Cherimoya!

Our cherimoya is flowering!  That might not sound very exciting but it has never flowered before, and we planted it 7-8 years ago.  I suspect it may be because I dressed all the trees with potash last year.  We're waiting with bated breath to see if it has fruit or not.  This is uncertain because Cherimoya flowers are female when they first open, then male.  So I have been out in the evenings with a paintbrush, taking pollen from the well-open flowers and applying it to the just-opening flowers, and marking them to see if it works.  In South America, where it comes from, there is a wee beetle that crawls in and out of the flowers, but in NZ you have to do it yourself.  We'll see if it works...

Credit where credit is due: Thanks to Carolyn Armstrong for suggesting potash :)