Vexator -- 8 years to fruit. Is this common?

[FlyingFoxFruits]

if you have sabara fruit, take a pic of your fruit side by side...if your vexators are the same color I will be surprised.

sabara is black (almost).

I always like to show people pics of rare jaboticabas next to sabara fruits, because you can really notice the difference when they are side by side.

the red jabo really looks more red....the grimal looks almost purple with a peach fuzz...etc...

I wonder if I'm picking them later than u? The skin is jet black, but there is a whitish / powdery sheen that causes it to cast a dark navy blue in certain light.

I really need to post pictures of the frewt, but I still use one of the old flip-phone dumb phones and it's a pain in the beehive to upload stuff from the camera :-).

PS -- After thinking about it, I think what made the difference is that last year I picked the fruit while they were under-ripe (still had some of the reddish / purplish color). This year my wife is picking them totally black. They can hang for quite some time, and the wildlife doesn't seem to bother it much. So to get the awesome super sweet / low tannin flavor, one would probably want to wait til they are totally black.

to be honest they never turn black, hence the name blue jabo..its like a deep navy blue/purple..

but the best way to check if fruits are ripe is to squeeze them....they should be some what rubbery, not firm...almost like a under inflated basket ball.

[bsbullie]

Sabara also has a glossy finish to the skin while Vexator is a dull or matte finish with a bloom.

[gnappi]

I have 3 vexators,  almost 2 years old, 1 feet tall and cant wait to taste them :S

I have one about the same age/size as yours. I feed and water it a probably more than it needs hoping it will take off... we will see in a few (maybe more) years :-)

[FrankDrebinOfFruits]

What PH does the vexator prefer?  I have one growing for a year or more and its just stagnant. I think its the soil ph.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

What PH does the vexator prefer?  I have one growing for a year or more and its just stagnant. I think its the soil ph.

seems to be tolerant of a wide rang of pH.

grows well acid sand and lime rock here in FL.

[siafu]

 Hi,

 Mine is around 8 years old from seed and put its first flowers last Autumn. Sadly, it set no fruits.
 Do I need a second plant?

 In my experience, it does not like alkaline conditions/hard water, especially when young.
 Mine flushes beautiful glossy green leaves with the first Autumn rains.
 

[Cookie Monster]

Mine did that too. Didn't start setting fruit until after the first couple of blooms.

 Hi,

 Mine is around 8 years old from seed and put its first flowers last Autumn. Sadly, it set no fruits.
 Do I need a second plant?

 In my experience, it does not like alkaline conditions/hard water, especially when young.
 Mine flushes beautiful glossy green leaves with the first Autumn rains.

[Bush2Beach]

Is this branchy beast one that would benefit from a hair cut as well?

[Cookie Monster]

We're down to the last 2 vexator fruits, so I figured it was time to get off the lazy bum and take a picture :-). Mine are nearly pitch black. (Photo against solid black keyboard for reference.) The powdery sheen gives it a greyish cast.) It's at this stage that they are absolutely delectable. I've been eating both fresh vexator and fresh jabo, and the wife and I believe the vexator to be the superior flavored fruit. But only one of my two vexes is this good. The other is sour. This one has very low acidity.

[gunnar429]

Adam Monster was right. These vexator are delicious! I finally got my first bumper crop of these babies -- hundreds of fruits -- and I've been scarfing them down like peanuts. They actually rival our regular jaboticaba in terms of flavor -- super sweet with a perfect tart. My wife says that it tastes like the higher quality spanish limes (she has a lot more experience eating spanish lime than me).

For some reason the tannin flavor has been barely perceptible this time around.

I'm with Adam -- the vexator rawks !! Tolerant of high ph soil, not water hungry like the jabo, strong rootsystem. And delicious fruit!

I agree, I think they are quite good just with a thicker skin.  Many I have let try like them but some do not.  I have seen where heavier watering increases the sixe, like with Sabara.

I tried twice, but can't get over the tannins.  Maybe I would like them if they were processed first, then cleaned and chilled...or maybe I just don't like them...might try them 1 more time.

[Cookie Monster]

It's very possible that you (like me) tried them before they were fully ripe. I was the same way, but this year, I finally (accidentally -- laziness involved) let them fully ripen. Tannin flavor is nearly undetectable. I had previously viewed the vexator as an "ornamental that fruits." But, now I see them as a great fruit whose tree has ornamental value, and I'm planning on planting out more :-).

Adam Monster was right. These vexator are delicious! I finally got my first bumper crop of these babies -- hundreds of fruits -- and I've been scarfing them down like peanuts. They actually rival our regular jaboticaba in terms of flavor -- super sweet with a perfect tart. My wife says that it tastes like the higher quality spanish limes (she has a lot more experience eating spanish lime than me).

For some reason the tannin flavor has been barely perceptible this time around.

I'm with Adam -- the vexator rawks !! Tolerant of high ph soil, not water hungry like the jabo, strong rootsystem. And delicious fruit!

I agree, I think they are quite good just with a thicker skin.  Many I have let try like them but some do not.  I have seen where heavier watering increases the sixe, like with Sabara.

I tried twice, but can't get over the tannins.  Maybe I would like them if they were processed first, then cleaned and chilled...or maybe I just don't like them...might try them 1 more time.

[arvind]

Very thanks for the new report, Cookie, I was worried about the 2013 report, now I have 3 vexators,  almost 2 years old, 1 feet tall and cant wait to taste them :S

I hope fruit fly will not be a problem as they dont do any damage on spring time here

No way a fruit fly can penetrate the cardboard thick skin of vexator!

birds don't even get them...

only rats and racoons it seems...

another added advantage of super thick skin!

(thinner skinned jabos can be susceptible to fruit flies, like aureana, red jabo, trunciflora, etc...)

Are there any ways to protect jabo fruits from fruit flies.I had a red jabo seedling more than two months of age.How can i protect it when it is fruiting?My area is infested with fruit flies and i have to bag my sappodillas