Kwai Muk: the Ugly Delicious Fruit

Q: I have been hunting for a rare and exotic edible to grow on my property here in South Florida for some time now. I found an interesting tree called Kwai Muk while browsing your website. I do not have a lot of space left to plant but this tree seems to be smaller in size and also somewhat cold and wind tolerant which is a bonus as far as I am concerned. It also sounds like the fruit is exceptional. I would love to grow one. It is similar to Jackfruit?

A: ...The piece de resistance of Kwai Muk is the excellent fruit it produces. Some people seem to think it is some of the weirdest looking fruit out there! This may be true, but what it lacks in appearance, it certainly makes up for in taste. It is called sometimes "the ugliest and yet the best tasting fruit". The creamy pulp is absolutely delicious and mostly eaten fresh. I have heard people say the flavor reminds them of mango, apricot, jackfruit, fig, quava and strawberry. Sweet and tangy loveliness with a hint of sherbet. The fruit looks like mini jackfruit on the inside but is about the size of a fig. The flesh inside also closely resembles jackfruit....

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EASY GROW-BOX

How to quickly germinate tropical seeds in winter

Q: I live in the New England area where the winters are very long and dreary. I plant both a veggie and flower garden during the warmer seasons and am especially fond of growing chili-peppers. On account of most chili's longer growing seasons, I need to get already established plants in the ground as soon as the weather is warm enough. My problem is that despite my best attempts to germinate and grow seedlings ahead of time - even in my sunniest window - I just can't seem to keep the soil evenly warm enough to get them to germinate, no matter how warm the room is kept. And on the occasion they do come up, the seedlings always seem to remain weak and stunted, likely owing to the especially low humidity of winter. I also tried using an electric seed-starting heating pad, and the results were only a little better. Are there any tips you could give me?

A: Yes, I understand your issues and can sympathize! While it might be surprising to some, even here in sunny S.W. Florida, there are long stretches of winter weather where the ambient temperatures are simply too cold for germinating many of the more tropical seeds, such as the notoriously warm-weather chili-peppers. Also, I am likewise a fan of chilis, and always have at least a few different kinds growing at any given time. I have two great suggestions...

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Plumeria cold protection

Q: We have a purple-flowering plumeria which resides on our sunny deck during the warm months and then Winter vacations on our back porch where we can close the plastic film windows and where it stays above 50 degrees (overnite) until it can get moved outside again. We live in zone 8+ in South Carolina and I would love to plant it outside. Do you think if we ghost-covered it when alerted that we would have an overnite freeze, that it would survive being planted in the ground and recover to flower when warm? I don't believe the soil in our yard has ever frozen below the top 1/2 inch or so, and never for more than a few hours at a time. What do you think?

A: Plumerias are tropical plants, which means, they need frost-free environment. Even if the ground is frozen only on "the top ½" or so" - this may be enough to kill the plant. From our experience, plumerias can withstand a few hours of windchill frost (not frozen soil), but even if they survive, they may get some branches damage, and recovery may take so long that the plant may not even bloom the next year. So I wouldn't take that risk even with a ghost-cover cold protection. We have customers who grow tropical plants in the ground in colder areas, but they have greenhouse protection: this means, the soil is warm and the air temperature is maintained above 45-50F. For example, this Greenhouse in Virginia.

We recommend to continue growing your rare plumeria in container and move it inside when temperatures drop below 50F (recommended) and for sure when they drop below freezing. Plumeria can take a cold night (a few hours of upper 30's) as long as it is followed by a nice warm sunny afternoon with at least upper 50s. Otherwise, keep it indoors. The good news is, since plumerias are deciduous and have no leaves in winter, low light level won't affect the plant.
Just make sure to minimize watering and keep the plant on a dry side until it starts growing new leaves in Spring. You may continue fertilizing once a week with half-doze of Sunshine boosters - Sunshine TotalFeed. This will maintain the plant healthy and prepare for the blooming season in Spring.