Critical Malay Apple and Longan (forum)

MelbFruit starts with ...
I am in a marginal climate trying to grow some fruit trees--it has dropped to around 6 degrees in Melbourne over night, and possibly colder occasionally. My Malay apple and longan are doing poorly, and I don't know why. The Malay apple has dry leaves at the bottom, and the remainder of the leaves seem like they will fall off (dark stems on leaves, folded and ready to fall). The bottom sets of longan leaves are brown, this is most prominent at the periphery of the leaves although some leaves are completely brown. The changes happened over about a week or two (pretty sudden). I have them in a greenhouse over winter and the other Malay apples and longans are doing fine (I have multiple). I had occasionally been putting them outside on sunny days. Recently I installed some LED lights. Otherwise, I have sprayed them with some copper. On the longan, only the bottom leaves are affected (the LED's are positioned at the top of the greenhouse; all leaves were sprayed evenly). I checked the soil in both pots, and they are adequately watered.

I would appreciate any knowledge from the brain trust.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3
Picture: 4
Picture: 5

Time: 17th July 2022 2:21am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author MelbFruit
Newport,3015,VIC
#UserID: 27416
Posts: 43
View All MelbFruit's Edible Fruit Trees

jakfruit etiquette says...
The plant in Picture 5 looks pretty good, Pic 3 and 4 shows growing tip die back and limp foliage.
I think it is a pot mix / root issue.
Did you recently repot the plants or fertilise them ??
Tropicals don't like cold damp soil too much, I don't think the straw mulch is helpful with warming the soil and air flow/ drying out between waterings.
You may better to treat the pot mix with a fungus control ( chemical or microbial ). You could paint the trunk base above soil with a copper spray paste, also the tip dieback too. I would avoid over watering and
try to warm the soil mix if possible.

Time: 19th July 2022 8:25pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(1) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
People who Like this Answer: AndresFt
About the Author jakfruit etiquette
MERBEIN,3505,VIC
#UserID: 5133
Posts: 915
View All jakfruit etiquette's Edible Fruit Trees

AndresFt says...
I think its a fungus problem :(

Time: 22nd July 2022 4:21am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author AndresFt
WEST FOOTSCRAY 3012 VIC Australia
#UserID: 30631
Posts: 6
View All AndresFt's Edible Fruit Trees

MelbFruit says...
Oh no! Yes Pic #5 is the healthy Malay apple. They were both purchased from the same place at the same time. They were not repotted, and have been cared for similarly. I try to not over-water them, so it is at least a few weeks between watering them in the winter (in a greenhouse). The water did have Seasol in it though.

Something like Yates Antirot Spray (phosphorous acid)? The bottom 5 cm of trunk has a green cambium. The leaves are now completely dried out :( Should I re-pot as well? The soil does feel pretty dense. I wonder if it's too late.

Time: 23rd July 2022 10:15pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
Original Post was last edited: 24th July 2022 10:06am

About the Author MelbFruit
Newport,3015,VIC
#UserID: 27416
Posts: 43
View All MelbFruit's Edible Fruit Trees

jakfruit etiquette says...
There is a warning Not to spay Copper and Phos Acid when there is still copper residue on the plant so I would hold off on that maybe. It can cause a chemical reaction.
Hopefully the weather will warm soon which might help in recovery ?
I would check the pots to see if they are watering correctly. Should feel heavier than a pot of dry mix, but shouldn't be draining water all day. Water should drain freely after watering.I would remove the mulch.
The plant is wilting because it can't take up water.
There could be several reasons for this, Dry soil or root infection or Salinity from too much fertiliser.
Stodgy pot mix promotes root fungus.
I would try to warm up the pot mix but protect the top of the plant from drying out. A plastic bag over it might help, but watch out it doesn't get too humid or hot from sun.

Time: 24th July 2022 9:21am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author jakfruit etiquette
MERBEIN,3505,VIC
#UserID: 5133
Posts: 915
View All jakfruit etiquette's Edible Fruit Trees

MelbFruit says...
Agh, I waited too long (see photos). I checked for root rot. The soil was very dense (clay) :( The roots didn't seem too bad to me (compared to indoor plants I've killed from over-watering). What do you think? I didn't apply anything, but repotted in 60% orchid potting mix and 40% coco coir in a much smaller pot. I did water the pot a bit to get the soil to settle around the roots. It is back in the greenhouse, which is pretty humid.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3

Time: 25th July 2022 6:31pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author MelbFruit
Newport,3015,VIC
#UserID: 27416
Posts: 43
View All MelbFruit's Edible Fruit Trees

jakfruit etiquette says...
The Original pot mix seems to be causing the problem..The new mix sounds better. Hope it goes OK.
Just keep an eye on it, it might shoot back from low down, and might take a while sometimes.

