Malay apple tree

How to grow Malay apple growing and care:

Better frost free, when the tree is young have to be frost free or cover it, rich soil, organic matter

How to care:
Fertilize once a year, prune infected branches and better to prune one a year, add organic matter, when the soil dry better to add mulch

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed (propagate by seeds explanation bellow)/ Cutting / Air layering

How to propagate by cutting:
Propagating in temperature 27-32C (80-90F), high humidity (better like a fog), moist soil, half shade, better to take branches that didn’t grow yet in the spring when before arrive to the right temperature, because in those temperatures 27-32C (80-90F) it will start to grow and them harder to find good branches to use, better to use greenhouse

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, but if the fruits: dry, small, without a lot of flesh consider to graft, easy to start by seeds and need fresh seeds

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Seeds grow too easily and can be reseed in the garden

Planting season:
Spring, summer, autumn

How to plant:
Dig a hole as deep as the current root ball plus extra 30-50%, put in the hole organic matter, hummus and dried leaves and mix it with some soil, put the tree and loos little bit the root ball above the hole, plant the tree, cover it and don’t push the soil too much strong but not too much lightly because it won’t be stable, after this put mulch and dead leaves on the soil to keep moist on soil, put water every day for the next two weeks (better in the morning) , better to take care that the tree will be stable, and if not support it with bamboo or a stick that it won’t fall.

Pests and diseases:
Aphids, ants, mealy bugs

Pruning season:
Autumn to winter or directly after the fruits

How to prune:
For design, for easier fruit pickup, when the tree full of aphids better to cut the leaves and collect all the infected leaves and put them far away

Size of the plant:
5-12 m, 15-40 feet

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing (grow fast in hot climate or enough fertilizers / Medium growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water to big amount of water (the tree like water but it’s not must and will grow slowly with less amount of water), the amount of water depend on the soil in soil with less

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun / Half Shade (won’t bloom well)

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No

Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes, in containers need to keep the plants small, start with pot that will be 50-100% more than the root ball, bigger the plant smaller the percentage, every time that the tree arrive to full capacity need to switch to bigger until arrives to desirable size, 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, minimum size for the tree it’s 50L (10 gallons) better 100L (20 gallons) when grow in container need to put more fertilizer in order to get fruits, drainage it’s important and need to make holes and to use peat soil with perlite or potting mix 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.

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Spring

General information about Otaheite apple flower:
Pink flowers with multiple stamens like needles, the flowers connected and grow in clusters,

Pollination is done by:
Bees

Edible Fruits

Fruit harvest season:
Summer

Fruits pests or diseases:
Birds, fruit fly

What can be done with big quantities of Malay apples fruits?
Eat raw

Work requirements on the fruit:
Should be cover with net if there is fruit fly

How long does it take to bear fruit?
3-4 years

Ripening of fruit
Require to eat it fully ripen cause the fruit astringent, pick the fruits only when the colors are strong like: purple, red, green, orange or pink

How to grow Malay apple tree from seed

Sowing requirement:
Fresh seeds because the seeds lose their viability overtime, rich soil, sunny location,

Saving seeds until sowing:
Room temperature, dark and dry location

Sowing season:
Possible from spring to autumn but will be the best in spring to early summer and in tropical climate possible also in the winter

How to plant seeds:
Sow in soil that keep the moist, sunny location, keep water that the soil will be wet but do not overwater until the seeds germinate

Planting spacing:
Better plant each one in different pot because it’s easy to take care and then choose the best to transplant in the right location

Depth of Sowing:
2cm (1inche) from the top of the seeds

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil and full sun, peat soil and perlite or other light soil, sunny location

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water – keep the soil moist don’t let the soil dry, maybe put mulch to help to keep the moist of the soil

Germination time:
2 weeks to 1 month

Condition of seedling:
Seedling needs mulch and support of fertilizer with nitrogen in order to grow faster (not when the tree too much young)

Scientific name:

Syzygium malaccense

Alternative names: Otaheite apple tree, Pomerac tree, Malaysian apple tree, Malayan apple tree, Pomerac fruit, Mountain apple, Malay rose apple tree, Jamaican apple tree, Jamaican rose apple