John, I love Apopka! My orchid buddies and I make orchid runs up there two or three times a year.

Madeleine, I may be able to help you with your grapefruit tree problem but will need you to expand on "scabby".

One of my favorite fruits is mangosteen which I enjoyed while living in Indomesia. I find it very hard to find here and almost impossible to grow.

Jim

Jim
What is a mangosteen? Is it a variety of mango?

No, not related to mangos. It grows on small trees in southeast Asia and has a reddish, rather thick cardboard husk that when removed reveals a sectioned fruit about the size and shape of a tangerine. It's flavor is one of the best in the world. The only place I've seen it for sale in the US is at the big international farmer's market in Atlanta. Sometimes you can find it canned in Asian markets.

Jim

Well, after my last post, curiosity got the better of me and I went and did a search on it. I have never heard of it. Apparently, it is very finicky about the weather and won't grown in areas where it goes under 40 degrees or over 100 degrees. Kind of rules out central Florida.
Not exactly cheap to buy either.

I'm in the Rare Fruit Council here and there is a story about a fellow in Miami who grew one for 10 years and it never would fruit. Finally, he got one fruit off of it and that winter, it died. I don't know of anyone else trying to grow it. I'd just be happy to find a place to buy the fruit.

Jim

Jim
I did find someone in Hawaii selling trees but they are 45 each in a box of 4 plus $45.00 shipping/handling which would make it like $57 per tree. Probably not worth the risk if they are so temperature finicky.

Just send the $57 to me and save the grief.

Jim

The cattley guava fruit are ripe.

Jim

That's one I haven't tried yet. What is the flavor like?

Kind of a sweet/sour flavor, very tasty in my opinion. You eat the skin and all but beware of a couple of small hard seeds inside. I snack on them while riding the lawnmower around the yard. Vey cold hardy and problem free.

Jim

Thanks, I'll have to put it on my list.

I went out and harvested some passion fruit today. The vine is Passiflora edulis.

Jim

Jim
Is that the ripe color. p. edulis fruit is usually purple and p. eudlis flavicarpa is yellow (or is it the other way around. LOL) I had a mutation of p. edulis for years that produced solid white, very fragrant blooms and tons of bright yellow fruit. I started many plants from the seeds but alas, gave them all away except 1 which is potted and about 2 yrs old now. It has yet to bloom but I am hoping it is also white like the parent. I did hear from someone that said the one I have them bloomed white so we'll seed. In the meantime, I found a package of left over seeds that are probably a couple of years old. Usually passi seeds have to be fairly fresh to germinate but I plants all 200 or so in community pots hoping I might get lucky and get 1 or 2 to grow.

Is the cattey guava the same as strawberry guava. Lowes has a few of those right now.

Jan, you are correct in thinking the flavicarpa is yellow. The vine is more vigorous and it produces more and larger fruit. It is not as cold hardy as the Sims or purple one that I have and I prefer the flavor of the purple one. The fruit I picked today will continue to turn purple but they are ripe and ready to use now. I've never seen a white one...interesting. I tried growing the giant granadilla but the 2009 winter took it out.

Yes, cattley guava is sometimes called strawberry guava.

Jim

Here's a collage from a few years ago. The structure it was growing over is 8ft wide x 16 ft .long and it totally covered the top and part of the sides and grew into the surrounding trees. When it was in bloom, you could smell it 25 ft away.

Impressive. Were the fruit tasty? I wish I knew the variety name.

Jim

i was never able to find one that matched it's description and fruit color. I liked the flavor but they were probably more on the mildly tart side and not sweet. The seeds came to me marked. p. edulis flavacarpa so I assumed it was an unknown cross or mutation. I know of one that produce true from seed but someone else said their's bloom light purple but I never saw photos of it. I'll have to wait and see what the one does that I still have. There are other white passi out there but I couldn't find any reference to ones that produce yellow fruit and the blooms were different.

Passion vines are not a long living plant. Most have a lifespan of around 5 years. Also, a good freeze will kill them and I have lost a few. So, each fall I take a cutting, put it in a small pot and protect it through the winter. If the big vine dies, I have a replacement ready to go.

Jim

I tried many times to root cuttings of that one but was never able to get any to take root. We don't get as hard a freeze over here on the coast as you do so mine always did well with the cold. Never even a burnt leaf.