Phoenix Tropicals Gardening

[phoenixtropicals]

We are almost in to early February and we've had no major freezes this winter, except for some really cold spots around town. I'm looking forward to mangoes this summer! That freakishly late freeze last year was right at the beginning of February but looking at the 10 day forecast it looks like there is no chance of that happening.

[MKIVRYAN]

I have been starting to get excited myself but didnt want to jinx us. So if we get a late freeze its your fault I'm going to wait another week and if the 10 day still looks good I'm going to start pulling everybody out of the green house. Looking forward to a long spring (fingers crossed).

[Amadioranch]

We are even feeling spring out here. All my frost covers are off and things are starting to come out of dormancy. Hood pear was the first to break dormancy earlier this week and the peach is getting ready to flower also. Looks like the granda pom is showing signs of life although the eversweet in the same hole isnt. Fuji apple could flower soon. Showing no signs of coming out of dormancy yet are:Kieffer pear, 20th century pear, minnie royal-royal lee-stella-lapins cherries, nectarine, apricot, plum, pluot, grapes, fuyu persimmon, pink lady apple, mulberry, and my various paw paws.

Blueberries are flowering but they never really went dormant.

Oh and my tuberoses finally opened their flowers.

[phoenixtropicals]

Nice. I bet the tuberose smells really good. My tuberoses are still dormant.

[myamberdog]

I was just to going to say that! Boy they look like they smell great!

By the way, everyone of optimistic attitude - I think it was like February 23rd or 26th in 2008 - here in Palm Springs, CA we had a 26 degree morning that really got (but did not kill) my Manila mango - at the time the only tropical fruit tree I had.

So, don't count out Mother Nature just yet. I'm hoping with you guys, that we'll have only 3 weeks left in Feb. after this excellent 10 day forecast that's out there now and not get anything too cold, but all it takes is that West to East jet stream to dip down south and a winter storm could easily hit us. By March I believe we will be home free...

My one peach tree is blooming, another is getting ready to, a couple mango trees are pushing blossoms, for their sake I hope nothing comes along in the low 30's to mess up a potentially loooooooong and fruitful growing season...

Isnt' this weather just the best!!???XX


myamberpooch

[Dauntless]

You mentioned that you have Minnie Royal, Royal Lee Stella and Lapins cherry trees. I used to have those and they all died in that second heat wave last summer.
How old are yours? Are they thriving? What root stock do they have? I have read that the standard Mazzard and colt root stocks don't care for our salty soil and that a good one to try would be cr178.

[mullenium]

good thing im a potted grower now..

my biggest concern is weather to drag all my large potted trees to the back yard... keep them on the side yard up next to the house and under a large mesquite tree.. or drag them into the garage if a frost is scheduled

lol.. man i got it rough now

im starting to see new leaf growth on everything except my dormant dwarf girardi mulberry

[Amadioranch]

Dauntless


Yeah I went thru last summer with Mazzard and colt also. I was able to get one on colt just barely thru but the one on Mazzard croaked hard in August. Reid at RSI ordered in a bunch of new ones on 3CR178 after I bugged the crap out of him. lol I picked up 6 from him a 3 weeks ago. Think he might have some left. Ordered the stella and lapins in from Raintree and put them in the ground 2 weeks ago. One is on 3CR178 and the other on colt. Would have liked to had them both on 3CR but it wasnt available on both.

Yep its a gamble. But this is the fun of gardening right? Trying to discover something and do something no one else has? Besides I have a secret weapon that gives me a major leg up on most......flood irrigation!

[Dauntless]

I bugged a guy at a nursery near me to get me a Minnie Royal and a Royal Lee on 3cr178. He did order the trees and requested them on the 3cr178 but said that they have not confirmed the rootstock. He said he won't know until he gets them in the next couple of days. I keep checking and as soon as I hear, if they are on Mazzard, I'll check with RSI. Thanks for the tip.
I did find a Lapins on 3cr178 at Bay Laurel and ordered it but they were sold out of the MR and RL on that root stock.
You are right about the fun part but, it would be more fun if I had flood irrigation like you!

[Amadioranch]

Dont count winter out yet. I woke up to this. My guess is the next couple mornings will be colder tho. Gotta get the frost covers back out.

[phoenixtropicals]

Wow. I'm amazed how cold your place is. We didn't even get close to that here.

[Amadioranch]

Yeah its a blessing tho. In a couple weeks ill put 4 of what will be around 10 total pistachio trees eventually in the ground. They are a high chill hour tree (600-800 chill hours) but how much you wanna bet that we hit that number. Although its been warmer we are still accumulating chill hours out here. The more chill, the longer everything stays dormant, the better quality fruit we get when spring gets here.

[Dauntless]

Pistachio trees would be fun. While it is usually cooler at my house than in the city, most Pistachio trees that I have seen need about 800 chill hours and I know that it doesn't get that many here.
There is a walnut called Pedro that only needs 400 chill hours and I am considering experimenting with one of those.

[Amadioranch]

A walnut would be kinda cool. Pecans are easy enough. Lots of people get scared off of pecans because they think you need a polenizer. But as long as you have a few mature trees within 10 miles of you, they will get the job done just fine. I've been out to your place for the tour and am sure there are lots of older pecans around to get the job done near you.

And you are completely right about most places in town and pistachios. They are really not a tree that will ever fruit in 99% of the Phoenix valley. Heck they aren't reliable even in Tucson. I kinda shook my head when I saw that bakers was carrying them. Its a experiment on my part because we do see so much extra chill up close to south mountian. May or may not work out. For me even if they don't fruit on a regular basis they are still a attractive landscape tree. I'm putting them in in a particularly cold spot along the side of my property. I guess what I'm saying is that I hope people don't read this and try to go source their own pistachios.

[Dauntless]

I planted a Western Schley last Spring and I am putting in a Choctaw Pecan as soon as I pick it up from the nursery. The Western is supposed to be self fertile and the Choctaw is fertilized by the Western.
You must have me confused with someone else. We live by Usery Park, East of Mesa on 1 1/4 acres.
There aren't a whole lot of really mature trees around here but there are some.
Hopefully, the people that see those Pistachio trees at Baker will pass them up and buy an Almond or Pecan.