2020

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Sheryl:  One of the edibles I found interesting in Cambodia was what they call Rice Straw Mushrooms which are grown above ground but nowhere could I find the exact science so I called on another rare fruiter Paul William who lives in San Francisco who knows his fungi and the following article is what he sent me. I also rang Tom May, a fungi expert who works at the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne as I couldn’t source this particular mushroom here in Brisbane and he said that it had been found recently in lawns in Darwin and was written up in 2006 in Australian Mycologist Volume 25 Part 2 page 65.

To summarize the bible of mushroom cultivation, “Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms” by Paul Stamets, the Paddy Straw Mushroom (Volvariella volvacae) are prodigiously fast-growing and thrives at 75-95 F. (24-35 C.) and dies below 45/7 (F/C) degrees.  It is growable outdoors, using simple, low-tech methods (in contrast to most other mushrooms).  The time from inoculation to fruiting is “awesomely fast, giving competitors (mould) little opportunity to flourish.  After the rice harvest, farmers mulch their rice straw into mounds and inoculate with commercial spawn.

Substrates for Fruiting: “Straw, preferably rice, hardwood sawdusts.  Wheat straw also supports fruitings, although not nearly as well as supplemented composted rice straw.  Once study showed that the best supplement for wheat straw is wheat bran (5%) and/or cotton hulls (10%).  The pH optimum for fruiting falls between 7.5 and 8.  This mushroom can be grown on uncomposted staw-based substrates, although yields are substantially improved is the substrate is “fermented” or short-cycle composted.   If the rice straw is composted with supplements for 4-5 days, pasteurized and inoculated, yields can be maximized.  The heat generated within the composting straw/cottonseed hull mass accelerates the growth of the thermophilic and heat-tolerant Volvariella volvacae.

Soaked straw is thrown into a tapering, trapezoid-shaped, open top and bottom, plywood form.  Soaked cottonseed hulls are thrown around the outer inside edge of the frame, and then inoculated with grain spawn.  Additional layers of straw/cottonseed hulls are layered down inside the wooden form in the same fashion.  After 4-6 layers, the frame is lifted off.    The mounds may be covered with plastic, or with heavy layers of straw which is kept moist.  In as short as 7 days, mushrooms form. A plastic tunnel can help to maintain humidity and warmth.”

The most comprehensive English book on the cultivation of this mushroom is by S.T. Chang, published in 1972 entitled “The Chinese Mushroom (Volvariella volvacae): Morphology, Cytology, Genetics, Nutrition and Cultivation”.

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I moved here about 8 years ago and we have 4 ½ acres. I originally grew a few trees in Ash St Yamanto and then sold that property and moved here. I experimented there for about four years with grafted trees from various nurseries and I couldn’t get them to grow and a friend of mine had a tree that originally came from China 40 years ago and I tasted the fruit which was very good eating so I air-layered a branch and potted it on and it grew and all of my 300 trees that I have on this property came off that one tree. I believe that it’s a Shatinyu variety from China. Most Pummelos are tropical but this one is a temperate variety which is why it grows very well in Ipswich. It’s on its own rootstock – it’s not grafted. I don’t know anything about grafting trees. I just air-layer anytime of the month by putting a Jiffy Pot around them and you can do this at any time of the year. I believe I’m the only one who has this variety. The tree seems to grow all year round here and gets new leaves on all the time – it seems to grow best in autumn and the cooler months than the summer months. It’s a very good eating variety and I’ve tried all of them including the red variety. I have one red variety here and you can see it only has one piece of fruit on it – I’ve shifted it around a bit to see if it would do better in another spot but haven’t been successful. It’s probably a tropical type – Cardiff Red. Most of the Pummelos come from SE Asia and they’re called a Shaddock. Captain Shaddock apparently brought it to Barbados from Asia. Some of the trees seem to be alternate bearers. One year they do really well and the next year not as well.

Planting Out / Soil   I know a bit more now than when I started out. What I should have done was get a grader in to create hills and run polypipe along the crest of the hill. The best way is to take an area 3 mtrs x 3 mtrs and hill it up 40 cms so you have a mound so you have good drainage because they don’t like wet feet. The trees grow better in a lighter soil so if your soil is like plasticine or heavy then it will kill the tree eventually. The trees are surface rooted so the water must get away.

Sheryl Have you had a ph test done or leaf analysis? Laurie Grow Force did the soil test but I’ve never had leaf analysis done. I have asked the DPI to come out a couple of times but they never have and I even offered to pay. Some of the trees I have here I’m still not happy with – they grow all right but still have collar rot and root rot. George If it’s not an economic crop and it’s not grower funded, then the DPI don’t get involved.

Fertiliser   I use a Citrus fertiliser and also grass clippings, Dynamic Lifter, horse manure, blood and bone, Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom salts)and  Sulphate of Ammonia (only on bearing trees). I find most of them do better just with grass clippings would you believe and I just let it rot. I put 2 kgs of Dynamic Lifter around each mature tree in the spring and more about 3 months before they fruit. Blood and bone I use anytime. I dissolve a tablespoon of magnesium sulphate in a bucket of water and put this on in during autumn. 

Merv If there’s a magnesium deficiency indicated by a yellowing effect on the leaves, they say the best way of correcting it is to put a teaspoon of Epsom Salts in a bucket of water and throw it over the tree.  It actually absorbs quicker through the leaves.

George The only problem in using things in isolation like that is that you can be sure it will, you can almost guarantee it has an effect on other elements from what I’ve seen. It’s actually locking other elements. Apparently some things are antagonistic and some are pro-active which is why organics work because it’s generally in the right mix to start with.

Merv If you throw this solution over the citrus tree, it’s not going to turn your yellow leaves green, the new shoots will be green. That was always a prime recommendation to people who rang into a horticultural hotline with the magnesium deficiency problem.

