Red bayberry

Phil@Tyalgum says...
There are some seed available for sale on eBay Kert, an Australian seller too. Don't beat me to 'em!

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kert says...
Phil, I bought them a year ago and despite care, they did not germinate. The Univ of Queensland report seemed to say that there is a big difference between elite varieties and others.

kert says...
If you google Univ. of Queensland and Bayberry it will come up near the top. What pisses me off majorly is they will not release the plants even though they ,evidently, are doing nothing with them.Something similar ocurred with Asimina triloba cultivars imported by the CSIRO . Having propagated hundreds and finding no market niche for the fruit they literally tossed them out.

Jantina says...
Oh well I,ve bought them now so nothing to do but give it my best shot.

kert says...
All this illustrates the profligacy and rigidities of government enterprises. Only they can afford the 30,000 dollars minimum to bring a new plant through quarantine and then they act with indifference to the wider implications . The Americans have an ironic saying "I'm from the Government and I'm here to help you".

Phil@Tyalgum says...
I was fortunate to get hold of some improved Asimina seed a couple of years ago, parent plants were Pa Golden, Susquehanah, Alegheny and Shennendoah - seed is always a gamble but have around 25 three year old seedlings in the ground. I think I have enough winter chill here for them to do well - the research facility in the US where I obtained them is now closed to the public, worse luck..

kert says...
Please, Miss, what is RFCA?

Jantina says...
Finally got around to ringing CSIRO yesterday. They told me that they are partially Gov. funded and partially private. I asked how that works and they said that private companies sometimes employ the CSIRO to do research for them ,as in the Quandong plantation near here and maybe the Myrica Rubra kert is asking about. The girl didn't know about the planting kert talks about but she gave me an email address - enquiries@csiro.au
and I've emailed them. There is also a website www.csiro.au where you can look things up.
If and when I get an answer to my email I'll post it.

denise says...
Our local asian supermarket stocked yangmei=red bayberry, preserved in glass jars.Sold out at the moment but they also have mayhaws in the same range.The quality is good.they also have dried waxberry=red bayberry, but has some spicy taste added,not really good past trying it once.

phronima says...
Well, my mum showed off some bayberry (yangmei) fruits she plucked off a tree in inner west sydney last night. Can Myrica rubra be propagated via cuttings?

Miranda says...
Hi Phronima

you can view the following website for propagation information for 杨梅

http://yuanlin.chla.com.cn/html/c119/2009-11/45616.html

kert says...
None of my bayberry germinated ,either ;this was my second consignment. Is it paranoid to suggest they are scamming us ;sending,say,boiled seed.

phronima says...
I got mum to take me to see the specimen. Unfortunately it isn't myrica, but arbutus spp - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus; the leaves are much smaller and serrated. Bit disappointing, but still an interesting find. I'd be interested to find out if there are indeed any fruting myrica rubra specimens in Aus

kert says...
Sure . Are you planning to graft?

Jantina says...
Thanks for the tip Denise.

YC says...
I tried planting M Rubra from seeds last year. The seeds I got from China (from fresh fruit) did not sprout in the same year, even if I cold stratified them in the refrigerator. But seeds planted in the ground or in pots last year started to sprout this spring. At least to my limited experience it seems like natural stratification works better than artificial stratification. I got about 20% germination rate, and have 5 seedlings slowly but healthily growing in my yard. The seedlings are quite easy to keep, resistant to insects or diseases.
I am not sure about Ebay seeds, though. If these seeds were not well kept or have been sitting around for too long they might have lost viability.

YC says...
The Chinese sow seeds in late fall, cover the bed with plastic sheet, then by next Feburary they raise the sheet once seedlings start to come out. That's what I read from Chinese websites, and it seems to match very well with my experience.

AG says...
I have been hunting around for Myrica Rubra plants for over a year. Sowed almost 20 seeds - none germinated. If anyone has ideas - let me know.

aloha

YC says...
BTW, here in the picture is one of my M Rubra seedlings maybe a few days after emerging from the ground.

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Wenny says...
Hi, Kert,could you send an email to me please? So we can contact via email about jujube. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. My email is LHY196703@hotmail.com,Thank you .

Nick says...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/30-Fresh-BAYBERRY-Fruit-Seeds-Germination-90-/170658800750?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bc0ea46e Is this where everyone has bought their seeds off?

AG says...
Nope - got mine from Ebay UK. anyone here bought from those guys? I got it from them for the free shippping.

