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Bkaus
Joined: 31 Jul 2012
Posts: 136
Location: North Phoenix
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 Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:43 am Post subject: What has grown well for you? |
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What is the easiest tropical fruit or just fruiting plants to grow here in the valley of the Sun without lots of extra care.
What has grown successfully at my location over the years. The low temp being 22dec on the five days of freeze we had this year in Jan 2013.
Lemon, AZ sweet orange, grapefruit, Navel Orange all grew well with not much care just a little fertilizer and water.
Bush Pomegranate, makes a lot of fruit but very small about is editable.
Guava, they have been in my yard for years under the overhang of the house no fruit but they have not be fertilized.
Banana Plant, grew and fruited.
Passion fruit vine grows great.
Fig Tree grows and produces great.
What other have said grow good in the valley or I've seen.
Loquat and Sapote trees at phoenixtropicals house I saw at the Christmas party were impressive in size a beauty for a tropical tree.
Mulberry trees around the valley that have lots of fruit.
There is a Pecan tree in my neighborhood that has lots of edible nuts on it.
Tell what grows well for you! |
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Datropicalman
Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 132
Location: phx
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| Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Define " lots of extra care"
_________________
Shamus O'Leary's Tropical Fruit Trees |
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phoenixtropicals
Site Admin
Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona
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| Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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By "Guava" do you mean pineapple guavas because tropical guavas almost always produce lots of fruit.
I have found pineapple guavas easy to grow and productive here, but you need to plant them next to each other so that they pollinate one another. I have a nazemetz and coolidge right next to each other. Nice thing is that you don't have to worry about pineapple guavas freezing. I'd call them a subtropical tree though, not tropical.
Everything that is truly tropical is higher maintenance because of the danger of freezing. Mangoes are actually one of my better performers and Manila Mangoes are especially vigorous trees. Other than the freezes they do very well with enough water and a nice layer of mulch.
However, the star of the tropicals has to be the guava. The best varieties produce really nice tasting fruit in large quantities and once a tree is established it will always come back even if frozen to the ground.
As far as just general fruit trees go, peaches are one of my best performers and apricots too. However, you have to get the low chill varieties for our climate. |
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Bkaus
Joined: 31 Jul 2012
Posts: 136
Location: North Phoenix
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| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:07 am Post subject: |
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| Datropicalman wrote: | | Define " lots of extra care" |
Thanks for the question it helps me define what I’m trying to come-up with.
For my conditions easy being is a 1 and a 10 being next to impossible in the dry cold/hot desert.
(1) is a lemon tree needing just water to grow and produce fruit
(2) is a navel orange trees need just water and fertilizer to produce fruit. I would think a pineapple guava would be a (2) because mind hasn’t produced any fruit and its over 10 years old but then it hasn’t ever been fertilized. This year it will be fertilized!
(3) Banana is a three because you have to get the right kind and it’s a little tricky with the whole root rot in the winter and location.
(4) Being a Loquat doesn’t mind the cold but sensitive to soil conditions and fertilizing.
(5) Being a Sapote doesn’t like the cold when young and sensitive to soil conditions.
(6) Mango because it needs freeze protection all of its life and sensitive to soil conditions.
(7) Plants that will not grow in our alkaline soil (cherry of the rio grande?).
8 Plants that need high humidity.
(9) Avocado tree because it doesn’t like our heat/cold/soil/dry air.
(10) Just won’t produce fruit in Phoenix. (plants that don’t like it below +40 dec F.)
I’m looking for 1-5 plants. The numbers are just my best guess and may not be your experience which is great and would like for you to tell me what you think are 1-10.
What tropical fruit trees made it through the winter for you Arizona Rare Fruit Growers? Want what were the conditions? Close to the house in the middle of the yard? Covered for how many days? I don’t want to lose interest in this endeavor because I planted stuff that was not easy to care for in our environment. Looking for some wins! |
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Bkaus
Joined: 31 Jul 2012
Posts: 136
Location: North Phoenix
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| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:16 am Post subject: |
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| phoenixtropicals wrote: | By "Guava" do you mean pineapple guavas because tropical guavas almost always produce lots of fruit.
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If my memory serves me right I have pineapple guava and strawberry guava (planted next to another) bought them ~13 years ago at the AZRFG spring sale but they haven’t produced any fruit. Do I need another pineapple one for pollinate? |
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phoenixtropicals
Site Admin
Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona
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| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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I don't fertilize my pineapple guavas. I think its all about pollination. Also, it helps to have a select cultivar. I have known random seedlings, like my neighbor has, that never seem to fruit.
(1) Peaches, Plums
(2) Anna and Golden Dorsette Apples
(10) Cherry of the Rio Grande, it just can't take the soil here. Never grows. |
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