Author Topic: Cherry of rio grande  (Read 4383 times)

FloridaFruits

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Cherry of rio grande
« on: April 24, 2018, 11:58:32 PM »
Excalibur has this cherry in a 3 gallon about 2 feet tall. How many years would I expect to wait for fruiting at this size ? I would pay more for a 7 gallon but all they have is a 3 gallon. 

achetadomestica

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2018, 01:05:38 AM »
Cherry of the rio grande is variable. I have a 8 foot tree that has produced fruit the past
3 years and I got it as a 3gal 6 years ago around 3'. I raised another tree from a  plug that has very different leaves and
it had flowers this year but didn't set and it is 3 years old. Hopefully next year? I would think 2-3 years
is a safe bet on a 3 gallon. What a delicious fruit!

FloridaFruits

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2018, 01:39:58 AM »
Cherry of the rio grande is variable. I have a 8 foot tree that has produced fruit the past
3 years and I got it as a 3gal 6 years ago around 3'. I raised another tree from a  plug that has very different leaves and
it had flowers this year but didn't set and it is 3 years old. Hopefully next year? I would think 2-3 years
is a safe bet on a 3 gallon. What a delicious fruit!

Thanks for the reply. From what you said I think I would be better off searching for a 7 gallon plant so the wait would be a little shorter .

zephian

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2018, 01:40:23 AM »
Cherry of the rio grande is variable. I have a 8 foot tree that has produced fruit the past
3 years and I got it as a 3gal 6 years ago around 3'. I raised another tree from a  plug that has very different leaves and
it had flowers this year but didn't set and it is 3 years old. Hopefully next year? I would think 2-3 years
is a safe bet on a 3 gallon. What a delicious fruit!
I'm bummed you ran out of seeds sir! Keep me in your thoughts! :D
-Kris

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2018, 12:52:28 PM »
I have two 8 footers that bloomed and set fruit for the first time this spring. Just a couple of fruits each.
The fruit was quite small... about the size of a pea.
Is the normal for a first fruiting?
Hopefully they will set larger fruit in the future.

kj


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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2018, 12:56:49 PM »
I have one, first planted in ground, growing normally, no fruits. Then I put it in a container, more growth and very healthy looking, still no fruits. Currently it's in a wine barrel size container, the plant itself is about 4.5 feet tall. It's probably at least 4 years old.

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2018, 01:27:37 PM »
I have a tree planted in the ground back in ‘07 . It took about 4-5 years before it flowered. Each year after its first flowering the amount of flowers increased. Fruit size seems to go hand in hand with how much water they receive. They are thirsty trees. Mine is flowering now. I usually get a second bloom towards the end of summer and a lighter crop. The sweetness increases if you leave the fruit on the tree until it changes from a shiny appearance to a very dark dull color about to fall off the tree. Birds do love to peck on the cherries too which can be a problem.

 William

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2018, 01:47:53 PM »
Picked up a Rio Cherry at the end of the summer, 17'. probably 3.5 - 4 feet tall.  it's in a 7 gallon pot, and is currently flowering and believe it is setting fruit. It gets lots of water.

Cookie Monster

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2018, 02:12:22 PM »
I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.
Jeff  :-)

KarenRei

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2018, 02:14:42 PM »
I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.

https://gardenoracle.com/images/eugenia-involucrata.html

"Soil: Well drained, high organic matter, pH 5.6-6.8 (acidic to slightly acidic). This plant is intolerant of alkaline soil and only slightly salt tolerant. "

I assume that this doesn't describe you?  Are you on limestone?
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

Cookie Monster

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2018, 03:33:55 PM »
The odd bit is that some (most) of them are in soil with ridiculous amounts of organic matter (black muck) and acidified via sulfur.

I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.

https://gardenoracle.com/images/eugenia-involucrata.html

"Soil: Well drained, high organic matter, pH 5.6-6.8 (acidic to slightly acidic). This plant is intolerant of alkaline soil and only slightly salt tolerant. "

I assume that this doesn't describe you?  Are you on limestone?
Jeff  :-)

KarenRei

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2018, 04:26:57 PM »
The odd bit is that some (most) of them are in soil with ridiculous amounts of organic matter (black muck) and acidified via sulfur.

I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.

https://gardenoracle.com/images/eugenia-involucrata.html

"Soil: Well drained, high organic matter, pH 5.6-6.8 (acidic to slightly acidic). This plant is intolerant of alkaline soil and only slightly salt tolerant. "

I assume that this doesn't describe you?  Are you on limestone?

When did you last have a soil analysis done?  Given how much we invest in our plants, soil tests are always worth the investment   :)
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

Cookie Monster

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2018, 04:38:26 PM »
I have a very accurate pH meter. Last soil analysis was a couple of years ago.

The odd bit is that some (most) of them are in soil with ridiculous amounts of organic matter (black muck) and acidified via sulfur.

I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.

https://gardenoracle.com/images/eugenia-involucrata.html

"Soil: Well drained, high organic matter, pH 5.6-6.8 (acidic to slightly acidic). This plant is intolerant of alkaline soil and only slightly salt tolerant. "

I assume that this doesn't describe you?  Are you on limestone?

When did you last have a soil analysis done?  Given how much we invest in our plants, soil tests are always worth the investment   :)
Jeff  :-)

KarenRei

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #13 on: April 26, 2018, 06:31:12 PM »
I have a very accurate pH meter. Last soil analysis was a couple of years ago.