Laurie Dolomite is important and this helps release other fertilisers. 

Sheryl Have you done a test to see that it is the grass clippings? Laurie   Yes, I just put grass clippings on one and it’s fruit was equal if not better to others.

George   Do you use Trace Elements?    Laurie   Yes.

Pests       Biggest problem is with scale so I use White Oil and Rogor or Lorsban very early in the morning when there’s no wind. I don’t get much gall wasp which you should burn.

Willie I just use vegetable oil and brush it on to my trees.

Laurie This year after I pick the fruit I’m going to try some 5kg Hydrated Lime and mix it up with water and ½ kg copper sulphate and paint some of the trunks of the trees.  They say if you get some vegetable oil with water and detergent so that when the water evaporates from the detergent, the oil sticks to the scale and dehydrates the scale. The proper white oil for citrus is around $60.00 for a 20 litre drum.

Merv I read that Pest Oil wasn’t doing the job it’s suppose to do. Some trees don’t get any problems at all so I only do selective spraying with white oil.

George I use a backpack with a leaf-blower which is extremely effective. Take the spray nozzle off the sprayer – just use a 5 ltr. sprayer. Mix it up then turn your blower on, then the tap and you don’t get anything on you, it’s an extremely fine mist so you can do a tree in 40 secs. and the coverage is brilliant. It just atomises and it’ll go 15mtr. high. Use a wire around the handle so it won’t roll. 

Laurie   I put up Dakpots and make up my own and hang them in the trees which attract all the male fruit flies and leaves the females sterile so when they lay their eggs they don’t hatch out. I use a protein bait – Fruitfly Lure Yeast Autolysate – salt free attractant for the control of the female fruit fly which is put out by Bugs for Bugs from Mundubbera. The fruit goes soft and rotten on the outside and drops off.

Sheryl   You don’t think it’s the Fruit Piercing Moth?

George  You’ve definitely got the Fruit Piecing Moth – you can’t stop them. They’ve got massive muscles, they can fly 3000 miles, it can go through rain it can travel up to 70kms a night – it’s the toughest moth ever produced!! Only thing that works is netting. Sprays don’t work. There’s also a fruit sucking moth that doesn’t do any real harm – it only goes to damaged fruit.

Merv With the Protein Bait you’re using, you don’t have to put a cover spray on it – you only have to spot it onto a few leaves of each tree. The protein bait helps control female populations.  Also the use of the male fruit fly attractant is a good way to assess the level of fruit fly problem. If I only catch a low level of male fruit flies, then I don’t bother with the Protein Bait. George You can do a mass cover quite cheap. Chop the wicks into little pieces and hang them in soft drink bottles, cut the top off the bottle, you don’t need to count the fruit fly – you want maximum access – cut a wick into 6 so buy 4 or 5 wicks. They last a few months. A mosquito netting works well too – we put one over a guava which worked very well.

Pruning   After fruiting I prune very heavily – it doesn’t seem to hurt them. 

Sheryl      Do you take out any main branches and how exactly do you prune? 

Laurie    I did take some main branches out but found that I got big long water shoots which I don’t want. With pruning, you want to keep it off the ground so that snails can’t climb onto the branches.

George   Have you tried a copper spray? Jenny Iriondo says that copper stops a lot of things including snails.  

Laurie   No I haven’t tried copper.

Irrigation   There’s a sprinkler on every tree and I water twice a week.

Orchard is situated at: 50 Andrew St. Bundamba 4304 but now has new owners.

Fruit available 1^st week in June     Seedling Shatinyu Pummelos only  

Article compiled by Sheryl Backhouse

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Edible Bamboo 

There has been quite lot of interest in edible bamboo in Australia over the last few years, with a few commercial plantations being established. Home gardeners and those on acreage can also easily grow this delicious food. For fruit growers, bamboo also can be very useful planted between rows of fruit trees as windbreaks.

In the past there has often been a negative perception about bamboo, with people believing that it is invasive. But the clumping (sympodial ) varieties are easily controlled, and fine to grow anywhere. This is because the clumping bamboos produce a single culm (vertical shoot) from each new rhizome,  close to the mother plant, rather than running along under ground.

We planted a row of edible bamboo in our previous suburban home, where it formed a beautiful living fence, screening out the windows of the house behind from looking over our yard, as well as producing edible shoots.

It has been estimated that Australians eat about 8, 000 tonnes of tinned bamboo shoots every year (Midmore 1997), but the fresh shoots, which are superior for eating, are not often seen in markets. Therefore there is considerable commercial potential within Australia,  and for export to places such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand (Midmore 1997).

Commercial production

Bamboo could be a good commercial proposition even on quite small properties. Cusack (1999) has reported that bamboo fertilised and irrigated, yield approximately 10, 000 of kg shoots per hectare. Prices paid at wholesale markets in late 1999 – early 2000 were $5 – $6.50 per kilo giving a gross return of approximately $50, 000 – $60, 000 per hectare. Primary production status can be achieved on as little as 1 hectare of land. Establishment costs can be as low as $10, 000 – $12, 000 per hectare if you do fair bit of the work yourself, and after establishment the bamboo needs little maintenance (Cusack 1999).

Growing and maintenance

Edible bamboo is easy and fast to grow, and can be planted any time of year. It likes rich soil and is drought hardy, but does not like soggy or continuously wet conditions.  When planting, keep the root ball as intact as possible and handle gently, without teasing out the roots. Although many clumping bamboos originate from tropical or warmer climate areas of the world, there are some that tolerate cold climate, including frost and temperatures down to minus 9 or even -12 degrees Celsius.

Bamboo requires good feeding, so use compost or an complete fertiliser regularly. Although normal rainfall is probably sufficient, watering in dry spells helps the shoots grow and keeps bamboo green.  It can be grown in the open and also between deep-rooted trees that create a micro-climate.  The clumping bamboos are the fastest growing woody plants in the world (Midmore 1997). They produce a first crop when three years old (possibly even two). The new shoots generally emerge from the ground from December to February but can continue even later. They can grow as much as a metre in a day.

