Although breadfruit grows on a sturdy tree, it'south not immune to many breadfruit growing bug. It'due south hard to imagine a large tree succumbing to a fungal infection or some viral disease. But you lot need to bank check on your tree regularly and detect the signs early.

Breadfruit growing problems

Some of the breadfruit growing problems accept to do with poor care since the tree needs winter protection in cool zones. Pruning the tree can also make or pause the harvest the next twelvemonth, and then you lot'll need to pay actress attention to that. Only other bug are merely acts of nature such equally when the fruits fall off the tree before they're ripe. The tree might also get a problems infestation or a fungal infection.

All these problems and more are discussed beneath. Read more than to observe out how to deal with such issues and how to keep the breadfruit good for you year after yr.

Breadfruits Falling Off Tree

Even though breadfruit trees accept some stunning canopies and the sleeky leaves are quite ornamental, the main reason people grow them is the fruits. The highly nutritious fruits are a skillful substitute for wheat flour non to mention that they're also gluten-complimentary.

And then you would be more worried when the precious fruits outset dropping to the ground even though they're obviously non ripe yet. And while it'southward normal for a tree laden with more fruits than it can handle to go rid of some of the extra weight, sometimes it's a sign that things are not well with the tree. The causes range from poor pollination to drought and even stress. So what tin y'all exercise nearly the breadfruits falling off the tree?

How to Ready It

When the fruits are all the same in evolution start to driblet on the basis, y'all need to make sure information technology'due south not the tree having an overbearing trouble. In that case, the tree will drop a few fruits at a fourth dimension and after nearly a week, you won't see whatever more than fruits under the tree. But if you continue seeing more fruits falling off the tree and they seem to be getting more and more as the days go by, check for the other causes of the problem.

  • Poor Pollination: Pollinators play a major function in the size of the harvest you get every year. If they don't do their job, the harvest will drop drastically. The reason the pollinators don't visit the tree might exist the rainfall flavour coinciding with the blooming flavour of the breadfruit tree. Cross-pollination is also important, then you'll need to have another breadfruit tree inside a 50 anxiety radius to improve pollination.
  • Drought: Non all fruit copse are hardy to dry soil. And the breadfruit tree is rather sensitive to the absence of moisture in the soil. The tree would become into cocky-preservation mode and drop off the fruits which have up a lot of resources. And so water the tree regularly during the growing flavor and don't allow more than 2 inches of the top soil to go dry at a time.
  • Stress: Besides drought, also much weight on the branches tin can cause stress for the tree. Some breadfruit varieties weigh up to 6 pounds. When the branches bend downwards nether the weight of the fruits, the tree resorts to dropping some of them to avoid breaking the branches. You lot can deadhead the blossoms to avoid this trouble and allow enough space betwixt the fruits to distribute the weight across the length of the co-operative.

Breadfruit Winter Protection

Breadfruit growing problems winter

Since breadfruit trees are native to the tropical regions and are used to loftier temperatures and steep humidity levels, yous might have a trouble with your cold winters and frost. This is peculiarly true if yous live in zones below 10 or have an especially unpredictable microclimate with overly harsh winters.

In general, breadfruit trees abound well in Florida and Hawaii with few conditions-related problems. These copse are known to be hardy to temperatures every bit low as 30 degrees F. However, information technology's not a good idea to subject your tree to whatever temperature below 60 degrees F. It can seriously impact the crop and the tree might even stop growing for a while. So how would you lot protect the breadfruit tree against the cold winter months?

How to Fix Information technology

Admittedly it's non easy to provide wintertime protection to a tree that grows to 80 feet alpine. Yous can hardly establish it in a container and move it indoors. That said, there are varieties that are more compact and container-friendly. Those copse will abound well in a large pot and are piece of cake to move effectually and keep indoors until the cold months are over.

If the winter temperature in your zone doesn't drop beneath 55 degrees F during the daytime for weeks on finish, so y'all won't have to winterize the tree. Just cover the ground under the tree with a thick layer of mulch to preserve the soil temperature. Yous would also need to prune the tree well before the winter to preserve its energy. The following 2 sections deal with those two bug in more particular.

Potted Breadfruit Copse

If the breadfruit averages anything from 2 to 6 pounds apiece, how big is the tree that produces such a fruit? A lot. On a cheerio, the average breadfruit tree can tower over fourscore feet. And then how would yous grow such a giant in a pot? The uncomplicated reply is you don't. Yous simply find a more compact variety and plant it in a container.

