Best potted subtropical fruit trees?

[Hardypalms]

Hi

I m in the south East USA, zone 7b. I keep zone 7 and 8 palms fine. I was thinking about planting and protecting a subtropical fruit tree but then i thought potted might be better.

my garage drops down to 40 degrees in the winter where i keep most of my potted palms and drag in and out according to weather. I never kill anything like that.

(No citrus plz, stuff like Mangoes, guavas, papayas, ….. just to give an idea)

Thxs a lot

Pat

[Xenon]

Jaboticaba is perfect. 'Escarlate' (Ruby) and 'Red Hybrid' are supposedly the fastest to fruit, <5 years. Gotta watch the pH (acidddd) though, not a fan of chlorinated tap water either. 

Guava is very easy to fruit in a pot and doesn't mind extended cool. The various Annona (atemoya, sugar apple, etc), starfruit, and june plum (Spondias dulcis) are also popular and easy as potted plants. 

Things like mango, lychee, and longan would be more difficult and especially finicky with regards to setting fruit. These also strongly prefer to grow larger than what most people have in mind for pots. 

Edited February 25, 2023 by Xenon

[amh]

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

Jaboticaba is perfect. 'Escarlate' (Ruby) and 'Red Hybrid' are supposedly the fastest to fruit, <5 years. Gotta watch the pH (acidddd) though, not a fan of chlorinated tap water either. 

Guava is very easy to fruit in a pot and doesn't mind extended cool. The various Annona (atemoya, sugar apple, etc), starfruit, and june plum (Spondias dulcis) are also popular and easy as potted plants. 

Things like mango, lychee, and longan would be more difficult and especially finicky with regards to setting fruit. These also strongly prefer to grow larger than what most people have in mind for pots. 

Good recommendations, would Annona reticulata, Clausena lansium, or Clausena excavata be feasible for container growing? 

1 hour ago, Hardypalms said:

Hi

I m in the south East USA, zone 7b. I keep zone 7 and 8 palms fine. I was thinking about planting and protecting a subtropical fruit tree but then i thought potted might be better.

my garage drops down to 40 degrees in the winter where i keep most of my potted palms and drag in and out according to weather. I never kill anything like that.

(No citrus plz, stuff like Mangoes, guavas, papayas, ….. just to give an idea)

Thxs a lot

Pat

You may consider pitangatuba, various opuntia ficus-indica cultivars, really anything with guava in its name, the hardier garcinias, Bunchosia glandulifera, and Glycosmis pentaphylla.

Pineapple guava, Acca sellowiana can be grown in ground with minimal protection and the hardy kiwis could be grown in ground or in containers.

Edited February 26, 2023 by amh

[Hardypalms]

5 minutes ago, amh said:

 

Pineapple guava, Acca sellowiana can be grown in ground with minimal protection and the hardy kiwis could be grown in ground or in containers.

In ground, in what zone? (Protected).

Thxs

 

Pat

[amh]

Just now, Hardypalms said:

In ground, in what zone? (Protected).

Thxs

 

Pat

Pineapple guavas do fine with no protection in zone 8A, but could use minor protection, like tree canopy or frost cloth below 11^oF. I had plants survive below zero temperatures in 2021, but there was significant damage.

[Hardypalms]

1 hour ago, amh said:

Pineapple guavas do fine with no protection in zone 8A, but could use minor protection, like tree canopy or frost cloth below 11^oF. I had plants survive below zero temperatures in 2021, but there was significant damage.

Would it be doable in Z7b with protection?

i keep Sabal palmetto, S. repens, C.Humilis and B.capitata protected and they do fine, we went down to 6 degrees during this year’s arctic blast.

Thxs

 

Pat

Edited February 26, 2023 by Hardypalms

[amh]

22 minutes ago, Hardypalms said:

Would it be doable in Z7b with protection?

i keep Sabal palmetto, S. repens, C.Humilis and B.capitata protected and they do fine, we went down to 6 degrees during this year’s arctic blast.

Thxs

 

Pat

Yes, it should be doable, you can keep the pineapple guava plants trimmed or shaped into small or large shrubs, so you could just cover them with a blanket or tarp. I've found that just deciduous canopy will keep the plants from defoliating. Seed grown plants are available and affordable, so these would be good for experimentation in the ground in lieu of the expensive named cultivars.

Nurseries are beginning to rate Acca sellowiana as hardy to 5^oF.

[Xenon]

3 hours ago, amh said:

Good recommendations, would Annona reticulata, Clausena lansium, or Clausena excavata be feasible for container growing? 

A. reticulata is another common one. Best to avoid A. muricata/soursop, it easily goes into shock from sudden temp change and often  drops leaves below 50F. 

No idea about wampee 

[amh]

Just now, Xenon said:

A. reticulata is another common one. Best to avoid A. muricata/soursop, it easily goes into shock from sudden temp change and often  drops leaves below 50F. 

