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jannm2021

Hi everyone! October updates please :)

7 years ago

Hi everybody how are you all brian Amy mike bob Steve everyone I’ve missed everybody! ! I know I’ve been gone for a while but life as it tends to do just got in the way as usual. Sometimes I think I have the worst luck lol when it rains in pours sometimes. Amy I’ve missed you so much hows your greenhouse my partner in crime lol did you happen to fit all your trees in that beTuiful new greenhouse? Lol I’ve had to do it a month ago thanks to horrible weather here on the west coast unusually cold I must say! Brian how about you did you manage to fit all in those huge giant trees of yours? Lol and Mike my dear friend how are you? I’d love to see all your pictures too. I hope I get to see many beautiful pictures of your trees whether they’re inside or out.

Comments (55)

  • 7 years ago

    Jan!!!!!! My soul sister from Vancouver!! How are you doing?? How is your mother now? I hope she feels better now. Did you buy your pizza oven to go under your beautiful pavillon? Oh can’t wait to see some pictures. Jan, a lot of us have trouble posting pictures. We need to downsize our pictures in order to post them now! I finished all my chemo and radiation and had a bonus surgery to remove my ovaries a few weeks ago. Now, I am back to work. It’s quite a change in my routine but the most important thing is to enjoy every moment no matter what right? Everyone here is very nice! They went out of their way to help me set up my greenhouse for winter. So, for now, I have two temperature sensors, three heaters and a solar pool cover on my greenhouse lol! If you see a lot of posts regarding greenhouse it’s all in order to help me loll. Aren’t they kind? Bob, keep me entertain a lot. Thanks to his picture of his jaboticaba, I have a new passion for tropical fruit trees. I bought one jaboticaba and by following Bob’s advice it’s thriving . Brian post a picture of the most beautiful lychee tree I have ever see. I bought two. Lolll.. Please don’t post anything new!!! Oh by the way, how are roses? I bet Mike will love to see some pictures of your flowers!

    Laura, did you bring your trees in already? I saw that you give away a couple of trees. What do you have left?

    Dave, gorgeous tree! How big is the container?


    Tango mandarin with lots of small fruit and start to produce more flower buds


  • 7 years ago

    Nzl



  • 7 years ago

    Shy little page



  • 7 years ago

    Okitsu


  • 7 years ago

    On year for minneola


  • 7 years ago


    My favourite of all time: shiranui

  • 7 years ago


    Moro blood orange

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    two little murcott tangor




  • 7 years ago

    Unknown grapefruit still holding on the tree




  • 7 years ago

    Outside the greenhouse


    Mike, did you mean to fold the solar poolcover like that?

  • 7 years ago

    Inside the greenhouse



  • 7 years ago

    Oh my goodness everyone has such beautiful trees!! Dave is that an owari satsuma? I must say I was bad and I couldn’t resist buying a small tree since it was half off at Phoenix yesterday lol it’s s tiny little thing now but I hope one day it’ll turn out like yours! how are the fruit?

    laura! How are you? Can’t wait to see the trees I’m surprised yours are still out! Lucky you it must be mild weather still :)

    oh my goodbess

    Amy!!!! Lol I’ve missed you so!! I thought about you a lot recently actually hence my return to this forum :) the deck has come along beautiful but the pizza oven was way too large to put in unless the handyman said to remove my pear tree and you know me like I’d ever get rid of a tree! Lol My mother’s doing ok thank you so much for asking she had a cascade of health problems but I suppose as we all grow older that’s what happens but she’s doing much better now :). Oh that’s fantastic!!! You must feel great! I know a friend going through a similar thing chemo as well and it is so tough to go through you must be very relieved it’s all over and you’re on your way to great health and more citrus lol! :) oh yes I remember when I took a break off work for even a couple months what a change it was to come back lol but that is the most important thing to enjoy every minute of every day :) oh no lol!!!! I was looking at the jaboticaba at floraexotica website along with the cutest pink banana tree! This tree stays small and produces pink bananas and they’re edible too! Lol and don’t even get me started on Brian’s litchi!! But I was bad I bought yet another citrus lol well you see my cousin said she wanted a citrus and they were two for one but she’d wanted one only so guess who got the second one it was only $28 what kind of insane person would’ve said no to that lol Oh dear I have a problem but so glad I have my partner in crime to share it with :) i Agree with everyone being so kind on this forum! I love it here it’s like one big family.