Now there are a few caveats to growing a potted breadfruit tree. The starting time is that you won't get equally many fruits every bit a tree growing in the garden. The second is that you can merely grow small varieties and cultivars. And even then, you'll need to prune them regularly to keep the awning manageable.

How to Set up It

While growing the potted breadfruit tree might not be very dissimilar from planting the tree or its seed in the garden, caring is a different ball game. Permit's first with the basics and motion on to more avant-garde care tasks.

  • The container that will hold the tree needs to be of equal size and sturdiness. Choose a container that'southward at least 20 inches high with a matching bore.
  • Plastic containers do better than terra cotta ones because they retain moisture better.
  • Keep the soil in the pot moist regularly merely not overly wet.
  • Accept the container out during the leap and summer and let the tree to get at to the lowest degree 8 hours of sunlight per day.
  • When the temperature drops below lx degrees F. you need to bring the containers back indoors and keep them until the winter months are over.
  • During the winter, keep the container almost a window facing the south or west to get enough of lord's day every day.

Breadfruit Pruning Guide

Breadfruit growing problems pruning

Pruning for fruit trees is more just a way to continue them looking their all-time and avert whatever wayward branches from ruining the advent of the tree. Pruning has a more practical purpose of encouraging more robust lateral growth and increasing the annual yield. This is truthful for many fruit trees every bit it is true of breadfruit trees.

Just pruning breadfruit copse is a little unlike since you'll demand to let the young tree enough fourth dimension to establish its roots and develop the main branch construction. Only then would y'all take your pruning shears to it. Also, the timing of the pruning is a little different from other copse and varies depending on the cultivar and time of harvest. Some breadfruit varieties keep producing fruits all year round while others have the main harvest and another smaller ane a few months after.

How to Fix It

When pruning the breadfruit tree, you should wait for the chief harvest to be over earlier you trim off the top branches and shoot. If you take a variety that produces 2 harvests, so look for the second harvest before you prune the tree. Either way, pruning should be washed before the tree produces its vigorous annual growth.

Let the young tree to grow freely for the first ii or iii years of its life earlier y'all starting time pruning information technology. Still, if you're growing a potted breadfruit tree, then pruning should be an annual task as soon as the main branches develop.

Ever wear protective gear and wear shoes non sandals when pruning the tree. And if the tree is too big, consider hiring a professional.

Bugs That Eat Breadfruit

Only as we find the fruits of the breadfruit tree delicious, and then do bugs. And while some pests will merely feed on the leaves, they can still cause a lot of impairment to the canopy and hence the crop. The problem with trees of this size is that yous can't possibly find insects itch all over the branches and leaves. Nor see the holes in the leaves until they're big enough to be seen 40 feet away. So by the time you lot realize your breadfruit tree has a issues infestation, it would unremarkably be too belatedly to relieve the crop that yr. And so what are the common breadfruit tree bugs and how can you protect the harvest confronting them?

How to Fix It

While many bugs in the garden tin can observe the leaves of the breadfruit tree attractive, the two chief pests to sentry out for are mealybugs and soft calibration. Here's how to deal with those two forth with the other pests that attack the tree.

  • Mealybugs: They are easy to observe since they go out behind a white substance that looks like cotton. They feed on the sap of the trees and in large numbers could damage the tree's canopy. Spray the tree with neem oil to get rid of them.
  • Soft Scale: This insect leaves behind a thick substance that triggers fungal infections. And then their devastation of the tree is double-fold. Treat them with insecticides and neem oil spray.
  • Leafhoppers: They are larger in size than the above ii insects and tin be detected with the naked centre.
  • Slugs and Snails: They crawl upward the body of the tree and alive among the branches. They're voracious insects and can cause serious impairment to the leaves in a brusque fourth dimension. Phone call a specialist in the case of big infestations of any of the higher up insects.

Brown Breadfruit Leaves

Breadfruit growing problems brown leaves

The leaves of the breadfruit tree are glossy and dark greenish. They're part of the tree'southward charm and add a lot of ornamental value to the breadfruit tree. But sometimes the leaves will plow yellowish or even brown and fall before their time. For an evergreen tree, that'southward an alarming sign.

It'due south ofttimes an indication that the tree is infected with soft rot. A bacterial disease that spreads in high humidity afterward rainfall and with poor ventilation.

How to Fix Information technology

Regular pruning of the breadfruit tree can forbid soft rot infections. Non simply because pruning improves ventilation simply too because the fungus infects the lower branches of the tree. By removing those branches, you tin preclude the disease from spreading.

Trim off infected branches immediately and dispose of them by burning them. And as a precaution, don't overwater the soil and amend air circulation effectually the tree during the leap and summer months.