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Started By
Message
re: Louisiana Tropical Fruit Gardening - Experiences and Updates
Posted on 12/25/25 at 10:27 pm to LanierSpots
Posted on 12/25/25 at 10:27 pm to LanierSpots
quote:
got tired of the meyer
My sister has a huge meyer lemon and I get all I want..... Which is about 3.
They are good but not THAT much better than store lemons. And short of making a tonne of lemonade, I can't find a use for gallons of lemon juice.
1
Posted on 12/26/25 at 8:14 am to Turnblad85
Exactly. I hate myself for planting one 5 years ago. Huge tree in a primo yard spot making fruit I can't eat.
Posted on 12/26/25 at 8:02 pm to Tigerlaff
So we’ve talked quite a bit about soil mix for containers, what about amending/building up for in-ground? I have 2 pomegranates and an olive coming that I don’t want to put directly in the clay. I was thinking about making a semi raised bed to keep them free draining. Should I stick with the same sand/perlite/peat mix in this scenario?
Posted on 12/26/25 at 8:52 pm to audioguy
Yeah you don't need to go to the lengths we've described for in ground planting. Just a raised bed itself will probably provide enough drainage regardless of soil.
If you have irrigation, a sandy loam is perfect. If you don't have irrigation, I'd use native soil. Clay soils will hold moisture better if you're not planning to water. And filling a raised bed with peat would cost a fortune lol. Once you've put your soil in, remember to top it all with a 1 inch layer of compost and natural (non dyed) mulch on top of that.
I'm a big fan of raised beds for trees. Just make sure it's big enough for the root system. You don't plant a tree in a bed that's 3 feet in diameter.
If you have irrigation, a sandy loam is perfect. If you don't have irrigation, I'd use native soil. Clay soils will hold moisture better if you're not planning to water. And filling a raised bed with peat would cost a fortune lol. Once you've put your soil in, remember to top it all with a 1 inch layer of compost and natural (non dyed) mulch on top of that.
I'm a big fan of raised beds for trees. Just make sure it's big enough for the root system. You don't plant a tree in a bed that's 3 feet in diameter.
Posted on 12/26/25 at 9:02 pm to Tigerlaff
It’s basically a landscape bed currently, it just doesn’t quite drain well enough for these types of trees. I’m thinking of broadforking the area and basically building some slight mounds at each tree to help the drainage. I could do irrigation, but it would likely only be during dry spells.
Posted on 12/26/25 at 11:55 pm to audioguy
It's the middle of winter but my Kari starfruit is loaded in the pop up greenhouse. Highly recommend carambola for its insane productivity. I have already harvested plenty of ripe fruit starting in October.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 1:22 pm to Tigerlaff
Freeze warning tonight and tomorrow night for most of LA. Get your stuff squared away today.
Posted on 12/29/25 at 1:58 pm to Tigerlaff
Thanks for the reminder. Need to pick up the Guava. Think I’ll leave the citrus out until tomorrow (kumquat and Meyer lemon in pots). Predicted low here tonight is 32.
This post was edited on 12/29/25 at 2:00 pm
Posted on 12/29/25 at 9:05 pm to audioguy
3 hours of work today getting everything covered and moved inside. But I'll forget all about it this spring when I'm sipping a Mai Tai under a mango tree.
This is the first year I've started keeping records but if I freeze tonight and tomorrow, I will have seen 5 total nights of freezing weather. With approximately 60 days of winter to go, I'd say that's about right. And since they almost always happen in consecutive nights, you're really looking more at "freeze events" than the number of individual days since you only deploy the protection once per event. This is event #3 and I'd say my work ethic and patience are probably good for 7-8 events per season. Anymore than that and I'm probably gonna let some things fend for themselves.
Eta: 12/30 no freeze. That's a win.
This post was edited on 12/30/25 at 7:03 am
Posted on 12/30/25 at 7:25 am to Tigerlaff
quote:
Freeze warning tonight and tomorrow night for most of LA. Get your stuff squared away today.
Not gonna freeze here but getting down to 39-40 in my area. I have a few small plants I am bringing inside for two days.
Also, I found a place in St Pete that sells the flame thrower palms. Actually found them on Marketplace. Will head up there next week when the weather stabilizes and grab one//
Posted on 12/30/25 at 2:11 pm to LanierSpots
Nice! A few tips on flamethrower because I killed the first one:
They are slowwww. Don't panic if it's just sitting there doing nothing. It's the slowest plant ever and that's always consistent. That's what makes it such a great container specimen.
The red leaves usually don't appear until it's got some size on it. Don't expect them from tiny palms.
Palm gain fertilizer is amazing for this tree if you follow the instructions. Keeps the leaves gorgeous.