    Ooh amy I love your trees they’re so green and healthy! And that tango I was thinking of getting a tango as well actually have you tried the fruit? Lol oh no here we go again! Amy you’re going to have such a harvest with all those fruits! Shiranui and page and nzl too all looking so gorgeous and I can’t wait to see your blood orange I have a Moro too but it’s shy to bear fruit. And your greenhouse is gorgeous!!! It looks huge in there I see you have some space still available there for more trees wink wink nudge lol! How warm do you keep it in there Amy? You’re doing amazingly well for a first time greenhouse grower :) Mine is just single pane glass and as Brian said it is tropical Canada here so I have two small heaters that keep it just above freezing at 2 degrees is the lowest it’s been.


    im going to try to post some pictures soon lol it’s raining here too but I’ll try and downsize the pictures I already have :)

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Laura , this is 'Armstrong'. Did I give you this one? Can't remember. LOL! It is going into alternate bearing now. Maybe if I would thin the fruit it wouldn't. Next season it will grow mostly leaves and only make a few fruit. But that's OK, because I have other mandarins. I feed it Espoma Citrus tone, working it into the soil every two to four weeks, when I get time or remember! I'll trim it way back after I've picked off all the fruit.

    Amy , it's in maybe a 2-foot across container.

  • 7 years ago

    Jan, lol, of course we can’t pass a deal like that and be able to sleep at night! Oh my god, I wish that Gary will extend his 2 for 1 sale for mail order too. What did you get???? Some said that by planting more trees we will be able to tackle the climate crisis so you did the right thing Jan. Let’s save the planet one tree at a time! Jan, I also heard that moro blood orange is not a heavy producer. Weirdly enough, mine has a lot of tree this year. Can’t wait to try my first blood orange but with my luck, it may possible be something else like a valencia lolll You must tell me more about the pink banana. I didn’t see it in floraexotica website. I think that banana trees are so beautifully tropical don’t you think?

    Dave, thank you for your answer. I have a owari satsuma for two years now that didn’t priduce anything yet.

  • 7 years ago

    Jan, I forgot to tell you that Dany offer free shipping if you buy more than 100$. I think that it’s only available during October!

  • 7 years ago


    Ok try number 5 lol minneola hope it works

  • 7 years ago

    Oh my it works! thank you bob and amy! :)

    here are a few more

    Gold nugget



  • 7 years ago

    First wekiwa


  • 7 years ago



    Santa theresa lemon and Buddha’s hand in the Back

  • 7 years ago

    Sugarbelle


  • 7 years ago

    Kiyomi tangor their fruit are larger this year yay!


  • 7 years ago

    Lol Amy you’re an expert at finding the most genius and selfless excuse for our addiction I love it! well if you put it that way we definitely should get more it’s the only right decision to save the planet ;) oh let me post the picture I took for the pink banan in the floraexotica website lol he said he’s out right now but I am going to contact him next spring for this tree. Say what?! Oh amy October is almost over must quickly get to Danny’s website and order a tango lol! Help me pick another on so I can meet the $100! Ooooh I always wanted another Yuzu for my cooking. Oh this is so much fun! Oh amy if you truly want to take advantage of the two for one sale pick any two I can peruse it for you and try shipping It to you :) oh amy please tell me how your blood orange turns out I can’t wait! Mine bloomed this year but none of them stuck :( they just dropped at the size of a loonie. Oh before I forget here’s the info on the pink fuzzy banana have you ever seen anything cuter.



  • 7 years ago

    Thank you Jan for the picture of the pink banana. It’s a beautiful little one! I will look for this one next spring. Ok, here is what I got this year from Dany:

    • white jade pineapple: it’s a hawaiien variety and supposed to be very very sweet with an edible core.
    • Ruby supreme Guava. I love guava and it’s such an easygoing tree.

