Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
Hello, YouTube! 🌵🌴🌳🪴🌿🍀
It’s been a busy few weeks with life, work, the tropical fruit trees, and dragon fruit plants. Since Thursday September 12th, I’ve had 100 dragon fruit flowers bloom. There were many first-timers, and I even got my second pink-flowered dragon fruit. Although it’s still hot in Central Texas, there might be another small round of dragon fruits for next month.
I hope to release some short videos of some highlights. There will be an update of Tammy the Tamarind and her siblings and the Sugar Apple trees.
Stay tuned for the What’s Growing updates for August and September. There are so many things I want to share with ya’ll! 🥰🎉
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My plant baby is having babies! 😁🎉😘🌴🍑
My eight-year-old loquat from seed has a handful of fruit on it. This is a total shock because I thought the Arctic blast in mid-January killed the bloom. Usually, hard freezes kill the bloom and developing fruit. I gave up on growing loquats and eventually bought another tree to grow in a container.
In late March, I noticed a few fruits sporadically on the tree. They’re not ready right now, but there are so few of them, so I want to protect them from birds and insects until they’re ripe. Then, I’ll germinate the seeds and hopefully get some second-generation plants!
Yesterday, I went to some public-access loquat trees. I’ve visited these trees for years and collected ripe fruit in the spring Loquat season. Some of those had a few fruit clusters, especially up top. One tree was loaded with fruit!
There are other fruit trees in Austin that I need to check. But I’m happy to see loquats returning to Austin because they thrive in Houston, San Antonio (in some areas), and South Texas. This is the most fruit I’ve seen since the 2020 season, but it’s not at the level of that year.
I love seasonal fruit trees! I can’t wait to plant my collected seeds and grow more loquat trees!
#loquat #loquats #loquatseason #loquattrees #loquattree #loquatfruit #loquatseed #loquatseeds #loquatseedlings #loquatseedling #loquatfruits #loquatlife #exoticfruit #exoticfruits #tropicalfruit #tropicalfruits #fruittree #fruittrees #fruittreesinmybackyard #springfruit #centraltexasgarden #loquatblossoms #eriobotryajaponica #eriobotrya #loquatseason #growingfruittrees #growingfruittreesfromseed #texasfreeze #centraltexasgardener #shamrockgirlworld
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I’ve been waiting for this moment since August 2017! 🥹🌕🌖🌗🌑🌓🌒🌓🌕
A big chunk of Texas experienced a Total Solar Eclipse today, April 8th, 2024, crossing many major cities and central Texas. I've known about this for seven years, and it finally happened.
I went up to Belton to see the eclipse. Austin saw about 1 minute and 40 seconds of totality, while Belton saw 3 minutes and 53 seconds.
Central Texas had clouds forecasted around totality, and it was still cloudy this morning. But we had moments when the sun would peak behind them. Because of the clouds, I couldn't do a time lapse with what I had, but I had enough eclipse glasses and filters for my devices. Pretty soon, we saw the moon covering bits of the sun.
As the eclipse continued past 50% coverage, I noticed the sunlight was getting less intense. It wasn’t getting dark, per se, but it wasn’t as bright. The sun became crescent-shaped!
Before totality began, I played ‘One Light Shining’ by Ruth Moody. I heard this song when I watched the 2017 eclipse and thought it was appropriate for a moment like this.
Little did I know when the song climaxed, totality occurred in the sky! I’ve always envisioned that happening, and it did!
Seeing the eclipse circle with a solar flare at the bottom was breathtaking. To be honest, I got emotional. For the darkness at 1:39 pm, the sights in the sky, and the song in my ear. Even with the light clouds, it was so beautiful.
It was so dark that the nighttime and solar-powered lights of the houses came on. It looked like evening, and to the south, we could see the orange hue of the shadow’s end. I saw the totality end, and the sun got brighter in the sky.