Clumps need to be maintained well. When the new shoots emerge, select larger ones to grow up into mature culms. Cut off shoots you don’t want to grow just below ground level, selecting them to allow space between culms for aesthetic and access reasons. It also a good idea to remove culms older than 4 or 5 years, to remove the old wood to maintain the clump’s vigour (Cusack 1999). Most bamboos can be kept to the shape and size you desire, and can even be maintained as a trimmed hedge.

Types

One of the most reliable edible varieties for Queensland is Bambusa oldhamii. It is easy to obtain – for example from the nurseries listed below. Other  edible varieties are:

• Bambusa multiplex ‘Alphonse Karr’  – It has golden culms striped with green. Edible shoots are green striped pink.
• Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’ – A cold tolerant bamboo.
• Gigancochloa atter – An Indonesian species with vigorous, erect culms and large, light green leaves. It grow about 15m (50′) high.

(Cusack 1999)

The Botanic Gardens at Mt Cooth-tha contains a large bamboo collection, so you can view different varieties.

Harvesting

The young shoot of the culm is edible when harvested just before it emerges from the soil. The shoots are harvested when the plants are about 3 –4 years s  old. They should be cut with a sharp pointed knife, when the shoot height is about 3 or 4 times the diameter, cutting where the shoot joins the tougher rhizome. You need to keep a closer watch on them because they grow very quickly, cut them off just below the surface. Depending on the species, the shoots appear in spring or autumn. With few exceptions you can cook, store and eat the shoots you remove at your leisure (they taste even better if you cover them with a planter bag full of straw when the tip first appears, to exclude light as they grow until they are cut off to eat).

Cooking

Remove the hard, fibrous, outer sheaths. Boil in lightly salted water, for 10 – 30 minutes, and if they taste bitter they must be rinsed and boiled again in clean water.  They can be added to different dishes as a vegetable, or eaten cold in a salad. They can be kept refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 2 months.                                                          

References

Midmore, D.  1997. Bamboo for Shoots and Timber. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

Cusack, V. 1999. ‘Bamboo World’, Published by Simon & Schuster (ISBN 0-86417-934-0).

Osborne, R. 2001. Organic Gardener, FPC Magazines, NSW.

    Useful bamboo websites and nurseries around South East Queensland.

Bamboo Australia – Durnford Dart, 1171 Kenilworth Road, Belli Park, Queensland 4562, Australia. Ph/Fax 07 5447 0299 e-mail:  bamboo@bamboo-oz.com.au  Website: www.bamboo-oz.com.au/

Bamboo Down Under – Telephone : (07) 5543-3727 Mobile : (0407) 759-728 Fax : (07) 5543-1203  Email : rick@bamboodownunder.com.au  Website: http://www.bamboodownunder.com.au/

Bamboo Grove – on the Gold Coast. Greg & Winnie Tommasi. 21 Glade Drive Gaven Qld 4211.  Ph:07 55618355 Fax:07 55618365 Mobile : 0409 998806 e-mail: bamboogroveaustralia@hotmail.com

Bamboo World – Victor Cusack, Murwillumbah Rd, Wadeville NSW 2474 – Ph 02 6689 7214  e-mail: bamboo@nrg.com.au  Website: http://www.bambooworld.com.au/

Bamboo Land – Klas Nilsson, 7 Old Coach Rd, Howard.,4659 QLD. Australia. Ph. 07 4129 4470, Fax: (07) 41 29 0130, e-mail: Nilsson@satcom.net.au  Website:
http://www.aia.net.au/bambooland/index.html
Bamboo Valley Nursery – Horst Decker, King Creek Road, Eerwah Vale via Eumundi, Qld 4562. Ph 07-5442 8999 e-mail: tamaii@bigpond.com

Bamboozled – Jim and Belinda Nilon – Lot 3 Higginsons Road, MS 76, Rockhampton D.C. Qld 4701. Ph/fax: 07 49344732 E-Mail: bamboozled@mpx.com.au

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Sheryl attended a presentation given by Jim at a local library on the Big Island of Hawaii in September 2009 and then visited the farm. This article is a summary of the library presentation and the farm tour.

Jim and Tracy Reddekopp are the proprietors of the Hawaiian Vanilla Co. They live with their five children on a 25 acre farm in Paauilo, Hawaii, on the Big Island’s northeast Hamakua Coast and grow and produce 300 pounds of vanilla a year using organic farming methods. Their knowledge of vanilla cultivation and production has been gleaned through years of experience, sometimes by trial and error. Their original vanilla plants were propagated by meristemming or tissue culture. In broad terms, this involves taking tissue from the newest apical growth of a ‘stud’ plant in the greenhouse, and using that tissue to create more plants. While it is a clean way to do it, it is also the slowest. Their new plant material is now obtained by re-planting cuttings from existing established plants.

General facts about Vanilla
Veracruz, Mexico is the birth place of vanilla. It was first cultivated by indigenous Totonaca Indians. The plant from which vanilla is derived is an orchid of which there are over 120 different varieties. However, only two of these are cultivated for commercial production: Vanilla planifolia, the variety that is grown at Hawaiian Vanilla Co and commonly referred to as Mexican Vanilla, and Vanilla tahitiensis, commonly called Tahitian Vanilla. The vanilla orchid grows as a vine, readily climbing up and clinging on to trees or any other form of support. On its own, it will grow as high as it can, and produce few flowers. For this reason, growers regularly keep the upper parts of their plants looping down. This stimulates flowering as well as keeping them accessible for harvest. While vanilla is an orchid, it is classified as a spice and is farmed like a fruit. It has about 500 natural compounds, the highest of which is vanillin. Vanillin is also found in many other plants, including tall trees which, when pulped to make paper, release a by-product called lignin from which an artificial form of vanillin is extracted. Any mass-produced food that lists vanilla as an ingredient invariably uses this artificial form, as pure vanilla extract from the vanilla plant is not produced in sufficient quantities to meet world demand and is therefore expensive as well as scarce.

