Thanks for advice on Acerola

[AndrewAZ]

Last year at this time, I was asking for advice on how to make my acerola fruit palatable.  Even when almost black, it was as sweet as an unripe lemon.
Well, I did the amendments and the fruit this year was much, much better.  Had my first fruit tonight and it tasted like a semi sweet raspberry.  Very pleasant taste and I got my vitamin C boost for the day.

[shpaz]

What were those amendments?

[gnappi]

I've never known an Acerola to be anything but fairly bitter.

[Finca La Isla]

I’m interested in knowing what amendments were applied.
I e eaten lots of acerola and it’s never been bitter. Generally it’s sweet and good. I think that we have applied lime, seaweed, and rock phosphate at some point or another.
Peter

[AndrewAZ]

I'm having a mind fart right now, but, it is the white powdery stuff in dry wall.
I have heard mixed things on acerola, so I will take a pleasant raspberry flavor.  But, it was so sour.  And not a pleasant sour.  Very, very bitter.  So, a big improvement!

[shpaz]

Do you mean Gypsum, the hydrated form of calcium sulfate?

If so why? Gypsum wont lower PH and Arizona soils are already full of calcium (and are high in PH).

This is very interesting.

[AndrewAZ]

Yes, it was gypsum.  Well, my problem may be that I planted it in a raised bed that was built with my townhouse back in 1985.  I am not sure what the soil is, but it is not the native AZ heavy clay.  It is very light and airy.
But something surely worked as the fruit was inedible to now pleasantly palatable.  Maybe the age of the tree has something to do with it?

[shpaz]

oh okay! thanks for the tip!

[gnappi]

How old was your bush? Mine was 8, very hardy and in pretty good sandy / loamy soil with regular care and fertilizer. The only thing that made them palatable was sugar. I ultimately pulled it because passersby took most of the fruit leaving only runts for me.

[AndrewAZ]

Probably 1 or 2 years old when I bought it and been in ground 4 years.  I was really itching to yank it, but, it grows really well in the desert and I can live with a raspberry like flavor.

[WGphil]

Loaded with vitamin C the green fruit are higher in C than ripe fruit

Making it sweeter isn’ for everyone