Unfortunately, I only saw about 50% of the ending coverage before the thick clouds stayed in the sky. Thunderstorms were forming in the south, and we had to get home. But I'm so thankful to see this special event.
The next continental United States Solar eclipse is in 2044; a larger one is in 2045. The next Central Texas Solar Eclipse won’t be for another 300 years!
This was a memorable experience that was worth the wait. I can't wait to experience it again in the world!
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Texas will experience a Total Solar Eclipse in one week! 🎉☀️🌑😁
On April 8th, many parts of Texas will be in the path of totality for a solar eclipse. Cities such as Del Rio, Eagle Pass, eastern San Antonio and Austin, Waco, and Dallas will see darkness in the afternoon!
Since I live in central Texas, we’ll get about 1:44 minutes of totality. But I’m going to an area where we’ll see closer to 4 minutes!
The last time I saw a partial solar eclipse was in August 2017. We saw about 60% of the totality, creating a crescent shape over the sun! In October 2023, parts of Texas saw the Annular Total Eclipse or the ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse. I was out of state when that happened. A city called Kerrville will be in the path of both eclipses, and NASA and other weather stations will be there!
I hope to document as much of this eclipse as I can. I've been waiting for this for seven years, and I can't wait to finally experience this event!
Are you in the path of the totality of the eclipse? If so, what are your plans for this once-in-a-lifetime event?
(Photo Credits: KXAN News)
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It's finally March which means it's St. Patrick's Day season! This month, I'll be releasing An Irish Dance-Tune a Day!
When I’m not growing exotic fruit trees and dragon fruits, I play traditional Irish music and do Sean Nós or ‘Old Style’ Irish Dance. Throughout March, I’ll post videos of me playing Irish tunes on the fiddle and viola and dancing over the years.
I hope ya'll will enjoy them!
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I saw wild South Texas cacti! 🌵🌵🌵
In late January, work brought me to the South Texas Rio Grande Valley (RGV) where I love to visit for the native plants and cacti. I must explore the nurseries and natural parks.
I visited the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World Birding Center during my trip. I knew the area had various native cacti and was dying to see it. It was so cool to see the mighty Peruvian Apple Cactus (PAC), the native Triangle Cactus (Acanthocereus Tetragonus), and the gorgeous Harrisia Bonplandii (HB) growing naturally!
I also spotted four snakes basking in the afternoon sun in the pond. I couldn’t tell what they were (likely Cottonmouths), but seeing them was cool! (I love snakes, btw! Lol).
I’ve bought my oldest HB from a nursery in the valley 2.5 years ago. It’s one of my favorite cacti; seeing it grow wildly was amazing. PACs also grow like trees in the valley, and it was interesting to see their different shapes.
I had a Triangle Cactus a few years ago, thinking it was a dragon fruit. But it’s a night-blooming cereus like a dragon fruit. I didn’t love it because of its long spines (I don’t collect long-spined cacti). It produced a flower, but I didn’t see it open. I left the plant out during a freeze because I didn’t want it anymore.
I want to collect it again since it’s very similar to Harrisias and other NBCs. It’s also used as grafting rootstock. I have a small plant at home that's slowly growing (since being injured in Dec 2022). I hope to grow it with poke protection.
The birding center and the adjoining Edinburg Municipal Park are my new favorite spots for the RGV. I can’t wait to visit it again, which will be pretty soon!
#nightbloomingcereus #peruvianapplecactus #cacti
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An Arctic Blast is coming to Texas! ❄️🥶🏠🏠
It’s happening again. A large arctic air mass is coming to Texas by next Sunday night (1/14). We’re expecting near-freezing highs to mid-teens lows on Monday and Tuesday. I must protect my tropical fruit trees and cacti in the 10x20 and 6x6 foot greenhouses (GHs).
Based on the current GH heat graphs, the GHs may be around 40 degrees (4C) during the day (if it’s not sunny) to near or below freezing (0C) at night. This is highly dangerous for both of them, for most of my plants will die from freezes.
