Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. You can wait for the upper tips to turn yellow as well, but it won’t have as long of a storage life if you do. If you are healthy, the seeds or fruit should not harm you. The carambola is fairly low-maintenance once established, provided you’re giving it the right care. Star fruit trees are tropical plants so this is a plant you’ll want to grow in a container if you don’t live in a tropical climate. Fertilize young star fruit trees with 1/2 pound of mixed fertilizer, with a 6-6-6-3 formulation, every 60 to 90 days... 3. To learn more, check out this article. TemperatureHigh temperatures bring out the best in Star Fruit plants. These are both treatable with pyrethrin. Here's Why the Star Fruit Tree is a Top Performer: Small tree with attractive foliage Incredible fruit with distinctive star shape and unique flavor Lovely pink and lavender flowers Yields high quantities of high quality fruit Once your plant is roughly 2-4 feet in height and has sized up to at least a 3-gallon container, it’s time to plant it in the soil. At temperatures of 30-32 degrees, young leaves can die off. Temperatures under 35 degrees get steadily more dangerous, and temperatures below 25 degrees can cause tree death. Let’s discuss problems you might face with your home-grown star fruit plants as you care for them. It comes from Southeast Asia mainly from SriLanka, Indonesia, and Malaysia and is cultivated today mostly in many subtropical and tropical areas. Two types of weevils stop by, too. Stink bugs and squash bugs both can create small holes in the fruit that can then allow in fungal or bacterial pathogens, causing the fruit to rot. Aim for a range between 4.5 and 7 for best growth. Full sun is necessary for good star fruit growth. Q: How long does it take for a star fruit tree to bear fruit? If you believe your tree is experiencing algal rust, contact your local agricultural extension to confirm and to provide information on treatment options. Instead, make sure that if there’s large rocks that they’ve been removed, and that the soil is well-draining and slightly acidic. As the flowers form on both the young and older wood this pruning doesn't interrupt the fruiting cycle. Their color is lilac, but they have purple streaks along the petals. Mature trees can be trimmed to maintain them at 6-12 feet in height for ease of harvest. Regular spraying of horticultural oil will reduce the appearance of these. It’s better to avoid flooding for this species, but if it can’t be avoided, it won’t immediately suffer damage. For example, in Spain and the surrounding areas, the tree is known by the name carambola. Click here for holiday closings & specific hours each month. Grafting a carambola branch onto another rootstock is a common technique used to generate nursery stock. This exhibits as the interveinal yellowing of the young growth. Reduce watering in the winter months when it’s unnecessary. You can also dry starfruit using a food dehydrator. The star fruit is pulpy with a grape-like texture. It’s a low-calorie fruit, with only 31 calories per 100 grams. Root System The root system of Star Fruit is resilient and resistant to the root diseases that affect many plants in pots. This could be nutritional deficiencies or stress due to the climate. Feeding Container-Grown Star Fruit Applications of a balanced fertilizer during the spring to fall growing season are needed for optimum fruit production. Prepare your soil in advance by loosening it up in the area where the roots will grow. What is star fruit? Widely grown throughout the warmer areas of the world, it has little hardiness but can tolerate a light frost and temperatures into the high 20's for short periods. Carambola tree can be between 6 to 10 meters tall. For dwarf varieties grown in containers, you should prune back the out-reaching branches. Water your star fruit tree regularly from bloom through harvest. The tree is an evergreen in warmer climates but will lose its leaves when temperatures drop below 27 F. (-3 C.) for a length of time. When it's grown in the tropics, one Star Fruit tree can provide fruit for up to three families because of its prolific fruiting habit. It produces small, bell-shaped flowers with five petals. Full sun is a requirement for the best flowering and fruit set. (860) 774-8038 Call Center hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST. Hi, I'm Kevin. Once the plant sets fruit, it often produces a heavy crop. Other methods are rarely effective. Your tree should be 20-30 feet from any other trees or from structures. A mature tree can produce as much as 200 to 400 pounds of fruits every year. A: Yes and no. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The tart varieties are generally used as a garnish or in savory applications such as curries or stews. Soil above a pH level of 7 can cause your home-grown carambola tree to suffer from nutrient deficiencies. Three different types of scale insects are common pests for carambola. Some soil mycorrhizae are showing signs of helping protect plants against fungal root rot, but there is no cure once the star fruit tree is already infected, so prevention is essential. We're always looking to improve our articles to help you become an even better gardener. Retail Walk-in StoreGreenhouses have Reopened.Click here for Reopening details. For example, in Spain and the surrounding areas, the tree is known by the name carambola. Treat with insecticidal soap, neem oil, or horticultural oil to deal with these pests. Pruning Star Fruit plants have an upward growth habit. In tropical regions, the plants will flower and fruit on and off, year-round. Carambola plants prefer full sun conditions. This characteristic allows for periodic pruning and shaping that doesn't restrict fruiting. The temperature must be 60° F or higher for good tree health, and preferably 70-95 for fruit production. If starting a carambola seed, they require warm soil to germinate. Let’s go over the conditions that your tree wants to produce incredible star fruit! It was introduced to the subcontinent and Sri Lanka by Austronesian-speaking traders.