Growing Jackfruit in a pot

Q: I have a young jackfruit tree, and I wanted to know, is a 25 pot enough for an adult tree?

A: 25 to 50 gal should be eventually a good size pot for growing a Jackfruit tree. Keep in mind the following:
1. Start with a smaller container, only slightly bigger than the root system. Do not plant directly into a large container, this may create a risk for root rot.
2. Step up the tree in a bigger container every year as it grows bigger. With every repotting, trim both branches and roots to compact the plant and to encourage branching out.
3. Jackfruit trees should be kept pruned under 6-7 ft in pots and 10-12 ft in the ground. This makes healthy fruit production more efficient and keeps fruit at the base of the tree.

Information on new exotic fruit variety:
Artocarpus x integer (Jackfruit x Chempedak), Cheena cv. TopTropicals

FRESH SEEDS! Grow exotic Chempedak from seeds and you will have the trees for only $1 each!

Check out a short video of the opened fruit.

Cheena is a natural hybrid between jackfruit and chempedak. Comes true from seed. This highly recommended variety has grown in TopTropicals garden from a seedling of Cheena (Jackfruit x Chempedak) that fruited within 3 years from planting. The fruit (20-25" size) is probably the best we ever tasted! It is super sweet, crunchy and has a rich, pleasant, excellent flavor. It has very little latex which makes it easy to handle when cutting up. The tree produces at the very base of the trunk, so you can prune it as short as you want. Our tree survived light frosts as well as 48 hours of 3ft flooding, with no damage!
The tree has an open, low and spreading growth habit and can be maintained at a height and spread of 8 ft with annual pruning. It is very easy to grow and is not as cold hardy as we thought for a Jackfruit x Chempedak types of plants. The only two recommendations are - good fertilу soil with a high content of compost and regular watering.
Cheena is a consistent producer. The fruit is up to 5 lbs, long, narrow and uniform in size and shape. The skin is green, with blunt spines that yellow and open slightly upon maturity.

Check out Chempedak Cheena seeds - FRESH - FRESH - FRESH
Check out Chempedak Cheena plants - special offer $30 OFF!

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....

CONTINUE READING >>

Jack-edak - Cheena

...While pure Jackfruits develop bulbs which are somewhat larger by comparison, those of the Jackfruit/Chempedak hybrid Cheena (which I call "Jack-edak"), are more numerous and have a much smaller ratio of inedible "packing material" around them than the pure Jackfruits. They're also easier to cut open, having much less dripping latex than regular Jackfruits. The tightly packed bulbs are tender, juicy, and basically fiber-less, having a flavor we find very similar to really good Sugar Apples, yet even richer and more complex. My son has used it for making what several friends have described as the best chutney of all-time!..

Grafted or seedling?

Photo: Mr Barcy meditating before planting Nutmeg seeds

Q: I planted an avocado seed and it sprouted quickly, it has been only a couple months and I already have a small plant. How soon will it produce fruit? Can I grow other tropical fruit from seed?

A: Unfortunately, some fruit trees, including varieties of avocado, mango, lychee, as well as apples and peaches - must be either grafted or air-layered in order to produce, for 2 main reasons:
- seedlings may take a very long time until fruiting, up to 10-15 years
- seedling gives no guarantee on the quality of the fruit or variety
These fruit trees should be propagated as "clones" - both grafted material or cuttings are actually copies of the mother plant and will keep the same fruit qualities. Grafted trees usually start producing immediately.
However there is a number of fruit trees that come true from seed, and take a very short time to start flowering. Jackfruit, Annonas (Sugar Apple, Guanabana, etc), Papaya, Icecream Bean, Eugenias start producing at a young age (3-4 years from seed).

Recommended fertilizers for fruit trees:

Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - for sweeter fruit
SUNSHINE SuperFood - microelement supplement

URBAN TROPICAL GARDENING:
10 secrets of successful Container Mango growing on a balcony.

Q: I live in Miami in apartment on a second floor, and I have a balcony with SE exposure. I wonder if I can grow a mango tree in a pot? Will it fruit for me? I recently moved to South Florida and I don't know much about tropical plants; but I tasted real fiberless mangos from someone's garden - it was so delicious and different from those in the grocery store. I wonder if I can have a fruiting tree on my balcony? And if yes, how do I plant and take care of it?