My 10x20 GH will have a propane heater inside it. The 6x6 will have a small electric heater and additional candles around metal fixtures for heat. We’re draping freeze blankets on both due to the risk of precipitation.
I also plan on protecting my outdoor container fruit trees. They go dormant, but I’m afraid that the arctic cold may kill them. As for my in-ground loquat tree, I guess we’re not having loquats this year. We haven’t had loquats in the area since spring 2020 due to the constant severe freeze events.
The last time something this strong happened was around late December 2022. The greenhouses were primarily safe during that frigid and windy event. But I lost some seedlings, and some dragon fruits were injured from the freeze because of high winds blowing under the greenhouse door.
These are the moments I fear during the winter. But I’m more prepared than ever due to the introduction of propane devices. We have had power outage risks and blown fuses before. We’re also preparing for next winter, such as repositioning the large GH.
I have time to prepare for this. But it’ll be all-hand-on-deck to protect my fruit trees! 💪🏽😏
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Does anyone know what these seeds are? 🌰🤔
I’m finalizing a video that has been in the works for over three years. I’ve grown many fruit trees from seeds over the years, but this tree has provided many surprises over the years. It has grown very well in Texas, and it matured faster than any fruit tree I’ve had!
Stay tuned for my newest video in the ‘How to Grow From Seeds’ series. I’ll release it soon!
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Well, March is a severe weather season in Central Texas. Today, 3/02/23, at around 8 pm, we’re getting our first severe thunderstorm. In the past 24 hrs, there have been reports of high winds and damaging hail.
My plants are safe in their greenhouses. But it’s also the time for them to come out. The greenhouses are in the upper 90s most days, and it’s supposed to get warmer. I’ll start kicking plants out in stages. The last to come out tend to be the dragon fruits because of hail risks.
The online store for dragon fruit cuttings is still in the works. I anticipate it opening in early April, depending on the weather and if I can kick my plants out of the greenhouse. There’s a good number of cuttings available, so I’m excited to launch the store! My dragon fruits are due for a pruning session, so there will be more to come! 🎉
I’ll make announcements on the channel when it’s live.
For now, March is a watch-and-wait game. The weather could be good and warm, or it can be full of hail and tornado risks, like last year. But this first storm is a reminder of the rocky Texas spring weather.
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🎉I have some exciting news! 🎉
Two of my dragon fruit varieties are budding! 🎊🌵🌵🎊
On Friday, 5/27/22, I noticed some new growths on my Edgar’s Baby and Zamorano dragon fruit plants I’ve had for about a year. These are my first ever dragon fruit buds, and I’m excited to see them grow over a few days.
Note: These are NOT my seed-started (Ecuador Palora) dragon fruits featured in many of my videos. If they’re going to bloom at the four-year mark, I haven’t seen any signs yet. But I’m giving those plants the same fertilizer treatment. The growing season has just begun in my area.
Be on the lookout for YT Shorts and an update video about these blooms. I’ll update more often on my Instagram and Facebook pages.
Fingers crossed that they bloom at the same time and develop fruit! I’ll need to cross-pollinate these varieties, which might happen by the end of June.
I can’t wait to grow dragon fruits in Texas Zone 8b! 😁🎉🤞🍀
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ShamrockgirlWorld is a channel dedicated to education about tropical and exotic fruits and trees of the world!
Subscribe to my channel to learn more about:
- Exotic and Tropical Fruit Reviews
- How to Grow Exotic Fruits from Seeds
- Country Update videos, where I document the growth of my various exotic fruit trees and seedlings
- Raising Backyard Chickens
- The occasional Irish Craic ('Fun')
- Gardening, Outdoor Crafts, and more!
Follow my Instagram and Facebook pages for the latest news and photos of my fruit trees:
IG: www.instagram.com/shamrockgirlworld/
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Location: Texas, United States (US Hardiness Zone 8b)
🍀🎻🐓🌱⚒😊