Best cherry for south Florida

[FRUITBOXHERO]

Looking to get a cherry tree not sure what is the best tasting and largest fruit... Barbados Cherry, Cherry the Rio Grande... Or something totally different...
Thanks in advance for all your input

[bsbullie]

Barbados, Surinam and Pitangituba are the best of the bunch.  Barbados might be the best choice in terms of production as you can get fruit on and off almost year round.  Surinam and Pitangituba are more seasonal but very good quality.  Cherry of the Rio Grande has dieback issues and i would avoid.  Grumichama is not worth growing at all, IMO.

[FRUITBOXHERO]

So is the Pitangatuba the "Starcherry" ? And is that as good taste wise as the Barbados cherry? I love the Barbados it has a real cherry like component to it...
And rob where do I get a Pitangatuba of good quality?

[gunnar429]

So is the Pitangatuba the "Starcherry" ? And is that as good taste wise as the Barbados cherry? I love the Barbados it has a real cherry like component to it...
And rob where do I get a Pitangatuba of good quality?

Here in the States, Adam is your man.  He will have specific varieties available in teh future.  I have a small plant that is less than 2 ft tall that has 2 fruits on it atm.

[bsbullie]

So is the Pitangatuba the "Starcherry" ? And is that as good taste wise as the Barbados cherry? I love the Barbados it has a real cherry like component to it...
And rob where do I get a Pitangatuba of good quality?

Here in the States, Adam is your man.  He will have specific varieties available in teh future.  I have a small plant that is less than 2 ft tall that has 2 fruits on it atm.

Not sure I would say different varieties but instead plants with potentisl different characteristics.   Dont think enough monitoring and samplings/testings have been done to proclaim them as varieties.   Just my 2 Susan B Anthonys on the situation. ..

[bsbullie]

So is the Pitangatuba the "Starcherry" ? And is that as good taste wise as the Barbados cherry? I love the Barbados it has a real cherry like component to it...
And rob where do I get a Pitangatuba of good quality?

Yes, Adam is the source.  I will send you a text.

[TheDom]

I'm curious why you say grumichama isn't worth growing Rob, yet surinam cherry is. The few grumichama I've had have been far better than any surinam cherry I've tried yet, including one of the better dark varieties. I'm with you on pitangatuba, really nice fruit if you like sour, though I wouldn't call it a cherry.

[gnappi]

Hmmm... I have grumichama and eat all I can of them and would not touch a surinam with  10 foot pole.

[gunnar429]

Of all these "cherries," I find barbados cherry/acerola to be the blandest, though Rob has said that they can be quite good so maybe I just need to try more.  I have gone from surinam hater to surinam craver in less than 2 years--lol.

[bsbullie]

I'm curious why you say grumichama isn't worth growing Rob, yet surinam cherry is. The few grumichama I've had have been far better than any surinam cherry I've tried yet, including one of the better dark varieties. I'm with you on pitangatuba, really nice fruit if you like sour, though I wouldn't call it a cherry.

I dont know why but just not a dan of the grumichama.  I guess I have to get you some good surinams...then again, tasyes are very subjective so it may be you just dont like them.

I know some will disagree but I would group the Pitangatuba in the "cherry group"

[JF]

Imo, capulin  is much better than all those

[bsbullie]

Imo, capulin  is much better than all those

Dont know how it would do here.  I have my doubts it would do well but I could be proven wrong.  I think it may need to be grown at some elevation to thrive and produce well.  We also may be too much on the sub tropical /tropical side here in South Florida.

[Pan Dulce]

The difference in people's palates?

 I agree with gnappi.... I have had numerous cultivars of all the ones discussed above and grumichama smokes them all quite easily

[strkpr00]

gruminchama is a nice looking tree or tall bush, it has a very short season, worm issues and to me the skin has a strong resinous taste . Barbados on the other hand gives fruit multiple times a year, they get stinkbug activity making the skin imperfect, to me it is only drawback in my yard.

[skhan]

What about rain forest plum? Its a Eugenia so so cherry-ish

[gunnar429]

Imo, capulin  is much better than all those

Dont know how it would do here.  I have my doubts it would do well but I could be proven wrong.  I think it may need to be grown at some elevation to thrive and produce well.  We also may be too much on the sub tropical /tropical side here in South Florida.

I am mulling over the idea of planting one at work just to see what happens.  I suspect it won't be a fan of our humidity, but maybe I will be wrong.

