Common Subtropical Fruits for Regions of San Diego County                                                                 2008/07/25

 

Plant your tree-size varieties in a hole that has been excavated at least 3 feet in diameter and 2.5 feet deep, and bush-size varieties in a hole about 2 feet in diameter and 1.5 feet deep [exception: see Planting An Avocado Or Two for Avocado and Mango planting].  The purpose of this is to loosen compacted soils.  Remove all rocks larger than a golf ball.  If your soil is pure sand, remove all of it.  To replace volume lost from rock or sand removal, mix in a potting soil such as Kellogg’s Patio Mix or Uncle Malcolm’s Potting Soil.  Before placing soil back into the hole, fill the hole with water two times.  If the water does not drain out naturally each time in 10-15 minutes, construct one to three “French drains” with a gravel (not pipe) bottom.  Fill the hole back up so that the soil is 2 inches above the old soil line.  The soil line on a plant in a pot should be maintained when placing in a hole.

 

Train and Prune your vines and bushes to promote fruit production and the health of the plant.  See Sunset Western Garden Book, 7th edition (2001) or later.  Under “Grape” there is an excellent presentation on trellises (page 370).  The two-wire (or use a chain-link fence) spur-pruning system is also great for berry vines – which will achieve the shown third summer lattice in the first year.

 

Mulch and Fertilize your plants to produce fruit and compensate for our slightly alkaline water and (often clay) soil conditions.

Apply mulch at least 2 inches thick under plant to a 3 foot diameter.  Keep mulch a few inches away from trunk to avoid insects eating the bark of the plant.

 

Monthly Feeding Rates (maximum)

example product

(choose one)

newly planted from

5-gallon pot

bush or young tree

with 4'×4' canopy

15'×15' canopy

Grow More water soluble 28-8-18

1/8 cup

1/4 to 1/3 cup

2/5 to 1/2 cup

Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro Liquid

9-3-6

1.5 oz.

3 oz.

4.5 oz.

GroPower Tropical & Palm Food

9-3-9

8/9 cup

1+2/3 cups

2+2/3 cups

GroPower Avocado & Citrus Food

8-6-8

1 cup

2 cups

3 cups

Dr. Earth Organic #10 Fertilizer

6-4-6

1+1/3 cup

2+2/3 cup

4 cups

Composted Horse Manure

1 gal.

2+1/4 gal.

4+1/2 gal.

 

Subtropical plants do not need a high-phosphorus fertilizer to produce an abundance of blooms.

 

Water your plants no more than once per week with the exception of Avocado and Mango.  If the leaf veins are somewhat green but the leaf body is yellowing, you are over watering.   Use soaker hose (not laser cut) for slow delivery that soaks in.  A new plant from a 1 gallon pot needs about 2 gallons twice per week.  A newly planted tree from a 5 gallon pot needs about 10 gallons per week.  A 5-6 foot tree needs about 25 gal. / wk.  A quarter inch of rain equals 1 weeks’ worth of watering.  Measure your hose output rate in a large barrel.

 

Protect your plants from pests and diseases.  For the subtropical fruits listed below:

During the growing season, either

·         spray trunk, branches, foliage monthly with Bayer PowerForce Insecticide (main ingredient: Cyfluthrin), plus control mildew as needed with Lilly-Miller PolySul.

OR

·         spray trunk, branches, foliage every 3 weeks with Green Light Fruit Tree Spray.

Do not spray blossoms on the plants, you will kill the bees, etc. that would otherwise pollinate the blossoms for fruit.  Instead, spray immediately before bloom begins and then wait until blossoms are fertilized and closed.

 

 

FRUIT VARIETY

CULTIVARS

 

 

AVOCADO (Persea L.).  Plant next to pollinator for better production.

Gwen (aka Gem).  Type A.  Small tree.  Ripens summer.  Pollinated by Sharwil.

 

Holiday.  Type A.  Small tree.  Ripens in fall.  Pollinated by Sharwil.

 

Stewart.  Type A.  Large tree.  Ripens spring.  Pollinate w/ Sir Prize.

