I'm just seeing now that others had posted here. I was going to post that I finally got some plants. It appears they are still gaining popularity at Home Depot, at least in my area. These were in hanging baskets and really rootbound, so I separated them into individual plants for now. Here's the same pink type that I had last year: And I also picked up a type with scarlet flowers and leaves that are tinged with red: I thought these were the "Pazzaz" cultivar, which I thought were distinguished by flowers that open even when it's cloudy outside, and I thought they were developed by the Danziger company in Israel. See here: http://www.markhound.com/trademark/search/6tfYB2Qpo Is it the case that all Portulaca umbraticola have flowers that open even when it's cloudy? I thought it was odd too that the portulaca with the round pointed leaves and these with the flat leaves are both being called Portulaca oleracea, but it could be that Home Depot simply gives them the wrong name on their printed labels. They are so notorious for this. Regarding my question about seeds, I see this from the same blog on Portulaca umbraticola: "When grown from seed, these cultivars are recessive. This means that subsequent generations raised from seed will produce successively fewer fertile seeds. Also the flower colour frequently reverts to plain yellow in the offspring and I suspect the size and number of flowers may also diminish over a number of generations." http://australianportulaca.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-history-of-portulaca-umbraticola-in.html Sounds like you can only take cuttings for propagation? I know they root well because I did it last year (see above).

Ginny, Waiting longer, but not too long, should definitely help; how much help depends on the climate. Next year, try sampling two oranges every two weeks starting late Nov. This is an educational step teaching you when to harvest the fruit. Although this can change from year to year depending on climate and care, at least you get a baseline regarding the progression from very acid to ripened sweet. For my area, late Dec is usually the ripest time, but I always go by feel to find them when heavy in addition to sampling. Regarding your trees: Chances are your soil pH will be at least a little high which means the tree can't take up the nutrients it needs -- even if they are in the soil in abundance. The long-term treatment is clear: 1) keep the soil pH around 6.5 2) apply a fertilizer with a ratio *near* 5-1-3 NPK. It must have micro-nutrients labeled on it. 3) once a year apply 1Tbsp/gal Epsom Salts dissolved in warm water (as very few ferts have Magnesium (Mg) in them). If it's an *organic* fertilizer, the NPK ratio can be different and it's probably OK. But citrus use lots of N, hardly any P, and K in about half the rate of N. The second #, P=Phosphorus builds up in the soil and is becoming taboo. There are a few ways of lowering your soil pH, with many good ideas on the net. If you go the Sulfur route, you can apply the sulfur granules once/year when warm in spring at the same time you apply the Epsom salts. As you've done a great job so far answering our questions, you may want more opinions on exactly what the tree is deficient in. If so, take several more photos of the sections that are yellow; take some closeup, some a few feet away. Use your highest resolution and largest image size and upload it to Photobucket (don't post the actual photo here). By examining larger sections of the leaves, we'll know better what you need. As ashley has stated, applying some iron chelate in vinegar water is a simple test to see if iron is all it needs. But honestly it's probably academic anyway, since the care steps I listed above should resolve any issues long-term. We've covered the sweetness topic. Regarding the dryness topic, if you get a year where the majority of them are looking that way, take some pics and lets try to figure it out what happened. As I said earlier, there are some known effects for causing that particular condition: excessive N, lower K, but it can also be caused by excessive watering. It also can happen when they are over-ripe. The internal cells will burst and dry out; in some climates this can happen relatively quickly after their peak ripeness. Chris

