Surinam Cherry Loaded With Fruit

[joe_OC]

My Surinam Cherry is loaded with fruits this year.  Should be ready to harvest some in a week.

[Silas_Sancona]

18 minutes ago, joe_OC said:

My Surinam Cherry is loaded with fruits this year.  Should be ready to harvest some in a week.

Nice, Yours a red or black variety?

[joe_OC]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Nice, Yours a red or black variety?

This one is a red variety.  Sweet and no astringent taste to it.  I want to get a black and a orange variety that is supposed to be even sweeter.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, joe_OC said:

This one is a red variety.  Sweet and no astringent taste to it.  I want to get a black and a orange variety that is supposed to be even sweeter.

Have 2, one red, one Black. Neither have produced fruit ( or even tried to flower ) here.  Red one has that ' peppery " after taste, but not bad compared to another i had ( bought both in Vista years ago ) that had quite a bite. Black one hasn't flowered/fruited yet, so can't say how different it will be.

[epiphyte]

My red one has an aftertaste like turpentine or something.  I make all my visitors try it, some love it, others hate it.  I kinda like it.  What impresses me about Surinam is how productive it is.  I always get two crops a year.  Wish that I had learned about it a lot sooner.  I also have the black variety.  It is less funky tasting but the fruits are a lot smaller.  Right now I have a few dozen seedlings, probably mostly of the red (I didn't keep track), that I share with visitors.  

[joe_OC]

11 minutes ago, epiphyte said:

My red one has an aftertaste like turpentine or something.  I make all my visitors try it, some love it, others hate it.  I kinda like it.  What impresses me about Surinam is how productive it is.  I always get two crops a year.  Wish that I had learned about it a lot sooner.  I also have the black variety.  It is less funky tasting but the fruits are a lot smaller.  Right now I have a few dozen seedlings, probably mostly of the red (I didn't keep track), that I share with visitors.  

Yeah...that taste can be very overwhelming.  I have to taste the fruit before I purchase the plant.  Seedlings are all going to be unique.   The only way to  guarantee the taste is to eat the fruit or get a grafted plant off a tree you tasted.

[Silas_Sancona]

46 minutes ago, epiphyte said:

My red one has an aftertaste like turpentine or something.  I make all my visitors try it, some love it, others hate it.  I kinda like it.  What impresses me about Surinam is how productive it is.  I always get two crops a year.  Wish that I had learned about it a lot sooner.  I also have the black variety.  It is less funky tasting but the fruits are a lot smaller.  Right now I have a few dozen seedlings, probably mostly of the red (I didn't keep track), that I share with visitors.  

Yep, can't remember which one it was ( had both " Lolita " and " Chumba " ) but one definitely had that distinct aftertaste. Wasn't horrible, but sweeter fruit were more enjoyable, lol.  Agree w/ Joe if/ when you can, always preferable to seek out a grafted plant of a good variety, though of course seedlings can be selected. Good thing these don't take long to reach fruiting age, compared to say some Jaboticaba, other Eugenia-type trees.  Cherry of the Rio Grande is another great tree, though i've heard stories on how some specimens can be somewhat reluctant to fruit in quantity.

[joe_OC]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Yep, can't remember which one it was ( had both " Lolita " and " Chumba " ) but one definitely had that distinct aftertaste. Wasn't horrible, but sweeter fruit were more enjoyable, lol.  Agree w/ Joe if/ when you can, always preferable to seek out a grafted plant of a good variety, though of course seedlings can be selected. Good thing these don't take long to reach fruiting age, compared to say some Jaboticaba, other Eugenia-type trees.  Cherry of the Rio Grande is another great tree, though i've heard stories on how some specimens can be somewhat reluctant to fruit in quantity.

As my palms have gotten taller, I've been using tropical fruit trees to fill in the space.  Growing different Eugenias (Grumichama / COTRG / Cedar Bay Cherry / Pitomba) and guavas.  

[joe_OC]

Amazing how quickly the fruit develops.

