Garcinias in shade.... Eugenias, too???

[Epicatt2]

The Garcinias I know from here in Brazil are all shade loving forest species. They actually grow taller in extremely shaded conditions and less in full sun. They rise from he forest floor across a decade or so before fruiting. My false mangosteen and true mangosteen seem to act the same and it’s all a similar climate (equatorial pluvial forest). This is a feature of the garcinias because you can plant them together with other big trees and they’ll happily grow.

The recent thread mentioning that Garcinias tend to like some shade is interesting and illuminating (no pun intended).

This has prompted me to wonder whether much the same may apply to certain Eugenia species, and if so which ones in particular.

I'm sure that there are TFF members growing various Eugenia species who can comment on whether they seem to do better when provided more shade, or.....?

Some shade is surely inportant for many tropicals, especially with the intense heat and strong sun that so many of us have been experiencing this season.  [whew!]

Comments invited!

Paul M.
Tampa — 9b
==

[booeyschewy]

This has prompted me to wonder whether much the same may apply to certain Eugenia species, and if so which ones in particular.

I'm sure that there are TFF members growing various Eugenia species who can comment on whether they seem to do better when provided more shade, or.....?

Some shade is surely inportant for many tropicals, especially with the intense heat and strong sun that so many of us have been experiencing this season.  [whew!]

Comments invited!

Paul M.
Tampa — 9b
==

For sure. Eugenias are varied because of the sheer size of the genus right, but the one's I know if you find them in the forest they're well shaded. In Brazil the main biomes are the Atlantic forest, cerrado (tropical high forests in varying degrees of vegetation cover), and the amazon. Some species like araçá boi is from Amazonia and does well in shady conditions in agroforestry. Suriname cherry seems to do well anywhere you put it practically. I planted pitanga bananinha and pitangatuba in shady areas and they're doing ok but could be better but still early. Grumixama does well in partial shade. Lots of the ultratropicals from pluvial forests won't survive the first years without shade for example cacao relatives, clove, juçara (açaí relative), many garcinias, Brazil nut, Guaraná, etc.

[cassowary]

agree with booey

[Epicatt2]

Thanks for the useful observations, booeyschewy and cassowary!

[ snip ] Grumixama does well in partial shade.

Planted my grumixama where it gets full sun just over half of the day but is shaded by the neighbor's large oak tree after about 1pm.  It seems really happy with this arrangement and is growing well.  It is about five feet tall and just as wide, and has flowered several years now but has never set any fruit.  It's five or six years old. 

I have bought a smaller unrelated grumi that is large enough (2 ft tall) to flower and planted it about four feet away.  Hoping that this second plant when the two grumis flower next to each other may encourage some fruit set.

Lots of the ultratropicals from pluvial forests won't survive the first years without shade for example cacao relatives, clove, juçara (açaí relative), many garcinias, Brazil nut, Guaraná, etc.

Can anyone please suggest some of the Garcinia species more frequently seen here in Florida 9b that prefer shade during their early years? 

Would that perhaps include G. hombroniana (syn. G. celebica)?  The only others that I'm trying are Luc's, G. intermedia and G. humilis and they're still small and have been mostly kept in shade; perhaps too much shade.

Advice welcomed . . . .

Paul M.
Tampa — 9b
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[brian]

I have a ton of Eugenias, most are still <1ft tall but I have a few that are 3-4 years old.  When they are small seedlings I keep them in half shade.  Once they reach 6in pots I start easing them into full sun. 

In general, they seem to tolerate more sun than garcinias.  I have seem them sunburn when moved from greenhouse out into the direct sunlight, which is pretty typical, but once eased into full sun they seem fine with it.