The Vanilla Orchid Plant
Vanilla has both aerial and terrestrial roots. The aerial roots are relatively long and anchor the vine to what supports it (called the tutor). They originate from the nodes in the stems and light grey to tan with greenish tips formed by rapidly dividing cells that easily absorb water. They owe their greenish colour to the chlorophyll they contain, which allows for a certain degree of photosynthesis in these tips. The central core of these roots is surrounded an extra layer of dead cells called the velamen. This acts as a ‘weather jacket,’ protecting the vital tissues of the roots from drought, heat, and excessive sunlight. These roots can grow down into the soil and become terrestrial roots. However, the most common terrestrial root systems originate from nodes in the stems that are buried in the soil. They are identical to the aerial roots, but they lose their green tips and grow horizontally to 30 or more feet (about 10 meters) from the crown in the upper 10 to 12 inches of soil (20 to 25 cm). They are generally much thicker than the aerial roots and are almost always branched. The vines are dark green, fleshy, and high climbing, with a diameter of 5 to 13 mm and internodes 8 to 15 cm long. They will be prostrate and decumbent until they find a tutor, then becoming ascending. The leaves are thick and fleshy, 3 to 8 cm wide by 12 to 20 cm long, with parallel dark striations which become darker when the leaves dry.

The Vanilla Orchid Flower
Flowers are numerous, yellow green, 4 to 6 cm long, borne in short auxiliary racemes. Sepals and petals are typical of most orchid flowers. The yellow lip has what looks like a paw joined to a footless column which bears the reproductive organs. This carries both a male stamen and a female stigma, but it cannot self-pollinate because the anther (that part of the stamen that contains the pollen) and stigma are separated by a membrane called the rostellum. The only way the flower can be naturally pollinated is by the Melipone bee found only in Mexico, which is why that country enjoyed a monopoly on vanilla production for centuries. However this monopoly came to an end with the development of effective hand-pollination methods in the mid 19th century. Vanilla was once $400.00 a kilogram, but it has come down to $35.00 to $40.00 a kilogram due to mass cultivation around the world. Madagascar is the largest producer, followed by Indonesia and then China. Papua-New Guinea is also a significant producer, although it cultivates mainly the Tahitian variety.

Climate, Temperature, and Soil Requirements
Vanilla planifolia grows in 95% of all the growing regions of the world, which in broad terms is any place north or south of the Equator up to about 25 degrees. (It will grow and flower in Brisbane which is 27 degrees but doesn’t like frost of course). In Mexico, vanilla is grown from 50 to 400 metres above sea level. It will thrive satisfactorily at elevations up to 1900 feet (579 metres). At higher elevations the beans will be smaller. Vanilla plants prosper best in tropical areas with a nine-month annual wet season and three-month dry season necessary for the adequate ripening of the capsules. An annual rainfall of 1800 to 2400 millimetres is considered best, with a relative humidity of 70 to 80% and daytime temperatures of 20 to 25 deg C. The minimum temperature should not be less than 4.5º C. Soil for vanilla plantations should have good drainage and with a minimum of 2.5% organic matter and a soil pH ideally tending to neutral, around 6.0. Although vanilla generally prefers a soil texture that is light and loamy, its terrestrial root system is very shallow so it will tolerate a range of soil types.

Propagation
Some horticulturalists have succeeded in propagating vanilla plants from green seed, but the process is difficult, time consuming and costly. If an efficient and effective seed propagation process is ever developed, it has potential as there are about 20,000 seeds in each pod, and being able to germinate even a small percentage of those would be significant. However it is not a viable option at present. As mentioned earlier, tissue culture is an effective available option. This involves taking micro-thin cuttings of actively-growing apical growth. The only disadvantage of this method is that it is slow. Plants propagated by tissue culture take 5 years to flower.  The present commercial practice is to re-plant cuttings taken from existing plants. A cutting will produce flowers in about a year-and-a-half. A typical cutting is about one metre long and taken from the newest apical growth. The timing of taking the cutting is important to maintain the productivity of the parent plant. If the cutting is taken at flowering time, it stresses the parent plant and encourages it to keep flowering and re-producing, and it will continue to produce without interruption. However, if the cutting is taken other than at flowering time, the parent plant will not produce in the short term and will take about a year-and-a-half to start flowering again. The main challenge with taking cuttings is prevention of rot. When the vine is cut, it must be allowed to dry. A vanilla vine left on the ground for 6 to 8 weeks will be perfectly OK provided it is in the shade. At Hawaiian Vanilla Co, the practice is to lay the cutting on the medium and place a banana leaf over the lower part of the plant. Tendrils will start coming out from the nodes. When the tendrils hit organic matter, they will take root; when they hit inorganic matter (such as a pole), they will climb. To maximise the growth and vigour of the cutting, as many of the tendrils as possible should have contact with the growing medium.

