My daughter has been given one of these as a present. The instructions
say that it should be planted (as soon as possible), but she is likely
to move within a couple of years and would like to keep it in a pot. The
tree is now about 1m tall. How big a pot should it go into - i.e. is it
potted on as it needs it, or would it be best to go for a very large pot
straight away?
Also, any particular kind of soil?


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In article ,
Klara wrote:

My daughter has been given one of these as a present. The instructions
say that it should be planted (as soon as possible), but she is likely
to move within a couple of years and would like to keep it in a pot. The
tree is now about 1m tall. How big a pot should it go into - i.e. is it
potted on as it needs it, or would it be best to go for a very large pot
straight away?
Also, any particular kind of soil?

I grew mine from seed, and it flowered this year. It is about that
size in a 7.5" pot filled with rich, sandy loam. Other than blowing
over, it seems happy, and is not as tender as I thought.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren writes
I grew mine from seed, and it flowered this year. It is about that
size in a 7.5" pot filled with rich, sandy loam. Other than blowing
over, it seems happy, and is not as tender as I thought.

Any fruit, Nick? Or is it not self-fertile? I couldn't make sense of
what I found googling, as both seem implied on different sites.

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In article ,
Klara wrote:
Nick Maclaren writes
I grew mine from seed, and it flowered this year. It is about that
size in a 7.5" pot filled with rich, sandy loam. Other than blowing
over, it seems happy, and is not as tender as I thought.

Any fruit, Nick? Or is it not self-fertile? I couldn't make sense of
what I found googling, as both seem implied on different sites.

Dunno. I have heard that it is a bit cold for it to set fruit here.
Anyway, the flowers are edible - I hope to have enough to add to a
fruit salad next year (they are sweetish).

Nick.

On 7/11/04 18:33, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:

In article ,
Klara wrote:
Nick Maclaren writes
I grew mine from seed, and it flowered this year. It is about that
size in a 7.5" pot filled with rich, sandy loam. Other than blowing
over, it seems happy, and is not as tender as I thought.

Any fruit, Nick? Or is it not self-fertile? I couldn't make sense of
what I found googling, as both seem implied on different sites.

Dunno. I have heard that it is a bit cold for it to set fruit here.
Anyway, the flowers are edible - I hope to have enough to add to a
fruit salad next year (they are sweetish).

Nick.

My ex-mil grew it in Jersey, in the garden. I don't think it ever set
fruit.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)

In message , Sacha
writes
Dunno. I have heard that it is a bit cold for it to set fruit here.
Anyway, the flowers are edible - I hope to have enough to add to a
fruit salad next year (they are sweetish).

Nick.

My ex-mil grew it in Jersey, in the garden. I don't think it ever set
fruit.

Not even in Jersey? Not much hope for my daughter's in Norfolk, then...

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 8/11/04 7:47, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
Dunno. I have heard that it is a bit cold for it to set fruit here.
Anyway, the flowers are edible - I hope to have enough to add to a
fruit salad next year (they are sweetish).

Nick.

My ex-mil grew it in Jersey, in the garden. I don't think it ever set
fruit.

Not even in Jersey? Not much hope for my daughter's in Norfolk, then...

Afraid not, though I will check next time I talk to her. The story behind
this is that she acquired it *many* years ago - probably about 25 - when it
was still a little known plant in this country. She and a friend who was
another keen gardener had a friendly rivalry going as to who had recently
found the rarest, most unusual, trickiest etc. plant and said friend was
coming to lunch and mil was pretty sure the Feijoa would confound her.
Instead, when she took her chum into the garden and said "what do you think
of *that*?" the friend said "Oh a Feijoa - how lovely. Tell me, does it
fruit with you?" Collapse of mil! ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In message , Sacha
writes
My ex-mil grew it in Jersey, in the garden. I don't think it ever set
fruit.

Not even in Jersey? Not much hope for my daughter's in Norfolk, then...

Afraid not, though I will check next time I talk to her. The story
behind this is that she acquired it *many* years ago - probably about
25 - when it was still a little known plant in this country. She and a
friend who was another keen gardener had a friendly rivalry going as to
who had recently found the rarest, most unusual, trickiest etc. plant
and said friend was coming to lunch and mil was pretty sure the Feijoa
would confound her. Instead, when she took her chum into the garden and
said "what do you think of *that*?" the friend said "Oh a Feijoa - how
lovely. Tell me, does it fruit with you?" Collapse of mil! ;-)

))

But just a thought - did she have only one? Might it take two to tango?

