Hello!

is anyone growing this fruit? i just ordered 2 dwarf plants, which supposedly do OK in hanging baskets.

theyre super cute, and im interested in fruit bonsai....

Any info/experiences are appreciated!

Yes, I am growing both the Barbados Cherry and the Surinam Cherry. The Barbados Cherry is a very easy plant to grow. I have mine planted in a 3 gallon container and it seems to be very happy. I use Osmocote slow release fertilizer (250 grams/cu.ft.). Barbados Cherry makes a nice looking plant. Happy Saint Patrick's Day.

Millet
Saint Patrick (Actual given name "Maewyn")
Patron Saint of The Real (Southern) Ireland
Died March 17, AD461

top of the mornin to ya! (ok, its afternoon..)

oh those Surinam cherries are gorgeous! like little red lanterns. is it good tasting fresh?

I became interested in the Barbados cherry for its high vitamin C content

Surinam cherries are gorgeous and the tree is rather decorative. However, sadly the fruit is almost all seed with little flesh. Further the cherry, while extraordinary in appearance, regretfully has almost not taste.

Millet
Irish for a day!

Millet,
Do your Surinam Cherry trees shed some or all of their leaves over the winter? What is the minimum temperature during that period? They're supposed to be evergreen. Maybe my temperatures are too low for their liking.

Junglekeeper, my Surinam cherry is (was) approximately 6 feet tall, and had developed to a rather full shape with many branches. As long as I had the tree it always had a full leaf appearance, however, the tree always shed leaves on a constant basis. Every morning there would be a dozen or so leaves on the floor. However, even with the constant shedding, the tree never had an empty look, but always seem full. Therefore, it evidently produced new vegetation at approximately the same rate. I got tired of cleaning up the leaves, and because Surinam's fruit has such a bland taste, I got tired of messing with it and added it to the compost pile. - Millet

My trees will hopefully meet a kinder fate :) It's still too early too tell. I'm growing my seedlings both as standards and as bushes. Interestingly the bushes lose very few leaves whereas the standards lose almost all theirs. Maybe the bushes, being closer to the floor, are somewhat warmer or are not exposed to drafts. Are the flowers fragrant?

Surinam Cherry produces a typical cherry type flower. The flower is white, and are quite delicate looking. Unfortunately they have no fragrance at all, and don't last very long on the tree. - Millet

Thanks, Millet.

My seedling tree is flowering for the first time this year. Alas, as Millet reported, the flowers have no fragrance. I'm not sure if it's necessary but I hand pollinated them. Looking forward to seeing some fruit but it occurred to me they, being resinous, might make a mess of the carpeting.

JK, congratulations to you and to the tree. The fruit turns from green to red quit fast. After the cherry is red it does not last very long on the tree, just a couple days, so you will need to pick and eat the cherries when they obtain a nice dark red color. You do not have to hand pollinate the bloom. Please report back on what you think of the taste. - Millet

My honest answer is, I don't really know. However, I never hand pollinated my tree, but I can't say 100 percent about the possibility of some insects in the greenhouse. Any hand pollinating, certainly won't hurt. - Millet

I currently have both dwarf and regular Barbados cherry plans, both in the ground here in New Orleans.

I've had the dwarf for about 4 years. It produces lots of flowers and fruits, and has reached a maximum height of about 20 inches. The fruits are very ornamental, but small and insipid. The "regular" tree has been in the ground for ~ 1 year. It is 6 feet tall, and has produced fruit that are larger and actually taste good.

Both plants have survived temps down to 28 degrees F.

David