Author Topic: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question  (Read 854 times)

W.

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Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« on: February 08, 2023, 12:18:46 AM »
I am growing several varieties and species of Plinias, Myricarias, and Eugenias. For almost every species or variety, I have at least two plants, the heir and the spare as one might say. But as one can see in the news, spares can sometimes become troublesome. ;) In my case, the trouble comes from the amount of space growing two of everything takes; my "ark" just isn't big enough right now.

So, my question is can I expect to get good fruit production if I only keep one plant of each of my Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia species? I know that different varieties of the same species should have no difficulties with cross-pollination, but what about cross-pollination among different species? Will a Plinia nana and a Plinia rivularis be able to pollinate each other? How about a Eugenia repanda and a Eugenia involucrata? Or a Myrciaria floribunda and Myrciaria glazioviana? There are conflicting reports both online and on the Forum, particularly about Eugenias, so I would appreciate if anyone has a definitive answer.

achetadomestica

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2023, 09:42:04 AM »
I don't think there is one easy answer except the more the merrier?
I had an E candolleana that would have 500+ flowers and I was lucky to see 50
fruit. Sometimes it would flower 4-5 times a year and some flushes would have 0 fruit.
I got a second tree and last year I had 500 flowers and 499 fruit. What a difference it
made. I have a single white jaboticaba and it flowers and sets fruit pretty much year round.
I have 4 red jaboticabas and at least one seems to be flowering all the time and they set
fruit fine. I hardly ever see bees on the fragrant flowers. It seems like jabos fruit
fine without a second tree flowering. I have heard people with only one pitangatuba
have problems getting fruit although they have heavy flowering. I have multiple trees
and never had an issue

elouicious

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2023, 09:53:40 AM »
acheta hit the nail on the head unfortunately-

going to be genus, and even species, specific-

In general I think Eugenia do better with more than 1 and Plinia are a bit more fine solo-

The struggle with space is real- for a time I tried to keep 3 of each plant, and 4 of Dioecious species but it became insanity

brian

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2023, 11:30:45 AM »
For plants that suffer from pollination issues I plant two in the same container and I prune each its its own hemisphere

K-Rimes

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2023, 01:26:03 PM »
My opinion is that for cross pollination, the plants need to be almost identical. Eugenia Calycina can pollinate Eugenia Involcrata, but many believe them to be the same species anyways.

As far as bigger crosses like repanda to uniflora, or pitangatuba to involcrata or something - I am very doubtful that it would work.

In every single case that I've introduced diversity the fruit production has gone up in a big way. My suggestion is to source scion material and do it that way, or just graft the heir onto frere and sell off the smaller one. Almost every eugenia I've had takes readily to cleft grafting.

W.

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2023, 07:51:17 PM »
I want to thank everyone who chimed in with their advice.

I am not much of a proponent of grafting, but it certainly is an option, and one that I will likely have to resort to in order to maximize my Eugenias' fruit production.

Brian, I like your idea of two plants of the same species in one pot. I just wonder whether, since the plants are not exactly the same size, there would be an issue of one plant overpowering the other? But, I think I might try that idea with a couple of Eugenias.

Elouicious, it sounds like we are in the same situation as far as our collections overflowing our limited growing space. I've tried avoiding dioecious species, but like you, for the ones I have in my collection, I don't just have one; I have four or five. It doesn't take long for that to add up as those four or five, easy-to-keep little seedlings turn into four or five unruly plants growing every which way (and refusing to fruit).

K-Rimes

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2023, 08:54:18 PM »
Quote
I am not much of a proponent of grafting

I don't get this. It is one of the best ways to propagate and share material and eugenias and plinia take readily to it. I try to cocktail literally everything I possibly can. This is especially important for reducing the years you need for plinia to fruit.

If space is your concern, this is the ultimate solution imo.

Jaboticaba45

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2023, 09:17:07 PM »
Most plinias and eugenias will fruit by themselves, but do better with more than one (eugenias mostly). And eugenias can take several cycles of flowering to set fruit. Examples are pitangatuba and grumichama in my experience. Myrciaria the same story. I don't think any of these are diecious but, again they do better in pairs, and may take several flowering stages to fruit. in fact so long, I'd definitely recommend at least 2 of each myrciaria.
Of course with all the new species, this is just an estimate, and not a solid rule to follow. Who knows!

brian

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Re: Plinia, Myrciaria, and Eugenia Pollination Question
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2023, 09:30:10 PM »
Brian, I like your idea of two plants of the same species in one pot. I just wonder whether, since the plants are not exactly the same size, there would be an issue of one plant overpowering the other? But, I think I might try that idea with a couple of Eugenias.

I simply prune them to force them to be equal enough.  Two plants of the same type in the same container should have roughly equal vigor.  I planted two seedlings the same age to start with, doing this with pitangatuba right now and it works nicely.