    If you’re looking for a citrus, maybe a ponkan mandarin. It’s one of the parent of the shiranui and I love shiranui!


    Jan, thank you so much for the offer but I will have to wait for the next citrus pre order to see if Gary will be successful to bring in the valentine pummelo! I send quite a list to Gary loll so I can’t wait for the citrus pre order!

  • 7 years ago

    Jan Wow! What great varieties you are growing! Love the minneola. Is it grafted? onto what? I've heard they can be quite vigorous -- unless maybe on Flying Dragon. I do have an Owari satsuma, but all the fruit are still green yet. Armstrong seems to be really early this season, which I'm loving! I like to see the fruit ripen up outdoors.

  • 7 years ago

    Jan, welcome back!!! Missed you around tehse days!! Hows the greenhouse doing? How are all your plants? So sorry you had to deal with so much these days. I hope everything has settled won and that you are back once agaon. We love you you know) Beautiful pictures of your trees Wow!! I will post a few pics soon, promise)) Hugs

    Amy, holy toledo!! Everytime I see your greenhouse I still can't believe you have come this far. Something you should be proud of. They all look so healthy and happy in there. Now you need an Orchid. lol

    Dave, that's a heck of a lot of fruit@!! UIs that a trees you keep cold all winter in the garage? Please et me know. Nice work

  • 7 years ago

    Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.) : Yes, all my citrus, except for new grafts, go into the garage for the winter. It stays just above 50 in the dead of winter.


  • 7 years ago

    Dave, that gives me hope! I grow mines just like you and you still get all that fruit. Does that fruit slow down in winter or start growing in winter even though it's that cold? They must hang on until you put them back outside then grow again? Great job. Goes to show you that you don't have to keep them growing in a greenhouse or constant warn enviroment to get fruit like that. I am excited Dave)

    Keeping them cold in my porch is the only way I can have so many and keep them going now.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago



    7 foot tall seed grown Fukushu kumquat has flower buds.



    New Zealand lemonade/C35 6 foot by 6 foot protected by low-e quadruple glazed windows.


    Meiwa kumquat/Kuharske Citrange 4 layers glass all surfaces


  • 7 years ago

    Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.) : I don't have enough experience with all varieties yet. Satsumas and other mandarins seem to take my conditions fine. They love a cool winter. My garage -- even without heat -- always stays at least 10 degrees above the outside temperature. Heater kicks on around 45-50 degrees. On mild sunny days in winter, it can warm up to 70 degrees, but then drop at night. Ideal.


    The satsumas will all be eaten by November! Then the tree sits until maybe March-April when it will either start growing or bloom in response to longer day lengths.


    My Meyer is in the house. We'll see how it does with warmer temps. May eventually move it to the garage as well. It's in full bloom right now.

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you Dave! I’m not sure what the minneola is on I got it from dany at brugsmansia Quebec and I think he uses mostly c35? I think Amy and brian would know I’m horrible at rootstocks lol. Do you have one also? It is quite vigorous actually and producing so many fruits however this will be the first year so u don’t know if it’ll be good or not but Brian told me even on the first year of fruits they’re juicy and very sweet! Please let me know how your owari turns out :) I agree I wished that some of my fruits would ripen during the summer as well!


    Mike!!!! Hi how have you been? I love you all too and so thankful to be back :) it’s funny right after my last post my internet and phone landline went dead! I still have no service they’re coming Thursday so until then I’m living like it’s the 1900 lol I’m using my data on my phone as I type :) I just couldn't stay away from you all! How are your birds mike and your orchids pics please :) hugs!


    Dave does that mean your trees gets no light Either from a window or grow light? So it basically goes dormant? Wow and you’re able to ripen fruit? That’s amazing!! :)


    steve I always wonder if you can get in there to trim it and what happens when it outgrows your glass enclosure? Amazing work! I also wish I can grow in ground.

