Barbados Cherry Tree Live Plant – 2-3 ft Tall in 3 Gallon Pot, Acerola Fruit

Overview

Bring the joy of homegrown, vitamin-rich fruit to your garden with this vibrant Barbados Cherry tree live plant. Also known as Acerola cherry (Malpighia emarginata), this beautiful specimen arrives as a healthy, established plant measuring 2-3 feet tall and rooted in a 3-gallon nursery pot. The Barbados Cherry is renowned for its tart, juicy, and exceptionally high vitamin C content, making it a fantastic addition for both its ornamental appeal and its edible harvest. This fast-growing shrub or small tree produces abundant bright red cherries, perfect for snacking, juices, or preserves. It’s an excellent choice for gardeners looking for a productive fruit tree that also adds tropical flair to their landscape.

Our Barbados Cherry tree live plant is carefully nurtured to ensure it arrives in optimal condition, ready to be planted and begin its journey of growth in your home or garden. Whether you’re an experienced horticulturist or a budding green thumb, this resilient plant offers a rewarding growing experience, culminating in delicious and healthy fruit. Discover the ease and satisfaction of cultivating your own Acerola cherry fruit with this robust and well-developed plant.

Key Benefits

The Barbados Cherry tree live plant offers a multitude of benefits, from its nutritional value to its aesthetic appeal in the garden. Cultivating this plant provides fresh, healthy fruit and contributes to a vibrant outdoor space.

• Nutrient-Rich Fruit: Enjoy a continuous supply of fresh Acerola cherry fruit, famously packed with significantly more vitamin C than oranges. These cherries are not only delicious but also a powerhouse of antioxidants, supporting overall health and wellness.
• Attractive Landscape Addition: With its dense, bushy growth and bright red berries, the Barbados Cherry serves as an attractive ornamental shrub or small tree, adding a touch of tropical beauty to your garden, patio, or even as a focal point.
• Easy to Grow: This resilient plant is relatively low-maintenance, making it suitable for gardeners of all experience levels. It adapts well to various conditions, provided its basic light and water needs are met, ensuring a rewarding growing experience.
• Fast Production: Unlike many fruit trees, the Barbados Cherry can begin producing fruit relatively quickly, often within a year or two of planting, allowing you to enjoy your harvest sooner.
• Versatile Use: The fruit is perfect for fresh eating, juicing, making jams, jellies, or even desserts. Its unique tart flavor adds a delightful zing to various culinary creations.
• Drought Tolerant: Once established, the Barbados Cherry tree live plant exhibits good drought tolerance, reducing the need for constant watering and making it a more sustainable choice for many climates.
• Pollinator Friendly: The small, delicate flowers attract bees and other pollinators to your garden, contributing to a healthy ecosystem and improving the yield of other fruiting plants.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Barbados Cherry tree live plant is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful harvest of delicious fruit. This plant thrives in warm climates and requires specific conditions to reach its full potential. Understanding its needs will help you successfully grow Barbados Cherry and enjoy its many benefits.

For optimal growth and fruit production, the Barbados Cherry tree live plant requires at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, making a full sun exposure location ideal. In hotter climates, some afternoon shade can be beneficial to prevent leaf scorch, though generally, more sun means more fruit. It prefers well-drained, sandy or loamy soil. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot. When watering, do so deeply but infrequently, approximately once a week. During fruiting periods or extended dry spells, more frequent watering may be necessary. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out between waterings to avoid overwatering.

The Barbados Cherry is best suited for USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, where it can be grown outdoors year-round. In colder zones, it can be grown in a container and brought indoors during the winter months. Fertilize your Barbados Cherry tree live plant with a balanced fertilizer during the growing season (spring through summer) to encourage vigorous growth and fruit development. Pruning can be done to maintain shape, size, and encourage bushier growth, which often leads to more fruit. Watch for common pests like aphids or spider mites and treat them with organic insecticidal soap if necessary. Proper care will ensure a healthy plant and abundant Acerola cherry fruit for years to come. If you want to know how to grow Barbados Cherry like a pro, remember these key points: plenty of sun, well-draining soil, and consistent but not excessive watering.

Size & Details

This offering is for one healthy Barbados Cherry tree live plant, which stands approximately 2-3 feet tall from the base of the pot to the top of the foliage. It is established in a 3-gallon nursery pot, providing a strong root system for successful transplanting. The plant is shipped as a well-rooted specimen, ensuring it arrives ready to be planted in your garden or a larger container. The Barbados Cherry, also known as Acerola, typically grows as a dense, bushy shrub or small tree, eventually reaching a mature height of 6 to 12 feet, depending on growing conditions and pruning. Its growth rate is considered moderate to fast, allowing for quick establishment and fruit production.

The plant will arrive carefully packaged to minimize stress during transit. Expect your Acerola cherry fruit producer to be ready for immediate planting upon arrival. With proper care, this plant will develop into a robust and productive specimen, offering fresh, healthy fruit. This dwarf cherry tree variety is perfect for home gardens, small spaces, or container planting, allowing you to enjoy fresh fruit even on a patio or balcony.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Barbados Cherry tree live plant get? A: This plant is currently 2-3 feet tall and comes in a 3-gallon pot. Mature Barbados Cherry plants can reach 6 to 12 feet in height, depending on growing conditions and if they are pruned.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Barbados Cherry tree live plant thrives outdoors in USDA Zones 9-11. In colder climates, it can be grown in a container and moved indoors during winter.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This plant requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, to produce the best Acerola cherry fruit yield.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Barbados Cherry is considered relatively easy to care for. It’s drought-tolerant once established and not overly fussy about soil, as long as it’s well-draining. Following basic Barbados Cherry plant care guidelines will ensure success.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your Barbados Cherry tree live plant will arrive as a healthy, established plant in its 3-gallon nursery pot, carefully packaged to ensure minimal stress during shipping.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: In warmer climates (Zones 9-11), it can be planted any time of year, though spring is often ideal. For container growing in colder zones, plant in spring or early summer to allow establishment before winter.
• Q: Can I grow Barbados Cherry in a pot? A: Absolutely! The Barbados Cherry is an excellent candidate for container growing, especially for those in colder climates who need to bring it indoors during winter. Ensure the pot has good drainage and is large enough to accommodate its growth.
• Q: How long until it produces fruit? A: This Barbados Cherry tree live plant is already well-established and may produce fruit within a year or two of planting, often sooner than plants grown from seed.
• Q: What does the Acerola cherry fruit taste like? A: The Acerola cherry fruit has a distinct tart and slightly sweet flavor. It’s often compared to a tart cherry with tropical undertones.
• Q: Is this a dwarf cherry tree? A: While it can grow up to 12 feet, it is often managed as a bushy shrub or a smaller tree, making it suitable for gardens where a traditional large cherry tree might be too big. It’s often referred to as a dwarf cherry tree due to its manageable size compared to other fruit trees.