Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 13 Jan 2025

Who is in charge?

Who is in charge?

💻 Who is in charge?



Persephanie
(Persephone, our Queen of the Underworld), took over the office...

🔠 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

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Date: 16 Jan 2025

Why my Lychee tree is not producing fruit and why I cant grow a Lychee tree from a seed?

Lychee tree in a pot, Litchi chinensis

Lychee tree in a pot, Litchi chinensis

Lychee tree in a pot with fruit, Litchi chinensis

Lychee tree in a pot with fruit, Litchi chinensis

Lychee tree in a pot, Litchi chinensis

Lychee tree in a pot, Litchi chinensis

Lychee tree, Litchi chinensis

Lychee tree, Litchi chinensis

😡 Why my Lychee tree is not producing fruit and why I can't grow a Lychee tree from a seed?



Practical advice on propagation and harvest- for the previous post 👆
  • 🍑 Propagation and mycorrhiza


  • 💋 Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and plant roots. In a Lychee orchard, mycorrhiza plays a crucial role by enhancing the nutrient uptake of lychee trees, particularly phosphorus, leading to better growth and fruit production, especially in soils with low phosphorus availability.
  • 💋Lychee trees are typically propagated by air layering, as they cannot be propagated effectively by seeds or grafting.
  • 💋Lychee seedlings do not grow well because they require a special mycorrhizal environment that, in nature, is only provided under a mature mother tree. This dependency on mycorrhiza explains why lychee seedlings lack vigor and cannot serve as rootstocks for grafting.
  • 💋If you have tried growing lychee from seed, you may have noticed that the seedling, after reaching a few inches in height, often stops growing or even shows signs of retarded growth. This is a clear indication of a lack of mycorrhiza.
  • 💋The easiest way to have a healthy, productive Lychee tree, is to obtain a quality, air-layered tree from a reputable source.


🍑 Alternate Bearing in Lychee Trees

  • 💋 Lychee trees often produce fruit every other year due to "alternate bearing", where the tree focuses on a heavy crop one year, leaving less energy for fruiting the next.
  • 💋This cycle is influenced by weather, tree variety, and how flower buds develop alongside the current year's fruit. For example, "Mauritius" trees may bear fruit annually, while "Brewster" trees may produce a good crop only every 3-4 years.

By considering these factors and providing appropriate care, you can enjoy the beauty and bounty of a lychee tree in your garden.

📚 Learn more from previous posts:


The best varieties of Lychee
The best fruit in the world - grow your own Lychee tree
How to grow a Lychee tree

🛒 Shop Lychee trees

#Food_Forest #How_to

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Date: 1 Sep 2024

When you are in the mood for something special - you need a Loquat Liquor

When you are in the mood for something special - you need a Loquat Liquor
When you are in the mood for something special - you need a Loquat Liquor. This is what you do with so many loquat fruit.

🍑 Loquat tree is an excellent choice for any garden, as it is quite cold hardy, drought-, poor soil- and salt tolerant. The delicious fruit look and taste similar to apricots, but there is only one problem: there are too many of them! Make Loquat the perfect fruit for an easy home winery...

🍹 Loquat Liquor recipe

Wash loquat fruit and slit in 4-5 places. You may leave seeds in for Apricot-nutty flavor similar to Amaretto. Combine fruit with vodka and sugar in a wide mouth jar and cover. Stir fruit once a day until sugar is dissolved. Then stir once a week for 4 weeks. Drain liquid and strain through fine cheesecloth. Enjoy!

You can dispose the used fruit but we usually give it a second life: add water, bring to boil, let sit, chill, and it will make another (almost non-alcoholic) drink!

  • ✔️ 3 quarts of loquat fruit
  • ✔️ 1 quart vodka
  • ✔️ 3 cups sugar
  • ✔️ vanilla to taste (optional)


📚 From previous posts:
🎥 YouTube video about Loquat
📁 Overlooked fruit: tasty Loquat recipes (PDF)

🛒 Shop Loquat varieties

#Recipes #Food_Forest #Loquat

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Date: 23 Jan 2025

What is the best fruit tree producing in winter

Loquat flowers

😇 What is the best fruit tree producing in winter

  • 🍑 If you answered the quiz What makes loquats different from other fruits - then you know that Loquat trees flower and produce fruit during the winter months, making them a rare source of fresh fruit when most other trees are dormant.
  • 🍑 Loquat flowers are very pretty! Loquats are relatives of Apples, Peaches, Plums and Pears - they belong to Rosaceae family.


🎥 Loquats are in full bloom in our garden now. The fruit will ripen by April



📚 More about Loquat from previous posts:



🛒 Plant a Loquat Tree

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts #Loquat

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Date: 22 Jan 2025

What is the biggest papaya fruit on the smallest tree?

Papaya TR Hovey

🔔 What is the biggest papaya fruit on the smallest tree?



🍈 We discovered an amazing Papaya variety. It is called TR Hovey. This dwarf tree is only 4-5 ft tall and yet produces giant sweet papayas size of a melon!

📚 More about Papaya from earlier posts:


Carefree Garden: How Easy Is It to Grow a Papaya Tree?
Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #4 Papaya
Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #6. Papaya
How to have fresh Papaya fruit year around
Top 3 most wanted Papaya varieties
The truth about Papaya
Papayas contain a secret enzyme

🛒 Shop Papaya trees

#Food_Forest #Papaya

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