Farming method
Hawaiian Vanilla Co has tried different styles of growing. In the early days, the crop was grown in five-gallon pots in greenhouses. The pots were placed around galvanised poles in the greenhouses, and the plants were looped up and down the poles and back into the pots to ensure they developed extensive root systems and received plenty of nutrients. The disadvantage of growing in pots was limited air-flow, which is important to vanilla. Further, it came down to economics: an acre of greenhouse is expensive in comparison to an acre of shade house, which is relatively inexpensive. The greenhouses have 2 complete sets of 3 bays. They are open on the sides – with just screening – but have plastic over the top that limits entry of rain water. They are still used at Hawaiian Vanilla Co for starting new plants. New cuttings are planted in pots and nurtured in the green house until sufficiently hardy to be moved to the shade house.  Unlike the greenhouses, the shade houses have no plastic on top and are not water-limiting. They have only shade cloth on top that lets in rain water, taking optimum advantage of Hawaii’s 120 inch annual rainfall. They do not limit temperature, rainfall, or humidity; they limit only sunlight, which needs to be limited because vanilla plants do not like direct light. Vanilla needs a lot of shade and a double layer of 62% shade cloth is positioned over the top of the greenhouses and shade houses. Very little light is let through, and the plants ‘relax’ and grow at a steady pace. This is because the green of the plant is very vibrant in deep shade. When new plants are brought in from the greenhouses, no attempt is made to transplant the plants out of the pots because they are susceptible to shock if this is done. The pots with the plants are simply laid in the shade house at the base of poles. The plants readily grow through and around the pots to seek the nutrients in the surrounding medium. Four pots can be placed around each pole. Vanilla likes to be kept moist but not wet. The plants will rot very quickly if too wet. Hawaiian Vanilla Co designed a ‘hanging bed’ growing system that allows water to pass through the growing medium without leaving the plant’s roots sitting in water. This involves placing the growing medium on shade cloth suspended about a foot off the ground on PVC pipes running between galvanised steel poles. The poles are 9½ feet (2.89 metres) apart. The method is inexpensive, and it allows constant air movement through the medium. It also allows the water to pass through while keeping the medium moist. Once a plant gets to a height of about 2 metres, a pole is placed across to another one behind it to enable the plant to follow across and set down roots to find further nutrition. This way the two parts of the plant become separate entities, so if one of them gets diseased or starts to rot, there is another complete loop of plant that can be isolated and used. The plants are looped in this manner as many times as they can go.

What is the growing ‘medium’?
At Hawaiian Vanilla no soil is used as it is most important that the plant’s roots do not become waterlogged during Hawaii’s heavy wet season. Coconut husks form the bulk of the planting medium. The coconut husks are from Sri Lanka and contain salt. This is leached out by repeated soaking of the husks before using them. Larger coconut husks are preferred as smaller ones break down a lot faster. Organic mulch materials are added to the coconut fibre. There is only a metre of mix on either side of each pole, and the hanging beds ensure that water comes in, goes through, and evaporates quickly. This ensures that the plants are kept moist but never wet.

Fertilizer
It needs to be remembered that the natural habitat of the vanilla orchid is in trees: they like to grow up and around trees. It follows that they need more nutrients than a lot of other orchid varieties, which are able to survive in more barren mediums such as gravel, basalt, and pumice. Vanilla orchids need the extra humus that they get from bark and leaves. Hawaiian Vanilla Co adopts organic farming practices and uses fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides that are certified to be organic. Fertilizer is applied in two ways. The first is by ‘fertigation’ delivering fertilizer in solution through the irrigation system. The fertilizer is an organic ‘crumble’ which is a mixture of various ingredients such as worm castings and fish emulsion. One particular brand of fertilizer granules used lists its ingredients as 2% humic acid, with fish meal, dry composted poultry litter, sulphate of potash, and seaweed. Fertigation is done about once a month, although the frequency is subject to the weather. If there has been a lot of rain, it will be delayed until the growing medium has a chance to dry out a little. The coconut fibre in the growing medium retains a lot of water, and it is not advisable to further wet the roots of the plants to the extent that they might rot. The second method of fertilizer application is by foliar feeding. This is done about every week-and-a-half using organic fish emulsion.

Flowering
Hawaiian Vanilla Co is located north of the Equator, and vanilla gets flowers from January until June. In Hawaii, the plants get light flowers in January and February, very good flowering in March and April, and lesser flowering through May and June. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is the case: the plant will get flowers from July to December in the tropics with the best flowering in the months of September and October. In SE Qld it is usually November-December. To get vanilla plants to flower, it is necessary to stress them. This is achieved by removing one of the overhead layers of 62% shade cloth described earlier and cutting irrigation. To further stress the plant, 4 to 6 inches is cut off the apical growth of the plant. This has the effect of making the plant ‘think’ it is going to die and it goes into reproducing mode, sending out multiple-flower racemes at every node. This ‘stressing’ is done when the plant is 4 or 5 years old and about the thickness of an index finger, and about two months prior to its flowering peak in March and April. After cutting, it is about 18 months before there is anything saleable, allowing for fruit set, harvesting, and curing. Once the flowers have been pollinated and fruit sets, the layer of 62% shade cloth that was earlier removed is replaced.

Pollination
It is important not to over-pollinate the vanilla flowers, as it will result in reduced crop quality and plant vigour. At Hawaiian Vanilla Co. none of the flowers that appear in January and February are pollinated, nor are the ones appearing in May and June. Pollination is concentrated on the flowers that come on in March and April, when flowering is at its peak. The plants flower during the full moon. Each bloom cluster contains about 20 flowers, of which 6 to 8 are pollinated and the remaining ones cut off. The aim is to concentrate the plant’s energy into those 6 to 8 beans and let them hang. On one vine there should be no more than 75 to 80 beans. By limiting it to this, plant health is maintained and stress is reduced. The pollination procedure is commonly called the ‘marriage of vanilla.’ The pollen of the vanilla orchid is located on the anther. It is not a powder-like substance that is going to blow away. On the contrary, it is about the size of a sesame seed, has a waxy appearance, and looks like a little butterfly. It is not necessary to cross-pollinate with another flower: the pollen is transferred to the stigma of the same flower from which it was taken.

