Dave Bojangles

Apologies for the late reply all, I thought I was receiving notifications on replys but apparently I'm not.

This is a fantastic list. Exactly what I was looking for. Bengi, thanks for the nitrogen fixing options as well.  I'm going to start exploring these species online to see where I can purchase some of them. I find that the nurseries in my area really have plant varieties other than the staples so I'll probably have to order seeds, cuttings, or plants online

Kerry, fantastic info and ideas, thank you. My soil is HEAVY clay. It's not black gumbo, but is a clay loaded with limestone rocks.  I use a heavy wood chip mulch to attempt to improve the soil however,I want to introduce some support species in between the trees where there's space.

I'm browsing one green world now and this site is awesome, thanks for the tip. Looks like they are currently out of the hybrid silverberry so I set a reminder for when it comes back in stock. In the interim im going to order some of the varieties you mentioned.

Good info on cherry Laurel and especially mimosa. I've never grown the mimosa before so it's good to understand it's growth habit.

Good ideas on ground covers as well. I currently have some of the plants you've mentioned such as yarrow and lemon balm in other parts of my landscape in an ornamental context, so I think I'll split these in the next week or two and plant out in the food Forest.  

Also, good to know you're having success with the comfrey.  I bought cuttings of one of the bocking varieties online and still have a couple plants alive but they didn't seem to like the heat last year, maybe this year will be different.

Thanks again for your post, you've given me some good options to think about.

Dave

Hi all,

I'm looking for ideas for chop and drop and ground cover species for DFW.  We're in zone 8 but we have very hot and dry summers.  

Some ideas I've had so far
- goumi berry
- clover as a potential ground cover
- mimosa
- was going to try longevity spinach as a ground cover but its not consistently perennial
- I have a hill on one side of my house and would like to use clumping grass like muhli to retain water and sediment, but also as a chop and drop - are there better clumping grass species for this use?
- have tried comfrey but it struggles in summer
-mimosa tree was an idea as well for chop and drop but i wasn't sure about how well it does with heavy pruning

Any and all ideas welcomed!

Thanks

Thanks for posting your experience Anne.  

I plan to choose 3 varieties of trees for a multi planting strategy.. I'm thinking that maybe I'll balance my selection amongst tested varieties such as methley or Santa Rosa and the less tested varieties such as the pluots.  

I'll have to document the success or failure of the pluots as I'm not finding very much content in this regard as it relates to DFW.  I suppose typically gardeners might garden to get away from things like the internet, so I'm sure more folks have tried these, I'm just struggling to find their testimonials online.

Anne Miller wrote:...We have purchased a lot of fruit tree failures.  It is my opinion that it is buyer beware. Even when I have done lots of research into fruit tree varieties, how to grow them, etc..Our last failure was a methly plum...

This is good information, thanks Anne.  I noticed you're in Zone 8a, are you in texas?

Anne Miller wrote:... I would trust Tx A & M before I would trust a commercial vendor.

James Freyr wrote:...I also would trust the information from University AG extensions over a retailer.

I know the comment was made who should i trust however, this was only stated rhetorically, and is not the the primary question of the thread.  However, for what it's worth i would also note that there are experienced gardeners in the area such as Neil Sperry who have suggested that Womack carry trusted varieties.

The primary question i'm asking is the following:
"Has anyone grown plum hybrids (pluot, plumcot, aprium) in Texas with success?"

When the university source makes broad and sweeping generalizations, I question the amount of research being conducted in this regard.  This is why i'm reaching out to a community such as this one to understand the reality and what people are truly experiencing.  I want to know if their claim that these varieties cannot be grown in Texas with success is true

Hi All,

People typically reference & regard the TAMU knowledge-base as a reputable source however, when referencing their fruit and nut fact sheets for plums & stone fruits, I've found a section pertaining to hybrids which is quite troubling to me.. frankly it seems like a lazy generalization. The section to which i'm referring is seen below:

"Prunus Hybrids: Many Prunus hybrids are available, namely plum by apricot and vice versa; commonly known as “plumcots,” “pluots,” or “apriums,” depending on the breeding program that released them (Fig. 12). In Texas they have been disappointing. So far none are winter hardy, all suffer from bacterial canker infestation, and few have produced adequately..."

The hybrids such as pluots have been distributed commercially for several years now, probably at least a decade. Has anyone grown plum hybrids (pluot, plumcot, aprium) in Texas with success? And if so, has anyone performed this in the DFW metroplex?

Womack nursery sells some of these hybrid varieties and people typically trust these folks to sell varieties which do well in TX - so who is telling the truth, Womack or TAMU? When I read the TAMU content, it always feels like it's influenced by old-timers who are stuck in the 20th century whereby only decades old fruit varieties are recommended..

Thanks in advance!

Thanks Kyle. Josh proposed this as well. My only concern is finding cuttings from a variety which will cross pollinate with sugarcane. My understanding is that there can be significant differences regarding the timing of when jujube flowers depending on variety.  Does anyone know cross pollinators for sugarcane?

Dave

After finding more info on the rootstock of this tree, i figured i'd update the thread just incase anyone else was seeking similar info..

"DWN jujube rootstock is from seed of a rootstock variety developed years ago by a breeder/researcher in Florida. No idea what sort of pollenizer it might be for the Sugar Cane."

Thanks Josh, I appreciate your response.  Regarding more info on the rootstock, I've reached out to Dave Wilson nursery as well, so I'll post here if I find the rootstock profile..

At the time when I bought this plant I remember the pot it was in had been labeled 'Li' which I thought was a self pollinating variety.. it wasn't until I've done much more research on fruit trees that I gave the label a good look to find it was actually sugar cane. I have a pretty small yard and I'm not sure I'll have the space to keep 2 of these trees which is unfortunate.  

I'm curious if anyone has planted two jujubes in the same hole. Also, I see how Tom Spellman on Dave Wilson nursery is constantly pruning the stone fruits for size control.. wondering if Jujube will also respond positively to consistent pruning and size control..

Hi all,

I purchased a sugar cane jujube at a local nursery at the beginning of the year. When i planted it, it had flowers however, none of them set fruit. During the year, the tree experienced growth very low on the trunk which i just let grow.. I cannot tell whether the growth is from the rootstock as it's very close to where the graft is and the foliage on the new branching appears to be the same as the primary tree. Also, I only found one tag on the tree - there's not a separate tag for the rootstock. I'm really trying to gauge the chances for pollination next year and whether another tree is required to get fruit.. the tag says "partly self fruitful"... Also, i'm in zone 8a - North Texas.

Questions:
1) Is the new vigorous branching coming from the rootstock?
1a) if it is from the rootstock, would allowing it to grow increase likelihood of pollination?
2) Does anyone know the type of rootstock the tree is likely to have?

Thanks in advance.