NIIIICE, what lots of humidity can do!!!. You got great fruit trees down there, eldys. Just be prepared this winter with breadfruit and champedak, they live up to theirs names, the ultratropicals. What are you doing to protec the breadfruit?? I´m a profesional champedak killer, LOL, I´m trying my last three, ever (same stage as yours). Breadfruit is easier but can only survive here in shade and flooded.

The marang has the nicest looking (and also textured) leaves of all artocarpus in my opinion. Mine were at the same stage of yours when they get into Neverland.... That huge marang looks identical to my "pedalai" (are you sure it´s a marang at all?)!!!!!!! Mine it´s also about 2m tall. Perhaps I got marang rather than pedalai!!!. The carambola is such a cute fruit. Nice abiu, I´ve better luck with canistel seedlings though.

Thanks for posting your rare and exotic fruit trees. Cheers.

Very healthy looking trees. Your breadfruit and large marang are sure eye-catchers. How's your other durian plants doing? What variety of starfruit do you have? Thanks for the pics.

The breadfruit trunk and stems look just like jakfruit, they're related if I remember right. Thanks for sharing the pics, it all looks healthy and vigorous. Indeed humidity might make us feel nasty working in the yard, but the plants (most anyhow) love it. My pomegranates don't though. Still evaluating them to find a good taster which performs in humidity.

Gary

wow Eldys,
what beauties, so lush and green. I recently acquired some abiu seeds, I can only hope to have them look as good as yours some day.

thanks for posting,
-Ethan

Yer right Gary, my pom doesn't handle the greenhouse humidity very well at all.

Patusho, I received the large potted Artocarpus from a reliable fellow, so I'm pretty sure that it is a marang. Both of my pedalai exhibited heavy juvenile branching, by the way, which I have not observed in marang. I think I'm going to have to expand the enclosure for my in-ground pedalai - it's grown much more quickly than I expected. As for cold protection, the potted plants will be coming indoors for cold snaps and the outdoor plants will be covered and heated; I spend too much time on these guys to take any risks.

Jay, my durians are doing marvelously - I'm shocked by how well they're growing, since they have a reputation for being difficult. I have them under 50% shade cloth and they're all over a meter tall now (except for the grafted "chanee", which was quite small when I received several months ago). If they manage to pull through the winter without much fuss, I might be putting one in the ground next year. Oh, and my starfruit is an "Arkin" - it's ridiculously productive, which is great because everyone I know loves starfruit.

Gary, you're absolutely right about breadfruit and jakfruit being related. I actually have five Artocarpus species growing at the house now - breadfruit, jakfruit, pedalai, marang, and chempedak. Of those, only the jakfruit is likely to survive without special attention during the winter. Oh, and I noticed you are growing 'Hipolito' pomegranate - how are the fruit? I have a tree, but it has yet to bear.

Ethan, thanks for the kind words. Where did you get your abiu seeds?

I'll try to find some time to take more pictures of my trees before the late year winds start to make them look awful.

Eldys,
the seeds came from a gentleman named Noel, I'm supposed to get black sapote seeds also. Email me if you would like his info. He is in FL.

-Ethan

Eldys and Jay, I've seen no redeeming reason to have a pomegranate so far in FL except the plant itself is easy to grow. The fruit haven't been good yet. I have hipolito (from PI nursery) and Viet (from Excalibur), neither produced a desirable fruit. I have a smaller seedling from a Thai friend which is from her homeland which she likes. Also have a couple 'Wonderful' from the USDA (which was first named in Florida). Will also be trying four varieties from Turkmenistan. I'm trying hard to have a tasty pom. They're desirable fruit if it can be made to happen in this state.

Eldys, what is your carambola var? I have some tiny Fwang Tung and 'Hart' seedlings I'm going to try. (I have a big Sri Kembangan and smaller Kari).

Gary

Gary, there's been lots of discussion on Thai poms on the yahoo group. The few that seem to have experience have not cared much for the Thai poms. My wife is from Thailand and she says ours is bigger and better. Their variety I'm guessing can probably tolerate much more humidity the California cousin I'm trying to grow in the greenhouse. I'll give it a while longer to see if it shapes up. If not, then it will create a little more needed space.

If anyone has a mature Kari who could send me a couple of cuttings, it would be much appreciated. J

found this photo of my pedalai from one year ago....

{{gwi:1333141}}

also found some pictures from (t@ptropicals of) both marang and pedalai trees from the glasshouse in fairchild which tells me I did get a pedalai (marang leaves seem less lobed). I refer to your "marang" tree planted in the ground (5th picture), eldys (just to be sure we´re talking of the same tree, lol). And this is the last time I tell you about this, LOL. Just trying to help (at least I believe so).

cheerio.