Starfruit (Carambola) cultivate in pots?

19 years ago

Can you cultivate Starfruit (Carambola) i colder cliimates the way you would figs? (I.E. leave out all year but bring in when temperatures drop into cool basement etc.) Sources say Carambola tolerates temperatures down to 32 to 27 degrees (farenheit) so it would have to be brought in for at least part of the winter here)..... Do you think it would grow well this way? (in a large pot or tub) do you need two for fertilization? Which variety do you think would perform well in containers and where do you buy plants? I.E. which online nurseries? Thanks :)

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Comments (3)

Kameha
19 years ago
I think carambola is a lot more sensitive to cold then figs are...and they need high light all year unlike figs. They are evergreen and do not go fully dormant. I think they grow very well in pots but you'd just have to bring them inside before frost danger and have it in a sunny area of your house...spritzing it with mist every 2 days or so to increase humidity. Those sources are right...young trees get damaged around 27 degrees but I would never risk that if I didn't have to so bring them indoors as soon as there is a frost danger. As for cross-pollination...I know for sure that the variety "Fwang Tung" produces fruit with only one tree and needs no other trees to produce fruit. This is a great nursery you can buy them from.

Here is a link that might be useful: Starfruit nursery
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ohiojay
19 years ago
I'm in Ohio and have a 1 1/2 year old starfruit grown from seed. It does very well in pots. In fact, I just repotted it for the third time. Incredible root structure. They do like a lot of light so I don't think putting it in your basement will work. Try a good sunny, south-facing window. Avoid ANY fertilizing the first couple of years. They will overgrow their ability to support themselves. I made this mistake and had to cut nearly two feet from the height. They also will not tolerate even medium strength insecticides. I lost two this way. My last is being treated like gold! They are beautiful plants and it makes me sad to think how nicer it would look today had I not needed to trim it down. Good luck.
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hello Johnathan J, for me (hot and dry here), I would leave it shaded for at least a week or until you see new growth, then slowly aclimate it to its spot. My carambola is just a seedling but here are my thoughts on repotting: give it a week or two (or three) when you see active growth, move it to a larger pot. I would not reccomend moving it to a huge pot just yet. This is my experience, one plant I moved to a huge pot after purchase (last fall) I had difficulties planting in the ground this spring. The extra soil broke away from the rootball, taking all the new delicate roots with it. My other experience is overpotting and rot. This last winter another newly purchased plant was placed in a huge pot (it was going to stay potted). As winter progressed and cool spring arrived, I started watering more. The soil at the top of the pot would dry before the soil at the bottom. Before too long the soil smelled foul and the roots rotted. This is not the case with all plants, my guavas and solanums have such dense root systems, they jumped a pot size. good luck, -Ethan
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megido
16 years ago
I have a nice little starfruit I grew from seeds I got on eBay on the cheap. Like it's been said before, keep it warm, give plenty of light, no fertilizer for the first few years, and spritz for humidity. It gets incredibly dry where I am (We're talking 10-20% humidity during the summer), so I do the latter every evening and I run a humidifier during the winter to make sure it keeps moisture in the air. I have mine under a 65 watt grow light that's on a timer for about 9 to 10 hours a day near a north-facing window because I have no south-facing windows that wouldn't be attacked by kitties, but it seems to do quite well like that anyway.
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Starfruit (Carambola) cultivate in pots?

Comments (3)

Kameha

ohiojay

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