Author Topic: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?  (Read 1682 times)

barath

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Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« on: July 12, 2020, 02:42:55 AM »
My starfruit trees love to produce flowers but never seem to set.  I grafted them years ago to Kari and Sri Kembangan but they never set.  They're in relatively large containers (probably 30 gallon) and grow nicely and flower nicely but never set fruit.  I've tried giving them various nutrients, including withholding nitrogen, but it hasn't worked.  I've also crudely tried to hand pollinate, but that hasn't gotten them to set.

Is there a trick to getting them to fruit?  A time of day to pollinate?  What stage of flower should I pollinate at, if any?

I know usually people don't hand pollinate, so I'm wondering what might be wrong here.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2020, 02:48:51 AM by barath »

pinkturtle

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2020, 03:00:11 AM »
I don't know which variety I had, I brought it from the nursery next me.  It happened to me before.  The first two years flowers only, no fruit.  It started bear fruit in the third year of flowering.

palingkecil

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2020, 11:47:23 AM »
I have a Sri Kembangan for 4 years.
The first year it had so many flowers, even set some small fruitlets, but all dropped.
Second year it flowers like crazy again, but only held one fruit to maturity.
On the third year it held about 7 fruits. It was in a 20 gallon pot, I just moved it to the ground this year.
I notice the pollinator is usually smaller bees and wasps.
It also hold more fruits when I reduce the water.
It blooms twice a year, but only holds fruit from fall through winter for me.

barath

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2020, 12:56:28 PM »
Ah, great.  Thanks -- so I guess I need to wait more.  They've been flowering for a couple of years at this point, so I hope they'll start holding fruit soon.

bsbullie

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2020, 02:53:09 PM »
I have witnessed (and picked) fruit of all varieties grown in 3 gall pots at nurseries.  They routinely flower, set and hold fruit to maturity on small trees (3-4+ feet) in 3 gallon pots.
- Rob

barath

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2020, 03:00:21 PM »
I wonder if it's a California humidity issue then...

palingkecil

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2020, 07:37:06 PM »
Delete
« Last Edit: July 12, 2020, 07:39:11 PM by palingkecil »

palingkecil

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2020, 07:39:26 PM »
I wonder if it's a California humidity issue then...

I believe so. In my home country, which is super humid, starfruit bear fruit all year long. Same with mango and papaya .

barath

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2020, 07:14:00 PM »
Just an update: it turned out the problem was just not having bees.  Once the bees found the tree, maybe a couple weeks after I originally posted, they were there every day for a few weeks.  And sure enough, I got great fruit set.

shaneatwell

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2020, 04:10:20 PM »
Mine has flowered 3 years in a row and i only got fruit last year when i threw a bunch of rotting citrus under it to attract flies. Got lazy this year and no fruit set.
Shane

saltyreefer

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Re: Starfruit pollination -- hand pollination required?
« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2020, 07:18:36 PM »
I have a 5-6 foot Kari, been in the ground about 8 months. It bloomed a not long after I planted it and had small fruits which the tree dropped. Now its blooming again this summer, 3 months after the first bloom. Is it normal for them to bloom twice a year?