ECHO's Catalogue and Compendium of Warm Climate Fruits Featuring both common and hard-to-find fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and bamboo for Southwest Florida ECHO's Catalogue and Compendium of Warm Climate Fruits Featuring both common and hard-to-find fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and bamboo for Southwest Florida D. Blank, A. Boss, R. Cohen and T. Watkins, Editors Contributing Authors: Dr. Martin Price, Daniel P. Blank, Cory Thede, Peggy Boshart, Hiedi Hans Peterson Artwork by Christi Sobel This catalogue and compendium are the result of the cumulative experi- ence and knowledge of dedicated ECHO staff members, interns and vol- unteers. Contained in this document, in a practical and straight-forward style, are the insights, observations, and recommendations from ECHO’s 25 year history as an authority on tropical and subtropical fruit in South- west Florida. Our desire is that this document will inspire greater enthusi- asm and appreciation for growing and enjoying the wonderful diversity of warm climate fruits. We hope you enjoy this new edition of our catalogue and wish you many successes with tropical fruits! Also available online at: www.echonet.org ECHO’s Tropical Fruit Nursery Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization 17391 Durrance Rd. North Fort Myers, FL 33917 (239) 567-1900 FAX (239) 543-5317 Email: [email protected] This material is copyrighted 1992. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. Revised May 1996, Sept 1998, May 2002 and March 2007. Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants Table of Contents 1. Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants 2 2. Trees for the Enthusiast 34 3. Fruiting Vines & Brambles 37 4. Tropical Vegetables 40 5. Herbs & Spices 45 6. Bamboo 47 7. Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Ripening Chart 51 8. Estimated Fruit Yields 53 9. Tree Planting Suggestions 53 10. Pruning Fruit Trees 54 11. Choosing Fruit Trees for Cold Tolerance 56 12. Drought Tolerance of Tropical Fruit Trees 57 13. Flood Tolerance of Tropical Fruit Trees 58 14. Salt Tolerance of Tropical Fruit Trees 59 15. Edible Landscaping Your Yard 61 16. Suggested Resources for More Information 63 17. Plant Index by Common Name 68 “FCFS available” written after the name of a plant indicates that ECHO has a “Fruit Crop Fact Sheet” from the University of Florida giving additional details about that plant. These come with each plant purchased in the nursery. Also a FCFS on “Growing Fruit Crops in Containers” is available. We also have some “Technical Sheets” available if a FCFS is not. < Indicates that this is a variety or a species that is found in our arboretum, but not often stocked in our nursery. Inquire about availability. If we do not have it in stock, we can put you on our “waitlist” and call you when we have it available. < = rarely available plant - 2 - Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants 1. Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants Acerola see Barbados Cherry on page 9. Antidesma see Bignay on page 9. Apple, Subtropical Malus domestica FCFS available. Low chill apples bear farther south than ECHO in Florida, and may be a unique addition to your yard. Attractive white apple blossoms will appear during Feb-March and give way to fruit (smaller than standard apples) in June. They remain a small tree, growing to about 15 feet. Apples prefer slightly acidic and well-drained soils and perform best in full sun. The trees will need a complete fertilizer with micronutrients and may need to be defoliated by hand in the fall. Prune trees lightly in late winter to promote new growth. Because flowering, fruit development and spring vegetative growth all occur during some of Florida’s hottest and driest months (April – June), irrigation is critical for succeeding with apples. To conserve moisture, mulching is highly recommended as long as mulch is not in contact with the trunk. Low chill apples are productive in Florida, but susceptible to anthracnose, fire blight, and root fungus. Apples require cross-pollination with two different cultivars to ensure decent production. The low chill varieties listed below require 50 – 150 chill hours for strong flowering and vigorous growth. Chill units are the number of hours the temperature stays between 32-55º F. Most effective chilling occurs with continuing temperatures below 45 º F. ‘Anna’ has red skin and is the most widely planted apple cultivar in Florida. The fruit of ‘Anna’ resembles that of ‘Red Delicious’ more than other low-chill apple cultivars. Originally from Israel, this large apple can be eaten green similar to ‘Granny Smith,’ or can be allowed to ripen to desired sweetness. ‘Dorsett Golden’ looks like ‘Golden Delicious’ with golden skin and sometimes a red blush. This cultivar was discovered in the Bahamas and is crisp and juicy with excellent flavor. < ‘Tropic