Cedar Bay Cherry (Eugenia reinwardtiana) Blooming at 30 inches high

[Honest Abe]

Hi friends, Here in Biscayne Park, Florida my Cedar Bay Cherry has 8 flowers on it at a miniature night of 30 inches tall. My friend, forum member and tropical fruit mentor Adam Coff Gave it to me exactly one year ago and I planted it in my Yard that day. After being in Ground for just one year and being such a small size I was shocked. Everything I’ve read would infer they take 6 or 7 years from seed to flower.
If it helps anybody growing or trying to grow:

Planted the small shrub in a spot with 8 hours of direct sun all year.
Planted in 50/50 mix of native(very sandy) soil and black cow.’
Mulch with cypress mulch.

*the shrub does have a bit of a rust problem (or it would seem to me unless it’s a natural characteristic)

Worth noting:here in Miami we have had 6 weeks of drought, probably a cause for flowering if not THEE cause.


Now we will see about fruit-set.

ANYONE ELSE ON THE FORUM GROWING CEDAR BAY CHERRY( Eugenia reinwardtiana) Successes and failures under noted conditions?

[Kevin Jones]

They are the fastest to fruit of the Eugenias that I have grown.... Some in 2 years.
Easy to grow in containers too... because of their relatively smaller size.
Mine have a nice meaty vanilla-ish taste to the fruits.

Kevin Jones

[Honest Abe]

Kevin thanks for the awesome info and beautiful pics, can i ask:

Do you water them more when they bloom or with fruit-set?

Do you grow them in ground?

When do you pick them? (maybe in relation to color or texture?

thanks

Abe

[Kevin Jones]

My mother plants are growing in 15 gallon nursery pots. They winter over in my greenhouse
Where I live in central AL they would certainly freeze in the ground.
I keep the soil moist and that means watering them just about every day when it's warm.
They're blooming right now and will continue blooming off and on throughout the year.

Kevin