How to Grow Carambola or Star Fruit Trees
Posted: Sunday, November 16, 2008
by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com
This deciduous tree is a native of Ceylon and the Moluccas and it grown commercially in the warm areas of Florida and California . However it can be grown in the gardens of zones 8 to 11. If you live in zones 8 and 9 you may need to provide it with some shelter in the winter.
It is a medium to fast growing tree growing upwards of 20 to 30 feet and though it is not too particular of the type of soil you plant it in the star fruit tree will grow faster and bear more fruit if you plant it in rich loam. It also needs good drainage and will not do in areas that may get flooding or even salty water.
Once it flowers you will see small clusters of downy red-stalked, lilac, purple-streaked flowers which are about " wide in the axils of the leaves on the twigs.
When it bears fruit it is magnificent with oblong, showy angled fruits which may be 1 to 6 inches in length and upwards of 3 inches wide. The skin of the star fruit is thin, waxy with an orange-yellow color and the fruit is juicy and crisp when fully ripe. When you cut the fruit in a cross section it will have the form of a star, thus the name star fruit!
Some of the star fruit may have up to 12 flat, thin brown sees and some may have no seeds at all. The flavor ranges from mildly sweet to very sour and tastes something like a mix of apple, pineapple, and kiwi fruit adding great texture and flavor to salads and other cooking.
Though the star fruit tree doesn't seem to have any bad habits it is a tree that bears patience in planting and is often planted as an accent tree where the fruit has been used as a "conversation piece" more than food. However, it is good food and a good tropical fruit tree where you have a limited space to plant one.
The pests that one might have to deal with are fruit flies, stinkbugs, nematodes, black beetles, anthracnose, sooty mold and leaf spot. However, a good organic gardener will know how to handle that.
Another nice thing about the Star Fruit tree is that they are affordable to buy when you one to plant and you might consider Arkin, Sri Kem Ban Gam and Kari star fruit trees.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with Peace, Light and Love,
Author's note: This article was originally written for http://www.GreenThumbArticles.com where you can also be an author for them.
Sign up Now to be a SearchWarp author:
http://SearchWarp.com/Register.asp
This Article has been viewed 12,407 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Can I eat the skin of the starfruit?yes... it would be pretty hard to peel a starfruit.I planted seeds from my fruit that began to sprout. It is too close to the edge of the pot and is sharing a pot with a small agave. When and how should I move it? I live in South Padre Island. Do you think our climate is good for Star fruit? How much water would they require?If the sprout is more than 2 inches tall I would remove it gently and put it in its own pot. I have no idea whether the South Padre Island climate is good for star fruit. I would water whenever the soil is dry to the touch. I would not over water.Hope this helps.Yes,l do. I just wash them and slice them and eat them. There is probably a lot of good stuff in the skin.
i got some star fruit seeds from down in florida an brought them up north to ohio an planted them they took they are now about 3 inches tall how big of a pot should i put them in when it comes time to trans plantI would say give them as big a pot as you can afford to buy or can move in the event you need to move them. Only put 1 in each pot and make sure you use some great potting soil that has water retention agents in them. You only want to replant them once. Make sure your pot has drain holes in them and I suggest you put some screening or coffee filters in the bottom of the pots covering the holes to avoid your soil washing out.Hope this helps."Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with Peace, Light and Love,Arlene Wright-Correll
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.