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 8/11/04 10:31, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
My ex-mil grew it in Jersey, in the garden. I don't think it ever set
fruit.
snip

But just a thought - did she have only one? Might it take two to tango?

This has a lot of info:
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html

And says:
"Flowers: The 1*inch showy, bisexual flowers, borne singly or in a cluster,
have long, bright red stamens topped with large grains of yellow pollen.
Flowers appear late, from May through June. Each flower contains four to six
fleshy flower petals that are white tinged with purple on the inside. These
petals are mildly sweet and edible and can make a refreshing addition to
spring salads. Birds eating the petals pollinate the flower.

It has been said that feijoa pollen is transferred by birds that are
attracted to and eat the flowers, but bees are the chief pollinators. Most
flowers pollinated with compatible pollen show 60 to 90% fruit set. Hand
pollination is nearly 100% effective. Two or more bushes should be planted
together for cross-pollination unless the cultivar is known to be
self-compatible. Poor bearing is usually the result of inadequate
pollination. "

So perhaps you should dash out and get another. ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Sacha writes
On 8/11/04 10:31, in article , "Klara"
wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
My ex-mil grew it in Jersey, in the garden. I don't think it ever set
fruit.
snip

But just a thought - did she have only one? Might it take two to tango?

This has a lot of info:
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html

And says:
"Flowers: The 1*inch showy, bisexual flowers, borne singly or in a cluster,
have long, bright red stamens topped with large grains of yellow pollen.
Flowers appear late, from May through June. Each flower contains four to six
fleshy flower petals that are white tinged with purple on the inside. These
petals are mildly sweet and edible and can make a refreshing addition to
spring salads. Birds eating the petals pollinate the flower.

It has been said that feijoa pollen is transferred by birds that are
attracted to and eat the flowers, but bees are the chief pollinators. Most
flowers pollinated with compatible pollen show 60 to 90% fruit set. Hand
pollination is nearly 100% effective. Two or more bushes should be planted
together for cross-pollination unless the cultivar is known to be
self-compatible. Poor bearing is usually the result of inadequate
pollination. "

So perhaps you should dash out and get another. ;-)

Well, I do believe in couples ... ;-)

Thanks for this, Sacha,
--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In article ,
Klara writes:
|
| It has been said that feijoa pollen is transferred by birds that are
| attracted to and eat the flowers, but bees are the chief pollinators. Most
| flowers pollinated with compatible pollen show 60 to 90% fruit set. Hand
| pollination is nearly 100% effective. Two or more bushes should be planted
| together for cross-pollination unless the cultivar is known to be
| self-compatible. Poor bearing is usually the result of inadequate
| pollination. "
|
| So perhaps you should dash out and get another. ;-)
|
| Well, I do believe in couples ... ;-)

Since your daughter is in Norwich, she could treat it like a cat,
and bring it across to mine when they are both in heat, er, flower.

I have no idea what the fruit is like.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes
| So perhaps you should dash out and get another. ;-)
|
| Well, I do believe in couples ... ;-)

Since your daughter is in Norwich, she could treat it like a cat, and
bring it across to mine when they are both in heat, er, flower.

I have no idea what the fruit is like.

Aah - how romantic! No grandchildren, but grand-feijoas ...


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 8 Nov 2004 13:05:50 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:


I have no idea what the fruit is like.

If I recall correctly - soft and custardy, and tastes rather like bubble
gum.

cheers,

Marj
--
Mediterranean Garden Advice and Shop: http://stores.tiefert.com/garden/
Also: http://www.mindspring.com/~mtiefert/...gardening.html
In Sunset zone 14-mild

In article opsg50cna5adtv40@matservices,
M. Tiefert wrote:
On 8 Nov 2004 13:05:50 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:

I have no idea what the fruit is like.

If I recall correctly - soft and custardy, and tastes rather like bubble
gum.

Whereas the flowers taste quite pleasant, and would make an excellent
addition to a fruit salad - amaze your friends and all that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.