Hey you....I've got some thoughts brewing so forgive me if it comes as a stupid question....

Can you expect to plant a seed (fruits in general) and expect it to grow with little to no help, just by watering it?

OR

Do you need to fertilize it, care for it and do all that stuff to it as it grows?

Thanks Dave

F1





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2008 02:46PM by fruitarianfitness.

Sorry to chime in here, I hope you don't mind..

Most modern fruits & vegetables, including heirlooms, need some level of care from humans..They often bear little resemblance to their wild ancestors..

The history of agriculture has been to only keep those seeds from the present year's crop that exhibit the best characteristics in taste, size, resistance to diseases, etc..As a result of "weeding" out the undesirable characteristics of a plant, humans have in most cases also removed a plant's ability to grow with little or no help from humans..

Plants that are closest to their wild ancestors are going to be able to grow with the least amount of human intervention..

IMO, it is tropical fruits & vegetables that usually are able to be planted & more or less forgotten..

Watering is the one thing, after a fertile soil high in humus, that is the prime requisite for uninterrupted growth..

Even in the tropics there are seasons..Usually a rainy & dry season; as opposed to the spring, summer, fall, & winter seasons of the temperate regions of both the northern & southern hemispheres..So, if you live in the tropics and wish to grow a plant during the dry season that normally would only sprout, grow, & thrive during the rainy season; then watering by human intervention will be necessary..

Bruce

I've done a bit of seed sprouting. Some are rather painless (like avocado)......and things like melon, peppers....and other vining fruits / legumes. Sunflower is easy of course. Other seeds like apple, orange, grapes, etc.....well....there seems to be an art to getting these to germinate and grow. For most actual fruit trees....it is usually not worth the time and effort to sprout seeds, but rather purchase grafted trees a couple of years old......from a local specialty nursery (I go to Pine Island Nursery in Miami). You are correct that anything you grew from seed would be unpredictable....and require a lot of care.....but is certainly an interesting experiment for the patient! Ha! ha! What did you have in mind? LOL.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

but hey FL1

veggies are a lot easier to grow
and take a fraction of the time

fruits take years to grow
veggies take a coupla months

but they still need care
lil it of sunlight
lil bit o water

good soil

anyhoo

have fun!

davidzanemason Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've done a bit of seed sprouting. Some are rather
> painless (like avocado)......and things like
> melon, peppers....and other vining fruits /
> legumes. Sunflower is easy of course. Other seeds
> like apple, orange, grapes, etc.....well....there
> seems to be an art to getting these to germinate
> and grow. For most actual fruit trees....it is
> usually not worth the time and effort to sprout
> seeds, but rather purchase grafted trees a couple
> of years old......from a local specialty nursery
> (I go to Pine Island Nursery in Miami). You are
> correct that anything you grew from seed would be
> unpredictable....and require a lot of care.....but
> is certainly an interesting experiment for the
> patient! Ha! ha! What did you have in mind? LOL.
>
> -David Z. Mason

Hey thanks so much for sharing that duuude!!!

What do I have in mind!!!???...some "off the wall" theory as usual....I won't go into details.

Thanks D

FL1





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2008 10:10PM by fruitarianfitness.

Confucius say: "only when sh*t on does one truly grow."

A lot of the fruits that are available for purchase in our grocery stores originated in areas of the planet that are cold..

Apples, pears, cherries, kiwis, & grapes for example, need a certain number of hours / days where the tree, bush, or vine is exposed to weather below 32 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of the winter in order to flower & properly set fruit..Even better is if snow actually covers the ground & stays there for weeks or months..

Modern growers have methods to trick plants into believing that this has occurred so that multiple crops can be produced during a single season, or year, where otherwise only a single crop would be possible..

If you could let us know what varieties you are interested in growing, more specific advice would be possible..

Harvesting any fruit from a planted bare root tree that is already 2-3 years old is usually at least 2-3 years further down the road from planting, assuming that nothing occurs to interfere with the trees growth & health..

In most cases it is advisable to harvest no fruit the first year after planting..This is done by pinching off ALL of the flower buds so that all of the tree's energy goes into establishing a healthy root system, not producing fruit..

Depending upon the specific fruit tree, some growers also allow no fruit to set the second year after planting..Most allow only a small number of fruits to set the second year, perhaps a dozen..Again, this is to let the tree grow & establish itself..

Harvesting appreciable amounts of fruit that would actually feed a raw vegan, especially a fruitarian, is usually going to occur approximately 4-10 years after planting, depending upon the specific type of fruit & how quickly the tree grows into maturity..