A: Yes, you can! Here is what you need to do:
1) Temperature. You are lucky to live in Tropics, keep it on a balcony year round.
2) Light. Position the pot in a spot with the most sun exposure. Mango trees can take filtered light too, but the less sun, the less fruit you will get.
3) Soil and Container. Use only well drained potting mix. Step up the purchased plant into next size container (3 gal into 7 gal, 7 gal into 15 gal). When transplanting, make sure to keep growth point (where roots meet the trunk) just at the top of the soil. Covering base of the trunk with soil may kill the plant.
4) Water. Water daily during hot season, but only if top of soil gets dry. If it still moist, skip that day. Mangoes (unlike Avocados!) prefer to stay on a dry side.
5) Fertilizer. Use balanced fertilizer once a month, 1 tsp per 1 gal of soil. Do not fertilize during fruiting - this may cause fruit cracks.
6) Microelements. Apply SUNSHINE-Superfood once a month. This will help your mango healthy, vigorous, and resistant to diseases. Use SUNSHINE-Honey to make your fruit sweeter.
7) Insect control. Watch for scales and mealybugs, clean with solution of soapy water + vegetable oil (may need to repeat 2-3 times with 10 days interval), or with systemic insecticide like imidacloprid only as needed (if non-harsh treatment didn't help). Most Flea shampoo for dogs contain that chemical, you may try that shampoo solution.
8) Trimming. Once potted, do not remove leaves that are discolored or have spots until new growth appears. Dark dots on mango leaves, especially in humid climate like Florida, may be signs of fungus. Treat with fungicide according to label, and remove only badly damaged leaves. Trim crown as needed after flowering and fruiting (by Fall). Train into a small tree, and you may remove some lower branches eventually.
9) Flower and fruit. Mangoes are winter bloomers with bunches of tiny flowers coming in thousands. Many of them set fruit (if pollinating insects present). Keep in mind that young trees can only bare a few fruit. Normally a tree will drop excessive fruit and keep only a few that it can manage. To save the young tree some energy, remove fruit if too many and leave only 2-3 for the first year. It will pay you next year with more abundant crop.
10) Variety. Last but not least: Choose the right variety for container culture! Pick from "condo" dwarf varieties such as Icecream, Nam Doc Mai, Carrie, Cogshall, Julie, Fairchild, Pickering, Graham, Mallika, and a few others - check out Mango Chart pdf and full list of our Mango varieties.

Growing tropical fruit trees in containers in winter

Q: Please give me your advice. The winter is here. I bought mango tree, jackfruit tree, sugar apple tree and planned them for spring. What can I do to keep them no frost bite? My home in Bonifay FL.

A: In subtropical areas with occasional hard freeze in winter, we recommend you to keep tropical plants in pots. The plants you purchase are tender to frost. For cold protection, container growing has several advantages:
1) easy to move into wind-protected and sun-exposed locations as needed: for example, on a different side of the house. In many areas, seasonal prevailing winds have opposite directions in Summer and Winter.
2) easy to cover with frost cloth, sheets, or blankets in case of immediate cold spells. Container plants' growth is easier to control and trim, and those plants naturally stay more compact.
3) easy to move indoors, inside garage, or in covered lanai/patio.
We also recommend to keep these trees in their original pots until Spring, in containers size of the rootball. Step them up in Spring, when plants start active growth of root system. This will help you to avoid root rot due to possible overwatering in Winter. Reduce watering in any case, and keep your plants in bright, wind-protected spot. Do not fertilize until Spring. Protect from cold when night temperature drops below 35-40F.

Use SUNSHINE plant boosters to provide additional cold tolerance.

Cold protection is a lengthy subject. You may also use propane heaters during cold nights. Here is some more information on cold protection.

Black Friday starts Wednesday! Use this discount code in your shopping cart from Wednesday through end of Friday. Enter THANKS2016 in your shopping cart for 20% off on all plants and seeds from our store - no minimum order! Offer is not valid for previous purchases

Growing sapodilla in container and indoors

Q: I live in northwestern Washington state. I was wondering if I can grow a Sapodilla tree indoors in a container? Are they self-fertile, and which variety do you think would do best in a large container?

A: A: All Sapodillas are self-fertile. They can be successfully grown in pots due to their slow growth rate and compact nature. The most important requirement for successful growing and fruiting is a bright light, other than that it is a very undemanding plant and is not fussy about watering. The best variety for potting culture is Silas Woods which is a dwarf kind. This variety is the most profuse producer, flowering and fruiting nearly year round providing bright light and warmth. Although the fruit are smaller than other varieties and average 3-4" size.
Sapodillas require regular fertilizer applications for good production. We recommend Fruit Festival slow release fertilizer for the best results.

Cleanest fruit?

"Dirty" fruit: According to the Environmental Working Group research, Strawberries are top the list of the 12 "dirtiest" fruits and vegetables grown commercially. Spinach is the second, followed by (in order of contamination) nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and sweet bell peppers. Each of these foods tested positive for pesticide residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce. This causes of course chronic health implications. Children are of special concern as younger bodies have greater susceptibility to pesticides than adult bodies, the report emphasizes. Pesticides may induce chronic health complications in children, including neuro- and behavioral problems, birth defects, allergies, asthma, and even cancer...

"Clean 15": Avocados lead 2018's clean fruits and veggies list, that also includes: mangoes, papayas, pineapples, kiwi, sweet corn, cabbage, onions, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, eggplant, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, cauliflower and broccoli.
Obviously, home grown fruit and vegetables are even better. Such fruit as Custard Apples, Sapodilla, Sapote, Jackfruit, Dragon Fruit, Passion Fruit and other rare varieties of tropical fruit, are even better for you because they are not grown commercially, and the choice from your own organic garden is the healthiest for yourself and your family!
Plant them today and get your cleanest fruit tomorrow!

Check out all tropical fruit trees and all tropical spice plants.