Kath and Correy have prepared some videos on:
Rollinia
Yacon - Apple of the Earth
Bonsai Fruit Trees
This is the other option for anyone who wants to keep their fruit trees small and compact, although this is not for those who don't like a bit of good old hard work as the larger the tree is the harder it is to repot.
To bonsai a tree it will need regular pruning as well as root pruning, it is usually done with potted specimens but can also be done with trees in the ground by cutting through the surface root with a sharp spade, this is good for trees like figs and will reduce the height and spread of the tree.
To bonsai a tree it will need regular pruning as well as root pruning, it is usually done with potted specimens but can also be done with trees in the ground by cutting through the surface root with a sharp spade, this is good for trees like figs and will reduce the height and spread of the tree.
Many grafted fruit trees are suited to container growing and even large trees like sapodillas and black sapotes will happily fruit for many years in a pot if grown with care. To succeed first of all you will need to start with a good quality potting mix, a mix based on composted pine bark is a good start or you can make your own potting mix with equal parts of coarse sand, compost and composted pine bark. Remember that potted plants will use up the nutrients in the mix so they will need regular feeding and repotting. When the tree is repotted this is the time to trim back the roots and the top comparatively, so if you take a third off the roots trim the canopy back by one third as well. The mix can be tailor to suit your tree, blueberries will thrive in an acidic azalea mix, and figs will love a sweetening handful of lime on the top of their mix.
What size pot will you need? The larger the better, but remember the larger the pot the heavier and more difficult it will be to move and work with. The bonsai bags are an excellent option, they come in several different sizes so you can move the pts size up as your tree grow for the best result start with a 15L bag, let your tree grow into this size and then pot it up into the next size 25L and then on to the 35L. This is a good choice to grow a tree to about 2m. The bonsai bags have handles on either side making them easy to move, they can be placed inside a decorative pot and disguised with a layer of straw mulch. This method means that the tree and the pots can be moved separately.
Fruit trees need a sunny position to crop well, in warmer weather it is important to monitor the moisture levels in your pot to make sure it does not dry out, some potting mixes can be hard to rewet once they dry out, so keep your pot moist, but not wet. In hot weather a potted fruit tree may need a drink every other day, ease of the watering in cooler weather. Never sit a potted plant in a saucer of water, all tree roots need oxygen to breathe and remain healthy, sitting a potted avocado in a saucer of water will kill it in no time at all.
Feeding is vital to reduce the frequency of repotting which becomes more difficult as your tree become larger. For hungry trees like citrus regular applications of a complete NPK fertilizer are essential. Foliar sprays are also important and will benefit your tree during the warmer months.
Despite producing delicious fruit some trees do need to be treated with caution. It is wise to wear a long sleeved shirt and gloves when pruning and repotting as some trees can be very irritating to the skin, the sap of figs will burn the skin and the foliage of acerolas is covered in tiny stinging hairs which are also very irritating.
The best thing about potted fruit trees is the amount of fruit that can be cropped off a small tree in a small backyard.
What size pot will you need? The larger the better, but remember the larger the pot the heavier and more difficult it will be to move and work with. The bonsai bags are an excellent option, they come in several different sizes so you can move the pts size up as your tree grow for the best result start with a 15L bag, let your tree grow into this size and then pot it up into the next size 25L and then on to the 35L. This is a good choice to grow a tree to about 2m. The bonsai bags have handles on either side making them easy to move, they can be placed inside a decorative pot and disguised with a layer of straw mulch. This method means that the tree and the pots can be moved separately.
Fruit trees need a sunny position to crop well, in warmer weather it is important to monitor the moisture levels in your pot to make sure it does not dry out, some potting mixes can be hard to rewet once they dry out, so keep your pot moist, but not wet. In hot weather a potted fruit tree may need a drink every other day, ease of the watering in cooler weather. Never sit a potted plant in a saucer of water, all tree roots need oxygen to breathe and remain healthy, sitting a potted avocado in a saucer of water will kill it in no time at all.
Feeding is vital to reduce the frequency of repotting which becomes more difficult as your tree become larger. For hungry trees like citrus regular applications of a complete NPK fertilizer are essential. Foliar sprays are also important and will benefit your tree during the warmer months.
Despite producing delicious fruit some trees do need to be treated with caution. It is wise to wear a long sleeved shirt and gloves when pruning and repotting as some trees can be very irritating to the skin, the sap of figs will burn the skin and the foliage of acerolas is covered in tiny stinging hairs which are also very irritating.
