Surinam Cherry Live Plant – Pitanga Tropical Fruit Tree 3-4 ft Tall

Overview

Bring the vibrant flavors of the tropics directly to your home garden with a Surinam Cherry live plant. This beautiful and productive specimen, scientifically known as Eugenia uniflora, is often referred to as a Pitanga fruit tree due to its delicious, cherry-like fruits. Standing approximately 3-4 feet tall, this live plant is ready to establish itself in your landscape, offering both ornamental appeal and a bountiful harvest. Imagine stepping into your garden and plucking hundreds of fresh, sweet-tart cherries right from your own tree, multiple times throughout the year. This particular Surinam Cherry live plant has been carefully rooted for three years, ensuring a robust start for your tropical gardening adventure.

The Surinam Cherry is celebrated not only for its edible fruit but also for its striking appearance. Its bark exfoliates in beautiful red flakes, revealing new, smooth layers beneath, while its glossy, dark green leaves emerge with an attractive copper hue. In spring, the plant adorns itself with small, fragrant white flowers that soon give way to the distinctive, vibrant red fruits, typically up to 2 cm in diameter. The flavor spectrum of these cherries ranges from delightfully sweet to refreshingly tart, depending on their ripeness, promising a unique taste experience. This resilient tropical fruit plant is adaptable and can be grown as a compact bush, a functional hedge, or even trained into a small tree, making it a versatile addition to various garden designs.

Key Benefits

The Surinam Cherry live plant offers a multitude of advantages for both the experienced gardener and the novice alike. Its unique characteristics make it a standout choice for adding both beauty and utility to your outdoor space.

• Edible & Delicious Fruit: Enjoy a continuous supply of fresh, homegrown cherries. The fruit is perfect for eating fresh, making preserves, or crafting refreshing juices. With a flavor profile ranging from sweet to tart, it’s a versatile ingredient for culinary exploration.
• Outstanding Ornamental Value: Beyond its fruit, the Eugenia uniflora provides year-round visual interest. Its distinctive red flaking bark, glossy dark green leaves, copper new growth, and fragrant white flowers contribute significantly to landscape aesthetics.
• Versatile Growth Habits: This adaptable plant can be pruned and shaped to fit your specific gardening needs. Grow it as a small, manageable bush, create an attractive and edible hedge, or allow it to mature into a charming small tree.
• Multiple Fruiting Cycles Annually: Unlike many fruit trees that yield once a year, the Pitanga fruit tree can produce fruit 2-3 times per year with proper care, ensuring a more consistent supply of its delightful cherries.
• Ease of Cultivation: Thriving in subtropical and tropical climates, the Surinam Cherry is known for its relatively low maintenance requirements. It’s an excellent choice for gardeners seeking a rewarding yet straightforward fruiting plant.
• Drought Tolerance: Once established, this edible cherry plant exhibits good drought tolerance, making it suitable for regions with occasional dry spells and reducing the need for constant watering.
• Attracts Pollinators: The fragrant white flowers are attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinators, contributing to the biodiversity and health of your garden ecosystem.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Surinam Cherry live plant is straightforward, especially when provided with the right conditions. This robust tropical shrub thrives in environments that mimic its native habitat. For optimal growth and fruit production, understanding its needs for sunlight, water, and soil is crucial. The plant is quite resilient, making it a rewarding choice for many gardeners.

The Eugenia uniflora prefers full sun exposure, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. While it can tolerate partial shade, particularly in the hottest climates, full sun encourages the best flowering and fruiting. Place your plant in a location where it can receive ample light throughout the day. When it comes to watering, regular irrigation is essential, especially in areas with minimal rainfall or during dry periods. Allow the top inch or two of soil to dry out slightly between waterings, but avoid letting the plant sit in waterlogged conditions, as this can lead to root rot. Good drainage is key for this tropical fruit plant.

The Surinam Cherry adapts well to most soil types but prefers well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral soil. Amending heavy clay soils with organic matter can improve drainage. It is quite hardy once established, tolerating temperatures down to about 22°F when mature. For younger plants or in colder climates, protection from frost is recommended. If growing indoors, ensure winter temperatures remain between 46-68°F and protect from drafts. Fertilize with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer during the growing season to support healthy growth and fruit development. Pruning can be done to maintain desired size and shape, whether you prefer a bush, hedge, or small tree. This edible cherry plant is generally resistant to most pests and diseases, simplifying its care routine.

Size & Details

This offering is for a vibrant Surinam Cherry live plant, also known as a Pitanga fruit tree, that stands approximately 3 to 4 feet tall. These plants have been propagated from seed and meticulously cultivated for three years to ensure a strong and healthy specimen ready for planting in your garden. The mature height of a Surinam Cherry can reach up to 25 feet, but it is easily maintained at a smaller size through regular pruning, allowing you to shape it as a compact bush, an attractive hedge, or a small ornamental tree according to your landscaping vision. The fruit develops and ripens quickly, typically within 3-4 weeks after flowering, leading to multiple harvests throughout the year.

Upon arrival, your Eugenia uniflora will be carefully prepared for transit. While it will be shipped without its container to ensure safe and efficient delivery, the root ball will be securely wrapped and protected to minimize stress during shipment. This ensures that your tropical fruit plant arrives in excellent condition, ready for immediate planting in its new home. The plant is vigorous and will quickly establish itself, with an average growth rate that allows it to start producing its delicious, edible cherry plant fruits within a reasonable timeframe after planting. Expect a rewarding experience as you watch your plant flourish and begin to bear its unique produce.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big will my Surinam Cherry live plant get? A: A mature Surinam Cherry can reach up to 25 feet in height, but it is very amenable to pruning. You can easily maintain it as a smaller bush, hedge, or small tree to suit your garden space and aesthetic preferences.
• Q: What kind of climate is best for a Pitanga fruit tree? A: This plant is well-adapted to both subtropical and tropical climates. Established plants are hardy down to approximately 22°F, but younger plants may require protection during colder spells.
• Q: How often will my Eugenia uniflora produce fruit? A: With optimal care and growing conditions, your Surinam Cherry plant can fruit 2-3 times per year, providing a continuous harvest of its unique cherries.
• Q: Can I grow this tropical fruit plant indoors? A: Yes, it can be grown indoors, especially in regions with cold winters. It prefers warm temperatures in summer. During winter, it thrives in temperatures between 46-68°F and should be brought indoors if temperatures drop below 30°F. Avoid drafts and extreme temperature variations.
• Q: How much sun does my edible cherry plant need? A: The Surinam Cherry prefers full sun to part shade. If grown outdoors in a hot climate, partial shade during the intense afternoon hours can be beneficial, but full sun generally promotes the best fruiting.
• Q: What condition will my plant arrive in? A: Your plant will be carefully prepared and shipped without the container, with its root ball securely wrapped to ensure safe transit and minimize stress. It will arrive ready for planting.
• Q: What kind of soil does the Surinam Cherry prefer? A: This plant adapts well to most soil types but thrives in well-draining soil. Amending heavy soils with organic matter can improve drainage and overall plant health.
• Q: How long does it take for the fruit to ripen after flowering? A: The fruit of the Surinam Cherry live plant develops and ripens quite rapidly, usually within 3-4 weeks from the time of flowering.