The odd bit is that some (most) of them are in soil with ridiculous amounts of organic matter (black muck) and acidified via sulfur.

I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.

https://gardenoracle.com/images/eugenia-involucrata.html

"Soil: Well drained, high organic matter, pH 5.6-6.8 (acidic to slightly acidic). This plant is intolerant of alkaline soil and only slightly salt tolerant. "

I assume that this doesn't describe you?  Are you on limestone?

When did you last have a soil analysis done?  Given how much we invest in our plants, soil tests are always worth the investment   :)

Could be nutrients other than pH (e.g. excess sodium or chlorine, insufficient of particular micros or macros, etc).  But on the subject of pH meters, might I ask which one you have?  Because mine is terrible, and has caused me to kill plants by adjusting the pH in the wrong direction due to faulty readings  :Þ
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

Cookie Monster

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #14 on: April 26, 2018, 09:44:06 PM »
I think it's a nutrient issue indeed.

pH meter is EcoTestr pH2 -- always been within a point (tenth) or two of my soil samples but only seem to last a couple of years before the sensor goes bad.

Could be nutrients other than pH (e.g. excess sodium or chlorine, insufficient of particular micros or macros, etc).  But on the subject of pH meters, might I ask which one you have?  Because mine is terrible, and has caused me to kill plants by adjusting the pH in the wrong direction due to faulty readings  :Þ
« Last Edit: April 26, 2018, 09:47:11 PM by Cookie Monster »
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #15 on: April 27, 2018, 12:45:30 AM »
I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.
All eugenias except this one has fruited well for me here. I think it is too warm here for this plant. It is not a tropical. Could be your area is also too warm for it? Have other people in your area fruited it? Is Tamarac in deep southern part of Florida?
Oscar

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #16 on: April 27, 2018, 11:46:54 AM »
I don't know of anybody near me who have had success with fruit. We're zone 10B.

I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.
All eugenias except this one has fruited well for me here. I think it is too warm here for this plant. It is not a tropical. Could be your area is also too warm for it? Have other people in your area fruited it? Is Tamarac in deep southern part of Florida?
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #17 on: April 27, 2018, 12:18:49 PM »
I had my Cherry of the Rio Grande for three years on the ground, it flowered last year around this time but did not set fruit. It is now flowering and I'm hoping it sets at least one fruit. Last year, I planted a Grumichama plant next to it in the hopes that they will both help each other with cross pollination. Both are flowering now at the same time but I think that the Grumichama is still to young to set fruit.
The Cherry of the Rio Grande is a very slow grower, as far as I can see, but a very beautiful plant

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #18 on: April 27, 2018, 02:28:38 PM »
i put mine on a raised bed, but amended the soil
(lots of home-made compost + coffee grounds etc...)
and keep adding leaves, clippings etc...
it gets a ton load of mulch , green and browns.
and if it goes 5 or 6 days i water it.

when i got it, it seemed root-bound
and i noticed all the roots were surface - fine roots.
so i knew it would dry out easily and mulched very heavy.

also, i had given it some iron and epsom salts
and have a couple of nitrogen fixers underneath.

after giving it the iron/epsom it sprouted new growth and the leaves got dark green.

its growing fast, and looks healthy (fingers crossed)





I had one that was somewhere around 15 feet tall with a trunk bigger than my thigh (20+ years old). It flowered, but it never really produced (I ended up with perhaps 1/2 dozen fruit in a good year). And it suffered from random die back. I tore it out. My story was not unique in this area.

For me, eugenias (with the glaring exception of grumichama, which produces very well) haven''t been reliable producers. I think there is some nutrient lacking, perhaps including nitrogen? I haven't quite figured it out yet.

I also have a roughly 15 year old pitomba that stopped production (doesn't even flower anymore) about 4 or 5 years ago, despite growing quite well and despite previously producing fairly well.

I think the birds also raid the fruit.

https://gardenoracle.com/images/eugenia-involucrata.html

"Soil: Well drained, high organic matter, pH 5.6-6.8 (acidic to slightly acidic). This plant is intolerant of alkaline soil and only slightly salt tolerant. "

I assume that this doesn't describe you?  Are you on limestone?

roblack

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #19 on: May 02, 2018, 01:07:38 PM »
I believe this is fruit set =)

7 gallon pot, tree is probably 3.5 feet tall or so.


OCchris1

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #20 on: May 03, 2018, 01:48:55 AM »
I have one about 8ft in a 24" box. It's currently loaded with fruit and flowers- and to my surprise fruit flies! Damn. Is it possible to keep them away? I haven't had too much trouble with them except on a very ripe pineapple. Thank you for any advice. Chris
-Chris

WGphil

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Re: Cherry of rio grande
« Reply #21 on: May 03, 2018, 01:25:18 PM »
Cherry of the rio grand has been my fave Eugenia up until recently 

I have a cherry area in my yard with corg, grumachama, pitomba, Zill dark Suriname seedling, kona coffee, Barbados and Pitangatuba with all fruiting except the latter.

The pitomba has passed the Corg and the Zill Dark was sweetest by far.

Seedling I cut top from ten feet down to four.  Potassium and gypsum only and the flavor this year is wonderful.





« Last Edit: May 03, 2018, 04:47:34 PM by WGphil »