For instance, most heirloom apple trees don't reach true maturity until they are between 15-25 years old..A lot of the older cultivars of apples lived to be as much as 75-80 years old..They grew to be as much as 60 feet tall & 100 feet in diameter at the drip line, producing upwards of a thousand fruits..

Fruit trees in orchards, especially modern ones, are deliberately kept smaller than nature intends in order to facilitate harvesting by human hands or machines..

Hope this info is of some help..

Bruce

baltochef Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A lot of the fruits that are available for
> purchase in our grocery stores originated in areas
> of the planet that are cold..
>
> Apples, pears, cherries, kiwis, & grapes for
> example, need a certain number of hours / days
> where the tree, bush, or vine is exposed to
> weather below 32 degrees Fahrenheit over the
> course of the winter in order to flower & properly
> set fruit..Even better is if snow actually covers
> the ground & stays there for weeks or months..
>
> Modern growers have methods to trick plants into
> believing that this has occurred so that multiple
> crops can be produced during a single season, or
> year, where otherwise only a single crop would be
> possible..
>
> If you could let us know what varieties you are
> interested in growing, more specific advice would
> be possible..
>
> Harvesting any fruit from a planted bare root tree
> that is already 2-3 years old is usually at least
> 2-3 years further down the road from planting,
> assuming that nothing occurs to interfere with the
> trees growth & health..
>
> In most cases it is advisable to harvest no fruit
> the first year after planting..This is done by
> pinching off ALL of the flower buds so that all of
> the tree's energy goes into establishing a healthy
> root system, not producing fruit..
>
> Depending upon the specific fruit tree, some
> growers also allow no fruit to set the second year
> after planting..Most allow only a small number of
> fruits to set the second year, perhaps a
> dozen..Again, this is to let the tree grow &
> establish itself..
>
> Harvesting appreciable amounts of fruit that would
> actually feed a raw vegan, especially a
> fruitarian, is usually going to occur
> approximately 4-10 years after planting, depending
> upon the specific type of fruit & how quickly the
> tree grows into maturity..
>
> For instance, most heirloom apple trees don't
> reach true maturity until they are between 15-25
> years old..A lot of the older cultivars of apples
> lived to be as much as 75-80 years old..They grew
> to be as much as 60 feet tall & 100 feet in
> diameter at the drip line, producing upwards of a
> thousand fruits..
>
> Fruit trees in orchards, especially modern ones,
> are deliberately kept smaller than nature intends
> in order to facilitate harvesting by human hands
> or machines..
>
> Hope this info is of some help..
>
> Bruce

Thanks a lot Bruce!!!

F1

If you are trying to find an answer to why some of the seeds of your fruits didn't sprout this year (like the mangoes you mentioned in another thread), here is what I think.
First, any seed should sprout with just water, even with little care. The seed carries all the nutrients for the plant to develop its first roots and leaves. Then to grow to a full tree, it will require more than just water, because it has used up its stored nutrients. And it takes time... Like Bruce said, about 5 to 10 years depending on the variety to bear fruits from the seed, or even more, like the coquito (a small coconut) which takes about 2 years to sprout, and about 60 years before bearing fruits!!! Be patient, for your kids ;-)
If your seed does not sprout, it can be because of a pollination failure, but usually the seed inside the shell is empty. Otherwise, it can be from radiation. Radiations have been used for a long time on potatoes to keep them from sprouting in storage. And now they are radiating most of the conventional food in the US.
Buy organic mangoes, and I bet they will sprout.

Raw Fruit Festival
[www.raw-fruit-festival.net]
Health, Fitness and Fasting Retreats in Spain
[www.fit-in-nature.net]

Great post Bruce! Do you grow any fruit yourself?

communitybuilder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great post Bruce! Do you grow any fruit yourself?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have in the past, but am not where I currently live..

k, thanks. Where do you live now if you don't mind my asking? Do you not grow because you don't have the space to?

I live in a row house in Baltimore City, Maryland, USA..

Had a small garden here in the backyard years ago, but cannot now due to constraints imposed upon me by the owner..Look up some of my older posts for a description of this garden..

In my neighborhood tree fruits don't grow particularly well..This is due to improper air drainage & the fact that 55 years ago the row houses facing onto both sides of the alley in back of the house were constructed over a stream that flows into Herring Run..The homes across the alley all suffer from water incursion into the basements, necessitating the use of sump pumps..All of this makes for an environment that allows molds, mildews, & fungi to thrive..

All of the above are harmful to plants, especially fruit trees & vines; most especially to stone fruits..I had little success in growing fruits, & finally quit trying to force the issue..

Bruce

Sorry to hear that. I hope someday you are able to do so again!

communitybuilder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry to hear that. I hope someday you are able
> to do so again!


Thanks for the sentiments!!..