Growing star fruit in 9B climate

[Palmfarmer]

Anyone know have experience growing star fruit and how hardy are they? Are certain strains hardier than others? 

[thyerr01]

I think @Xenon has some in Houston 9a/9b. I'm curious how well these do too.

[Xenon]

33 minutes ago, thyerr01 said:

I think @Xenon has some in Houston 9a/9b. I'm curious how well these do too.

They'll grow and fruit here unprotected with some luck, especially in the warmer half of town. Needs at least 1 winter without freezing back too much (25-26Fish) to fruit the following summer/fall which is not all that difficult. They do get a bit hardier as the wood matures. It will look horrible for 3-4 months of the year though, star fruit really does not like the cold dry wind and will go semi-deciduous. A semi-protected spot but would be ideal but these plants below are all growing out in the open. The first one is literally growing in the median betweent the road and sidewalk 😄. I'm hoping mine produces some fruit next year. 

These came back from the ground after the 2021 freeze. Probably a little bit harder to grow than guava as far as cold and time needed to regenerate/fruit is concerned. 

2020 in the Heights

 

2020 in Meyerland

[thyerr01]

A couple of follow up questions. Are they picky about sun or shade? I think there are a few different varieties around, are any hardier than others or generally better in marginal climates?

By guava I assume you mean Psidium guajava? These will recover from freezes here? I thought they were extremely tender.

[Xenon]

53 minutes ago, thyerr01 said:

A couple of follow up questions. Are they picky about sun or shade? I think there are a few different varieties around, are any hardier than others or generally better in marginal climates?

By guava I assume you mean Psidium guajava? These will recover from freezes here? I thought they were extremely tender.

Full sun but also very shade tolerant, will produce plenty of fruit even in half day shade or part/dappled shade. No "cold hardy" varieties as far as I'm aware. 'Kari' and 'Sri Kembangan' are supposedly some of the best sweet varieties, 'Fwang Tung' is supposed to be like a sweet green apple. Sour starfruit is also popular as a vegetable and/or flavoring agent in southeast Asia, even moreso than the sweet fruit. Mine froze below the graft in 2022 so I'm hoping to get lucky with the seedling rootstock, but any starfruit is better than no starfruit. 

Yes, tropical guava comes back like a weed even if it freezes to the ground every now and then. Once the wood is a few inches in diameter it's good to around 25Fish and you're pretty much guaranteed to get fruit provided average to mild winter. Not super tender at all and very well worth growing here. I'm surprised you haven't seen any, there are tons in Asian and Latin areas of town. They were already sticking above fencelines (after freezing back from the previous winter) before that darn freeze in January 2024. There are many improved varieties nowadays that are almost seedless, I recommend visiting an Asian nursery like Tran or JRN so you don't waste time growing inferior fruit from the big box stores like Mexican cream, Ruby Supreme, or Tikal (unless you like mushy seedy guavas). Also super fast from seeds if you like the thrill, my 2.5 year old 'Pink Taiwan' is already flowering.