Hello Jon. Yes it was my understanding that Chris used a systemic spray. It does sound like it is possible to parthenocarpic induce fruit set in sterile fruit with out natural pollen. We likely tried something that was available at his nursery like tomato set spray or a sales person from one of his vendors recommended a spray. Here is some information. When I have time I will give this a try? Best http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?p=21254 Tomato Fruit Set Spray User Name Remember Me? Password Register FAQ Links DB Calendar Today's Posts Search HortBoard If you are unsure about where to post your question, post it here in the Hortboard forum. New to gardening questions welcome! Search Forums Show Threads Show Posts Advanced Search Go to Page... Thread Tools #1 July 1st, 2005 Megami Generous Contributor (100+ posts) Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 166 Tomato Fruit Set Spray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is tomato fruit set spray and how/why does it work? Thanks! Megami View Public Profile Visit Megami's homepage! Find all posts by Megami #2 July 13th, 2005 Unregistered Posts: n/a Re: Tomato Fruit Set Spray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The active ingredient is the man-made auxin (hormone) 4-Chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA) that is well known to promote fruit set commercially. Bio101--Why it works: "...Fertilization within the ovules stimulates the ovary enclosing them to begin growing into a fruit. Within a few days the ovary begins to swell. This is called the fruit set. Fruit development is under the influence of the plant hormones auxin and gibberellin. Pollen is one of the richest natural sources of auxin, so it is thought that the initial stimulus to fruit growth comes simply from the auxin to which the pistil is exposed as a result of pollination. Applying the hormone auxin or gibberellin to the ovaries of flowers can induce a fruit to develop without pollination or fertilization. This is called a parthenocarpic fruit and is, of course, seedless." http://www.crfg.org/tidbits/gibberellic.html Gibberellic Acid for Fruit Set and Seed Germination John M. Riley The following information is taken from a article by John M. Riley that appeared in the 1987 CRFG Journal (vol. 19, pp. 10-12). See the back issue information for price and ordering information. The Germination Process The first stage of germination consists of ingesting water and an awakening or activation of the germ plasma. Protein components of the cells that were formed as the seed developed, became inactive as it matured. After an uptake of water, the system is reactivated and protein synthesis resumes. Enzymes and hormones appear and begin to digest reserve substances in the storage tissues and to translocate the digested substances in the storage tissues to the growing points of the embryo. The sequence of the metabolic pattern than occurs during germination involves the activation of specific enzymes at the proper time and regulation of their activity. Control is exercised by four classes of plant hormones: inhibitors such as abscissic acid which block germination; auxins which control root formation and growth; the gibberellins which regulate protein synthesis and stem elongation; and cytokinins that control organ differentiation. Ethylene is also believed to have a control function in some plants. Sometimes the last three controls are used together to crash through dormancy in germinating difficult seed. Gibberellic Acid Gibberellic acid (actually a group of related substances called gibberellins) was discovered as a metabolic byproduct of the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi, which causes the stems of growing rice to elongate so rapidly the plant collapsed. Synthetic forms of gibberellic acid are available commercially. Gibberellic acid (GA) is a very potent hormone whose natural occurrence in plants controls their development. Since GA regulates growth, applications of very low concentrations can have a profound effect. Timing is critical: too much GA may have an opposite effect from that desired; too little may require the plant to be repeatedly treated to sustain desired levels of GA. Effects of Gibberellic Acid Overcoming dormancy. Treatment with high concentrations of GA is effective in overcoming dormancy and causing rapid germination of seed. Concentrations of about 2 ppm can cause tubers to sprout earlier. Premature flowering. If a plant is sufficiently developed, premature flowering may be induced by direct application of GA to young plants. This action is not sustained and treatment may have to be repeated. Formation of male flowers is generally promoted by concentrations of 10 to 200 ppm., female flowers by concentrations of 200 to 300 ppm. Concentrations of more than 600 ppm markedly suppresses initiation of both male and female flowers. Increased fruit set. When there is difficulty with fruit set because of incomplete pollination, GA may be effectively used to increase fruit set. The resulting fruit maybe partially or entirely seedless. GA has increased the total yield in greenhouse tomato crops both as a result of increased fruit set and more rapid growth of the fruit. Hybridizing. Pollination within self-incompatible clones and between closely related species may some times be forced by the application of GA and cytokinin to the blooms at the time of hand pollination. Increased growth. GA applied near the terminal bud of trees may increase the rate of growth by stimulating more or less constant growth during the season. In a Department of Agriculture experiment, the GA was applied as a 1% paste in a band around the terminal bud of trees. Treatment was repeated three times during the summer. Walnut tee growth was 8.5 ft. for treated trees, 1.5 ft. for untreated trees. Frost protection. Spraying fruit trees at full-blossom or when the blossoms begin to wither can offset the detrimental effects of frost. Root formation. GA inhibits the formation of roots in cuttings. Recipes Although GA is not listed as a "poison", the following precautions should be observed: Flush with water any GA that may get into the eye. Avoid skin contact if possible. If skin contact is suspected, wash with soap and water. Do not re-enter an area after spraying until the GA spray is fully dry. Avoid ingestion of GA. The powder may be dissolved as specified below to give the desired concentration. Concentration parts/million GA mg Water ml (cup) Purpose 50 125 2400 (10 1/2) Early flowering 200 125 600 (2 1/2) Early flowering 800 125 160 (2/3) Blossom set 2000 125 60 (1/4) Seed germination 1% paste 125 5 ml (1 tsp.) lanolin Growth promoter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1987,1997, California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. Questions or comments? Contact us. http://www.super-grow.biz/GibberellicAcid.jsp#combine

and placed them outside in full sun. I have yet to see any type of physical changes, but will keep you updated. I gather, they may need a few days to acclimate to their new surroundings. While we have no idea how big these plants are now, placing inside grown transplants such as yours "outside in the full sun" without first gradually harding them off is a great way to kill them and kill them fast. No seedlings, regardless of age, should be exposed to direct sun immediately after transplanting. Learn about the requirement called hardening-off plants. Please, if it isn't already too late, remove them from the direct sun and place them in shade and protected from the wind. The normal routine for hardening off, which is discussed in great detail in this forum, is 1 hour the first day and increased exposure by an hour or two daily. Only then can they safely go into the direct sun. Dave