Sage Garden Herbs - Star Fruit - 5

Star Fruit - 5 - 6 foot tall plant

CAD $99.95

Description: Star Fruits are so fun to serve up in a fruit salad or fruit platter! The easily identifiable fruits are waxy-orange and in the shape of a five pointed star. When sliced, they are very pretty! The flavour is delicate and subtle, but also refreshing and exotic. Star Fruits are also known to be very healthy, and contain many antioxidants. The plants themselves are attractive, with soft green green foliage arranged in a compound pattern on the stems. Flowers are dainty clusters of soft pink. Our Star Fruit plants are professionally propagated so as to be fruit bearing.

The Star Fruit plants available now are larger, 5 - 6 foot tall specimens. The larger size gives you a significant head start on establishing a gorgeous container specimen, and facilitates fruiting at an early age once settled into your growing space.

Latin Name: Averrhoa carambola
Alternative Names: Carambola

Main Uses: Tropical Fruit

Zone Hardiness: Tropical
Exposure: Diffused light outdoors / bright light indoors
Ht: 90+ cm. (3+ feet) as a houseplant

Star Fruit - 5 - 6 foot tall plant

CAD $99.95

Pruning: No significant pruning required. Prune to maintain shape.

Harvesting: Harvest fruits when they are a warm golden colour, and firm.

Fruiting: Fruiting requires constant warmth and lots of light.

Growing in Containers: Very well suited to containers.

Fertilizing (Containers): Add up to 50% Sea Soil compost to your potting mix. Fertilize every two weeks with a balanced organic plant food during the active growing season. In addition, using Sea Magic kelp weekly improves the over all health of your plants, increases stem strength, root development, and resilience to diseases.

Watering (Containers): This plant loves to be well watered during the summer months. Water deeply and check regularly.

Growing in Mixed Planters: Not well suited for mixed planters.

Fertilizing (Garden): Not well suited to in-ground gardens.

Watering (Garden): Not well suited to in-ground gardens.

Star Fruit - 5 - 6 foot tall plant

CAD $99.95

Suitability for Indoors: Excellent houseplant for green thumbs - requires a little extra attention to flourish.

Exposure: Brightest available.

What about Grow Lights? Grow lights are not required, but will keep plants actively growing during the short daylight hours of winter.

General Indoor Care: This variety is happy when grown warm year round. Bring indoors by Labour Day, and choose a location that is bright and never gets below 15 C. Star Fruit requires constant bright light to set fruit. Avoid heat/air conditioning vents. To improve humidity for your plants, set up a pebble tray; this is simply a layer of rocks set on the plant's saucer (not in the pot, but below it!). Any water that runs through the drainage holes is captured among the rocks and evaporates up around the plants. Rinse plants under fast flowing fresh water every few weeks to remove dust and significantly reduce the chance of pest problems.

Indoor Container Suggestions: Minimum deep 10" pot with excellent drainage. The ultimate size of this variety is very much influenced by the size of container you choose. However, pot up in increments of 2". Fruiting can be induced on plants starting at 3-4', so provide adequate container space to allow mature height.

Winter Fertilizing: Repot or refresh soil in fall, when bringing pots indoors. Add up to 25% quality compost. No additional fertilizing is required between October and January. As light levels go up, and new growth emerges, start fertilizing monthly, using a balanced organic plant food. If growing under lights, fertilize bi-weekly right through winter. Non-organic fertilizers are not recommended, as these can cause burning or difficult-to-manage changes in the soil.

Winter Watering: Water deeply when top inch of the soil feels dry to the touch. Check soil moisture at least once per week. As daylight hours increase, watering requirements will also increase.

Special Instructions: During the transition from summer to winter - especially where plants move from outdoors in - Star Fruit can experience some stress. A common symptom of this stress is a certain amount of leaf drop. Don't worry if this occurs, new growth will follow shortly. Pay attention to not over water during this period - only water as the top inch of soil dries out.

Links to More Information:

Tropical Spice & Fruiting Plants

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