Thread: Looking for fruit trees that can withstand some serious punishment

My wife's managed to swap a 800m2 piece of land we own with a small house on it about 30 minutes outside of Phnom Penh for a 4500m2 houseless plot across the street. The land backs onto a lake and partially floods at the lake end during the wet season.

The neighbours all grow vegetables on the land during the months it's not flooded, we want to grow something on there but are looking for something with very low maintenance as we're just going to use it for a weekend place, so will only likely get out there once a fortnight, we also don't have any family out there or anything like that, so no one will be taking care of it when we're not there. The soil is very good so there's no concern there.

So I would like advice on fruit trees / palms that:

- Don't require regular maintenance (once established)
- Don't mind potentially spending 2 months a year under water
- Can make it through the hot season without additional water

Any ideas?

Let me know as my avocado, jackfruit, banana, and chompoo (rose apple) trees all died during the flood here. I know it was toxic water as well, but it was 6 weeks not two months. Good luck and I am looking forward to the responses. I booked mark the one about fast growing trees that popped up again last week.

Originally Posted by aging one

Let me know as my avocado, jackfruit, banana, and chompoo (rose apple) trees all died during the flood here. I know it was toxic water as well, but it was 6 weeks not two months. Good luck and I am looking forward to the responses. I booked mark the one about fast growing trees that popped up again last week.

BTW AO, how are my avocado seeds that I gave you coming along? Have they sprouted any roots at all?

I have been reading a little about a fruit from Bolivia called Achacha that is now being grown in North Queensland, Australia. Very similar to mangosteen.
here's a link. Achacha - the sweet, tangy, refreshing tropical fruit

Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

BTW AO, how are my avocado seeds that I gave you coming along? Have they sprouted any roots at all?

One did I put it in a pot when we got home. But with no shade no nothing it sadly kick the guacamole bucket.

Hoping to get the new grass in next week. Killing the wild grass we have always had has turned out to be a real chore.

The swop you made didnt sound like a good one , can you say what you gained by it.

Originally Posted by ChrisInCambo

My wife's managed to swap a 800m2 piece of land we own with a small house on it about 30 minutes outside of Phnom Penh for a 4500m2 houseless plot across the street.

Originally Posted by nevets

The swop you made didnt sound like a good one , can you say what you gained by it.

800 sqm for 4500? sounds pretty good to me mate, unless thats a typo

Here are a few other fruit trees seen in the floodplain in NE Thailand:


Scientific name, Thai name, Common name


Canarium subulatum - Muk lium (Pili nut)

Careya sphaerica - Ka don kok

Crateva magna - Pak gum

Garcinia cowa - Som mong/Chamuang (Kowa/Ganboji)

Garcinia schomburgkiana - Madun (Madan)

Microcos tomentosa - Lom kom

Schleichera oleosa - Ta Khro/Mak Kho/Khmer: Pongro (Indian lactree)

Syzygium cumini - Hwaa/Khmer: Pring bai (Black plum/Jambolan)

Terminalia cambodiana - Peuai num (Cambodian almond)

Borey the Bald, thanks that's a great answer, I'll take a look into those and report back.

Gained about 3700m2, the house on the other one was a very basic provincial style house which could easily be rebuilt on the new plot for a few thousand USD. Anyway I didn't give the full details, it's not a direct swap. We're selling the current block for the same price as the owner of the larger plot across the street wants for his block. So it's a swap for us, but not for him.

I think this is an interesting case of perspective. The seller is viewing it like a farmer, I'm viewing it like a resident. Where he sees a piece of land with limited farming options due to flooding, I see a piece of lake side property.
The buyer of our block sees a ready to go house, with power, water, toilet and enough land to grow some things. When he sees the plot across the street he sees expense, back fill, power connection, water connection, house construction, fence construction.

Originally Posted by Borey the Bald

The following is a list of trees found in a plot in the Tonle Sap floodplain, most common to less common. All survive in an area that is flooded a few months each year. Several have only the Cambodian name listed. Some, like the Ziziphus (jujube) produce fruit. But checking the scientific names on the internet, I found very little information. Perhaps using the Khmer names you can find something useful.




Nº Khmer name/Thai name - Scientific name
1 Rieng Teuk/Kradon/Chik naa - Barringtonia acutangula
2 Phtol - Diospyros cambodiana
3 Tauor - Terminalia cambodiana
4 Chrakeng - Coccocera anisopodum
5 Nho Teuk - Morinda persicaefolia
6 Tien Prey - Vitex holoadenon
7 Prabuoy - Croton caudatus
8 Bay Traneub - Acacia spiralis
9 Troas/Ben nam - Combretum trifoliatum (Swamp bushwillow)
10 Phnom Phneng/Huling - Hymenocardia wallichii (Swamp cinnamon)
11 Kandap Chang Ei/Ta kouang - Salacia verrucosa
12 Prabach
13 Khlei - Cudrania cambodiana
14 Phnek Priep - Breynia rhamnoides
15 Phkoam
16 Voa Taeuk/?Lam duan? - Ipomoea chryseoides
17 Phdao Teuk/Wai khring/Wai nam hang - Calamus palustris
18 Sloat - Ficus heterophylla
19 Lgnieng - Cratoxylon prunifera
20 A Teang - Homalium brevidens
21 Kandok
22 Changkom Krapeu
23 Tronom Ea Ot - Zizyphus sp.


The following are a few fruit trees found in the floodplain in NE Thailand where they are wet for two to three months a year:


Makog (Hog plum) - Spondias pinnata
Gluai Noi/Nom maeo - Rauwenhoffia siamensis
Saeow/Ma kok nam (Spanish plum) - Elaeocarpus hygrophilus
Madan - Garcinia schomburgkiana
Huling (swamp cinnamon) - Hymenocardia wallichii

Nice work, BtB.
Many of the varieties that you list [Cambodian] will do well in the border provinces....because they're there already.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

but you will have to build the land up enough so that the highest floods cannot ruin your house

That's what I was thinking, the land is narrow and long 21m (frontage) x 200m (depth). Cambodia had its fifty year flood last year, so I got to see what worst case scenario looks like. The first 50m was okay, the next 150m was under water getting slowly deeper the further back you went.

The lake is really just a low lying piece of land so there is huge retraction/expansion depending on the season. It's very green, with lots of birds and vegetation, so maybe wetland would be a better description than lake.

My plan is to wait until the height of the dry season, send in a bulldozer, and push land from past the end near the mostly dried up lake back towards the front. During the wet season the land would then be protruding out into the lake.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

true, sounds very nice (pics?)

Here's my oldest stood on the piece of land that we currently own last September. Just behind him is the dirt track that's the access road. The land we're getting if behind that track and off to the left, stretching down to the lake/wetland behind. The picture doesn't really do the scale of the flooded area justice. A lot of that green area you see in the background is in fact underwater with some kind of lake vegetation on top.

CiC,

Just noticed this website with some good information specific to Cambodian tree planting. May be of some use to you.

Cambodia Tree Seed Project - Tree Seed Project

Borey