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Paul Recher tells us the Climbing Pandanus Freycinetia scandens is not that palatable. Aussie fruits are by and large edible but not that palatable. Why? Because Australian flora evolved without primates but plenty of birds so basically all our luscious fruits are bird food.”

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• The easiest way to start Muntingia calabura, the Panama Berry, is from suckers. If the tree you want to collect from is not suckering, then make a notch in one of the roots, go back a couple of months later and it will probably have formed a small plant – just like breadfruit.    Ref: Oscar – Hawaii
• Requires a well drained location. If it gets wet root, it will likely die.
• Best grown in nutrient poor soils. It will fruit in fertile soils, but to a much lesser degree.

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First there was Wwoofers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) www.wwoof.org
Then came HelpX which members preferred http://www.helpx.net/
Now comes Workaway which folk tell me is the best! http://www.workaway.info/
With Workaway, from the hosts point of view, you will need to be able to provide volunteer work (around 5 hours a day), accommodation and food for your visitors. In exchange you can expect to receive around 5 hours volunteering per day 5 days a week. This can be anything which is within reach of a willing visitor. Some typical examples of exchanges have been; house painting, weeding, tree planting, baby sitting, doing the school run, cooking, shopping, general maintenance, fencing, office work, help with building, language tuition etc. Remember travellers come for a different experience to what they are used to in their own country. Many are students on a year out, but some are skilled professionals on a break and others come simply to practice a language. This means that they should be made to feel part of the family. Hosts should interact with visitors as much as they can. Workaway info is NOT set up to provide cheap labour. It is an exchange in which both parties should benefit.

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The Native Cashew (Semocarpus australiensis) is extremely poisonous – Yuruga Nursery in Nth Qld

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• Pollination   In Vietnam the ornamental betalnut is used for pollination in the orchard as it attracts the stingless native bees. Ref: Sheryl Backhouse
   
• Mark Armstrong reports that the deposits you may be seeing near the front entrance are most likely the seeds from the gumnuts of the Cadaghi tree. Native bees collect the resin from these gumnuts and in doing so the seed sticks to the bee. Some hives have large quantities of these seeds inside as well as around the entrance. This resin has a low melting point and is known for melting in the heat causing it to collapse and killing the hive. Guy Moschella reports that the best way to deal with part of the problem is to identify the Cadaghi tree and remove them from your property as well as your neighbours. One day you will notice small red tipped Cadaghi trees growing in line between the hive and the tree from where they have been gathering. This only happens in December and January and during this period the bees slacken off in their household duties and put too much effort into gathering Cadaghi resin and seed. What one can do also is check that the hive entrance is not blocked with Cadaghi seed.

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Tytags is an Australian company where you can go online and design your own and have software so you can print your own. http://www.tytags.com/ Usually these lightweight aluminium tags come with thin copper wire and I’ve heard that birds can be attracted to them so consider using plastic cable ties to adhere. There’s also software called Plant Tag N Track and using a laser printer, print on waterproof sheets of pot sticks, hang tags, and even bench signs. It also keeps all the info you put in so it’s ready for the next time you propagate plants. As an emergency/quick-fix, I also found that writing the name on the main-trunk with a Sharpie marker is very helpful (and it out-lasts plastic). The best is what the botanic gardens use with engraved plastic with double layers one with white underneath and black on top. A friend at Mt Annan BG told me that these will eventually become brittle in the sun-but most of the time the label is mounted in partial shade. One friend uses 4B pencil on ordinary PVC labels- the lead is inert and he has them lasting a long time. In my garden I have bought aluminium labels with copper wire – imported from China. If you buy the soft aluminium type, you can buy a stylus from Spotlight and engrave the label. It will indent better if you have a piece of cardboard behind.

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Stephen Brady – Florida   “I took the seeds as they arrived in the mail in June (early summer) and soaked them overnight in warm water – 38ºC. I planted them out in 15cm deep cells in flats (containers with many individual cells) and placed them in the greenhouse for 6 weeks – average daily high temp is 31ºC. Overnight lows were in the order of 26C. I watered them well at the end of that time, slipped the flats into large plastic bags and put them into a refrigerator for 2 months. By this time it was November (early winter) and none of the seeds sprouted before January with most waiting until April/May to come up. Germination rate was 60%. I got impatient about February and dug up the seeds in one of the flats and soaked them overnight in a 500 ppm solution of Giberellic Acid. Those seeds all came up about 4 weeks later in unison. On the whole, if I get more seeds, I am going to take them and put them in the Giberellic Acid solution right away. I have found that placing seeds in the vacuum canister of a FoodSaver (vacuum sealer) and using the vacuum to rapidly infuse the seeds is a great way to get some of these recalcitrant seeds to sprout. This method works well with Quandong, various Annonas, and just about any seed which has a micropyle and a hard shell. Infuse them for 24 hours. With seeds subject to various rot organisms, like Quandong, I add ¼ tsp of fungicide to the GA solution. It dramatically improves germination. Any fungicide which is labelled for soaking seeds, bulbs or cuttings to prevent damping off would work.

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My potted Myrciaria vexator definitely responded better after I started watering it with about 30 ml of vinegar per 4 litres of water every week or two. The same with my Eugenia brasiliensis, Grumichama and I also water them with chelated iron whenever the leaves show chlorosis.    Ref:   Allen, Baton Rouge, L

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• John Ambrose reports that he’s had excellent success with putting mushroom scraps on his trees (not to be confused with mushroom compost). He then covers it with mulch.