Cyclanthera problem

[richardw]

I cant work out why my Cyclanthera has not done well,its only about 1/2m tall and has not produced a single fruit

Any ideas?

[billw]

They tend to fruit fairly late. I can see some flowers, so it shouldn't be long.

[richardw]

Ive grown them for 4 years and every year the plants grow like crazy producing heaps of fruit all the way through summer and here we are now at the end of summer and still nothing but a small bush with odd shaped leaves,its nothing to do with the weather,its not spray drift,so, buggered if i know.

[billw]

I can't tell much from the pictures, but I recall reading at some point that some plants may produce only male or female flowers. Have you checked the flowers to make sure you have both?

Odd shaped leaves would suggest something else is going on though...

[richardw]

Yes its those odd shaped leaves that has me puzzled,i was talking with Cesar a few days and he reckons his is not doing well either,is this like yours Cesar??

[cletus]

I enjoy growing and eating C. brachystachya, but am intrigued by the larger varieties of C. pedata. I wonder if we could cross them for a long day fruiting type with larger fruit.

[zeedman]

The members of that genus I've grown (C. brachystegia and C. explodens) have always languished until late summer, then were covered in fruit late. Some years, I've seen leaf development similar to the photo, especially if there were cool snaps. It looks like a virus or nutrient deficiency, but whatever it is, the vines outgrow it on their own as the season progresses. I'll be growing Caihua (C. pedata) this year.

[cletus]

You're right Zeedman I shouldn't have said brachystegia is a long day fruiter, but shorter day than the pedata if I understand correctly. Zeedman will you still grow brachystegia? Would be cool to get a cross. I may have to give the c. pedata a go and see myself.

[zeedman]

Cletus, I wasn't particularly fond of the C. brachystegia... a little too bland, and too slimy, for my taste. Maybe it was the variety ("Fat Baby"), or maybe I just didn't know the best way to use them. Wish I could find a good use for them, they are fruiting like crazy when most everything else in the garden is winding down. I'll probably continue to grow Achocha just for seed, since the Belgian source no longer lists it in in the SSE Yearbook. Same goes for the C. explodens, which while edible, is more just a novelty for its exploding pods. I'm hoping that the larger fruit of Caihua will be more useful.

[richardw]

Feb 16, 2014 18:10:41 GMT -5 zeedman said:

The members of that genus I've grown (C. brachystegia and C. explodens) have always languished until late summer, then were covered in fruit late. Some years, I've seen leaf development similar to the photo, especially if there were cool snaps. It looks like a virus or nutrient deficiency, but whatever it is, the vines outgrow it on their own as the season progresses. I'll be growing Caihua (C. pedata) this year.

I think you may be on to it as we did have a changeable early summer weather wise,now that weather is behaving more like summer its starting to take off,so, that would rule out virus or nutrient deficiency i think.

[cesarz]

Feb 16, 2014 13:34:53 GMT -5 richardw said:

Yes its those odd shaped leaves that has me puzzled,i was talking with Cesar a few days and he reckons his is not doing well either,is this like yours Cesar??

Yep much the same, I think it is a virus. Mine all got eaten by slugs even before they started to flower.

[richardw]

But the new growth is looking normal thats why i reckon it isnt virus

[cletus]

I'm not sure why I was under there impression that there was daylight difference of pedata and brachystegia. Is there any other significant cultural difference between the two? Brachystegia grew well here so I will try pedata this year.

Glad its picking back up richard!