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Carob Tree - ceratonia siliqua & other tree questions

BackyardGdnr
11 years ago

Anyone growing a Santa Fe Carob tree? Does this tree smell? As bad as a male Carob tree? How does the pods taste?

Anyone growing a female Sfax Carob tree? Does the female version smell? How bad? How does the pods taste?

I have been looking to buy a Carob tree to replace a recently wind blown Willow Acacia tree. I have gone on-line looking for local nurseries and out-of-state nurseries and so far no one sells them. I have tried Papaya in CA and I don't see a link to Exotica to email them.

Do you know where to buy one? On-line seed sellers don't know what variety their seeds are. If I plant one from a seed...how long do you think it will grow 6 feet?

OTHER TREE QUESTIONS:

For the west side of my house, I want a tall tree with narrow span. My side of the fence is 10 ft. Would a Chinese Pistachio tree work? I want it to reach past the 2nd story to cool the side of the house in the Summer. I read all discussion on trees and determine what trees wouldn't work.

On my East side yard, I am growing a lime tree and a peach tree. They are doing great. On the west side I planted a blood orange tree (3') and only a few inches of new growth.

For the back yard that faces North, but gets direct Sun that passes overhead, I want a shade tree and thinking of a fruit tree. In the back corner I have a pomegranate and planning on planting a seedling in the other corner.

Has anyone planted a Cherry Tree? Would it grow here? Any suggestions for any fruit trees? Apples? (have a lime, peach, pomegranate, blood orange, & goji.

Thank you in advance for all the Carob Tree & other tree replies.

Comments (19)

  • Pagancat
    11 years ago

    LOL!

    I've posted a link below to publication from U of Az on deciduous fruit and nut trees that gives suggested cultivars and explains chill hours. Hopefully it will be helpful.

    BTW, there are more articles from the same source that you might find helpful: http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/pubs.htm

    Here is a link that might be useful: UofA

  • bart_2010
    10 years ago

    I have a dry, rocky spot in my very large garden here in Tuscany, Italy. It's in the foothills of the Appenines, at about 650 meters above sea level,a rather exposed site. I've read that this area would corrispond more or less to a USDA zone 8. Would it be possible to grow a carob tree in such a climate? thanks, bart

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    10 years ago

    You should know that a carob tree is one of the messiest trees ever! There is seasonal litter EVERY season.....leaves or pods or - the worst- the feathery pollen soaked 'buds'. I have a carob tree, I love the deep, dark shade but it sure is messy! Not to mention that birds love to sit high on the branches and poop.

  • bart_2010
    10 years ago

    Messiness wouldn't be a problem in my situation; the spot I'm talking about is far from the main garden,and actually the messy stuff would be a benefit to the thin soil...all that good organic matter for free! I'm just concerned that it could get too cold for it some years. I'd be willing to protect it while it was young, but what I'm aiming for in this spot is a nice, big tree-and the "deep, dark shade"!!! bart

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    10 years ago

    The carob tree in our yard is more than 40 years old, it was not affected in the least by the cold winters we have had recently. I don't know how it fares when young.

    I've seen some beautifully shaped trees here, ours was not trimmed properly when young and its structural shape is a bit haphazard. It loses branches in wind storms. I'm zone 9.

    This post was edited by marymcp on Sat, Mar 1, 14 at 5:47

  • Fascist_Nation
    10 years ago

    But do the pods taste like chocolate Mary, that is what I want to know?

    http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/carob.html#Climate

    Here is a link that might be useful: carob yum

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    10 years ago

    That fella is INTO carob. I've tried nibbling a pod or two and was not as impressed as that man but maybe I'll try again when the pods come back. He certainly gets excited about his carob.

    To answer your question, no, not particularly chocolaty. I found the pods a bit bland. My dogs, OTOH, love love love the carob pods!

  • bart_2010
    10 years ago

    Just HOW cold, Marymcp? I'd be glad to protect the tree while young, but the goal would be to have it get BIG...bart

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    10 years ago

    Average lows in winter are in the 40's and 50's. Record lows have been high teens to low 20's. Here's a chart:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Weather Chart

  • bart_2010
    10 years ago

    Thanks, Marymcp.Looking at the chart,I think it might be worth a try. On occaision it has gone down into the teens here, but it seems to me it's pretty rare, so might qualify as "record lows" here, too.Maybe I could find a chart similar to the one you showed me for my area... regards, bart

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    10 years ago

    I think my Google phrase was something like 'average weather for phoenix az' - play around with the phrase until you get the result you are seeking. Good luck with the tree. It can be a beautiful tree and if planted where the litter is not bothersome, so much the better. Our tree was planted to cover the patio. :-\

  • MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
    10 years ago

    Another view - this is before we trimmed it up for air flow and so we could walk under it. We have since dismantled that low wall that surrounded the patio. Never understood its purpose and are much happier that the whole patio area is now open and free-flowing. The former owners had a lot of 'barriers' in place that required one to walk around and around....You can kind of see the one of the arches in the main patio, there's four of them, and 3 of the arches had a wrought iron, waist-high barrier across them. Odd.

    We have also since planted a couple of mesquite trees in this huge yard so we have a bit more shade. these pics are from 2008, we bought the house in 2004.

  • bart_2010
    10 years ago

    Thanks for your help and the fotos, marymcp! I think it may be well worth a try.On Internet I found a site that states that the record low for my general area was -26 Celsius one winter, which is more or less around -9 F, the record low for Phoenix according to the chart you posted...and the -26C was registered in Firenzuola, which is higher up and therefore probably colder than my area. What's more, the place I have in mind for the carob tree is on the south-western slope of my garden, very well protected from the coldest north winds. I think I could order one for about 11 euros, so even if it didn't work, it wouldn't be an enormous financial loss, just a bit of a disappointment...regards, bart

  • nikthegreek
    10 years ago

    Bart,

    The carob tree is so common in the Med basin that if it was tolerant of your conditions there would most probably be samples of it around your area. Are there any? I would not expect it to withstand prolonged freezes of more than minus a few degrees C and I certainly would not expect it to survive temps of -20C. Also it doesn't like water logged soils and it prefers neutral to alkaline pH disliking acid soils. It thrives in typical Med semiarid conditions and in poor calcareous soils. In Greece it is found in the warmer-drier South of the country and on the islands and not in the North or in higher altitudes which I guess would mostly resemble your climate.
    Nik

  • nikthegreek
    10 years ago

    Bart,

    The carob tree is so common in the Med basin that if it was tolerant of your conditions there would most probably be samples of it around your area. Are there any? I would not expect it to withstand prolonged freezes of more than minus a few degrees C and I certainly would not expect it to survive temps of -20C. Also it doesn't like water logged soils and it prefers neutral to alkaline pH disliking acid soils. It thrives in typical Med semiarid conditions and in poor calcareous soils. In Greece it is found in the warmer-drier South of the country and on the islands and not in the North or in higher altitudes which I guess would mostly resemble your climate.
    Nik

  • nikthegreek
    10 years ago

    Double posting sorry

    This post was edited by nikthegreek on Wed, Mar 5, 14 at 10:59

  • nikthegreek
    10 years ago

    Double posting sorry

    This post was edited by nikthegreek on Wed, Mar 5, 14 at 10:58

  • lazy_gardens
    10 years ago

    But do the pods taste like chocolate

    Only if you have not had any decent chocolate for a decade or so. Carob is to chocolate what Miller Lite is to a good brown ale.

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