Finally and most importantly, this palm needs shade. This is doubly true for young palms. I exposed my last one to direct morning sun in May for only a couple of hours each day. Burned up and never recovered. It can be challenging to find the right light level. Mine actually do best indoors where the temps are consistently warm and near (but not directly under) strong grow lights. It's that bright but oblique light that seems to keep it pushing the best. If this is going inside your pool cage I'd just be careful about direct overhead sun until it hardens off. Even the screen may not be enough for a young one. Great palm for a mostly shady corner, under a patio ceiling, etc. I am seriously considering just growing mine indoors this summer because it's doing so well there.
Post pics when you get it. My all time favorite palm.
Because I am a zone pushing idiot I'm about to try growing Cyrtostachys renda (lipstick palm) in a pot here. Basically I found the least cold hardy palm on earth that also requires daily watering because what the hell. Glutton for punishment I guess. Would have been easier to grow a coconut.
They are slowwww. Don't panic if it's just sitting there doing nothing. It's the slowest plant ever and that's always consistent. That's what makes it such a great container specimen.
The red leaves usually don't appear until it's got some size on it. Don't expect them from tiny palms.
Palm gain fertilizer is amazing for this tree if you follow the instructions. Keeps the leaves gorgeous.
Finally and most importantly, this palm needs shade. This is doubly true for young palms. I exposed my last one to direct morning sun in May for only a couple of hours each day. Burned up and never recovered. It can be challenging to find the right light level. Mine actually do best indoors where the temps are consistently warm and near (but not directly under) strong grow lights. It's that bright but oblique light that seems to keep it pushing the best. If this is going inside your pool cage I'd just be careful about direct overhead sun until it hardens off. Even the screen may not be enough for a young one. Great palm for a mostly shady corner, under a patio ceiling, etc. I am seriously considering just growing mine indoors this summer because it's doing so well there.
Post pics when you get it. My all time favorite palm.
Because I am a zone pushing idiot I'm about to try growing Cyrtostachys renda (lipstick palm) in a pot here. Basically I found the least cold hardy palm on earth that also requires daily watering because what the hell. Glutton for punishment I guess. Would have been easier to grow a coconut.
This post was edited on 12/30/25 at 2:15 pm
Posted on 1/1/26 at 2:42 pm to Tigerlaff
Awesome info. I am also about to plant 4 bottle palms in my yard. Just waiting for the weather to stabilize next week.
I have some options for the flame thrower in my cage as far as shade. I can put it on the side my house is on and it will
Mostly be shade all day.
I just put a majestic palm out there and I am keeping it in shade. Same as my cat palm that I have had for 6 years. LOL. The cat palm looks good for a while and then looks like it’s struggling. Black tips on the palms. It’s not getting a ton of sun. I just keep working with it.
I will get some of that fertilizer for the flame thrower. I am also using that foliage pro that you recommended on a lot of my plants and they seem to like it. I mix up a 4 gallon bucket of water at a time and just pour some in the pots. 2 tablespoons for 4 gallons. I also add a few drops of mosquito repellent in the water. Seems to keep the bugs down in my cage.
Do you have a good source for buying that foliage pro by the gallon? Most places are pretty expensive.
I have some options for the flame thrower in my cage as far as shade. I can put it on the side my house is on and it will
Mostly be shade all day.
I just put a majestic palm out there and I am keeping it in shade. Same as my cat palm that I have had for 6 years. LOL. The cat palm looks good for a while and then looks like it’s struggling. Black tips on the palms. It’s not getting a ton of sun. I just keep working with it.
I will get some of that fertilizer for the flame thrower. I am also using that foliage pro that you recommended on a lot of my plants and they seem to like it. I mix up a 4 gallon bucket of water at a time and just pour some in the pots. 2 tablespoons for 4 gallons. I also add a few drops of mosquito repellent in the water. Seems to keep the bugs down in my cage.
Do you have a good source for buying that foliage pro by the gallon? Most places are pretty expensive.
Posted on 1/1/26 at 4:20 pm to LanierSpots
Yeah foliage pro is great because it's a complete fertilizer with all 17 nutrients. You can be certain it's not missing anything. Also the nitrogen in it is not derived from urea so you don't get the salt buildup.
Unfortunately no, foliage pro is and has been expensive for some time now. I buy 32oz bottles and don't use it as my only fert. Highly recommend osmocote plus granular and supplement with a foliage pro watering every month or so.
There are some exceptions, like palms, mangos, lychee, etc.
Unfortunately no, foliage pro is and has been expensive for some time now. I buy 32oz bottles and don't use it as my only fert. Highly recommend osmocote plus granular and supplement with a foliage pro watering every month or so.
There are some exceptions, like palms, mangos, lychee, etc.