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, joe_OC said:

As my palms have gotten taller, I've been using tropical fruit trees to fill in the space.  Growing different Eugenias (Grumichama / COTRG / Cedar Bay Cherry / Pitomba) and guavas.  

 

2 minutes ago, joe_OC said:

Amazing how quickly the fruit develops.

You getting fruit on the COTRG or Cedar Bay Cherry yet?

[joe_OC]

I should get fruit this year for COTRG.   Cedar Bay won’t be for a couple of years.

[bubba]

Is tis what we refer to as the “Barbados Cherry”? As a kid I used to love eating these as they are ubiquitous here. However, they seem to have fallen out of favor with landscapers and you do not see as many hedges ground with this great tasting fruit.

[Silas_Sancona]

47 minutes ago, bubba said:

Is tis what we refer to as the “Barbados Cherry”? As a kid I used to love eating these as they are ubiquitous here. However, they seem to have fallen out of favor with landscapers and you do not see as many hedges ground with this great tasting fruit.

Barbados Cherry is somewhat different.. Fruit on it have a smooth skin while Surinam will look like little pumpkins / have somewhat raised sections. Imagine both were ( are still? ) used as screens / hedge-type bushes there though Surinam might not be used as much due to being somewhat of an aggressive seeder..

Flowers on Barbados Cherry will be pinkish or purplish and somewhat resemble flowers on Crape Myrtle, while flowers on Surinam will be white, like other Eugenia sp. / Stoppers used in landscapes there. None of the fruit on any of the Stoppers are edible.

[joe_OC]

23 hours ago, bubba said:

Is tis what we refer to as the “Barbados Cherry”? As a kid I used to love eating these as they are ubiquitous here. However, they seem to have fallen out of favor with landscapers and you do not see as many hedges ground with this great tasting fruit.

Different genus all together (Malpighia), but still another great tropical cherry type fruit.  I have one as well. 

[joe_OC]

What a difference a couple of days make!

[Reyes Vargas]

I have a Barbados Cherry that I planted about two month ago and it is starting to flower.

Can I expect to get at least a few fruit this year or more likely next year when the tree becomes more established?  Also how does the fruit taste?

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, Reyes Vargas said:

I have a Barbados Cherry that I planted about two month ago and it is starting to flower.

Can I expect to get at least a few fruit this year or more likely next year when the tree becomes more established?  Also how does the fruit taste?

You'll get fruit this year for sure, ( Mine would fruit in a root bound 3gal. pot ) definitely more as it gets larger/ more established.. To me, fruit tasted like a really sweet Cherry,  kind of sour if not perfectly ripe though. Would add more Potassium ( K ) while it is flowering to increase the odds of a good crop / more fruit later / better tasting fruit.

[Tracy]

On 5/7/2021 at 11:24 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

Yep, can't remember which one it was ( had both " Lolita " and " Chumba " )

I recognize those names and think they are the two variations I am growing.  I have found that if you can wait until they are exceedingly ripe, they are much sweeter and have less of the bitter taste.  Similar to eating the soft persimmon varieties, patience is rewarded.  Mine are from Vista.. Exotica acquisitions.

On 5/10/2021 at 12:57 PM, joe_OC said:

What a difference a couple of days make!

You are a bit ahead of both of mine.  I really hacked mine back last year, as they had grown to a problematic height under some crank out windows.  Perhaps the heavy pruning resulted in a later blooming.  My guava trees are just now starting to open flowers so it will be a while before I have ripe fruit from either of the two I am growing.  Did your guava's already flower or are your guava's more in sync with my garden?  Just curious, because it could be all my plants are running behind yours this year.

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, Tracy said:

I recognize those names and think they are the two variations I am growing.  I have found that if you can wait until they are exceedingly ripe, they are much sweeter and have less of the bitter taste.  Similar to eating the soft persimmon varieties, patience is rewarded.  Mine are from Vista.. Exotica acquisitions.

