I can. Since this is flowering now I've decided it will go in my climate controlled grow room this winter under the big lights. Although this is not a good time for it to bloom, it will be a very cool thing to track over the next 5 months.
So far this has been a weird tree. It has very large attractive leaves, an upright and tidy growth habit, and is somehow resistant to the mealybugs that absolutely take over my other guavas without strong systemic insecticide. Here is a photo from my initial shaping prune on 05/11/25. I cut probably half the plant off to get the right structure.
Here it was on 09/23/25 uppotted into a 15gal. I've got all the scaffolding branches high enough that the fruit laden branches will not brush against the ground or be easy for certain animals to steal. Over time this should turn into a beautiful standard form tree and hopefully one that I can propagate and share.
Among tropical fruit nerds, this guava is alleged to be flat out absurdly excellent. Brix readings as high as mangos. It originated as a chance seedling of Mexican cream in California and the tree's owner sold cuttings some years ago. He does not sell them anymore. People who bought the cuttings then grafted them (extremely difficult) and later air layered the grown plants for sale. If this fruit turns out to be what it is purported to be, I will probably sell all my other guavas and propagate as many of these trees as I can. Since this is flowering now I've decided it will go in my climate controlled grow room this winter under the big lights. Although this is not a good time for it to bloom, it will be a very cool thing to track over the next 5 months.
So far this has been a weird tree. It has very large attractive leaves, an upright and tidy growth habit, and is somehow resistant to the mealybugs that absolutely take over my other guavas without strong systemic insecticide. Here is a photo from my initial shaping prune on 05/11/25. I cut probably half the plant off to get the right structure.
Here it was on 09/23/25 uppotted into a 15gal. I've got all the scaffolding branches high enough that the fruit laden branches will not brush against the ground or be easy for certain animals to steal. Over time this should turn into a beautiful standard form tree and hopefully one that I can propagate and share.
This post was edited on 10/28/25 at 1:08 pm
Posted on 10/28/25 at 1:36 pm to Tigerlaff
It looks like it's going to be in the low 40s for a few hours Thursday/Friday. Should I be putting my plants in the greenhouse?
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