Nick says...
Thats good, Ive emailed the women from ebay and hopefully because shes from singapore she'll have some advice on germination!

PM says...
Found a paper by UQ at Gatton for the Aust Gov on the Red Bayberry's viability as a commercial plant. The suggested growing ares of Nambour, Darwin, Alstonville and Innisfail were identified. https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/05-081
I have 30 seeds arriving soon. This all started last night while I was at the in-law's house in Hangzhou, China. It was a first time taste and I made a glutten of myself, the taste is very nice.

Nick T says...
I just received some seeds (thanks Jantina!), do you think the stratification order could be reversed ie. cold stratification followed by warm stratification? I also carefully cracked open the hard "shell" to speed up germination a bit, quite a lot of the seeds turned out to be mouldy!

JUJUBE FOR SALE IN MELBOURNE says...
Hi Jantina,

Many thanks for your kindness and generosity, I received the seeds today. I will look after them carefully.

Lucy.

John Mc says...
Likewise, seeds landed here safely, thank you very much.
Now the fun begins, if anyone has any success, can we hear about it? and how it was done?
I'm removing all the hard wax coating manually for a start to expose a very hard Macadamia type shell on all but a few. I'm also going to expose some of the endosperm somehow, probably sandpaper like I did on the lotus seed,on some as well. Anything else to try? I believe they have been stratified.

JUJUBE FOR SALE IN MELBOURNE says...
Welcome back Mary!

I did the same way as John Mc 's method and planted most of them last night and afterward I watered the seeds with a bit anti-fungus solution just to make sure the seeds won't be rotten in the jiff peat pellets and finger crossed.

MaryT says...
Hi Linton- yes, it's been mentioned on many sites online that the bayberry is dioecious - "楊梅樹乃雌雄異株", meaning that you have male trees and female trees and you wouldn't know what you have until it flowers. Pollination is by wind so you need them near each other.

For those of you who read Chinese, this blog is quite amusing and informative:

"楊梅。教室前面有2棵楊梅樹，楊梅雌雄異株，葉有點倒卵形，面對教室左邊是雄株，目前開花是柔荑花序的公花。有一首雌雄異株的打油師，也可以適用在楊梅，（台語）公花母花不同欉，母花圓圓親像球，公花長長親像蟲，花開讓風作媒人，花粉隨風入洞房。這裡面說明了它是雌雄異株，說明了公、母花的情形，以及說明了它是風媒花。它沒有香味，引不起昆蟲的食慾，所以通常小而不起眼的花，是風媒花。如果植物學家看植物，沒看它開花，跟你說是公的，鐵定是吹牛，一定要開過花，才知道公、母。楊梅是合果（構樹不是合果），中間有硬硬的種子，外面是多曩體包圍，密生在一起。楊梅又叫樹梅，是最好的肥料木之一，它有固氮作用，像大豆、相思樹，會把空氣中的氮，固在土壤裡，而轉換成肥料。4月結果，所以這時候開花，為什麼叫楊梅，與李時珍有關，本草綱目裡寫道；其外形如木楊子，味似梅，故名楊梅，什麼是木楊子，那是產在中國的植物，所以不知道。有一個特別現象，在墾丁的林業試驗所，門口本來種的是雄株，過了幾年，變成雌株，植物可以直接變性，人類就要人工開刀了，有些動物也有此情形，像蜥蝪，木瓜也有此例。
楊梅另一個打油詩：月桃開花顛倒吊，樹梅開花半瞑消，別人的阿娘仔美又嬌，我的阿娘仔醜又ㄏ一ㄠˊ，詩裡的樹梅指的是雌株，大部份雌株開花在半夜，早晨就掉落，要看到雌花較難。"

Linton says...
Dioecious.

Hi Mary, does this mean you also need 2 trees for Paw Paws too and how do you tell them apart? How about grafted ones, do they produce fruit on their own? Thanks.

Julie says...
Jantina, have the seeds you sent already been stratified? Denise said hers have, but you may have bought them from a different supplier.

Would love to sow them in a warm spot, but I'll have to be patient if they need stratification.

MaryT says...
Hi Linton, I tried to reply to you but had trouble submitting my comment. It looks like you have your answer from BJ and Denise1 already.

Some interesting notes from Chinese sites: the trees are nitrogen fixing and thus make good mulch. The female flowers are insignificant, unscented, opens at night and drops by morning so they are hard to spot. The trees like slightly acidic soil. They don't like wet feet and would be happy planted on a slope. The fruit is fragrant and would attract birds.