[JF]

This is a fast growing tree under 10 years. Kept at 15 -20' taste tart sweet flavor much better than any Surinam I've tasted. No resin after taste zero chill hours. Ripens late July  in our 10b zone it should grow fine in Miami

[nullzero]

I agree with JF, capulin cherry has a great taste. Even my friends tree which was resinous before being fully ripe had a great flavor. The only problem is the seed to flesh ratio was not the greatest on his tree, like 50/50 flesh and pit or 60/40. If there is a good selection of capulin cherry, I would definitely plant it out.

[bsbullie]

Frank - as we know with the moyas, your climate is different enough to cause some plants to thrive and fruit when it wont here.

[cbss_daviefl]

I have no experience with capulin.  For what it is worth, it is in Florida's Best Fruiting Plants by Charles Boning and he recommends it in the bottom half of Florida.

[venturabananas]

Glad to know there are some good capulins. I had one and the fruit were terrible. I'm sure it was grown from a seedling, not grafted, so I guess there must be lots of variation among seedlings.

[bsbullie]

I have no experience with capulin.  For what it is worth, it is in Florida's Best Fruiting Plants by Charles Boning and he recommends it in the bottom half of Florida.

That means it was at Excalibur. 

[FlyingFoxFruits]

So is the Pitangatuba the "Starcherry" ? And is that as good taste wise as the Barbados cherry? I love the Barbados it has a real cherry like component to it...
And rob where do I get a Pitangatuba of good quality?

Here in the States, Adam is your man.  He will have specific varieties available in teh future.  I have a small plant that is less than 2 ft tall that has 2 fruits on it atm.

Not sure I would say different varieties but instead plants with potentisl different characteristics.   Dont think enough monitoring and samplings/testings have been done to proclaim them as varieties.   Just my 2 Susan B Anthonys on the situation. ..

I most certainly will proclaim them as varieties.

And there are at least 2 or 3 worth propagating...(the species shows amazing variation)

First to be released is "Lemon head"...it makes a smaller, more pale fruit, that doesn't have pronounced ridges...(unlike all the common types that are costate like a pitanga)

When they are perfectly ripe, they remind me of a lemon head candy...sour / sweet delicious....tasting different that the other trees I have for sure.

Then there is an elongated type, and also a tree that makes huge fruits (as seen in my hand on my eBay listing for starcherry seedlings)

And then there is my favorite tree...it may never be released...I'm thinking to only sell its fruit...its firmer than all the rest, and can be eaten early, and it's noticeably sweeter than the others.

[FRUITBOXHERO]

So is the Pitangatuba the "Starcherry" ? And is that as good taste wise as the Barbados cherry? I love the Barbados it has a real cherry like component to it...
And rob where do I get a Pitangatuba of good quality?

Here in the States, Adam is your man.  He will have specific varieties available in teh future.  I have a small plant that is less than 2 ft tall that has 2 fruits on it atm.

Not sure I would say different varieties but instead plants with potentisl different characteristics.   Dont think enough monitoring and samplings/testings have been done to proclaim them as varieties.   Just my 2 Susan B Anthonys on the situation. ..

I most certainly will proclaim them as varieties.

And there are at least 2 or 3 worth propagating...(the species shows amazing variation)

First to be released is "Lemon head"...it makes a smaller, more pale fruit, that doesn't have pronounced ridges...(unlike all the common types that are costate like a pitanga)

When they are perfectly ripe, they remind me of a lemon head candy...sour / sweet delicious....tasting different that the other trees I have for sure.

Then there is an elongated type, and also a tree that makes huge fruits (as seen in my hand on my eBay listing for starcherry seedlings)

And then there is my favorite tree...it may never be released...I'm thinking to only sell its fruit...its firmer than all the rest, and can be eaten early, and it's noticeably sweeter than the others.
So ADAM why would not sell it and get it out into the world if it's that good? Last thing we need is another amazing fruit we can't get lol
If you decide to sell on please but me on the list! In fact I'll be your south Florida  Guinea pig...... Lol

[DurianLover]

gruminchama is a nice looking tree or tall bush, it has a very short season,

What's very short exactly? My tree produced just two first fruits and I really liked it. Pretty close flavor vice to northern cherry. In fact liked it so much that I'm raising those seed for few more trees to plant. But if the season is only like a week, I should reconsider.