Is growing out a grimal jaboticaba seedling worth it?

[Filozophr]

I plan to keep it in a pot, but becuase it takes so many years (which I can’t remember) to bear fruit, I’ve been neglecting it and keeping it in a small pot. I want a jaboticaba but I’m not sure which are the best tasting, fastest fruiting, and grow well in pots

[K-Rimes]

Grimal is an aggressive grower with far fewer problems than red or sabara. It is very tolerant of hard water, PH, etc and grows really well. If you want an easy grower, I'd pick this one - but I cannot say the fruit quality is as desirable as red or sabara.

For FL you'd be looking at 3-4 years for red, 5-7 years for grimal, 8-10 years for sabara.

It's fun and challenging to limp them along from seedling but there are so many cheap big plants in FL. I probably wouldn't waste 5-10 years of my life babying a seedling over a couple hundred dollars I could spend today but that's just me. I have a few grimal seedlings that are getting big now but man I wish I'd been eating fruit for the last 3 years instead of babying these things.

[Filozophr]

Yeah, I’m gonna keep it in small pots for few years and forget about it, hopefully in the next few years I stumble across it and it has flowers or something. Other than annonas, I think I’m gonna scrap my seedlings like lychee and sapodilla, and just buy grafted ones.

[Jaboticaba45]

I'd suggest taking a little more care. Jabos are money in the bank and in a few years you could get good $ for it.
But yes, if you have money, go ahead and buy yourself something that's fruiting or close to fruiting. $400 should be more than enough to get a fruiting red and even scarlet.
I love the taste of grimal as it reminds me of muscadines.
The best jabos that are quick to fruit are red and scarlet.
Generally all jabos do well in pots. Keep yours in a pot with the right soil and you won't have to worry about ph and stuff...South FL is miserable for them. Although grimal is pretty tolerant.

[elouicious]

A while back Frank (FLNative) was selling Jabo samplers-

here are my notes

My review of the 4

1. Sabara - good flavor, spicy thick skin, what I consider the "normal" Jaboticaba
2. Red - Super large and sweet, thin skin that still has some zest but light on the spice
3. White- a little underwhelming, the little flesh on there is quite good, skin was too spicy for me to eat
4. Grimal- By far the most complex flavor, white wine taste and good thick spicy skin

[Rispa]

Abby info on blue or purple?

[Bush2Beach]

Getting those cheap, big plants out of Florida is expensive though.
That’s why the west coast big boys triple the prices when they get here and the tag still says pine island.
Is there nursery’s in CA selling fruiting Jaboticaba for less than 1k anywhere?

[K-Rimes]

Getting those cheap, big plants out of Florida is expensive though.
That’s why the west coast big boys triple the prices when they get here and the tag still says pine island.
Is there nursery’s in CA selling fruiting Jaboticaba for less than 1k anywhere?

OP is in FL, so that's why I recommend him to buy larger plants if available.

Obviously in CA economics of growing out a 1-3g plant are more effective.

[Central Floridave]

I've been growing Jaboticaba for about 20 years.  I have 3 very large sabara (ten feet over the roof line), fruiting reds (3), whites (no fruit yet), grimals (no fruit yet), and a restinga (no fruit yet), Yellow (no fruit yet).    Most of mine are grown under oak canopy and I like to report they do fruit in the shade.  I've also grafted reds onto sabara just for a hobby and surprised they took and are growing!

My recommendation is to buy the biggest tree you can afford as they do grow very slow and require constant good quality water. 

I baby mine and only water with captured rain water.  Never let a newly planted jabo dry out...use heavy mulch, and i don't fertilize mine other than chelated iron occasionally.

Taste wise my only experience is with reds and sabara.  Both are great. Reds do fruit quicker but don't produce as much.   They both have unique flavors. 

They are very ornamental trees, plant them just for that alone. The fruit is icing on the cake.

Of course Adam is the Prince of jabo but not sure where he has been.  Maybe now a dark prince of the jabo underworld.  :p.

[Seanny]

I thought it was a good idea when I bought 1 last month.
Now I have a good size cauliflora to use as a rootstock.
I’m waiting Grimal to grow a little to cut scions to graft.

[Aiptasia904]

Totally worth it. But, you can always do both. Keep your seedling in a pot, put it in part sun and forget about it for a year or two and then get yourself a larger older fruiting tree if money is no object.