MaryT says...
Hi denise1, they would tolerate snow but branches can break under its weight so the advice is to shake the snow off the tree before it becomes too heavy. Also they should be harvested on a clear day before heavy summer rain.

denise1 says...
My red bayberry seeds are pre stratified the same as Jantinas. They were stratified in a fridge . They are fresh seeds- I opened one and it was very much alive. The literature suggests a term of cold stratifying followed by warm stratifying. So I have sown them into trays on a heatboard and wait for them to wake up. I suppose they will sit for a number of weeks. It may not do seeds any good sitting in the fridge too long. I highly recommend using a heatboard. If not then a sunny window or similar.

denise1 says...
The bayberry seeds had completed a term in cold stratification only, and that is all that is necessary according to the common practice in the area the seeds are from. I put them in a peat based sterilized seed raising mix. I water them with warm water and they are on heatboards. I guess the hard seed shells will soften and split into two when the seeds are ready to sprout. I will introduce some microflora when they sprout.

Linton says...
Heatboards - thanks for the information. Yes, I have a a heated gro-tray too. Can you tell me what temperature you both have it set to for the Bayberry seeds.

Julie says...
denise, I'm interested in the microflora you mention. Could you elaborate please?

I'll put them on the propagating mat tomorrow - if I can find room!

Jantina says...
Hi Everyone,our satellite dish died mid seed distribution and only got fixed today, good 'ol activ8 who would have thought they organise their service from the Philipines! I'm not happy with their service I can tell you!
Anyway now to read all the backlogged emails, I still have seed for those later requests and will post tomorrow.

Violet Cactus says...
I received my Myrica seeds today - THANK YOU Jantina! I haven't been on the Daleys Forum for quite a while and have been reading the backlog. It's good to see so many familar names (Hi Jujube!) and I was interested to read how everyone else is going about propagating their Myrica.
Has anyone's sprouted yet?

asder says...
Sorry to say that you may uncross your fingers as nothing will happen.

John Mc says...
They appear to be very fresh.

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MaryT says...
I have read a lot of information in Chinese online and no one ever mentioned propagation from seeds. It seems they prefer to graft buds onto root stock.

Oops, just added 'seeds' to my search and there are talks of seed germination:

你可用GA3 2000ppm浸種2小時再以溼水苔草包裹放置於冰箱冷藏5度ｃ２０天取出放置於２５度ｃ處２０天反覆變溫處理直到發芽為止，就可播種‧

translated: "you can use GA3 2000ppm to soak them for two hours then wrap them in damp moss(?) and keep in fridge at 5ºC for 20 days then place them somewhere at 25º C for 20 days. Keep repeating this until they sprout. They are then ready for planting."

Violet Cactus says...
Either one of mine has germinated or there was a weed seed in my 'sterile' seed-raising mix. Two tiny green leaves are showing. It's too good to be true... could be a freak weed seed, but I'll wait and see.

Jantina, have you received the Vanilla Persimmon seeds yet?

BJ says...
Dont know if anyone else has noticed, but Daley's now has Bayberries 'in production'? So, there should be at least some available here soon. Although, I've heard you need around 5 to ensure pollination, so even a good stock at Daley's wont go that far.

Mike says...
I think if the rarely grew from seeds their family tree would have been a stump.

Jantina says...
Since their seed also comes from my lot Linton it could be a while.

BJ says...
Again, Daley's seem to be growing a batch now, so if you wait a wee while they should be offered through this site. Just go to the Bayberry page and register to be notified. Hopefully the pros will be able to work out the dormancy issues etc

denise1 says...
Update on seeds distributed by Jantina. My batch identical to Jantinas have fared as follows. The seeds sown out of direct sunshine indoors have mostly rotted even though in plenty of indirect light. The ones against a window with direct sun for several hours per day are still good. They apparently need the fungicidal and bactericidal action of the pure sunlight to stay alive. They grow naturally on slopes open to sunshine so no surprises there. The seedmix has partially dried a few times with no apparent harm to the seeds. I dont know if you ozzies have any sunny windows with all your verandahs and lack of windows compared to NZ. I hope this observation hasnt come too late for the good success of other growers.

Julie says...
Maybe I should move mine then. They are in a polystyrene box with a heat mat.
Haven't checked to see the state of the seeds, but getting a bit fed-up with waiting!

VF says...
Congrats Phil, you may be the daddy of the first plants! (I'm not growing, just watching with interest.)

Linton says...
Hi Phil

Since you got such a good result using Giberellic Acid, does this mean I should dig up the seeds and put them in Giberellic Acid. Could you also let me know where you get this material.

