Hey Forum, What are YOUR fastest growing plinas?

[Jaboticaba45]

I ended up having a conversation with a friend and we discussed what are the fastest growing jaboticabas. Especially with the new flood of varieties, this seems like a good time to find out what are the fastest growing jaboticabas for you. Specifically from seed. Of course there are many factors that influence growth rate, but it's still interesting to see nonetheless.
I'll go first
Rosa de pescoco has been really fast along with novak's phitrantha. Went from a plug to a well rooted 3 in less than 2 years. Also have a red that took off from FFF.

Would love to see imput from others also!

[CeeJey]

Out of about a dozen varieties I started over the last year (after not having much experience besides reds and sabara), the Reds still seem to be putting on the most mass, but it took me a while to figure out the water situation for the more touchy types so this year will really tell I guess.

That said I have a year-old nine month old Otto Anderson that is about twice the size of the other seedlings from that batch. At least I *think* it's an Otto Anderson, might be a Restinga due to some mis-marking that happened, but pretty sure it is an Otto based on the leaves and even if it is a Restinga it is twice the size of those too. Anyway yeah it's an Otto or Restinga that is growing oddly fast.

On the other end of the spectrum, I started a bunch of Frankie's Dwarf seeds and those definitely win the award for slowest, but I'm not sure if that's bad considering they came from a dwarf tree. Some of those are still about the size of a quarter after months. Tiny lil' leaves in some cases.

EDIT: Pictures of the fastest and slowest growing. The Otto (Restinga? The leaves look like an Otto to me) at the top is just about 9 months old with a ladybug for scale, the Frankie's Dwarf below that is 6 and a half months old with a penny for scale.

[JoeP450]

Red hybrid jaboticaba is a given for speed, I feel plinia lujan is really slow.

-Joe

[Stomata]

Definitely red first. Cabelluda yellow. Is growing pretty quick. Cambuca and mulchi also quite fast.

[K-Rimes]

Grimal, and it isn't close.

[kapps]

My red hybrid went from a tiny seedling to busting through a 15 gal pot and fruiting in 4 years. My yellow is gaining size quickly as well. One of my Myrciaria Strigipes is still small but seems to be growing quickly while a couple others haven’t picked up steam yet.

[SaltwaterTx]

I’ve started about 40 varieties over the last two years. Mostly sourced through Farwell, Bellamy, Marcos, group Brazil order, and forum members. I try to get at least 3 of each so that I have a little variation. I have some individual exceptions but here are my top 5 based on average growth rate.

5. Caipirinha- surprising because it’s supposed to be a dwarf. All grew really tall fast

4. Novak Phitrantha- all 6 really strong right out of the gate, lots of leaf sets

3. Cauliflora Acu Paulista of Otto Andersen- nice big leaves strong growth

2. Trunciflora Cabinho Cafe Ipuina- distinctive looking leaf, strong all around

1. Gigante de Goiania- a couple of these things are turning into beasts


Honorable mention:

Val pariso- arguably could be in top 5
Grimal- always a winner
Aureana- some giant leaves at the 1 yr mark, nice flushes
Red hybrids- individual specimens definitely contend
Branca Vinho Otto Andersen- nice steady growth


Thats just what’s done well for me so far. Lots more to grow!

[NateTheGreat]

Oblongata and Campo Ramon have been fairly quick. Sp. Shawi is actually one of the fastest. Probably the fastest are two unknowns. The tall one might be a coronata, the other should be either Acu Paulista, Branca Vinho, or Coronata Restinga. I did ten community pots with an assortment in each, and whatever it is, its siblings in the other pots aren't growing like this. The rest of this pot is mainly sabaras. The tall one was started from seed in spring 2020, the group pots in spring 2021.

Slowest: Nana, Phitrantha (surprisingly), navel-types (elongated, thin leaves), something with narrow lime-green rugose leaves (visible in the last picture, to the left of the fast one, amid a bunch of sabaras).

If you count white and yellow, those are both quick.

[W.]

My fastest growing Plinias are the more common, standard varieties: Sabara, Grimal, and Escarlate. I have Reds, but for whatever reason, they have always lagged behind those other ones. Phitranthas also generally grow quickly, but I've found there is a bit more variation from plant to plant and variety to variety within that species. Nana is the slowest Plinia I have; it is a dwarf variety, though. Oblongatas vary wildly; I have one that grows well and two that don't. Blues and Yellows are similar to Oblongata with variation from seedling to seedling but a healthy plant will grow at a solid, if unspectacular rate. Rivularis is not a fast growing variety; water quality can set it back considerably. Never water it with anything other than rainwater if possible.

Now, I am only talking about vegetative growth, not time from seed to fruiting. My Sabaras and Grimals may grow vigorously, but they are not precocious varieties in terms of fruiting. Reds, Escarlates, and various Phitranthas are pretty much universally agreed to be the fastest fruiters, with the exception of Adam Shafran's Anomaly.