I saw a Budda's Hand somewhere recently. It was about a one gallon with a perfect fruit on it--they're huge. Now, I can't think of where, but it was some retail place.....maybe in San Francisco. Anyway, if Four Winds has them, you might be able to mail order it. I forget whether they still sell by mail order. Though they are mainly wholesale I believe they still sell retail from their main place in Fremont, Ca., across the Bay from me. I went there once with a client, and we bought wholesale--some huge plants of all kinds of great stuff, all loaded with ripe fruit. We got Oroblanco Grapefruit (x pumilo cross, good for less hot climates than regular gf.), tangelo, an Israeli type orange, calamondin, Bearss lime, blood orange, meyer lemon, eureka lemon (you gotta have both), and two kumquats. The kumquats were so tasty, but they never fruited again. That garden is in Berkeley--too cool for the kumquats, even against a sunny west wall with reflected heat. That was a wonderful garden project. I don't think the orange did that well, but the others did fruit nicely after the owner started fertilizing them. So, anyway, give Four Winds a call and see if they can fix you up with your Budda's Hand. Oh, I recall they sell in a whole slew of sizes--1,2,5,7,10,15 gallon and 24" box. We were, ahem, buying 15's and 24's....sigh, those were they days. Jon (I only have 2 citrus, a pretty good seedless orange in the garden and a Chinoto Orange, which is in a pot and never gets the care needed to set fruit. This one is a sour orange but has neat boxwood type foliage (the fruit is used for cooking and drinks).

Lycheeluva, I have a Buddha's Hand from Logees that I purchased three winters ago in the 2.5 inch pot size, and it grows like a weed (it can easily send out a two foot long new branch in a single growth burst, and then do the same thing a couple months later, only there will be five or six branches on that one branch. Thus, I have kept it in a relatively small container to prevent it from outgrowing my house--it is in a 12-inch plastic pot. I was feeling guilty about this, but on a visit to Logee's (it is in my home state), I spotted their Buddha's Hand specimen in what I think was only a 10 inch clay pot. The woman I spoke with said they water practically every day, so the small pot size works. My plant is in a relatively dark room this winter, and is basically completely dormant--the opposite of what it was doing this time last year (growing six inches or more a week). It has one large ripe fruit on it. I suspect it would have several fruit if I had not cut it back drastically back in mid-July. I should add I have a number of other citrus trees which do grow and flower in the winter months, but the Buddha's Hand has no scent to speak of, so giving it good window space seemed a waste. Have fun with your "etrog" in its five gallon container--if it takes after the B's H, it will probably grow to tree size in a year. Don

Gary, the longan is one fruit I did not much care for while in Thailand. They were quite bland and more "musky"...to me. Of course my wife and mother-in-law thought I was crazy. I've tasted Eggo's and his was more sweet than what I've had in Thailand. As for the humidity in Thailand? It's been awfully humid everywhere I've been. Not real sure about the cooler northern regions but have to imagine it's humid everywhere. So I too believe that they shouldn't be affected by humidity or they wouldn't be growing as well as they do in Florida. Humidity was one of my concerns for my lychee but that can't be either. The tree once thrived in the humidity. It still seems to be on the decline by-the-way. Real bummer. I may just dig it out and put it in a container and see what happens. If anyone thinks of a magic bullet, please let me know! Going to try a compost tea today or does anyone believe I should put it in a container as soon as possible?

Sometimes it is hard to tell from photos; I carry a 10X loupe with me when I am in the field. In my garden I don't carry it; but if I see something mysterious, I go and get my glass. Mites are especially difficult to see without a glass; you can see the symptoms of what is likely mites; but before I spray, I check with the glass to be sure it is mites. BTW, if you have aphids, it is important to control the ants; if you have ants, you WILL have aphids.