To pollinate the stigma, the pollen mass is removed from the anther using the thumb nail. It is necessary to lift up the membrane (the rostellum) that covers the stigma. The stigma is held with two fingers, and the pollen mass on the thumb nail is placed inside it. The stigma is then tapped gently and closed tight. If the pollination is successful, the flower will wither and a vanilla bean will develop behind it. The flower is small and shallow, so as long as the pollen is inserted sufficiently far in to make contact, the pollination is usually successful. Some growers use devices such as tongue depressors and popsicle sticks to pollinate, but using just the thumb nail is equally effective. A practiced vanilla horticulturalist can pollinate about a thousand plants a day by this method.

Important points about pollination • The vanilla flower opens for just four hours and must be manually pollinated within that time. • The flower opening is at its height about midday.

• If the flower does not get pollinated when it opens, it does not re-flower and the opportunity for pollination is lost.

It follows that there is just a single four-hour window in which to pollinate each vanilla flower. Also, during pollination or any other time, it is best to avoid unnecessary touching of the plant material, as it is very susceptible to viruses and bacteria. The sap of the plant has also been known to cause skin irritation and allergic reactions in some people.

The vanilla pods (or ‘beans’) that develop when hand pollination is successful are three sided, 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) long, and fleshy. They contain many thousands of extremely small seeds. If allowed to develop to full maturity, they are ‘dehiscent’, that is, they tend to split open and scatter their seeds. This is why vanilla pods must be harvested when they are almost, but not fully, ripe.

Harvesting
Harvesting vanilla beans is almost as labour-intensive as pollination. The beans don’t all develop and ripen at the same pace: each bean ripens at its own time, requiring a daily harvest. The pods are green when harvested and measure at least 6″ (15cm) long. The best commercial size is 10” – 12″ (25cm – 30cm). Each individual pod must be picked by hand just when it is showing signs of splitting on the end. This is usually around ten months after the bean first appeared on the vine. If left on the vine too long, the beans are likely to split open and they will have a reduced market value. At the end of the harvest, the vines are cut off where the beans were. The idea is to create new vines that will be worked up and down the poles, which are no higher than the average person. The vines are encouraged to hang back over and take root in the growing medium below as many times as they can. The ones that are growing back up are the ones that will have the flowers. In the long run the result is a stronger and healthier plant and increased flowering

Treatment of the harvested beans
After they are harvested, the green beans go through a six-month ‘curing’ process where they are graded,  soaked in hot water, rolled in cotton cloth to ‘sweat,’ sun-dried on a flat surface to evaporate water, and then stored in a dark room to slowly ferment and produce their unique aroma and flavour.

Grading and Blanching
The beans are graded according to size – large, medium, and small. Each graded batch is then blanched by soaking them for 2 minutes (and no more) in water heated to 160º F. The idea is to rid the beans of any fungi or mould.

Sweating and sun-drying
After blanching, the beans are wrapped in cotton cloth and placed in a sweating box. A cooler is ideal for this purpose because, as well as keeping things cool, it also retains heat longer. The beans are kept in the sweating box for 48 hours and then brought out. The beans no longer look green; they are pale and greyish. They are then laid out in the sun to be dried on a flat surface such as a table covered with black plastic or cloth, in an area where there is just air movement. They remain there until about 3 pm in the afternoon, when they are wrapped up again in cotton cloth and put back in the sweating box overnight.  This alternating sweating and sun-drying process continues daily for 3 months. The objective is to remove moisture very slowly until there is only about 23% moisture, similar to that of a prune or a raisin. It is also important to check the beans daily for signs of moulds, fungi, or bacteria. Any beans showing these signs must be removed.

Curing
After 3 months of sweating and drying, the beans are wrapped in wax paper and stored in cardboard boxes in a dark place where there is no air movement. It is also necessary to control humidity so there is not a lot of moisture in the air. The beans remain undisturbed in this dark storage for 3 months, at the end of which they will come out as the final cured product.

The process at Hawaiian Vanilla Co is the one that is described above. Other similar treatment methods are available on the internet. Some of these other methods use ovens to assist in the drying process. For example, one recommends placing the beans on special hand made racks in ovens at a temperature of 68º C (154ºF) for three to four days. At the end of this process (called ‘cooking’), the pods, still in the same wooden racks, must be placed in direct sunshine during 100 full days. The pods undergoing curing must not get wet at any time or they will lose much of their fragrance and commercial value. During the 100-day curing period, if rainy or cloudy days should interfere with this process, the racks and vanilla pods are again placed in the ovens where the temperature is kept between 55º and 60ºC (131º and 140 F) until they can again be placed in the sun.

Further processing into vanilla products 
Hawaiian Vanilla Co does no further processing in Hawaii; the cured beans are its final product. The finished beans are sent to the east coast of the USA mainland where they are used to make vanilla extract and other vanilla products.

Pests
In Hawaii, the two main pests have been green caterpillars and spider mites. In an organic context, the caterpillars are picked off and destroyed by hand. Spider mites are controlled by spraying an organic product called ‘Impede’. Where the mite is not widespread, the spray is applied to the apical growth of the affected plant. However, when it is seen to be widespread, it is sprayed more globally. Although these are pests in Hawaii, there is no reason to suppose that similar pests would not be experienced here in Australia. A commonly reported disease is fusarium wilt. Excess water, poor drainage, heavy mulch, and over-pollination create the conditions for development of such fungal and viral diseases. Good plant management practices are the main defence against these.

More information
The website of Hawaiian Vanilla Co contains recipes, general information, and links to various journal articles. The site address is www.hawaiinvanilla.com   There is also widely available information about vanilla on the internet. You may access this by simply typing vanilla or vanilla planifolia into the Google search line. 
• http://www.orchidsaustralia.com/vanilla.htm    • There is an excellent book in the club library titled “Vanilla – Agriculture & Curing Techniques” by Piero Bianchessi of the Venui Vanilla Co. Ltd. Santo, Vanuatu.

