Hi locowd, Check my page and send me an email. This site will not let me post any links that I think might be of help or look for me on Daves Garden Website.

hi locowd,
You can check out this link to the ca rare fruit growers. It has different trees listed such as avocado, mango, etc. with specific info on culture. I have a few tropical types of fruit. 2 kinds of avocado (hass and a dwarf hybrid), mango, pineapple (which finally is making a pineapple fruit :D ), bananas (edible and decorative types), lots of passionfruit vines. Mine are all in pots right now. I am keeping them in afternoon shade and recently put up a shade house to move them all into. I have a mister set up for the bananas to use on really hot days. I also am growing monstera deliciosa which I doubt will fruit but is pretty and tropical.
I would recommend putting all your trees into the ground if at all possible because it is so hot here that it is a chore to keep them all watered.
~SJN

Here is a link that might be useful: ca rare fruit growers

Here is a site that is good. The url is blocked as always so I'll just tell you how to find it. Go to google and search on

growing mangoes in Phoenix

It should be one of the first ones.

There are also some specializedforums there.

SJN,

Thanks for the info. What size containers do you have your fruit trees in? How tall are they and do they produce fruit? Also do you know how to tell how old a tree is? How often and when do you water them? How long do you think that I can keep them in a container? Sorry for asking so many questions but I'm a newbie so I'm trying to get as much info as I can.

locowd,
The containers I have mine in now are made from cedar. They are 14x14" or 18x18" square and high. They have holes drilled in the bottoms and I used Pruning Sealer on the insides to further coat the insides and reduce water loss. Wood is a poor conductor of heat so it works better than the plastic pots here in the desert to keep the roots cool. You could prob use the 1/2 whiskey barrels as well. We made these and put the plants in there because the plastic pots were getting too hot and I was having some die back on the limbs of some of my tropicals and new citrus trees. I don't know how long they will be able to stay in this size but will prob have to repot next year on some of them.

In general, Grafted trees produce fruit much sooner than non grafted (seed grown) trees. Look for a (graft)line low down on the stem, if you see one -they are grafted and can produce some fruit perhaps, this year. The older they get the more fruit they will produce.
I am obviously not the person to ask about avocados-they hate me LOL!
My avocados had alot of fruits but have since dropped most of them. Avocados don't like to be potted, I'm told, and resent changes in eviornment and temperature. Obviously someone has been growing them in pots at the nursery, but long term avocados would rather be in the ground so I will have to get mine into the ground but I will probably wait until next spring. Once thing about avocados is they need excellent drainage. The haas and the dwarf hybrid are the same height right (about 5 ft) now but the Haas I have, is not a dwarf and will prob get huge.
One of my mangos is a grafted dwarf and had a few mangos last year. The dwarf varieties can be grown in pots as long as they get good drainage and a little afternoon shade in the hottest months. My other mango I grew from seed and it is a year old and about 4ft tall. It will be at least 2 yrs before I get fruit on that one. When mangos have new growth at the top it will look sickly- purplish brown or reddish leaves that look wilted. These perk up and turn green with age and this is normal.
My bananas are in large 22 gal plastic laundry tubs with holes drilled in the bottom. I am growing the edible dwarf types of bananas. Grand Nain (aka chiquita banana), Dwarf Cavendish, and Double Mahoi are easy to fruit in large pots and stay around 5-6 ft in a pot. They need lots of manure afternoon shade, and moisture.
I also have dragonfruit that grows easily here. It is more of an orchid cactus that climbs makes a (dragon)fruit after flowering.

I think the best general advice I can give for growing tropicals or anything in pots here is that they need:
Good fast draining soil to prevent root rot.
Good watering I use a water meter from lowes (about 4 dollars) and try to keep everything between a 1-2 #. Water early in the morning or at night.
In pots, full sun means afternoon shade!

Have you looked at the tropical fruit forum here at GW? There are lots of very informative people there, most of them are growing fruit not in the tropic regions and have pretty good advice.
~SJN

Thanks for the great info everyone. I have another question though, it seems as if my avocado is drying out. The leaves are turning black and dry. What could be causing this? I water 3 times a week and it is in a pot.
Thanks.

SJN,
Do you have any fotos of your established fruit garden that you could post? I like to see what a well grown garden looks like out hear.

Thanks, Locowd