Is there a trick to producing good quality starfruit? Mine stink.

[chrobrego]

My Kary and Fwang Tung trees produced very small and 'hard' fruit this year. The Kary fruit looks fibrous and not juicy. The appearance of the skin is very dark opaque too (not anthracnose though) -- not the clear golden orange that I'm used to. What could be wrong?  Is there a trick to producing big beautiful looking fruit?

[eduardo_98]

Lots of water

[pineislander]

It might help to show a picture of the tree. They can have nutritional issues which might be clearer if seen. One photo far back, one a little closer, one of the fruit and one closeup showing any imperfections you might detect on the leaves.

[lebmung]

My Kary and Fwang Tung trees produced very small and 'hard' fruit this year. The Kary fruit looks fibrous and not juicy. The appearance of the skin is very dark opaque too (not anthracnose though) -- not the clear golden orange that I'm used to. What could be wrong?  Is there a trick to producing big beautiful looking fruit?

too cold they get red

[IndigoEmu]

I’ve had similar issues with my kary this year; most the fruit looked pretty unclean and not waxy smooth. Many split, some got big but dropped before half way ripened, and others got further along but had a dark orange interior that tasted musky and only slightly sweet. I’m pretty sure calcium is an issue on my sandy soil but I’ve not found a good source of bulk gypsum close by.

[gnappi]

My Kari was nearly a zero this summer but generally its fruit is easily as good as my Kajang. Right now it exploded in blooms but I never found it go into stress without water... its always rained enough. Any water it gets from the well is more of a twice monthly drench from the sprinklers... I have no grass.

[achetadomestica]

How large are the trees?
My tree is small and the first couple of crops the fruit has been small
and hard? I know where 3 different established trees are growing and they never get
water/fertilized and they produce regularly large good fruit?

[roblack]

Kari produces like a beast for me, a few times per year. Covered in flowers and a few fruit at different stages as I type this. The fruit is good as far as starfruit go. Crisp, refreshing, and mildly sweet. Variety of sizes, even get some large ones.

Tree is in ground. Fertilize it a couple times per year, that's it.

Don't think it has ever been pruned, and it has formed a nice canopy of drooping top branches. Beautiful tree, even the bark is eye pleasing.

One thing that might be helping my tree is the solid limestone plate it is planted upon. Has to be getting plenty of calcium and carbonate.  Seems fine with the higher ph too.