• Vanilla (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants – Industrial Profiles) by Eric Odoux and Michel Grisoni

• Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid by Tim Ecott • Vanilla:  The Cultural History of the World’s Favorite Flavor and Fragrance by Patricia Rain

             www.vanilla.com     http://patriciarain.blogspot.com/ 

• The Vanilla Chef by Patricia Rain • Simply Vanilla: Recipes for Everyday Use by Patty Elsberry and Matt Bolus • The Biography of Vanilla by Julie Karner  (teenage book) • July 1989 edition of California Rare Fruit Growers featured an extensive article. • Nov/Dec 2002 edition of California Rare Fruit Growers has another extensive article by David Karp.

• Isabell Shippard wrote an article on Vanilla in Grass Roots magazine.

References: 
http://www.sdahldtp.com/vanilla.htm          http://www.kafrin.com/bloom/bloom.htm
http://www.orchidsasia.com/vanilla.htm       http://www.ippi.com/dir_dat/dat_vanilla.html 
http://www.vanillaplantations.com 
From the www   Ecology:  sea-level to 600mtrs high; Climate hot and moist; Insular climate with frequent rain; Rainfall distributed well throughout the year; Two drier months necessary to bring the vines to flower. Without a well defined dry season, there will be no flowers so no vanilla beans. It is better not to plant vanilla in areas where there is no regular yearly production of mango. 

Article compiled by Ted Newton
 

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Cai is a mustard green, good for cleaning out the sinuses.

Ca ta is like a celery that is eaten raw or stir fried and this variety of Vietnamese celery must be grown in a very moist, even flooded area.

Kinh jioi is a leafy green that can be eaten raw, with bean shoots or chopped up and cooked with crabmeat, chilli and vermicelli and eaten like a soup. Propagated from seed, it grows all year round, filling large areas of garden bed and is treated like a Vietnamese Balm as it is so good for giving health.

Tiato is a purple leafed low growing perennial grown for its health giving especially fevers.

Vap ca is called “fish plant”.

Other plants include Vietnamese lettuce (a little more bitter and not as crunchy as an Iceberg lettuce), Spring Onions, Mints that are all different strengths and Aloe Vera.

Other unusual vegetables:

• A Sweet Potato eaten for its root as well as its stems and leaves
• A tall growing “lettuce” on a stem about 90cms that tastes bitter and certainly different than the normal lettuce.
• A white cucumber that is fat and short
• A different type of pumpkin that has edible leaves
• Mynyat Nye which translates to “ant of May” a medicinal plant used for migraine or back pain. Known colloquially as “smelly ant” it is used for headaches and coughs

Sourced from: 

Sub-Tropical Fruit Club of Qld. Inc Newsletter February – March 2007

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While organic growers support soil biology in preference to soil chemistry, there is an awareness of the need for trace elements as provided by either seaweed spray, rock minerals or zeolites.  Basic elements of geology are discussed with a view to assisting organic growers understand the nutrients in their soils and identify what useful elements or mineral supplements are required. Being scientists, geologists are big on classifying various groups of rocks and minerals. The three main groups of rocks are igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.  Igneous rocks solidify from hot magma that exists below the earth’s crust.  Volcanic rocks such as basalt, rhyolite and tuff are formed on rapid cooling of magma that comes out of volcanoes. Granites are coarse grained igneous rocks that cool slowly deep underground.

Sedimentary rocks are formed from transported rock and minerals that have been deposited and subject to some form of consolidation and cementation.  Coarse rounded materials become conglomerate.  Sand articles are cemented to form sandstone and clays are consolidated to form shale and mudstone.  Coal forms from the collection and consolidated of organic material. Limestone is formed from dissolution of calcium carbonate or from aggregation of shell or coralline material (or both).

Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have been chemically and / or physically changed by either pressure and / or heat.   They may have been originally igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rocks.

From a gardening perspective, the rock that lies below the garden soil has two effects.  The first is to provide a base for the soil.  This base may vary from porous to impermeable.  Porous rocks drain well and provide for aeration of the soil. Water soluble nutriments are leached out more quickly.  Impermeable rocks trap water and impede air flow through the soil.  They reduce nutrient leaching.   The second property is to slowly release various elements as they are slowly degraded by physical, chemical or biological degradation.  This process may provide plants with a wide range of elements needed for microbe and plant growth.   What gets released depends on the chemistry of the original rocks.  We now need to look more closely at the mineral structure of many rocks.

Whether fine grained or coarse grained, (basalts verses granites), igneous rocks fall in a spectrum that ranges from basic rocks that are rich in calcium and iron (and other trace elements) to acid rocks that are rich in silica, sodium and potassium.  Many of these elements are mentioned in the organic growing literature.  Potassium is important for growth of stems and fruit while calcium and iron are important for the development of leaves.  These elements and rock types then relate to prime horticultural areas.  Market gardens grow particularly on basalt (basic) derived soils at Toowoomba, Lockyer valley, Mount Tamborine and Maleny.  Prime fruit growing areas are located on acidic granite soils as around Stanthorpe. However, few of us are blessed with such naturally rich soils.  Limestones and many sandstones are rich in calcium but need iron, potassium and magnesium as well as various trace elements.

Clays (from shale and mudstone) give some calcium and retain other minerals when they have been added.  They are also useful in retaining moisture.  Some clays expand dramatically when they become saturated and form deep cracks when they dry-out and shrink.  My place in Brisbane’s inner west is underlain by phyllite, hornfels and quartzite that are metamorphic rocks derived from shales and sandstones.  Heat and pressure has caused some chemical and physical reforming of minerals so that the few useful elements are locked in the rocks and very, very slowly released.  Being very hard strata, it weathers and erodes very slowly and is thus one of the more hilly parts of Brisbane.  The result is that I need to work harder than most to build a rich soil and slow the natural process of leaching that strips the useful elements from my soil.

For those who wish to locate their property on a geological map, I have access to numerous geological maps and I can assist with interpretation.  Plans are also available through the Geological Survey at the Department of Mines and Energy. 

