Date: 6 Nov 2022
Annona montana - Mountain Soursop
Grow Your Own Food
Exotic fruit, a cold hardy alternative to a Soursop
Not only tasty, this exotic fruit has the most unusual
looks! This exotic beauty grows up to a pound and just look at these curious
and life-like spines! We guarantee that everyone who sees this fruit in your
garden will ask for seeds even before they taste the fruit. And you will have
lots of seeds to share because Mountain Soursop is very reliable producer
with many seeds in each fruit.
Mountain Soursop tastes similar to regular Soursop (better known as the
Guanabana), with slightly milder flavor. The pulp is highly scented, with good
aroma. It is eaten out of hand or can be used in milkshakes and smoothies. The
fruit is softball sized with orange-yellow flesh, somewhat smaller and
rounder than the regular Soursop. The tree is medium sized, with beautiful, large,
leathery dark green leaves that emit a strong aroma when crushed.
How to grow Mountain Soursop?
Mountain Soursop is a very easy to grow, medium size exotic fruit tree that is great for beginners. This species is much more cold hardy than the Soursop, established trees can take temperatures a few degrees below freezing, tolerating cold spells down to 24F when full grown. Mountain Soursop tolerates a variety of soil types and will grow well in dry conditions. Trees produce within just 2-3 years from seed, like many Annonas, and can happily grow and produce in a large container.
Date: 18 Sep 2022
The fruit of Heaven:
Phyllanthus acidus - Amlak, Otaheite Gooseberry
Grow Your Own Food
This is a fun rare fruit tree to have if you like lemonade and believe in Vitamin C benefits! The tree is super easy to grow, relatively cold hardy and doesn't require any special care. It is a fast growing plant, however the mature tree is only about 20 ft so it will be well suited for any size garden, even container garden. As you can see, it happily fruits in a pot. Bright yellow fruit are beautiful and curious, they always make a conversation piece!
About Otaheite Gooseberry
Otaheite Gooseberry, or Amlak, is a rare tropical fruit tree from SE Asia and India, very
close related to Phyllanthus emblica (Amla, Amlaki), however it is much cold
hardy than Amla. Known as Amritphala in Sanskrit, which literally means "the
fruit of heaven" or "nectar fruit". It is so called because it has many
helth benefits. Amlak is one of the favorite fruit of Indian people who definitely know what is good for
you! Fruit paste is a major ingredient of Chavyanprash, a popular Ayurvedic tonic. It is the
richest source of vitamin C.
Fruits are borne in loose clusters, which hang from the tree trunk and main branches. Fruits are esteemed for jellies,
preserves and pastries, and are great for making a delicious lemonade rich in vitamin C. There are no commercial plantings; trees grow only in
home gardens.
You need to have one! Or two. We have only limited quantities.
Date: 25 Aug 2022
What is the largest succulent flower in the world?
Starfish Flower - Stapelia gigantea
This is one of the most bizarre looking succulents you've even seen! Starfish Flower from
Tanzania is one of the largest flowers in the plant world!
It does look
like a startfish, and is absolutely beautiful! Being a succulent, the plant is
very undemanding and easy to grow, doesn't need much care or water. It also
doesn't mind regular irrigation, we have it in Summer Florida rains with no
problem. The focal point of this plant is the fleshy, 5-pointed, star-shaped
flowers (to 10-16"across), each being pale ochre-yellow with thin transverse
maroon lines. It is a great container plant and very fast growing, can fill a
large hanging basket within just one season. Flowers on and off during the
warm season with the most profuse flowering at the end of Summer (flower buds
are triggered by shortened daylight hours in fall). It is a spine-free
succulent member of the milkweed (not cactus!).
Date: 25 Jun 2021
Peanut Butter Fruit... tastes like peanut butter!
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
...One of the most fascinating exotic fruit, as amazing as Miracle fruit, Peanut Butter Fruit is loved by both kids and
adults... and yes, it tastes exactly like peanut butter!.. Yet it is much healthier food, with many medicinal benefits...
...The easy, low-maintenance Peanut Butter Fruit tree is essential for any
edible landscape, rare fruit collector, or tropical/subtropical garden. It has a great ornamental or
screening value. Also can be grown in container, and will fruit indoors... Similar to fast-fruiting Annonas, and its close relatives Malpighia
(Barbados Cherry) and Bursonima (Nancy Tree), Bunchosia tree starts fruiting in small size and at young age: 2-3 years from
seed!..
CONTINUE READING >>
Date: 20 Dec 2019
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.
