Anyone have any advice on growing star fruit?? I live in Phoenix, so it's obviously a hot, dry climate... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated... I know of people who grow them here, but don't know any particulars (ie. soil, water, exposure, cold tolerance, etc.)...
Brittany
Star Fruit
I visited Going Bananas in Homestead Fl. in December. I want one but believe 8b temperature is bad. I talked to one of vendors in Dave's, She said they will not produce fruit when grown in pot so that may let me out. Their price is 35 ea. but they only ship 2 at a time so with freight came to 100 to Austin Tx. They begin shipping in March. Company was Pine Island Nursery in Miami. I guess if they are being grown locally you won't have to do mail order.
So, is 8b too cool or too warm??
Brittany
I'm sure the problem with 8b is it's too cold--star fruit is a tropical fruit. Plus the zone numbers are based only on coldest winter temps and have nothing to do with summer temperatures, in some places zone 8b is very hot in the summer and in other places like the Pacific Northwest it's not.
I'm guessing your biggest problem with them will be lack of rain and lack of humidity. Here's a link that talks about them--it says hardy to zone 10a but Plant Files lists them to zone 9 so you may want to do a bit of googling to figure out who's correct.
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/star_fruit.htm
And here's another link from a site based in southern CA--they don't mention zones specifically but say that it doesn't like frost, and they mention mature trees surviving short periods with temps of 27 degrees which I believe would put it as zone 9b, but young trees can only survive to 32 degrees so you'll probably need to protect it for a few years.
http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/Agriculture265/Star_Fruit.htm
Thanks, that helps a lot... keeping my fingers crossed....
Brittany
Hi, I don't know if I can help but I have a thriving starfruit, it's one of the best performers of our tropical trees. I live in north Queensland Australia, we don't have traditional seasons, just a wet and dry season, the dry season is very dry (may-nov) temps rarely get below around 15 degrees celcius, with the wet season being very humid and hot both day and night. We go from dry cracked ground in the dry to colvets flowing like rivers in the wet. All our trees get a seaweed extract every couple of months and an occasional sprinkling of blood and bone, we mulch with hay but otherwise leave good enough alone. The starfruit come on at the beginning of the wet season and are just starting to ripen now.I'm not familiar with your climate but if it's anything like mine you should be fine, taking note the fruit develop in the wet season when it's hot and very humid.Hope any of this info helps.
There are three main things to remember about starfruit:
1) They need lots of water. They're almost like a vegetable in that they have a tremendous water requirement for good growth. I purchased two trees a year ago of the same cultivar from the same dealer, one of which I kept and the other of which I gave to my girlfriend. I watered mine every day for the first six months and every other day afterwards; my girlfriend, on the other hand, is lazy and lets mother nature give her tree all of its water. My tree is literally twice as big as hers and is currently bearing its second crop, while her tree just flowered for the first time only a couple of weeks ago.
2) They prefer acid soils - in alkaline soils like the ones we have here in Miami, they tend to develop micronutrient deficiencies (particularly in iron). Make sure you have a good amount of mulch and organic material breaking down consistently to maintain a healthy level of soil acidity (ph 5-6.5). If you notice a nutrient deficiency, you can correct the problem with a micronutrient spray since starfruit respond well to foliar sprays.
3) They don't like the cold. As temperatures approach freezing, they tend to defoliate. Mature trees can stand a few hours of freezing weather, but not much more than that. If your area is prone to prolonged cold temperatures, the starfruit will need to be protected for the duration of the cold front.
Good luck with your starfruit!
Thanks, eldys, your tips will help with the in-ground carambola I just planted in the GH.
I have grown starfruit successfully in Zone 9B north of Orlando. Once it hit 4 years of age it began to bear huge clusters of fruit. Once established it seems to have some cold hardiness, thou I would alwys plant one in a protected area, not like out in an open yard or field. I moved recently to a nearby town and miss my tree. The new owners get what's left. LOL I will plant another soon, though...
This message was edited Jan 19, 2007 10:31 PM
Thank you everyone... now I just need to locate one... thanks for all the terrific advice :)
Brittany
Is it really true it won't EVER bear fruit in container?
I live in Romania so there is no way it'd be outside.
Would like to try one from seeds... nothing to lose there....except time.
CALIN
Most will fruit in containers...including starfruit. You just need to go the extra mile on care and conditions.
I have seen fruit on potted starfruit plants in 5 gallon container i think when they get root bound the try to to move locations via seed hence fruit
I found mine on ebay :D
I have a starfruit tree in a rather small pot and it has fruit on it. I have had it a couple of years. Maybe I am just lucky.
Linda