To obtain maps:    http://www.dme.qld.gov.au/mines/geological_maps_notes.cfm

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The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has warned nursery operators and residential growers in southern Queensland about the illegal sale and purchase of banana plants. DPI Plant Health Inspector Paul McCarthy said the warning follows recent investigations that have revealed plants have been sold in southern Queensland without prior DPI approval. Investigations have also revealed that purchasers were not in receipt of an inspector’s approval allowing them to move and plant the banana plants. Mr McCarthy said nursery owners who sell plants to people without approvals and residential growers buying and planting banana plants without approval could face fines of up to $75,000. “There is some confusion about the requirements for residential banana plantings in southern Queensland,” Mr McCarthy said. “In general, to transplant any bananas, including Ladyfingers, in your backyard you need to obtain a free planting approval from the DPI. This will be issued if source material is acceptable and the plants are permitted varieties for the area. There are only a couple of certified sources we are aware of – one in Brisbane and one in Gympie and the Brisbane nursery only sells Lady Fingers for $16.95 per plant. “Residential plantings are defined as those bananas not grown for commercial purposes, that is, they are not for sale. Residential growers may plant a maximum of 10 plants of permitted banana varieties, but only after obtaining an inspector’s written approval.” The only permitted varieties for residential growers in southern Queensland are Ladyfinger, Blue Java, Ducasse, Goldfinger, Bluggoe (plantain or cooking banana), and Kluai Namwa Khom (Dwarf Ducasse) and Pisang Ceylan. “The reason behind only being able to plant these varieties is that all banana plants, including Ladyfinger, are susceptible to Banana Bunchy Top Virus. The varieties identified for residential use grow taller making them easier to see when conducting residential property inspections for the disease. Varieties such as Ladyfinger tend to show the bunchy top virus symptoms clearly as opposed to Cavendish varieties.” Banana plants are also susceptible to Panama – a soil borne fungus often moved in infested planting material.  “By contacting the DPI to discuss suitable planting material and applying for an inspector’s approval, which is free of charge, residential growers will be helping to ensure banana plants in the region are free from these diseases.”  For more information about growing bananas or if you suspect your plants are diseased contact a plant health inspector at your nearest DPI office or phone the DPI Call Centre on 13 25 23.

Sourced from: 

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There are quite a few fruit tree species that can be successfully propagated from seed. Seeds vary in the time they can be stored before planting, and the conditions they may require for storage. Some need to be planted immediately after collecting, and some need special treatment to induce germination.

The soil for germinating seeds or root cuttings should be porous, well aerated and well drained. A common mix is peat moss mixed with an equal amount of fine sand, perlite or pumice is excellent for growing rooted cuttings or seedlings.

If storing seeds, it is a good idea to sterilise them to help prevent fungus or mould forming. Sodium/Calcium Hypochlorite can be used, and is available as ordinary laundry bleach. It disinfects if used in a 10% solution with water. Soak the seed for 20 minutes and rinse thoroughly.

The following is a summary of how to propagate some species suitable to South East Queensland that are reasonably easy to try growing from seed.

Cherimoya and Pawpaw seeds can be stored for about 12 months, after drying to about half their original weight and kept at room temperature. Pre-soak the seeds for 24 hours, and expect germination within 3 weeks (up to 30 days for pawpaw).

Pitaya need the same treatment, but can be stored up to 3 years.

Jackfruit and Star Apple seed should be kept above 21° C and not allowed to dry out before planting. Soak for 24 hours before planting. They can be stored but are best planted as soon as possible.

White Sapote, Rollinias, Passion fruits, Jaboticaba, Cherry of the Rio Grande, Acerola, Pitomba and Wampi can all be stored for about 6 months and Figs and Macadamias for up to 2 years. For all these species, the seeds need to be dried to about three quarters of their harvested weight, and then kept at room temperature. Pre-soak before planting, and for White Sapote, remove the seed coat before pre-soaking. They will all germinate in 2 – 3 weeks.

Citrus – lemons, kumquat, grapefruit, tangerine and orange seeds can all be stored for about a year by drying them to about three quarters of their weight. They need to be pre-soaked and will germinate in about 2 – 3 weeks (up to 30 days for lemons).

Persimmon seeds are easy to germinate, as long as you do not allow the seed to dry out before planting, and keep above 21° C.  They should germinate in 2 – 3 weeks.

Loquat seeds are a little more difficult. They can only be stored for a few days, and to germinate, need to be soaked first for 24 hours, then chilled for  3- 40 days at about 4⁰C (a cold fridge).

Lychee, persimmon, canistel and mango seeds should not be allowed to dry out before planting. Keep them moist, and plant as soon as possible, although mango seeds can be kept for a couple of months and canistel up to 6 months. Remove mango seeds shell carefully. All of these might take up to 3 – 4 weeks to germinate.

The Mulberries are interesting to try germinating.   Black, red and white varieties all need the same treatment – the seeds need to be scarified by rubbing them on sandpaper, and then soaked for 24 hours and stored moist for one or more seasons in the natural environment. They will take 2-3 weeks to germinate.

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An interesting plant for fruit tree collectors and those in search of fragrance. Randia formosa is a shrub related to Gardenias. It produces small fruits that taste like blackberry jam. The fruits are yellow and small in size. It’s a small bushy shrub to 2mtrs+ and produces fairly large, fragrant, ornate white flowers and is hardy.  It enjoys full or partial sun and likes acidic soil.

To lower pH: Both ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate acidify the soil, but ammonium sulfate is much more acidifying.

Generally, the plant is fairly easy to grow and can make a container specimen in colder areas. Propagation by seed. The University of Guam say it is a primary windbreak species. Native to Central and South America.  Family : Rubiacea

 Article compiled by Sheryl Backhouse

Sourced from: 

Sub-Tropical Fruit Club of Qld. Inc Newsletter August – September 2007