Sweet’ is a newly patented variety from the University of Florida. This low acid, very sweet apple has green skin with a red blush, and flavor similar to the ‘Gala’ apple. Atemoya Annona squamosa x A. cherimola FCFS available . The Annona family contains many fine tropical fruits. The atemoya is no exception. This superb dessert fruit is one of Dr. Price’s (ECHO’s director), favorite tropical fruits. Atemoya is the result of a cross between the sugar apple ( A. squamosa ) and the cherimoya ( A. cherimola ). While the cherimoya thrives in cooler temperatures, the atemoya is well-adapted to the lowland tropics and can tolerate a little more cold than the sugar apple. The fruit has fairly thin skin and black seeds. The pulp is white, creamy, yet soft, sweet, and delicious. They are usually eaten fresh, but also make a great milk shake and tasty sherbet. Be sure to remove all the seeds before putting the pulp into a blender because the seeds contain the toxic substance rotenone. The trees produce as early as August and as late as January. Atemoyas reach a height of 25-30 ft. The tree has an irregular, low spreading habit, and is largely deciduous losing most of its leaves in the winter. Pruning is recommended on young trees to develop a desirable shape and to control excessively long shoots. As trees age, a March pruning (while the tree is still without leaves) is recommended for further shaping and size control. The flowers are self-fertile; however, hand-pollination will enhance the fruit set. A June pruning will result in additional flowering and later fruit development. Prune long terminal branches back to 5 or 6 nodes and remove the last two leaves closest to the pruning cut. Flowering should occur on new growth. We have several trees planted in 1996 growing in our arboretum . ‘Bradley’ is less firm than Gefner, but the flavor and texture are of exceptional quality. ECHO staff preferred Bradley over Gefner in a 2001 taste test. However, Bradley is reported to not fruit very well without hand-pollination. < ‘Elly’ is very productive like ‘Gefner’ but produces earlier. It has a creamy pear texture softer than ‘Gefner’s’ firmer texture. < = rarely available plant - 2 - Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants ‘Gefner’ is a productive, well known variety. It is probably the best for our area and the one we recommend most to customers. Our ‘Gefner’ froze almost to the ground, but grew back and produced about a dozen large fruit the second summer. It has good fruit production without hand-pollination and can be seen in our arboretum. ‘Priestly’ is another very large fruited cultivar. Production does not seem as high as Elly or Gefner. The fruit is of good quality, but does have a slightly grainy texture. < ‘Rosendo Perez’ bears later than most other varieties of atemoya. The fruit is elongated and of good quality. This variety has historical importance in being one of the first atemoya cultivars released by the USDA in the early 1900’s. Avocado Persea americana, Persea nubigena FCFS available . Avocados are native to Central America and Mexico. From these regions, three distinct races have been recognized: West Indian (WI), Guatemalan (G) and Mexican (M). These races have been crossed to create innumerable hybrids. The ancestry determines cold hardiness, skin texture, and time of fruiting, among other things. The West Indian race is the least hardy (24-28 ºF), and Mexican strains are the most hardy (16-24 ºF), but do not always fruit well in Florida's humid climate. See Table 1 for a comparison of other features of these three avocado races. Choosing an appropriate planting location for avocadoes is extremely important. The first priority is a location that is high and has no history of saturated or flooded soils. Avocadoes demand well-drained soils, as flooding for 24-48 hours can kill them. They are especially susceptible to Phytophthera , a common soil-borne fungus that causes root rot in avocado, papaya, citrus, and other susceptible plants. Phytophthera and flooding are a deadly combination for avocado. The second priority is choosing a location with full sun. Much energy from the sun is needed to annually produce the high numbers of large-seeded and oil-rich fruits. They also typically exchange their leaves each year in the spring, resulting in a bare appearance until new growth appears. The third consideration is space. Remember that avocado trees become huge, easily reaching 40’. They can be pruned to control size (immediately after fruit is fully harvested) but their habit is to become large. Aside from phytophthera, the only other significant problem we encounter with avocados is the Avocado Lace Bug (Acysta perseae ) that feeds on the underside of leaves, causing brown blotches and premature leaf drop. Populations are especially high in late fall and, if possible, they should be controlled to prevent spread to newly emerging spring growth.