 

Hass.  Type A.  Large.  Ripens summer. Pollinate w/ Nimlioh or Fuerte.

 

Reed.  Type A. Tall & narrow. Ripens fall. Use w/ Nimlioh or Fuerte.

 

 

BABACO (Vasconcellea ×heilbornii). 

Unusual cousin of Papaya.  Cultivars sold in nurseries are generic.

 

 

BANANA  (Musa L.).  Will produce 30-40 leaves, then fruit.  Heights only include main trunk.

Dwarf Namwah.  7 ft, produces ~150 6” fruits, excellent taste.

 

Sweetheart (aka FHIA-3).  9ft, ~125 7” fruits, excellent taste, fragrant.

 

Dwarf Brazilean.  8 ft, ~150 8” fruits, very sweet.

 

Dwarf Orinoco.  6 ft, cold hardy in USDA zone 8, good quality fruit.

 

1000 Fingers.  8 ft, produces ~1000 sweet tennis-ball size fruits.

 

Rajapuri.  8-15 ft,  ~125 fragrant & sweet 5” fruits.

 

African Rhino Horn.  9-15 ft, ~100 huge 15” orange-fleshed plantains.

 

 

CARAMBOLA, aka STAR FRUIT

Arkin.  Moderate size tree, needs shade in 95+ summer weather.

 

Golden Star.  Comparable to Arkin.

 

 

CHERIMOYA (Annona cherimola).  All cherimoyas require some hand pollination.  Daily ingestion over several years can cause permanent dementia.

Honeyhart.  Excellent flavor, very juicy.  Ripens November to March.

 

Knight, aka Rough Pierce.  Mature tree is self-pollinating with big crop of sweet fruit.  Not “M&N Pierce”.

 

 

GREEN SAPOTE (Pouteria viridis).

Makawao.  Hardy to 35 F and brief overnight temps to ~30 F.

 

 

GUAVA, LEMON & STRAWBERRY (Psidium cattleianum).  Often mislabeled “guajava”.

Small 1” fruit, often sour and seedy.  Cultivars sold in nurseries are generic.

 

 

GUAVA, PINEAPPLE (Acca sellowiana).  Best production when multiple bushes planted.

Nazemetz.  Excellent quality fruit, ripens in Fall.

 

Lickver’s Pride.  Excellent quality fruit, ripens in Fall.

 

Coolidge.  Good quality fruit, excellent pollinator.

 

 

GUAVA, TROPICAL (Psidium guajava).  Medium 2” or larger size fruit.

Beaumont.  Large white variety from Mexico.  Commercially grown.

 

Mardi Red.  Soft, fragrant, eaten out of shell.  Interesting foliage.

 

Tropic White (aka White Indian).  Yellow skinned, excellent white flesh.

 

Tropic Pink (aka Thai Pink).  Yellow skinned, excellent pink flesh.

 

 

KEI APPLE (Dovyalis caffra).  Very nutritional and easy to grow.  Dioeceous.  Very thorny.

Cultivars sold in nurseries are generic.

 

 

LOQUAT (Eriobotrya japonica).

Big Jim.  High quality orange-yellow fruit.  Vigorous, upright, highly productive tree.

 

Vista White.  Small to medium-sized roundish fruit, very high in sugar content.  Excellent for dessert.

 

 

MANGO (Mangifera indica).  Needs lots of warmth.  Susceptible to mildew and anthracnose.

Ataulfo.  So-called “Indonesian” type that originated in Veracruz, MX.  Fruit is 6-12 ounces, golden skin when ripe.  Prolific cropper.

 

Keitt (aka Kit).  Excellent for all temperate areas of San Diego County.

 

Kent.  Requires special care on coast.  Large, upright tree, fruits are 20-26 ounces.  Mature tree produces 5,000 fruits per year.

 

 

WHITE SAPOTE (Casimiroa edulis).

Golden.  Excellent cultivar from Florida.  Bears early autumn.

 

Suebelle.  Medium size tree.  Bears year-round.

 

McDill.  Large tree.  Bears early autumn.