Posted on 1/1/26 at 4:42 pm to Tigerlaff
I am using the foliage pro for some of my plants every week or every other week. I also have the osmocote and use it as well. I have a pretty good size orange bird of paradise in my front flower bed that just will not flower. I am planning on using the foliage pro on it for a while to see if I can get it to flower. I have been pretty lazy on fertilizing it.
In the same bed, I have two parakeet plants that flower like mofo's. But they seem to be easier to deal with. The orange bird is a project for me now. I am bound and determined to make that damn thing flower this year. Two years I have had it I got one damn flower on it. All a while my neighbors who have them are flowering like crazy
In the same bed, I have two parakeet plants that flower like mofo's. But they seem to be easier to deal with. The orange bird is a project for me now. I am bound and determined to make that damn thing flower this year. Two years I have had it I got one damn flower on it. All a while my neighbors who have them are flowering like crazy
Posted on 1/1/26 at 8:39 pm to LanierSpots
Orange BOP has a few things to help it bloom. The number one way is to restrict root growth by keeping it in a crowded pot. The stress forces blooms over and over.
In the ground, that stress is absent so you have to do the other things. Full sun, a low nitrogen bloom booster fertilizer, and let it get cold this winter. A good chill can really set them off. Easy here in 9a, but you might want to watch the forecast for the coolest nights and throw a bag of ice on the root zone. If it's comfortable in the ground it will just prioritize vegetative growth. Make it uncomfortable.
Mine bloomed great in an impossibly cramped 7g pot, but after a while that cramping causes deformed leaves. The new leaves were too ugly to look at so I uppotted to a 20gal this year and now have only a single flower spike. It fixed the leaves, but I'll have to wait a while for it to fill the pot and bloom well. I leave it out at any temp above freezing trying to stress it.
In the ground, that stress is absent so you have to do the other things. Full sun, a low nitrogen bloom booster fertilizer, and let it get cold this winter. A good chill can really set them off. Easy here in 9a, but you might want to watch the forecast for the coolest nights and throw a bag of ice on the root zone. If it's comfortable in the ground it will just prioritize vegetative growth. Make it uncomfortable.
Mine bloomed great in an impossibly cramped 7g pot, but after a while that cramping causes deformed leaves. The new leaves were too ugly to look at so I uppotted to a 20gal this year and now have only a single flower spike. It fixed the leaves, but I'll have to wait a while for it to fill the pot and bloom well. I leave it out at any temp above freezing trying to stress it.
This post was edited on 1/1/26 at 8:40 pm
Posted on 1/2/26 at 6:27 am to Tigerlaff
That thing looks awesome. Mine is in the ground and is 3 years old. Its decent size and the leaves look pretty good most of the time. A bunch of my neighbors are blooming like crazy as are the ones planted in our common areas. So I think being in the ground and temps are OK. I am in zone 10. I am on the line of 10a and 10b.
I think it could be the food for it. I plan on working with that and seeing what I can get it to do. I will post a picture today.
I think it could be the food for it. I plan on working with that and seeing what I can get it to do. I will post a picture today.
This post was edited on 1/2/26 at 6:28 am
Posted on 1/2/26 at 4:12 pm to LanierSpots
This is my orange bird. It has looked better. Our irrigation is broken and it has not been watered in a few weeks. I did so today.
I did a little trimming today after we took down the christmas lights.
Trimmed my triple pygmy palm and my parakeet plants. They usually look great but are a little yellow now due to the lack of watering. They got huge so I had cut them back a lot today
I did a little trimming today after we took down the christmas lights.
Trimmed my triple pygmy palm and my parakeet plants. They usually look great but are a little yellow now due to the lack of watering. They got huge so I had cut them back a lot today
Posted on 1/2/26 at 7:31 pm to LanierSpots
That BOP looks great. Hit it with some 0-10-10 and it may take off. Jealous of your zone. I grow a lot of the same stuff as you, just in huge pots . Pygmy dates included.
. Pygmy dates included. Posted on 1/3/26 at 6:38 am to Tigerlaff
I need to trim most of my stuff outside. I have a bunch of stuff in pots around my pool that are about to get planted in the yard. I have a decent size Sago Palm that we grew for 3 years thats about to get planted in the front and I have two Christmas palms that are going in the back just the same size as the one beside that parakeet plant.
I will then have to find more stuff to plant in those planters and start over. LOL.
I will then have to find more stuff to plant in those planters and start over. LOL.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 12:47 pm to LanierSpots
Pickering mango has achieved lift-off. I am starting to see fruit set.
Mandeville, zone 9a. Don't let 'em tell you it can't be done!
Mandeville, zone 9a. Don't let 'em tell you it can't be done!
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