  • 7 years ago

    Oh mike! I forgot to ask you! I got my first cattleya orchid! Lol do you have any? I know it’s off topic but I’d love to see pictures of any of yours :) right now mine is gone in a clay container in my bedroom in reptibark and a couple of moss pieces intermixed into the bark. It’s suppisedly a fragrant kind but I have no idea what kind it is it was a gift from a friend moving abroad she’s had t for 2 years but it has never bloomed! I’m so so excited!! :) maybe one day I can have even a quarter of the collection you have!


    Lol it’s a funny thing about citrus it’s a gateway to all sorts of plants I was just talking about banana trees and other tropicals and wanting to get them all!


  • 7 years ago

    Lol oh Amy!!! I’ve also been waiting for the valentine pummelo!!! Thank you for putting the pressure on Gary! Lol oh the guava and pineapple How are they doing? I love tropical fruit trees! Any success growing them overwinter? Let me know I am foraying into other tropicals besides citrus guess it’s time to get another greenhouse lol! I was also thinking of Ponkan Amy great minds think alike so ponkan it is! :)

  • 7 years ago

    Jan, you are way too funny! if you didn't live in Canada, I would send you my dwarf banana trees I am about to let go to the first frost and die(. I just have no room for them. They are so beautiful. I might dig them up and place them in a low light area just to hang on. I would share so much with you if I could. I would hook you up with all sorts of interesting stuff. I do have many Cattleya. That is a beauty. It will flower once it's mature. Maybe this winter? Give it lots of sunlight and it will be fine. I find that the mix you are using is best for mine. I use bark and spaghnum moss. I have all the ones that are very fragrant. You would love those. I have them all in my sun room now and praying they all re flower. I love having those and you are right, growing citrus was a prelude to all that I have. lol I even have ordinary houseplants, east stuff like philos, and philodendrons. All sorts of those. Oh and Jan, we can talk about anything you'd like since you started this thread and we are all friends) Hugs to you

    Let eme see if I can come up with a couple of pics for you. I got many from Hawaii and from orchid shows!))

    I have been better but still having bad days. My foot is kiiling me still. I hope it heals fast. I need it. I need to bring in lots of plants before a hard freeze comes and I see one in a week or two. I managed to squeeze three of my favorite citrus into my small greenhouse, after cutting them back thank God.

  • 7 years ago

    Here you go

  • 7 years ago

    Another

  • 7 years ago

    For you Jan

  • 7 years ago

    Jan, I just read your questions! I can’t believe I miss them. Ok here are the answer.

    I didn’t taste any fruit of my Tango yet. In fact, I just bought it last spring. It seems to be an easy going tree so far.

    I program my heater to kick in when the temperature drops to 52F but for some reason it won’t stop until the temperature reach 70F. I hope that I won’t have to go bankrupt in order to pay for my electricity bills loll

    Jan, guava are the easiest of the tropical fruit to grow for me. You don’t need to wood about overwatering them. They need water all the time and they grow fast! Ih you must have a jaboticaba! It’s the most intriguing tree for me. Bob said that his tree is very productive!

    Your cattleya is so cute! Just follow Mike’s advice! He’s a pro!

    Mike! Oh my god your cattleyas are so beautiful!!!!! What do you use as fertilizer? Oh I can’t believe you have banana too!!! Did you get any fruit from them?

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Mike how do you keep slugs and ants out of your orchids?? Just have bad luck with catts -- usually because slugs get in and eat all the tender new roots.

  • 7 years ago

    Valentine pomelo get glass

    Steve

  • 7 years ago

    Dave, I had a problem one year with them and all I used was

    https://www.google.com/search?q=diatomaceous+earth&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS790US790&oq=diatama&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.5578j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    on the top of the roots and they left for good that year. But I don't have an issue with them now unless they are left on the ground. I use a couple of hole tray tables and set them on those. Thank God I don't have issues like that. I learned that trick with an orchard grower who use to have that problem.

