Bilimbi (forum)

oldbill77 starts with ...
How can I stop the tree from fruiting? In Hawaii our tree fruits every 2 weeks and makes a MESS in our yard, attracting unwanted insects. There is more fruit than necessary! Any tips on stopping it from flowering? Thanks

Time: 23rd July 2017 11:27am

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About the Author oldbill77
Honolulu
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BJ11 says...
You can try gifting the fruit to friends / family / local charities ... even people with livestock that want to supplement feed or people who want to add organic matter to their garden.

But if it is still causing a problem:
# You could try sterilising by blocking auxin - this would involve spraying the tree with an appropriate hormone at an appropriate time. Potentially problematic and expensive - and do horrible things to beneficial insects (so upset all your neighbours that rely on bees to get any crops). A more bee-friendly option is to knock off all the flowers you can by hand (or with a stick / broom-handle)
# You could cut down the tree, or heavily prune it so that the fruit does not fall all over the yard, and there is less fruit to manage.
# You could use livestock to help clean up the fruit (but check the critter in question isn't over eating due to oxalate content of the fruit).
# You could pile it regularly into a compost bin and allow it to ferment / rot / compost. Just use a bin that is a tight mesh that will prevent insects from getting in

Time: 8th August 2017 10:27am

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About the Author BJ11
KENSINGTON,3031,VIC
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