The best thing about potted fruit trees is the amount of fruit that can be cropped off a small tree in a small backyard.
Free Fruit Tree Catalog - 36 Pages, Colour
We have a new Free 36 page catalogue which is all about preparing the home orchard and rainforest plants. Featuring guides for selecting the right fruit trees for you. You can request it through our free catalogue request page
Freight Prices Decrease for Smaller Orders
Daleys has been given lots of constructive critisism on the cost of freighting one or two plants being too expensive.
We listened and now have a small box which takes up less room in the truck and therefore costs you less in freight.
Price Comparison of sending 1 or 2 fruit trees in 2007 using the Large box to now (2008) using the small box.
Sydney & Brisbane - Now costs $24.47 Was $42.94 Save $18.47
Melbourne - Now costs $30.68 Was $55.36 Save $19.68
To find out the exact price for your suburb just enter your postcode after you add some plants to the shopping cart.
We listened and now have a small box which takes up less room in the truck and therefore costs you less in freight.
Price Comparison of sending 1 or 2 fruit trees in 2007 using the Large box to now (2008) using the small box.
Sydney & Brisbane - Now costs $24.47 Was $42.94 Save $18.47
Melbourne - Now costs $30.68 Was $55.36 Save $19.68
To find out the exact price for your suburb just enter your postcode after you add some plants to the shopping cart.
Dragon Fruit
Barry Beetham from Brassall QLD north of Ipswich sent us some great pictures (below)
Barry says: "I live on a quarter acre block in suburbia and grow whatever is small or short and produces food, then i go for it"
One of Barrys passions is the Dragon Fruit or Pitaya which he is growing in his backyard. He says:
"there's a dragon fruit grower 1 1/2 hours inland from Ipswich and i visited him there once - he has 1.5 thousand - wow! amazing plants - and a photo of one dragon fruit plant with 500 fruit on it"
Dragon Fruit Vines at Barrys Place
More Information:
Dragon Fruits - Pitaya
Barry says: "I live on a quarter acre block in suburbia and grow whatever is small or short and produces food, then i go for it"
One of Barrys passions is the Dragon Fruit or Pitaya which he is growing in his backyard. He says:
"there's a dragon fruit grower 1 1/2 hours inland from Ipswich and i visited him there once - he has 1.5 thousand - wow! amazing plants - and a photo of one dragon fruit plant with 500 fruit on it"
Dragon Fruit Forming
Dragon Fruit Vines at Barrys Place
Dragon Fruits - Pitaya
Aloe Vera - Green Thumb Sunday
I thought for this Green Thumb Sunday I would share a flowering Aloe Vera Plant. It is amazing how quickly these flowers shoot up and flower. Their drooping behavior is quite eye catching and they are quite high up for a plant that spends most of it's time low to the ground.
Here is a wide angle view of the same Aloe Vera plant.
Here is a wide angle view of the same Aloe Vera plant.
Dwarf Avocado Trees - Fuss Pots
Avocado Trees are one of the hardest fruit trees to grow because they are "fuss pots" 
With all the pitfalls Growing Avocado Trees in the backyard is still a favourite of Queenslanders and NSW people with Victorians usually growing the Bacon Avocado Tree which can handle their colder climates.
As kids we had a seedling Avocado Tree which took 15 years before it fruited and then straight after that with a big downpoor it died. This is why Grafted Avocados are best. You can usually get fruit within 3-4 years and the Secondo Avocado Tree is known to give crops in 2 years.
Now I mentioned that they are "fuss pots" and that is why I am not just using any pot but the King of all pots so I can give their root system maximum drainage and room to spread it's roots. Avocados like water going past their roots but it can be fatal if their roots are immersed in water.
The Secondo which is a staff favourite at Daleys is pictured above. I am also growing in an identical pot the Wurtz Dwarf Avocado Tree (very top photo). My bet is that the Secondo will out perform the Wurtz so I think it is a good controlled test. The Secondo and Wurtz are both A-Type varieties and although the Secondo is known to set fruit with no other B-Type avocado in sight you can get an even bigger crop by growing B-Type avocado close by. My choice will be the Sharwill over the Fuete because the Fuete sometimes fruits every second year and the Sharwill every year. The Sharwill usually is flowering when the Secondo is which should enourage good pollination.
