Inducing Longan to flower with potassium chlorate.

[1voyager1]

I ran across this a while ago:

https://hilo.hawaii.edu/panr/writing.php?id=255

I'd like to try a foliar application of this in December to see if I can induce flowering for the next season.

Is there a chemical supply house here on BI?

I have found instructions on how to make it, and a mainland supplier that say they can ship to all 50 states.
I find that claim to be a bit doubtful.

[1voyager1]

The nearest chemical supply house I can find is in Honolulu.
I checked out the mainland supplier that said they could ship to all 50 states.
The order is placed for a 30g bottle, enough for 15 liters of spray application, way more than I need for the upcoming season.

It is coming by UPS SurePost.
They will deliver to the Pahoa PO within a week, or so they estimate.

I did not think UPS could fly it here, but they apparently can.
It would have been more expensive for home delivery by UPS Ground.

A new set of leaves are growing on the Longan right now.
I should be ready for the next growth set in December.
Hopefully, we'll get a batch of Longan fruit next season.

EDIT:
The tree was put in for M'Lady.
She prefers Longan to Lychee or Rambutan and is getting tired of waiting for the fruit.
I put the tree in about 4 or 5 years ago.
They are notorious for taking a long time to begin fruiting.

[Mangosteen]

Where in Hilo have you checked and been told that they don't carry it?

There are so many places in town that sell farm fertilizers and chemicals.

Longans can be found in the markets year round now so some farmers are spraying and if farmers are spraying, potassium chlorate is available locally.

[1voyager1]

Potassium chlorate is not a standard agricultural fertilizer.

It is a vigorous oxidizer whose primary use, as far as I know, is in fireworks and similar pyrotechnics.
That is why I thought it couldn't be flown to Hawaii.
I guess, because it is an oxidizer, not an actual explosive, it is allowed in small quantities, at least on flights with no passenger service.
It is noted for being able to start fires when it comes into contact with a fuel, such as sugar granules.

How it was thought of to induce longan flowering is beyond my ken.

What you say may be true.
But, I have only 1 tree, not an orchard.
Quantities that may be available from BEI or other ag suppliers, are not feasible for my uses.
Plus, I do not want to be storing a large quantity of it indefinitely.

As it is, it is costing me almost $25 to get a $4.50 30g bottle shipped in.
It should allow me to treat the tree once a year for 7 years or more.

[shave_ice]

People figured out that potassium chorate induces flowering in longans when they noticed that all the longan trees spontaneously started flowering after fireworks were set off around the trees after Chinese New Years. The reason why you see longan in the markets year round is because farmers are able to artificially induce flowering throughout the year. This technique does not work with lychee or rambutan however, even though they are all in the same family.

[shave_ice]

Chlorax bleach will work too.

[terracore]

If it is available locally, I would think that BEI or CPS would carry it.

When I was a kid we bought potassium nitrate from the local pharmacy. Surprisingly the pharmacist sold us a bottle, but not before yelling out not to blow our fingers off.

[Durian Fiend]

What cultivar is it? If it's a decent one then you shouldn't have to do that. Diamond River is the best because it's a more tropical variety. It produces every year, prolifically.

[taropatch]

We have discussed the use of stress in this prior thread. Worth a try.

http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=24435

[1voyager1]

Just sprayed our Longan tree today.
A liter looks to be enough to do the job for this small tree.
I sprayed to a light runoff from the leaves.
By everything right and proper, it should be in bloom within 2 months.

Our tree is a Biew Kiew.
It has been in the ground here for 3 or 4 years now.
It almost bloomed last spring but failed to do so.
It produced an extra leaf flush in late Feb earlier this year.
I think that was the failed bloom, because it almost immediately began an other leaf flush.
It had never done that before.
I intend trying to force it to bloom this coming spring.


The Diamond River cultivar's fruit is very comparable to the Biew Kiew.
But, you are correct, the Diamond River is a tropical variety.
Hawaii is a sub tropical local.
Plus, we're at about 750'.
Winter temps get down to the mid to low 60*'s F.
Cultivars other than Diamond River are more in tune with our conditions.

From this:
https://www.growables.org/information/Tr...ieties.htm

Biew Kiew is listed as being an erratic bearer, while the Diamond River is Listed as being "regular?", implying some questionability about its regularity.

I will try this method before I smack it in the head with a hammer.
If this doesn't work, then I might try abusing it.