Tag: Moraceae

Growing the Fruit and Spice Park’s variety of ‘Himalayan’ mulberry in North Florida

June 30, 2021

Of all mulberry cultivars I’ve eaten, the one which to me has the best flavor is variety ‘Himalayan’, which came from the Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, Florida. Its taste is so intensely fruity and sweet it can make other mulberries seem bland by comparison. I first encountered this variety in early February 2013, … More Growing the Fruit and Spice Park’s variety of ‘Himalayan’ mulberry in North Florida

Some of the best mulberry cultivars need nematode-resistant rootstocks in Florida

June 11, 2020

As I’ve acquired and planted out high-quality mulberry cultivars, I’ve found a major challenge in growing this fruit that’s been very little reported: many of the top quality varieties are extremely sensitive to root-knot nematodes. Parasitic root-knot nematodes (hereafter just referred to as “nematodes”) are tiny microscopic worms which are abundant in sandy Florida soils … More Some of the best mulberry cultivars need nematode-resistant rootstocks in Florida

Another potential nematode resistant fig rootstock: hybrid Ficus pumila x Ficus carica

February 28, 2020

(Note: See here for a list of all posts I have made about nematode resistant fig roostocks.) In my search for nematode resistant rootstocks for common fig, I’ve recently acquired a new candidate to try out (actually two new candidates). I have already posted about how I’ve tried the ornamental creeping fig, Ficus pumila, which … More Another potential nematode resistant fig rootstock: hybrid Ficus pumila x Ficus carica

Evaluating mulberry varieties for early bud break, Jan 2020

January 26, 2020

Mulberries are a great fruit tree for Florida (and just about everywhere else). But a major challenge in growing them in North and Central Florida is that some varieties get fooled by warm spells during winter into thinking that spring as arrived, and they break dormancy too early. As long as a mulberry tree is … More Evaluating mulberry varieties for early bud break, Jan 2020

Fig nematode resistant rootstock project, 2019 status report

December 22, 2019

My project to test out various Ficus species as potential nematode-resistant rootstocks for edible figs has made slow but steady progress in 2019. Root-knot nematodes are one of the biggest challenges in growing figs in Florida and other warm climate regions around the world. I am trying to acquire every Ficus species that’s reported to … More Fig nematode resistant rootstock project, 2019 status report

Where to buy jackfruit in Central Florida: ‘The Jackfruit King’ at Mustang Market

November 18, 2018

(Update: New location for The Jackfruit King. Mustang Market has closed permanently, so Norberto Moreira is now selling his wonderful jackfruits in Orlando. Check his Facebook or Instagram for location and hours.) I have been seriously falling in love with jackfruit lately. Or maybe “falling in lust” might be a more accurate description of the … More Where to buy jackfruit in Central Florida: ‘The Jackfruit King’ at Mustang Market

Mystery Fig Number Two: please help ID this big, red, luscious fig

August 28, 2018

People were very helpful in identifying the first mystery fig I posted as being almost certainly Celeste, so I’m back with another unidentified fig variety. My temporary name for this one is “Big Red”, because it has some of the largest fruits I’ve seen on a fig tree in this area (most of our local … More Mystery Fig Number Two: please help ID this big, red, luscious fig

Mystery Fig Number One: Can you identify this fig variety?

June 28, 2018

There’s something about figs – people just lose track of their variety names. Fig trees are easy to start from cuttings, so when people find a good one, they multiply it and give it out to friends and neighbors. But if the parent fig tree had a variety name, its baby trees go out into … More Mystery Fig Number One: Can you identify this fig variety?