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Che tree blooming first year

milehighgirl
9 years ago

I have heard that che take a long time to come into bearing. Imagine my surprise when the tree I received last fall from Just Fruits & Exotics is blooming already.

Okay, I don't even know if this is a bloom as I've never seen one in person. What should I expect now? Is this like a fig where you eat the flower?

Comments (17)

  • Tony
    9 years ago

    MG,

    That is cool. My two Seedless Che From EL I got last fall were smaller and no flowers yet. I hope the fruits stick for you. Good luck.

    Tony

  • lucky_p
    9 years ago

    Yep. That's the bloom.
    Mine dropped all theirs for several years before they finally hung on.
    You don't eat them until they develop full red-orange color and begin to soften somewhat.
    From what I understand, underripe Che have an astringent, almost metallic quality as bad or worse than a green persimmon.

  • milehighgirl
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Lucky, So these will most probably drop also. Well hopefully I can keep it alive. I lost everything I garaged in 1 gallon pots, mostly figs, but in 10 gallon and up they all survived. I was too afraid of over-watering and the small pots just dried out. Live and learn.

    Tony, the trees I got were stunning. I will definitely order from them again. I haven't yet ordered from E.L .so I cannot compare. Both companies are very highly rated. I wanted a Smith persimmon so I ordered a year in advance.

  • newtoucan
    9 years ago

    Lucky you. My 7 ft che still has no flowers. What induces flowering and do actual flowers firm or do they just look like little fruits. If so how are they pollinated?

  • milehighgirl
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Funny you should revive this post. I noticed just yesterday that they shriveled and dried up. FWIW I have found that new trees tease with fruit their first year and then take several more to actually fruit.

  • kunyao
    9 years ago

    Toucan,
    Is your Che from EL too? Don't give up. Mine did not produce anything appreciable until the third year. Now it's in its fourth year, about 5 foot tall and 6 foot wide, loaded with fruit.
    Milehighgirl, sorry about your fig trees. I lost two 7-footers this past winter too. However, the Che survived, and I believe the ample fruit is a result of unusual rainfall this year in Maryland.

  • milehighgirl
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    kunyao,

    Your tree is beautiful. I am envious! Thanks for the encouragement. I wish I could plant mine in-ground but in zone 5 I don't think so. I got mine from Just Fruits & Exotics.

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    9 years ago

    I've been in the SF Bay area this week and went to the Emma Prusch Farm Park in San Jose a couple days ago.There were at least two trees there,that were named Mandarin Melonberry,with the scientific name,Cudrania tricuspidata.
    I've seen a few videos about the Che and wondered if these were them.People are allowed to pick some fruit there and so I did.The first thing I thought of was Watermelon.Their pulp was fairly thick and somewhat seedy,but sweet.When having a chance,I looked up the name and it is Che.
    Because of the seeds,Watermelon is my choice instead of this fruit,but I may try to grow some with the seeds. Brady

  • newtoucan
    9 years ago

    Kunyao, that is great plant you have. Where are you at? Are they just now ripening? Gives me hope for fruit. Mine started getting white leaves early in spring probably from our alkaline soil binding up the iron. It has since recovered. I hope to get fruits next yr. I didn't get mine from EL. I got it from a local source that grew it from seed, and the tree did bear fruit at the nursery. I love the fruit. The ones I tried taste better than sweet strawberries with suggestions of watermelon and fig. Don't see why more people don't have or know about it.

  • Tony
    9 years ago

    I got 2 seedless Che from EL last October and planted them in pots this spring. I will find a permanant spots for them in April. I hope they will fruit for me in about 3 to 4 years. Have my fingers cross.

    Tony

    This post was edited by tonytran on Fri, Oct 17, 14 at 14:24

  • milehighgirl
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Tony,

    You think they will survive Omaha winters? How do you plan to protect them? I've got one fig planted outdoor next to my foundation on the south side. I put a cinderblock bunker around it during winter. I guess I never imagined I could plant the che outdoors.

  • Tony
    9 years ago

    MG,

    I will grow them on the south side of the house to block out the north wind. I may wrap them up if the temp drops below -6F. I will try to keep them alive as long as I can to size them up a little to handle the zone 5 temp.

    Tony

  • kunyao
    9 years ago

    Thanks, Toucan and Milehighgirl.
    I live in Boyds, MD, about 40 minutes drive away from Washington, DC. EL is probably 2 hours away, but I have never visited the nursery yet.
    This past winter was pretty vicious in MD. Both of my persimmons were damaged and I didn't get any fruit at all. One of them is behind the Che tree in the picture. Also behind the Che a bit to the left is my Anna Hardy Kiwi, which produced quite a few cluster of fruit the first time this year. Whatever is not stolen by birds tastes very good: intense flavor.
    My Che tree is from EL and grafted on Osage Orange. It survived the winter without any protection. I started harvesting in mid-September (the photo was taken on Sep 26). As of today, I still have about one third of fruit left on the tree. They have to be really ripe to be good. Right now they taste really good! (sorry, guys!) What I have harvested so far is at least 8 pounds already.
    I'm wondering if the issues you have with your Che is related to temperature or watering. In the last couple of years, every summer I had to water my lawn 5 or 6 times. This summer, not even once, and the Che fruit is very sweet and juicy. The plentiful rainfall may have helped.

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    Che can be possible in zone 5, it has been hardier than jujubes I have tried. I've killed 3 che females so far. My male che is still alive after a couple winter lows of -20s and had a female that survived that also. The female was 9 feet tall, but converted to osage orange after the last winter, yet male is only a few feet away and had no dieback. My trees were not in the best of area, near bottom of north slope. planted a female this spring on more southern exposure and i think i planted graft below ground to help.

  • milehighgirl
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    lkz5ia,

    There is a jujube tree growing near my house that is mature. I would never have thought I could grow them here but there is one near. Anyway, because of this I have tried several times and all without success. The rootstocks come back but that doesn't do me much good. I just got a Sugar Cane and plan to garage it this winter.

    Have you had any success with jujube yet?

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    I've had similar experience, buy jujube and end up with a rootstock. I think that 1 out of 5 didn't die below the graft, the graft being planted near or below ground if I remember right, and that tree is around 7' now. Never had a problem with this past winter, so that was nice. No fruit formed yet though, only flowers that ants are fond of.

    I would like these less hardy trees self rooted, I think che would be the easier of the two, and according to a nafex thread I had read, the osage orange rootstock may end up outgrowing the che top and graft failing, so multiple positives of on their own root.

  • milehighgirl
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Che are related to fig and mulberry, which are rooted from cutting. Maybe one could air-layer some and try on it's own roots.

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