A quick look at more favourite fruits for the home garden
WE have always been very blessed with a rich diversity of fruits locally. Today, more and more varieties are continuously being domesticated. This makes the gene pool of local fruits even richer, with great potential to be explored, researched, and developed for commercial production. It also means that we can plant a tree or two of our favourites in our own gardens. Ciku (Achras sapota) This favourite is also found in many other areas of Asia such as Indonesia and Thailand. There are some varieties from other regions that produce better quality fruits that are larger and sweeter when compared to local cultivars.
Ciku is actually native to the tropical Americas where it is known as sapodilla. It belongs to the family Sapotaceae.
A French botanist said the fruit smells like honey, jasmine, and lily of the valley. However, when it comes to the eating, it tastes like a fine pear flavoured with maple syrup!
Sometimes known as naseberry, the fruit looks a bit like a soft brown egg. Cut the fruit and you’ll find segments of golden brown flesh, each with a shiny black seed.
Unripe fruits are hard and do not smell fragrant. When unripe, the taste would be astringent and there will be a milky rubber latex. After two to three days, the fruit should feel soft when pressed lightly. Do not wait until the fruits are totally soft or the flavour will be lost. Health benefits Ciku is a high calorie fruit that is also a good source of dietary fibre. It also works as a laxative.
It is rich in antioxidants and the polyphenolic compound tannin. Tannins possess astringent properties and are said to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-parasitic effects. Cultivation Growing ciku from seeds will be a test of patience as they are slow to germinate. Keep the soil moist and wait for around two months for them to sprout.
Fertilise the seedlings until they are about five inches tall for transplanting into growing bags. The seedlings should generally fruit within five years.
The soil condition should be dry and well-drained. A mixture of soil, sand, and compost is recommended.
Ciku prefers bright light and direct sun. Water the tree but do not flood as this could cause root decay and kill the tree.
General maintenance fertiliser of an 8-3-9 ratio or similar composition would help maintain good growth.
In many cases, the trees can spread and increase in height quickly. Pruning is necessary to keep it the right shape and size for the needs of a home garden fruit tree. Salak (Salacca zalacca) This fruit has scaly brown skin resembling snakeskin. Salak is a palm tree from the family Arecaceae. It is native to Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It is cultivated in other regions as a food crop.
The palm stems bear leaves up to six metres long with two-metre long petioles full of spines that are five inches long and numerous leaflets.
Well-known cultivars are salak pondoh and salak Bali. The rough skin of this golf ball size fruit is actually thin and can be easily peeled off by hand when ripe. Inside you’ll find creamy beige flesh that is divided into three or four segments. Cultivation Salak palms are thorny and difficult to work with. Pruning is necessary to reduce the number of thorns. There are male and female palms. It seems that even flowering plants can turn out to be male and not produce fruits. It is possible to obtain seed bark and vegetative seedling shoots for new plantings. The advantage is the young palms will have the same genetic make-up of the parent plants.
The first stage involves tilling the soil for good growth before planting. Ensure the planting holes are big enough for the seedling bags.
Apply a basal fertiliser such as the rooting promoter rock phosphate. The spacing should be around two by two metres apart along beds of 200 centimetres in width.
The young palms should not be directly exposed to strong sunlight. Planting in rainy weather would actually help to ensure the soil is moist for good establishment. The palm can tolerate some amount of waterlogging but not for long or the roots will also rot.
Remove suckers and male inflorescences, but note that those attaching themselves to female ones are good for fruiting.
In Sarawak, we can usually find them growing in areas such as Batu Niah in Miri and Serian, while the fruits can often be found in local markets.
The fruits are somewhat astringent but a favourite for some. Why not try planting your own in the garden?
Do send me an email if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions.
Happy gardening.