That's where both of mine came from. Steve had mentioned one would be sweeter regardless of ripeness, just can't remember which ( Birds took the tags years ago, lost one anyway, hopefully the more tart one lol )

[joe_OC]

51 minutes ago, Tracy said:

I recognize those names and think they are the two variations I am growing.  I have found that if you can wait until they are exceedingly ripe, they are much sweeter and have less of the bitter taste.  Similar to eating the soft persimmon varieties, patience is rewarded.  Mine are from Vista.. Exotica acquisitions.

You are a bit ahead of both of mine.  I really hacked mine back last year, as they had grown to a problematic height under some crank out windows.  Perhaps the heavy pruning resulted in a later blooming.  My guava trees are just now starting to open flowers so it will be a while before I have ripe fruit from either of the two I am growing.  Did your guava's already flower or are your guava's more in sync with my garden?  Just curious, because it could be all my plants are running behind yours this year.

 Both my feijoas strawberry guavas are flowering now.

I would bet that ‘Lolita’ is the sweeter one.

[Reyes Vargas]

On 5/10/2021 at 4:00 PM, Reyes Vargas said:

I have a Barbados Cherry that I planted about two month ago and it is starting to flower.

Can I expect to get at least a few fruit this year or more likely next year when the tree becomes more established?  Also how does the fruit taste?

Just want to know if you can propagate these from cuttings?

[joe_OC]

On 5/19/2021 at 8:44 AM, Reyes Vargas said:

Just want to know if you can propagate these from cuttings?

My friend propagates by air-layering.  I don't know about cuttings.

[Reyes Vargas]

Just checked my barbados cherry and it already had some small cherries. Can't wait to taste them. Unfortunately some bug or bird love them also.

[joe_OC]

11 hours ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Just checked my barbados cherry and it already had some small cherries. Can't wait to taste them. Unfortunately some bug or bird love them also.

No flowers/fruits on my barbados cherry.  I think I will get some next year.  Planted a Pitangatuba today and it has flowers on it.

 

[Reyes Vargas]

I was checking to see if the cherries on my barbados cherry were ripening and when I touched one it fell.  My question is should I let it ripen on the counter a little more?  As you can see it's not completely red.

[Silas_Sancona]

11 hours ago, Reyes Vargas said:

I was checking to see if the cherries on my barbados cherry were ripening and when I touched one it fell.  My question is should I let it ripen on the counter a little more?  As you can see it's not completely red.

Yep, think you'll be fine putting it somewhere where it can ripen a bit more.

[Reyes Vargas]

Well I couldn't wait so I ate the cherry.  I should have waited, it was sour.  I have more ripening on the tree right now so I'll let them ripen on the tree.

[joe_OC]

On 5/29/2021 at 8:41 AM, Reyes Vargas said:

Well I couldn't wait so I ate the cherry.  I should have waited, it was sour.  I have more ripening on the tree right now so I'll let them ripen on the tree.

Ha!  Been there, done that.  You can get some very funky flavors with Surinam Cherries.  A long time fruit grower said that fruits are ready to be eaten when it takes very little effort to get them to fall off the stem.  I apply this to all these types of tropical cherry fruits.

 

[Tracy]

On 6/4/2021 at 9:39 AM, joe_OC said:

Ha!  Been there, done that.  You can get some very funky flavors with Surinam Cherries.  A long time fruit grower said that fruits are ready to be eaten when it takes very little effort to get them to fall off the stem.  I apply this to all these types of tropical cherry fruits.

 

That's so true.  I'll admit that the best tasting ones are the ones that have fallen off the plant.  I have a hose bib right next to a couple of mine, so normally I pick and pick up a few, rinse them off with hose water and eat them on the spot as opposed to picking them and bringing them into the house to clean.  It's an am, post surf ritual as I'm coming through the back gate before I get my shower.  Something to tide me over until breakfast post exercising.

[Reyes Vargas]

Well i just collected my first harvest from my barbados cherry tree.  I'll be honest I didn't think I would get as many as I got just 3 months after planting.  I will be making them into a preserve since I don't like the tartness of them right off the tree.