All the seeds were planted a couple of months ago so I would have to take them out of the soil and start again.

Phil@Tyalgum says...
Yes I had to do that Linton, when I dug them up there was no sign of germination so I soaked them in the recommended strength for two days and it seems to have worked. I got my acid from rare exotic seeds . com and it came from Canada but I think you can get it locally if you do a search on the internet.

lenn says...
Linton, what is the local site??

Linton says...
I meant I ordered it from the person on the ebay australia site by just clicking on the link above. I think it said they are in Central Victoria and it was $10 with free postage so much quicker than coming form overseas.

lenn says...
What is the "recommended strength" Of G.A. ,Phil? I have seen 1,000ppm and 500ppm ; which did you use?

MaryT says...
The literature online (in Chinese) says:

use GA3 2000ppm to soak them for two hours then wrap them in damp moss(?) and keep in fridge at 5ºC for 20 days then keep them at 25º C for 20 days. Keep repeating this until they sprout. They are then ready for planting

Mike says...
I think 2000ppm sounds higher than google recommendations.My friend's wifes' sister just arrived from Jinghua and apparently it has the best bayberries.She brought 20 or so seeds of the best ones for me and I'll get them on Friday.I'll try 500ppm for 24 hrs and then in and out of the fridge.I am too warm for this type but what the heck.

Linton says...
Bayberry's still popping up!

Another Bayberry sprouted yesterday. In spite of a few dying off at first, they have continued to pop up over the last few months so I have managed to get a few good ones to grow.

Has anyone else had success with them besides myself and Phil?

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denise1 says...
Perhaps part of the the key to Lintons success is the course potting medium that was used

denise1 says...
Just finished potting up 480 yangmei seedlings, they pretty much came up all together and it was months after a soak in GA3. So maybe the GA3 did nothing. The tray was outside, sheltered and in the sun all this time, but with a sheet of clear plastic on top. It is about 11 months after sowing of about 1500 seeds.

Linton says...
Bayberry's still popping up after 9 months!!!

I just had another one come up after the initial putting of seeds in 9 months ago and the first lot to germinate was back in January so there seems to be no rhyme or reason to them. They were all soaked in GA3.

BTW Denise, what will you do with the 480 plants, maybe you can start a Bayberry farm.

cgray1 says...
I got my bayberry to sprout. I put 20 seeds in a zip lock bag with river sand(damp'ish)mostly and a touch of seed raising mix 90/10 ratio. 4 of these sprouted and are growing. Happy days.

Linton says...
Attention Mark!

I still can't believe you found Bayberry plants for sale at BAAG today. As said, I have never, repeat never ever, seen live Myrica plants for sale in any nursery here before. Please put picture if possible for all to see. I think they will sell out very fast.

Breadfruits at Parkmore last week for $20/kg - large bright vivid green ones!

The poster formerly known as... says...
Latest fruit club newsletter says Yarra Valley Growers have reportedly taken over the contract for producing bayberry and are looking at having growers in each state with 60000 trees in production in 5 years...

sternus1 says...
Not fruiting, but my largest one must be close.Well it might be... They aren't self pollinating and I don't know what I've got. Even if it is female my others won't be ready to pollinate for some time assuming I even have a male.

I also have a few white bayberries which I believe makes me unique at least in the state.

sternus1 says...
The link is wrong.

Yangmei, myrica rubra, is dio. Other myrica can be mono.

Markmelb says...
TPFKAK - could you please put up the link to UQ videos as cant find them - have a sneaking suspicion these were from Renaissence herbs/plants as were in their yellow pots.

MIke T1 says...
Black carbon is a tropical variety from the southern areas of taiwan.In the Maoming and even Hainan areas in China there are good reds and even warm area black types.There are varieties suited to a wide range of climates.

sternus1 says...
There is a native opuntia in hainan also that produces reportedly delicious fruit. The black type is really a purple, bit of a misnomer. It's the one sold mainly as a fresh eating crop whereas the Reds are generally dried. The Chinese make furniture from the wood, which is similar to citrus, and make tea from the leaves which is often pressed into tea bricks. They do this with juju ez also. I have three blacks at about a metre high, several reds and a couple of whites. I believe there is a yellow also, I do not have one nor have I seen proof of its existence however.

The poster formerly known as... says...
Mark, the videos were only up for a few months, then removed. The user had quite a few good videos of new fruit trials and new mango breeding programs etc.

