Kadie,

What a find! Love the Octagonal shaped pots. All of then, so beautiful. Do you have a masonry bit to make holes in bottom of them?

Nice Arabicum. I always look at those Ponytail Palms and they speak to me. Asking me to take them home, but I have been resilient in my endeavor to limit more plants.

Papayas are my fave. We ate them every morning in Maui. Just do not taste the same buying them here at home.

Nice to find a place like M&P close by. Like finding a hidden treasure some times.

Rick

Sinha, thank you! Come daylight I will spruce up the arabicum by cleaning off the algae/fungus that are growing on the stems. Then will un-pot and prepare the roots to go into a gritty mix media. I am eager to find out what the roots look like. I am not sure yet how and how much I will prune the stems...maybe someone here in the forum could give me suggestions.

Rick, I just love this ponytail palm. It reminds me of a jellyfish floating in the ocean water. A slight breeze moves the strap-leaves ever so gently and they kind of quiver gracefully.

The octagonal pots have a large hole that's about 1/2 inch wide, so I think it's big enough for good drainage. The larger ceramic bowls I will use to hold adeniums that are in plastic pots just to give them some decorative flare, so I will not drill holes in them.

The hubby enjoys growing papayas...the trees we have now are getting rather tall so it was time to plant new ones. I like papayas half-way green/ripe to slice up and make pickles. And it is so true--tree ripened and fresh-picked papayas are sooo tasty compared to store-bought.

Kadie

I would not prune the stems if it where mine, Kadie. Looks wonderful the way it is.

Can always do so later on, but will probably just continue with horizontal growth more so.

How do you make Papaya pickles? Interested.

Rick

You hit the jackpot, Kadie! I love the pots and all of your plants that came home with you. I'd love to find a place like that to shop!

I agree on the payayas. We used to eat them a lot in the Marshall Islands. I just don't bother with our grocery papayas. :( You're lucky to be able to grow them yourselves. I'd also like to know how you do the pickles.

Thanks, Rick! I will cut a tiny bit off the apex of those stems that are leafless to stimulate leaf growth. On second thought, maybe I'll wait and see if the apex will grow leaves after I have changed out the media and applied fertilizer.

Thanks, Karen, I am glad I found this nursery! And I really like the lady who owns it.

Per requests, here is a recipe for pickled green papaya:

Peel the green rind off, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the halves cross-wise into 3" lengths. Slice the chunks with a knife or use a mandolin slicer set at the larger thickness of about 3/8" thick. Rinse the slices twice to remove latex. Mix vinegar with a pinch of salt to taste and a pinch of sugar. For those who like spicy hot, dice a fresh red chili and mix well. Place slices in a glass bowl or jars and pour enough vinegar mix on slices to cover. Best to keep refrigerated to maintain freshness and crispness. I like pickled papaya that had just started to turn orange but not ripe...gives more flavor.

Kadie

Yum! That sounds great, Kadie. I'd put in the chili. :) Thanks for sharing.

Sounds scrumptious. Do the Papaya have the same flavor Kadie as when fully ripe or not so much?

Rick

Green papaya hardly has a flavor. The ones that turn orangey but still not ripe...you can detect a little bit of a papaya flavor. I like these papaya candied also...there are all kinds of recipes for candied fruits on the internet.

Here's old "Tank." Moss and fungus were scrubbed off with a toothbrush and a little bit of chlorine mixed with water.

Beautiful tree, Kadie. Quite stately. I cannot wait to see it in it's new home.

I think they look so good when they are sitting at a level where the widest part is on the horizontal plain and not raised too much. You know what I mean.

Rick

I know perfectly what you mean, Rick. The beauty of this kind of arabicum is in the caudex and stems, not the roots...it is not a Thai Soco.

Kadie

Very special tree.

My Arabicum that I got from a gentleman here close by is one of my fav's. I love it whether it is in leaf or leafless. Has such a stately and Ah! appearance.

My dad saw it and said, "What is that monster plant" (Not a plant officianado).

Thanks for sharing you new acquisition.

Rick

Rick, I know the arabicum you are referring to...it is absolutely gorgeous and staged very nicely in its bowl.