Surinam Cherry Tree Live Plant, Sweet Fruit Tree Starter, 2-3 Ft Tall, 3 Gallon Pot, Outdoor

Overview

Embark on a rewarding gardening journey with this vibrant Surinam Cherry live plant. Known scientifically as Eugenia uniflora, the Surinam Cherry is a popular tropical fruit tree cherished for its distinctive, ribbed, and often bright red to dark purple fruits. These cherries boast a unique flavor profile, ranging from sweet to tart, making them a delightful addition to fresh eating, jams, jellies, and desserts. This live plant arrives as a robust starter, typically 2-3 feet tall and established in a 3-gallon pot, ready to thrive in your garden or a spacious container. A sweet cherry fruit tree like this promises not only delicious produce but also adds an attractive ornamental touch with its glossy green leaves and charming small white flowers. Growing your own tropical fruit tree allows you to enjoy fresh, organic fruit right from your backyard, providing a taste of the exotic and a connection to nature.

The Surinam Cherry live plant is an excellent choice for gardeners looking for an interesting and productive fruit-bearing specimen. Its adaptability to various growing conditions, combined with its relatively compact size, makes it suitable for many outdoor settings. Whether you’re an experienced horticulturist or a budding enthusiast, cultivating this plant is a fulfilling experience. It’s more than just a plant; it’s an investment in fresh, homegrown produce and a beautiful focal point for your outdoor space. Its resilience and striking appearance ensure it will be a cherished part of your garden for years to come.

Key Benefits

Adding a Surinam Cherry live plant to your garden offers a plethora of advantages, from its aesthetic appeal to its bountiful harvest. This versatile plant is a fantastic choice for many reasons:

• Delicious and Nutritious Fruit: Enjoy a continuous supply of fresh, homegrown Surinam cherries. These small, ribbed fruits are packed with Vitamin C, antioxidants, and a unique sweet-tart flavor, perfect for snacking, making jellies, or adding to desserts.
• Attractive Ornamental Value: Beyond its fruit, the Surinam Cherry tree is an attractive evergreen shrub or small tree. Its glossy, dark green leaves, delicate white flowers, and colorful ripening fruits provide year-round visual interest and enhance the beauty of any landscape.
• Adaptable and Resilient: This tropical fruit tree is known for its hardiness and ability to adapt to a range of soil types and environmental conditions. It’s a relatively low-maintenance option for gardeners in suitable climates, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a productive yet easy-to-care-for plant.
• Compact Growth Habit: With a mature height typically ranging from 6-15 feet, the Surinam Cherry maintains a manageable size, making it suitable for smaller gardens, urban landscapes, or even large container growing on patios and balconies. Its compact nature ensures it won’t overwhelm your outdoor space.
• Supports Local Wildlife: The flowers attract pollinators like bees, and the fruits are a favorite food source for birds, contributing to the biodiversity of your garden environment. Growing an outdoor fruit plant like this helps create a vibrant ecosystem.
• Long Fruiting Season: Unlike many temperate fruit trees, the Surinam Cherry often produces multiple crops throughout the year in warmer climates, providing a more extended harvest period for fresh fruit enjoyment.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Surinam Cherry live plant is relatively straightforward, ensuring you’ll enjoy bountiful harvests with proper attention. This tropical species thrives in warm, sunny conditions. For optimal growth and fruit production, plant your Surinam Cherry in a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. While it can tolerate partial shade, fruit production will be reduced. If growing indoors or in a container, place it near a south-facing window or use supplemental grow lights to ensure it gets adequate light. The plant is suitable for outdoor planting in USDA Hardiness Zones 9–11, where it can withstand mild winters.

The Surinam Cherry prefers well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0) is ideal. When planting in the ground, amend heavy clay soils with compost or peat moss to improve drainage. For container growing, use a high-quality potting mix formulated for tropical plants. Consistent moisture is crucial, especially during dry spells and when the plant is actively fruiting. Water deeply when the top inch of soil feels dry, but avoid waterlogging, which can lead to root rot. Fertilize your Surinam Cherry tree care with a balanced slow-release fertilizer or a fruit tree specific formula every 2-3 months during the growing season (spring and summer). Pruning can be done to maintain shape, control size, and remove any dead or diseased branches. This also encourages bushier growth and more fruit production. Keep an eye out for common pests like aphids or scale insects, and treat with organic insecticidal soap if necessary. Protecting your outdoor fruit plant from frost is essential in marginal zones; cover it or bring container plants indoors if temperatures are expected to drop below freezing.

Size & Details

This offering is for one robust Surinam Cherry live plant, which arrives approximately 2–3 feet tall from the base of the pot to the top of the foliage, and is securely rooted in a 3-gallon nursery pot. The plant is shipped in a healthy, established condition, ready for transplanting into your garden or a larger container. While the plant arrives at a manageable starter size, it has the potential to mature into a substantial shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 6–15 feet under optimal growing conditions in USDA Zones 9–11. Its compact growth habit makes it an excellent choice for various garden sizes, including smaller landscapes or for growing in large patio pots, ensuring it can fit into diverse outdoor spaces.

The sweet cherry fruit tree typically begins producing fruit within 2-3 years of planting, with multiple harvests possible throughout the year in warm climates. The fruit, characterized by its distinctive ribbed appearance, ripens from green to a vibrant red or dark purple, indicating its readiness for harvest. This plant is a long-term investment, providing years of delicious fresh fruit and ornamental beauty. It is a live tropical plant, so it requires careful handling upon arrival to ensure a smooth transition to its new environment. Proper tropical fruit tree care will ensure vigorous growth and abundant fruiting.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Surinam Cherry live plant get? A: This plant arrives 2-3 feet tall in a 3-gallon pot. Under ideal conditions, it can mature to a height of 6-15 feet, making it suitable for gardens or large containers.
• Q: What growing conditions does the Surinam Cherry prefer? A: The Surinam Cherry thrives in full sun (6-8 hours daily) and prefers well-draining soil. It is best suited for outdoor growing in USDA Hardiness Zones 9–11.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is primarily an outdoor fruit plant. While it can be grown in large containers and brought indoors during cold weather in colder zones, it performs best when planted outdoors in suitable climates.
• Q: How much sunlight does a Surinam Cherry tree care require? A: For the best fruit production and overall health, the Surinam Cherry requires full sun exposure, meaning at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Q: What condition will the plant arrive in? A: Your Surinam Cherry plant will arrive as a healthy, live tropical plant, well-rooted in a 3-gallon nursery pot, approximately 2-3 feet tall, ready for planting.
• Q: Is the fruit from this sweet cherry fruit tree edible? A: Yes, the fruit of the Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora) is edible and widely consumed. It has a unique sweet-tart flavor and is used fresh, in juices, jams, and jellies.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this tropical fruit tree? A: The best time to plant is typically in spring or early summer, after the last threat of frost has passed, allowing the plant ample time to establish itself before cooler weather.
• Q: What kind of soil does it need? A: It prefers well-draining soil rich in organic matter, with a slightly acidic to neutral pH. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root issues.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This plant is cold-hardy in USDA Zones 9–11. If you are in a colder zone, it will need protection from frost or should be grown in a container that can be moved indoors during winter.
• Q: How often should I water my Surinam Cherry plant? A: Water consistently to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, especially during dry periods and fruiting. Water deeply when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.