Want to plant Starfruit. Variety suggestions?

[dkian]

What's the best tasting Starfruit for planting in South Florida?  Kari?

[bsbullie]

What's the best tasting Starfruit for planting in South Florida?  Kari?

Bell
Hart
Kari

[bradflorida]

I recommend tasting some different varieties and see what you prefer, because that tree wil produce loads of fruit!

Brad

[HMHausman]

All recommendations thus far are excellent.  I would add Sri Kembangan to the contenders.

[Hollywood]

I have a Kari and Sri Kembangan. I love them both, although I suspect that Sri Kembangan sets fruit best with another cultivar close by. So if you are limited to just one, I would say to go with Kari.

My Sri Kembangan had some nutritional deficiencies the first 3 years, but its roots are deep enough now that it is getting everything it needs. I never had any difficulties with the Kari.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

I've had really good experiences with fwang tung, although the deep wings make the fruits more fragile, the taste is very nice in my opinion, and the fruit is very beautiful ...but be sure to get the real fwang tung, if you decide to grow this one.

[bsbullie]

Even with other varieties around I question how prolific SK is.  I dont ever see it setting like any of the others.

Some people like Dwarf but I feel it is consistently the most bland and least sweet of all the orange varieties.

I have never been overly excited about the taste of Fwang Tung.  B-17 is too inconsistent in flavor. 

[Hollywood]

Even with other varieties around I question how prolific SK is.  I dont ever see it setting lime any of the others.

Some peel like Dwarf but I feel it is consistently the most bland and least sweet of all the orange varieties.

I have never been overly excited about the taste of Fwang Tung.  B-17 is too inconsistent.

I will concur with Rob that SK is not as prolific as Kari.

[zands]

My vote is Kari ---mine was producing six months after planting.  I have Lara and Arkin but too young to comment-advice on||||
Carambola are a diluted watery fruit so easier for the tree to put forth sooner. My theory anyways.

[starling1]

The best are the giant Thai's. Mike T has some good sized trees I believe.

[savemejebus]

We have 2 delicious Karis and 1 arkin that was just planted a couple months ago. We already get more than we know what to do with.

[starling1]

We have 2 delicious Karis and 1 arkin that was just planted a couple months ago. We already get more than we know what to do with.

Yeah, they sure as hell set heavily. Mine set way more than they can hold or I could ever eat.

Apparently it's dangerous to eat too many of them.

[bsbullie]

It is not dangerous to eat too many of them if they are fully ripe.  Its when they have some green coloration on them that they contain levels of oxalate/oxalic acid.  The sour varieties contain a higher level than sweet varieties.  Eating foods with high levels of oxalate can cause health issues with people with kidney disease/disorders. .

Many super foods contain high levels of oxalic acid, spinach, kale and parsley to name a few.

[CGameProgrammer]

Just from what I've read, Kari, Arkin, and Bell are self-fruitful but SK definitely is not. If it's not producing for some people, it's likely because it's not getting cross-pollinated like it needs to be. So that's a strong point in favor of Kari et al. Kari seems to be by far the most popular self-fruitful home-grown carambola.

[HMHausman]

My Sri Kembangan is growing in a cluster of trees which include Kari, Arkin and Thai Night.  My Sri Kembangan is perhaps slightly less productive than my Kari, but it still produces quite nicely in this setting. Sri Kembangan tends to make larger fruits than does Kari.  Both are excellent in their eating quality....as carambolas go anyway.

[cwojo]

My SK sets a ton of fruit, and the next closest carambola is four streets over... Idk if mine was mislabeled at zills or not, but I have never had any problems with it setting fruit or being a light bearer. It is a super sweet fruit with an awesome orange color.

[gnappi]

I have a Kari, Bell, and Kajang and the Kari and Kajang are my faves.

[OCchris]

I have an SK about 5-6ft tall and It's been a a fruiting maniac since I planted it last year. So far I have had 2 crops...1st with 15 fruit and 20 this year. Taste is good...At least my picky 5 year old Girl likes It...so that's saying something.

Chris

[BMc]

Thai Giant is a goodun. I have one in a pot set to go I. The ground soon as the deck gets rebuilt. I have n older Kari and it is okay.

[From the sea]

I like the Lara, tastes like the kind i had in my backyard when i was in Australia

[canesgirl821]

We have 2 delicious Karis and 1 arkin that was just planted a couple months ago. We already get more than we know what to do with.

I can help you with that problem!   

[johnb51]

I've never had any problems with my SK.  It bears heavily with some enormous fruit, and the fruit is the best flavored carambola that I've ever tasted--better than Kari, which I had at a previous house.  I'm 100% sold on SK!  My neighbor in back has a carambola tree in his front yard so I do get cross-pollination.

[Treees]

My SK flowered twice with no fruit.  It grew quite fast though.

Now I am thinking about grafting Kari or another variety to one of the branches, hoping it will cross pollinate SK and also give two varieties.

[Hollywood]

My SK flowered twice with no fruit.  It grew quite fast though.

Now I am thinking about grafting Kari or another variety to one of the branches, hoping it will cross pollinate SK and also give two varieties.

Maybe the SK just requires more maturity? Does anyone here have an SK that didn't produce for the first few years and then did--without another cultivar nearby?

[bsbullie]

I would be curious to see pictures of everyone's SK fruit. By the variuos descriptions, I am wondering if everyone's SK is truly a SK.