Help I got this seedling it is growing in a cup and is 5" tall. What in the world do I feed this seedling and how often? It is very happy in its cup, I will probably transplant it into a pot before the end of the year. Subject 2. I recently got a Marisol Clementine and it is in full bloom - what is the bloom to harvest time and do I need and pollinater?

I don't know the bloom to harvest time for the Marisol Clementine, but locally the harvest time is now-- I just had some fresh from the tree over in Alabama. I think normal bloom time is in the spring though.

I have a Marisol Clementine growing in my greenhouse 30 miles east of your location. From bloom to eating is 4-5 months. I also had a 5-foot tall Surinam Cherry. The tree is rather attractive, but the fruit does not have much taste. I got tired of taking care of the tree and finally tossed it out onto the compost pile. Fertilize it the same as you would a Citrus tree.

I got the plant from Citrus Joe. He had some ripe fruit and I liked it. My plant is so small I am afraid of over fertilizing it. Can I use Miracle-Gro Azalea fertilizer until it gets larger?

Yes your Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Azalea, Camellia, Rhododendron Plant Food is suitable for your Surinam Cherry seedling
http://www.scotts.com/media/media/00073.pdf
I like the addition of the minor elements it has in it-and have experience with it from way back when it was still called Miracid.But I am very lazy and often rely on Osmocote 18-6-12 now
http://www.scottsprohort.com/products/controlled_release_fertilizers/faq.cfm

The Surinam Cherry that I had, I also got from Citrus Joe some years back. The fruit is different looking due to the indentations from the top to the bottom around the exterior of the cherry, but it is mostly one big seed with not much fruit. Anyway good luck with your tree.

Hey Millet,
I too have been disappointed with the quality of the Surinam Cherry fruit that I have tried.I have learned that there is consideralbe quality variation in the fruit though-so there are good ones out there somewhere . Here is a quote from an IFAS bulletin-

Quote:

The soft, juicy flesh is orangish, varying somewhat with the selection. The flavor is aromatic, sweet and pleasant in the better selections but poor quality fruits have an unpleasant, resinous flavor. The fruits contain one round seed or two hemispherical, comparatively large seeds.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG044
Though I would agree with you that some simply don't have much flavor period and are worthless for eating

Gee I sure would hate to spend years growing this tree and then end up using it for firewood! Maybe I should ask for my money back( I did pay anything for the seeding)? I appreciate all the good advice, maybe I should use the space for something more productive. Any suggestion? I have only one orange (valencia), maybe another variety, I prefer an eating variety of fruit vs show or good looker. I already have lemons, grapefruit, clementine, Mandrin.

Surinam cherries are quite variable in flavor. Fortunately, they have a juvenility period of just over a year from seed, if you grow them fast. So you can soon find out about your particular fruit's quality. We grow a cultivar called "Zill Dark," which is nearly black (eggplant purple) and quite an excellent flavor. It has also produced some rather high-quality seedlings, although they do not come true from seed. The dark-skinned varieties tend to have less eugenol, the material that gives the shoe-polish aftertaste to S.C.s But there are also well-flavored red selections.

Our problem with them in central and south Florida is that they are a favorite host of the Caribbean fruit fly, so in many seasons, they are wormy.

The Surinam Cherry that I had and that Sunrise has were both grown from seed by Citrus Joe. I have no idea what the variety was, and I am sure that Joe does not have a clue either. Another problem with a mature larger tree, is that it sheds a lot of leaves. I always had leaves to pick up. I now have a Ponkan Mandarin setting in the spot where the cherry was. One benefit from the tree is I believe my compost pile might be the only one in Colorado that has gained nutrients from a Surinam Cherry.