Growing experiences Cainito,Star Apple,Caimito,outside the tropics?.

[Nuraxi]

Hi, any of you have experiences of cultivation with the Caimito, outside the tropical zones? ..
If so, if you want to share your way of cultivating it, and give advice, that would be great, thank you.

[Daintree]

Hi,
I have one in my greenhouse and it loves it. It is in partial shade.
However, I got the seed from a fruit that I ate in South America, and I think it is a variety that needs cross pollination, as it flowers but does not set fruit.
It is growing in a 25 gallon pot with well-draining potting mix (lots of perlite). I fertilize weakly weekly with Miracle Gro, monthly with cal/mag since Miracle Gro lacks that, and every so often with Osmocote.  Seems to like that.

Cheers, Carolyn

[Nuraxi]

Carolyn, thank you very much for sharing your cultivation experience with the Caimito, I agree with you it is a beautiful plant, I hope you can also reap its fruits in the future.

Luigi

[CarolinaZone]

I just killed five and I can tell you it depends on the plants. I think they don like their roots disturbed and they don't like  manure in abundance. I also think the like it warm with somewhat higher humidity.

[Orto1978]

I am about to plant a 1 year old plant in a protected, sunny corner of my property. Nuraxi and I will compare our experience...hopefully over the years to come . It seems as though well drained soil is important. Carolyn, did you use shade cloth at all while the plant was establishing?

I too think they are visually pleasing.

Best
Orto1978

[Nuraxi]

Carolinazone, thanks for sharing your experience, in an Australian forum I read that a guy in Melbourne also killed 5, I knew that he is touchy to the transplant because of its delicate roots, but I also read that he has invasive roots and that is capable of damaging enclosure walls and other nearby concrete structures.

[Nuraxi]

Orto1978, I have read that he loves to stay in large holes with deeply worked and well-draining soil, and that he loves humidity, in the Larafarm video it is said that it is a plant with few agronomic needs,  with us it is rare that the minimums in winter fall below 6 degrees, and if it happens being our exposures to south, does it for a few hours, it would also be interesting to hear someone who grows it in climatic zones similar to ours ..

[Nuraxi]

This is my little tree, I planted it a few days ago, anyone else on the forum who successfully grows this plant outside the tropics? ..

[wonderfruit]

This year gave me first and only fruit. I am starting to believe that when a tree produces only one fruit, that fruit is big,and delicious. It happened with other fruit trees here. I am at South Florida that is not tropical.

[Sunrisefruit]

This year gave me first and only fruit. I am starting to believe that when a tree produces only one fruit, that fruit is big,and delicious. It happened with other fruit trees here. I am at South Florida that is not tropical.

i read that you need two trees for cross polination and that both trees cannot be of the same variety

[Nuraxi]

This year gave me first and only fruit. I am starting to believe that when a tree produces only one fruit, that fruit is big,and delicious. It happened with other fruit trees here. I am at South Florida that is not tropical.

Thanks for your sharing Wonderfruit, you give me hope, how old is your tree? .. maybe it is still young, I read that it is very important to irrigate well from the beginning of flowering until the fruits are beautifully grown, if you want to post some photos, good cultivation.