Linton says...
Picking Bayberries in Ningbo, Northern China.

Beautiful pictures of Bayberries here:

https://rbjello.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/yumberryyang-mei-picking-in-ningbo/

sternus1 says...
Anyone want to see what a white bayberry tree looks like?

JohnMc1 says...
QUOTE
"Linton says...

I got some more Bayberry Plants from Baag to be on the safe side. But guess what, the price has dropped to $11 now so we have been ripped off with the first lot! They are exactly the same size plants as before."

Really? Actual Bayberry plants? Can you post up a pic?
Are they postable? love to get my hands on some.

Markmelb says...
Heres a pic of a Packet of Preserved Bayberry i got from a Chinese Supermarket last night in Mount Waverley
They are very sweet - quite tasty - cant wait to try fresh fruit :)

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len says...
be careful with e-bay seeds, i bought some of these ages ago maybe best part of 12 months, planted 8 pots, tipped 4 today all but one seed gone maybe rotted dunno no remains, the one seed resembled petrified wood.

we need a reliable fresh local seed supply

any ideas?

len

Markmelb says...
Paul - Dont worry about the expense to import - Bayberry plants are already here in Aust tho not yet fruiting I guess (as you may have read above)and doing a few cuttings (from extra branches on seedlings)so in a couple years you should have your bayberries hopefully fingers crossed. If you want plants now there may still be some at the nursey mentioned above in Melbourne - they wouldnt say where they got them from - but there will probably more in spring/summer?

Yoda on DMT says...
Daleys will have black carbon bayberry in production within a few months.

denise1 says...
Just be careful with fertiliser or watering with chlorinated water. It can kill them

JohnMc1 says...
Put my name down for six of them.

Markmelb says...
So why isnt Black Carbon listed for pre purchase?

LouieB says...
Go to Szechuan every year and Bayberries are always a highlight. Just got back and I must have eaten 5kg over 3 weeks! They are amazing, delicious and rather hard to describe, bit like a raspberry crossed with a blackberry but no sour taste. Darker berries are better than bright red. So excited to hear I will soon be able to get them here! Yay!

JohnMc1 says...
....or chemical fertilizers, even weak doses @ 1.4 EC knocked them for a six. With a new batch emerging, I'm sticking to the likes of the organics like Seasol first and maybe move to powerfeed.

denise1 says...
Bulk seeds imported fresh from China gave 20 % , and of those only about 30% survived . I am now growing Myrica cerifera to see if they would make a durable rootstock. It is possible that those too require up to a year to germinate, as does the yangmei.

Paul W says...
Yoda. What it's the latest on the availability of the bay berries?

Paulo K says...
After 8 months trying, only one seed of bayberry sprouted. And now the small plant is with one unidentified diseaseand dying fast.

If anyone knows - or have an idea - of what is going on, please let me know.

I tried some things but did not work.

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denise1 says...
Yep, but not a salty seaweed mix.

MIke T1 says...
Paulo are you in Sao Paulo and your surname begins with C?
Fresh seeds should be refrigerated for a few months as GA3 and sacrification doesn't seem to help.I received seeds today.

Joel15 says...
Does anyone have any plants available for sale yet?

BenW says...
Oh wow, there's a coincidence... exactly one year from my comment above :)

Mike Tr says...
Seeds are easy to get but plants are not.

Joel15 says...
Would never have thought it would've been them! I doubt i'll here back from them though. Anyone have a reliable source for seed?

ivepeters says...
Nice plant Phil, glad you have posted a guard on it.
Something ripped out a couple of mine early on, was so sad.

BlackPeakWusuMyrica says...
Hello, interesting fruit! I have not tasted it yet but lots of good info here!
I am looking for either Black Peak or Wusu type of Myrika Rubra...i am hoping i coukd find at least seeds here. Anyone have any? Thanks!

BlackPeakWusuMyrica says...
Mike Tr: Do you have any now? I am happy to pay for postage or a reasonable fee. Let me know...SmyFigs@gmail.com
Thanks!

denise1 says...
If you have only one tree you wont get any fruit as male and female flowers on separate trees. You could wait to find what it is and then graft a mate onto a branch. Or get more seeds. It can also be grafted onto waxberry ( Myrica cerifera) which may sucker a lot below the graft for the first few years. I hope someone on the forum can help you with some more plants or graft wood.

laddawan1 says...
Yes.waiting for daleys to have some

Markmelb says...
Bayberry season in Yarra Valley Victoria now - watch for them in Asian Groceries etc

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