Carambola grow and care – tree of the genus Averrhoa also known as Starfruit plant, Carambola perennial evergreen – semi-deciduous plant also used as ornamental plant grow in tropic, mediterranean or subtropical climate and growing in hardiness zone 10+ and in the right care can grow in hardiness zone 9.
Leaves are green but new growth its red, flower color white-purple that grows on the trunk of the tree.
Carambola edible fruits
Fruit are when it cut it’s in the shape of star yellow and sometime can edible when it partial green, the taste of the fruit depend on the cultivars and can be sweet, sour or something in between.
Requirement for Carambola growing information and care instruction:
How to grow: Rich soil, organic matter, fertilizer few
How to care: Protection from winds when the tree is young, take off the fruits the firsts years, fertilizer few times a year
What is the best way to start growing? Plant / Seed (explanation bellow) / Air layer
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction? Yes, some cultivars can tasteles and some barly bearing fruits
Difficulties or problems when growing: Sensitive to winds
Planting season: Spring in hardiness zone 9, spring to summer in hardiness zone 10, spring to autumn in hardiness zone 11 and all year in hardiness zone 12+.
How to plant Planting in bigger hole than the root ball, at least 200% bigger, put in the hole back part of the soil with organic matter, dead leaves, hummus and compost, put the tree and cover lightly but enough to hold itself and cover with mulch
Pests and diseases: Aphids
Pruning season: Autumn, all year for dead branch
How to prune: Dead branch
Size of the plant? 3-6 m, 10-20 feet
Growth speed in optimal condition: Medium growing / Slow growing
Water requirement: Average amount of water
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing: Full Sun / Half Shade
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant? No
Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers: Yes, start with pot that will be 20% more than the root ball, every time that the tree arrive to full capacity need to switch to bigger until arrives to desirable size, it will bear fruits also in 5gallon (20 liter) container (but bigger is better), better to use this method because the soil lose the viability over time and it’s efficient of care for the tree, when the plant big need to switch part of the soil, drainage it’s important and need to make holes and to use peat soil and maybe some lava grit in the bottom or something like that, put a bottom for the container and when water the plant let it fill the bottom but also need to dry in the same day, better when it’s grow in container to grow it as shrub.
Blooming information
Bloom season: Spring in hardiness zone 9, spring to summer in hardiness zone 10a, spring to autumn in hardiness zone 10b-11 and all year in hardiness zone 12+.
General information about the flower White-purple flower that grow on the trunk of the tree
Thinning the bloom: 2 firsts years recommend to thinning
Pollination is done by: Bees, fly
Edible Fruits
Fruit harvest season: Summer to early autumn in hardiness zone 9, late spring to early autumn in hardiness zone 10a, summer to winter in hardiness zone 10b-11 possible all the year (depend the cultivars) and all year in hardiness zone 12+, the fruits can be damaged by the winds and the cold
Fruits pests or diseases: Birds
What can be done with big quantities of Carambola fruits? Eat raw, jam, salad
Work requirements on the fruit: Picked gently very sensitive to bumps
How long does it take to bear fruit? 3-4 years
Ripening of fruit: Can be picked before it’s fully ready and even sometimes to be eaten when it’s green
Growing Carambola from seed
Sowing requirement: Soak the seeds in room temperature water, possible to put them on paper towel or cotton, the
Saving seeds and care until sowing: Better to use fresh seeds, the seeds lose the viability quick, keep the seeds in dark in room temperature
Sowing season: Spring in hardiness zone 9, spring to summer in hardiness zone 10, spring to autumn in hardiness zone 11 and all year in hardiness zone 12+.
Planting spacing: Better in separate pots
Depth of Sowing: 1cm from the top of the seeds (0.5 inch)
Conditions for seeds germinate: Moist soil, warm weather above 27C, high humidity
Watering requires for Seeds: Average amount of water / Big amount of water
Germination time: 4-10 weeks
Condition of seedling: Moist soil, high humidity, half sun to full sun
Cultivars
Kari carambola – Sweet cultivar with big amount of fruits