My other choice of Avocado which I won't be growing but will someday is the Reed Avocado which is out of this world in size. You could fit 3 Hass avocados inside one Reed and the taste although a little different is still just as good I think.
Avocado Ripening Tip: Place it in a paper bag with a banana or apple and it will ripen quicker.
Another point is that avocado varities don't all ripen at the same time. And like mandarine trees for example where you get early, mid and late varieties by getting a few different varitites of avocados growing you can have avocados ripening for most of the year and what could be better than that? I guess after just planting these avocados I am a bit obssessed with them at the moment.
With all the pitfalls Growing Avocado Trees in the backyard is still a favourite of Queenslanders and NSW people with Victorians usually growing the Bacon Avocado Tree which can handle their colder climates.As kids we had a seedling Avocado Tree which took 15 years before it fruited and then straight after that with a big downpoor it died. This is why Grafted Avocados are best. You can usually get fruit within 3-4 years and the Secondo Avocado Tree is known to give crops in 2 years.
Now I mentioned that they are "fuss pots" and that is why I am not just using any pot but the King of all pots so I can give their root system maximum drainage and room to spread it's roots. Avocados like water going past their roots but it can be fatal if their roots are immersed in water.
The Secondo which is a staff favourite at Daleys is pictured above. I am also growing in an identical pot the Wurtz Dwarf Avocado Tree (very top photo). My bet is that the Secondo will out perform the Wurtz so I think it is a good controlled test. The Secondo and Wurtz are both A-Type varieties and although the Secondo is known to set fruit with no other B-Type avocado in sight you can get an even bigger crop by growing B-Type avocado close by. My choice will be the Sharwill over the Fuete because the Fuete sometimes fruits every second year and the Sharwill every year. The Sharwill usually is flowering when the Secondo is which should enourage good pollination.
My other choice of Avocado which I won't be growing but will someday is the Reed Avocado which is out of this world in size. You could fit 3 Hass avocados inside one Reed and the taste although a little different is still just as good I think.
Avocado Ripening Tip: Place it in a paper bag with a banana or apple and it will ripen quicker.
Another point is that avocado varities don't all ripen at the same time. And like mandarine trees for example where you get early, mid and late varieties by getting a few different varitites of avocados growing you can have avocados ripening for most of the year and what could be better than that? I guess after just planting these avocados I am a bit obssessed with them at the moment.
Star Fruit - Carambola Kembangan Quick Flowering
Here is my 1 year old Carambola Kembangan. It is nicknamed the Star Fruit Tree because when you cut the fruit it looks like a star.
Mine is a grafted variety which I am growing in a pot. I am amazed how quickly and prolifically it is flowering at the moment. It has tripled in size since I got it and is one of my best performers so far second to my panama berry.
It is twice the price of a seedling Carambola tree but life is too short for seedling fruit trees as they take much longer to fruit.
One thing about the leaves is that they always seem to be drooping. Some people make the mistake of thinking it is laking water but this is not the case and is their natural position.
I have eaten a few star fruits in my life and by far the best tasting ones were the well known varieties. They are far more juicy and the flavour is less watery and fibrous.
Another thing about star fruit is they really do crop well. They do come into Australian supermarkets on occasions but usually not for long and you really do pay for them.
Another benefit of getting a well known variety such as the Grafted Kary Star Fruit and my Kembangan Star Fruit is that you only need one. Some varieties of Star fruit will flower but not fruit due to needing another variety to cross pollinate with.
More Information on the Star Fruit (Carambolas)
Buy Carambola Star Fruit - Mail Order to your door
A picture of them fruiting from Daleys Orchard - Amazing how well they crop
Forum: Star Fruit Discussion - Pollination Problems - Problems with flowering but not setting fruit for different varieties.
Plant Tag: Carambola or Star Fruit - Find out about cultural notes, soil types and ideal conditions.
Edible Landscapes Nursery - Northey Street City Farms
This Sunday I visited Northey Street City Farms Organic Market. There were lots of people there who packed the very shaded and cool carpark to buy fruit and vegetables.What makes it different to all the other fruit and veg markets is that while you are there you can walk through the farm which produces some of the fruit you buy.
There are well developed fruit trees and booming vegetables gardens all grown using proven permaculture techniques. Most of the fruit trees and vegetables that you see growing you can then buy from Edible Landscapes Nursery which is also part of the markets.
The kids have plenty of breezy, shady places to play and the chicken pens keep them transfixed.
More Information
Edible Landscapes Nursery
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