    Amy, thank you for your compliments! That means a lot. I just use 'Petes' cal/mag fertilizer. What ever you use make sure you provide Ca and Mg. If using a fertilizer without it you can suppliment some. Oh yeah, two banana trees. I once had one grow to 6 feet tall and it started to flower, right before frost hit it and I had to chop it down. I was so bummed out!! That is when I had wished I had a huge greenhouse(

    Steve, that tree looks so happy behind that glass. I think it is going to flourish!!

  • 7 years ago

    OMG how annoying. I just made up a whole post and it disappeared!! Dave, I tried the first mandarin from your tree today. The tree is healthy, but has not grown much. The mandarin was delicious. I have a bunch of yuzu fruits now that I don't know what to do with. I may have to post pictures in different comments.

  • 7 years ago

    Yuzu

    miho wase

  • 7 years ago

    I’ll try again...

    miho wase

  • 7 years ago

    Persian lime

    i just repotted this tree and it is crooked because it’s grown lopsided. After taking the pic, I tied it to a couple of stakes to straighten out. It’s loaded with limes though.

  • 7 years ago

    A couple of branches of meiwa with ripening fruit

  • 7 years ago

    The photo quality of “small” makes for bad quality posted images. The last one I used medium and it seems better.

  • 7 years ago

    Wow Laura, your trees are loaded! It’s not an easy task for indoor growers like us! Well done!


    Mike, oh no! It will also have break my heart to chop down a banana tree when it has a flower. I once broke a cymbidium flower spyke by accident it took months before I can think of that without feeling depressed

  • 7 years ago

    First of all wow mike!! Holy moses! I don’t even know what to say I’m speechless those are soooooo beautiful! What kinds are they what’s your favourite ones? Where do you buy your orchids mike? Also what is the most fragrant? Lol so many questions! I hope one day mine will flower like that! Do they need lots of heat and humidity and sunlight mike? I’ve just put mine in a north facing window for now but in the summer I guess I could move it into the greenhouse.


    Amy lol I miss posts too all the time! Amy I bit the billet thanks to you I now have a ponkan and another Yuzu coming lol! I was looking at the litchi and banana trees and other tropical fruits lol oh and I’m seriously contemplating a jaboticaha tree. Speaking of which how is yours doing and did you get some fruit and how about the miracle fruit? I know bob is the expert in jaboticaba trees so I really would love to try but I figure I’m going to do one at a time for now I’m trying to focus on my one cattleya lol you have orchids too right amy I’d love to see pictures! Lol Amy I have a feeling that your citrus are going to go gangbusters in that hothouse of yours! That pool cover will Really help last year my heating bill was quite scary lol but that’s because I didn’t have anything but a pane of glass! And it got down to 0 when it was -10 outside With two heaters going full blast!


    laura! Your trees are so gorgeous! I saw that you’re trying to figure out what to do with your yuzu fruits I made them into this chilli paste called yuzu kosho if you like spicy foods you’ll love it it’s basically salt, chilli, and yuzu rind and the put it in a mortar and pestle I’m addicted i cant eat anything without it now lol. It’s a Japanese chilli paste recipe y9u can eat it with meats or in y9ur soups anything really it’s really gets your appetite going!

  • 7 years ago

    Jan. How spicy exactly? It sounds great and I may try that. How well does it keep? How do you store it? I have so many and I don’t know what to do with them. I realized that I’ve not used all my frozen key lime juice yet...the Teo trees are loaded and flowering again. The lemons are overflowing...I need to make many citrus recipes!!!

  • 7 years ago

    Hi Laura!!! I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you quicker! Lol well it’s really up to you how spicy you can use any chilli you want you can go for a mild pepper if you’re not into spicy or you can go for jalapenos I’ve even heard some use ghost pepper and I don’t know how anyone would survive that jar lol! They store very well I keep mine in a canning jar in the fridge and it’s been a little under a year and it’s still fantastic maybe it’s all the salt that is in the recipe that keeps it very well :) hope you love it as much as I! Oh my Laura youre so lucky you’re getting so many fruit! These are not problems at all lol I wished mine gave me more than just the one Yuzu this year it’s about the size of a kishu right now and very green still!