No idea about wampee 

I'll have to try A. reticulata.

I'm growing a few red Annona squamosa that seem to be fine above 40F, but begin dropping leaves at about 35F.

Do you know if Annona squamosa can handle extreme pruning, my plants are tall and ungrafted, I would like to cut them down to about 1^1/2 feet.

[Xenon]

43 minutes ago, amh said:

Do you know if Annona squamosa can handle extreme pruning, my plants are tall and ungrafted, I would like to cut them down to about 1^1/2 feet.

Think you should be fine. A lot of growers will strip all of the leaves to force flowering. Annona squamosa has some hardiness (in ground growing), with some wood intact down into the mid 20s. Some people have success with it here as an occasional dieback perennial.

A. reticulata is more tender than A. squamosa. I only knew of one in Weslaco that ocasioanlly set fruit after a mild winter. OTOH, A. squamosa grows very well and fruits abundantly in RGV. 

Atemoya seems to be king with the Annona crowd as far as taste and ease of growth is concerned.  I love a good soursop...but so tender. 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Xenon

[Xenon]

duplicate oops

Edited February 26, 2023 by Xenon

[Hardypalms]

6 hours ago, amh said:

Yes, it should be doable, you can keep the pineapple guava plants trimmed or shaped into small or large shrubs, so you could just cover them with a blanket or tarp. I've found that just deciduous canopy will keep the plants from defoliating. Seed grown plants are available and affordable, so these would be good for experimentation in the ground in lieu of the expensive named cultivars.

Nurseries are beginning to rate Acca sellowiana as hardy to 5^oF.

Shall i start from seed or buy a plant?

Are they slow to sprout and slow growing? Seeds are fun but waiting 8 years to see a fruit isn’t.

Thxs for the help

Pat

[amh]

9 hours ago, Hardypalms said:

Shall i start from seed or buy a plant?

Are they slow to sprout and slow growing? Seeds are fun but waiting 8 years to see a fruit isn’t.

Thxs for the help

Pat

I would start by buying small plants first. The seeds are easy to germinate, but the growth is slow for the first year and a half. You'll need two plants for pollination and the flower petals are sweet and edible as well. Get started on the cheap, and then buy more if you like the plants/fruit.

If you are looking for other tropical looking fruit for planting in the ground, consider Asimina triloba, it is a native Annonaceae that can be grown in ground.

[Hardypalms]

3 hours ago, amh said:

I would start by buying small plants first. The seeds are easy to germinate, but the growth is slow for the first year and a half. You'll need two plants for pollination and the flower petals are sweet and edible as well. Get started on the cheap, and then buy more if you like the plants/fruit.

If you are looking for other tropical looking fruit for planting in the ground, consider Asimina triloba, it is a native Annonaceae that can be grown in ground.

 

3 hours ago, amh said:

I would start by buying small plants first. The seeds are easy to germinate, but the growth is slow for the first year and a half. You'll need two plants for pollination and the flower petals are sweet and edible as well. Get started on the cheap, and then buy more if you like the plants/fruit.

If you are looking for other tropical looking fruit for planting in the ground, consider Asimina triloba, it is a native Annonaceae that can be grown in ground.

You are so kind. Could you recommend some mail orders in the States?

Thxs a lot

 

Pat

[amh]

21 hours ago, Hardypalms said:

 

You are so kind. Could you recommend some mail orders in the States?

Thxs a lot

 

Pat

I've propagated most of my plants, so I cant recommend a nursery. I've seen mixed reviews for onegreenworld, but I have not bought any plants from them. Hopefully someone here can give you a few recommendations. Check with your local nurseries, they may have plants available soon. The plants are being grown in your area.

https://sites.google.com/site/atlantagardening/blog/growingpineappleguavainyourbackyardediblelandscapingforgeorgia

Edited February 27, 2023 by amh

[Hardypalms]

Hi

I started researching the pineapple Guava. I saw tree cuttings for sale.

what is the deal with this? How do they work?

Thxs

Pato

[amh]

I haven't attempted to root or graft cuttings, but you could try. I've read that results are mixed for rooting, but not everyone knows what they are doing, so results can be subjective. 

[Hardypalms]

Thank-you, I will buy a plant.

Pat

[rprimbs]

You could try a sapodilla, like Alano but it may be marginal.  I think you will want reasonable sized plants, because the smaller will probably die.

Trees like star apple, Ross sapote, and jackfruit would not make it.  But something like black sapote ( chocolate pudding fruit) would probably work well since it is related to persimmon, and they are reasonably hardy.

A good online nursery that sells decent sized plants is Lara Farms ( larafarmsmiami.com ).  

[Hardypalms]

Thanks a lot. . Great help right there.

 

Pat