Any melbourne Pepino growers? Need assistance (forum)

Figbarron starts with ...
Hie all i have 3 pepino plants i struck from cuttings in Febriuary. They have grown really well and flowered 2 months after they rooted in mid May. However it has flowered since then and has not set fruit. I have also tried hand pollination

I am guessing that the temperatures are too cold as they apparently need 18 degrees night time temperatures to set fruit. For those that grow their pepinos in melbourne, when do you get fruit from the pepino?

I feed the plants with Nitrosol (has a higher potash content than nitrogen) NPK 12 - 2 - 14.

Cheers
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Time: 3rd September 2016 5:53pm

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Original Post was last edited: 3rd September 2016 5:59pm

About the Author Figbarron
FRANKSTON SOUTH,3199,VIC
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J says...
pepinos like hanging off ledges or a trellis. I find that my pepinos that hang off a ledge set fruit better than ones just crawling along the ground. I hope that helps.

Time: 7th September 2016 2:40pm

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About the Author J
upwey, victoria
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Figbarron says...
Thanks J. mine are crawling up a trellis. Do yours fruit all year round?

Time: 7th September 2016 5:15pm

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About the Author Figbarron
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J says...
No they dont but they GROW all year round so what started out as two or three small plants then turned into the great pepino invasion in sections of my garden. I've spent a few days this winter hacking the plants right back. The problem is you need to get to the pepino at exactly the right time as they are ripening and if you miss that timing, the bugs/birds get to them. So in theory I should of gotten lots of pepinos from my masses of pepino bushes, most of the time I'd get couple a season because by the time I had located the fruit in the huge pepino bushes, the bugs had gotten to them. Should have set up a trellis for them from the start!

Time: 8th September 2016 11:58am

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Figbarron says...
I have noticed that too. i had to prune them back many times but they are in a cut self watering barrel. Mine have started flowering again so hopefully they'll set fruit in time for Christmas as its getting warmer. I have uploaded a picture of my setup. I stuck 3 of them in there.
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Time: 11th September 2016 12:09am

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About the Author Figbarron
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Figbarron says...
Thought i'd just give an upate if anyone is having the same issue as i am. My pepino bushes have started flowering profusely again, i have hand pollinated some with a small soft paint brush and it seems that some may have took as we had a couple of warmish nights. The flowers that seem to have taken have shriveled up at the tip and the stems holding the pollinated flowers have thickened.

Those that did not take have/are falling off with their thin flower stems. I will update in a week or so to confirm that my observations were accurate.
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Time: 16th October 2016 2:39pm

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Original Post was last edited: 16th October 2016 2:40pm

About the Author Figbarron
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Figbarron says...
Hie all i just thought i would give an update to anyone who has a similar issue. My pepinos have now set fruit. It seems that they need warm night time temperature and some hand pollination if you don't have some winds or insects. Mine set fruit after some warm nights. Today i counted 27 fruit on one of them that i left in the barrel! (i removed the other two plants and planted them in the ground)

The one in the barrel has set fruit with most in clusters and here is a photo of my largest cluster of 5. Thank you all for the advice.
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Time: 15th November 2016 1:13pm

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About the Author Figbarron
FRANKSTON SOUTH,3199,VIC
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