Time: 26th July 2022 9:13pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(1) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
People who Like this Answer: MelbFruit
About the Author jakfruit etiquette
MERBEIN,3505,VIC
#UserID: 5133
Posts: 915
View All jakfruit etiquette's Edible Fruit Trees

MelbFruit says...
The other Malay apple also succumbed to the same fate :( I contacted the seller, and she thought maybe it was underwatered. She also lives in Melbourne and says she keeps all her trees outside (in the rain), even the little ones. Does anybody else find this with Malay apple? I read somewhere that they tolerate some water-logging? I want to buy another one, but do not want to make the same mistake.

Time: 17th August 2022 10:51pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author MelbFruit
Newport,3015,VIC
#UserID: 27416
Posts: 43
View All MelbFruit's Edible Fruit Trees

Edward3 says...
Hi. I completely agree with Jakfruit's advice. The problem is a combination of the clay soil and cold soil temperature. It is not a lack of watering. I would be very surprised if the plant with the dead leaves would now recover. Does that lady grow her trees in the ground? Maybe she has a good depth of well-draining soil.

Time: 22nd August 2022 10:36am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author Edward3
CARLINGFORD,2118,NSW
#UserID: 1655
Posts: 176
View All Edward3's Edible Fruit Trees

MelbFruit says...
She says her parents grow the trees in an orchard (they also sell the fruit), so all the mature trees would be in the ground. I might give it another try this year as I have not had Malay apple in years! And I can't imagine coming across it any time soon. My yellow Malay apple is quite happy.

Time: 24th August 2022 6:08pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author MelbFruit
Newport,3015,VIC
#UserID: 27416
Posts: 43
View All MelbFruit's Edible Fruit Trees

jakfruit etiquette says...
There are a few types of Malay Apple. There is an Australian one in Cape York with smaller fruit, and the larger fruited ones from Overseas. Some plants might be tougher than others in colder areas. I found I often did better growing Syzygiums from seed in Victoria, than buying plants and moving them here. If your Yellow type is growing OK, it might be a variety / cold issue.
You may be better with grafted onto tougher rootstock ?
Some of the vars in FNQ are fantastic fruit, some smaller round types are just ok.


Time: 25th August 2022 9:36am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author jakfruit etiquette
MERBEIN,3505,VIC
#UserID: 5133
Posts: 915
View All jakfruit etiquette's Edible Fruit Trees

MelbFruit says...
I didn't even think about different varieties! I have seen the ones with big fruit and a regular variety sold online, but not much else. I see overseas sellers for seeds, but I bet importing would be quite a hassle. Are there any specific types/sites that you can recommend?

Time: 27th August 2022 4:26pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author MelbFruit
Newport,3015,VIC
#UserID: 27416
Posts: 43
View All MelbFruit's Edible Fruit Trees

jakfruit etiquette says...
I saw them in Cairns many years ago. There was a very big purple pear shaped one which was pear flavoured.
Also big red ones that were great.
Maybe Rare Fruit Council Mossman, or FB pages.
Syzygium suborbiculare is a very good Australian red apple, especially a large seedless fruit.
Some of the other Australian Syzygiums / Lillypillys have small fruit but taste nice.

https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/syzygium_malaccense.htm

Time: 29th August 2022 4:54pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(1) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
People who Like this Answer: henryarts
About the Author jakfruit etiquette
MERBEIN,3505,VIC
#UserID: 5133
Posts: 915
View All jakfruit etiquette's Edible Fruit Trees

henryarts says...
Thankyou so much for sharing the information

Time: 10th September 2022 11:56pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author henryarts
San Francisco,94108,CA
#UserID: 30018
Posts: 4
View All henryarts's Edible Fruit Trees

MelbFruit says...
Hey hey, does this look like a Malay apple variety? I bought it off a woman who often sells me tropical fruit trees. She said it was cold tolerant (in Melbourne). She was adamant that it is a Malay apple, but the leaves look nothing like what I have seen (if anything maybe like the Syzygium suborbiculare). She also sold me a sugar apple that did not fit the bill, so now I am really worried that this isn't the real deal either.

Thanks for the help!
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3
Picture: 4

Time: 24th September 2022 9:21am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author MelbFruit
NEWPORT,3015,VIC
#UserID: 27416
Posts: 43
View All MelbFruit's Edible Fruit Trees

jakfruit etiquette says...
Doesnt look like suborbiculare, looks a little like Syz.forte, a White Apple.
Smaller fruited Malay Apples can have different foliage to the large fruited types, maybe closer to the native Malay Apple. I think there are white fruited types too ?

Time: 28th September 2022 10:39pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(1) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
People who Like this Answer: MelbFruit
About the Author jakfruit etiquette
MERBEIN,3505,VIC
#UserID: 5133
Posts: 915
View All jakfruit etiquette's Edible Fruit Trees