Overview

Bring the exotic taste of the tropics to your home garden with this spicy pitanga live plant. This vibrant Eugenia Uniflora seedling, also known as Surinam Cherry or Brazilian Cherry, is a fantastic choice for fruit enthusiasts and gardeners looking for something unique. Standing approximately 4-8 inches tall and shipped in a 2.5-inch square pot, this starter plant is ready to be nurtured into a prolific fruit-bearing tree. The ‘Spicy Pitanga’ selection is celebrated for its distinctive flavor profile, offering a pleasant spice without the resinous aftertaste sometimes associated with other Surinam cherry varieties. It’s an adaptable and resilient plant, thriving in a range of tropical and subtropical climates, making it a rewarding addition to many landscapes.

The Eugenia Uniflora tree is renowned for its attractive foliage and abundant, dark red fruits that are not only beautiful but also delicious. This specific variety produces particularly large and appealing fruits, perfect for fresh eating, salads, or culinary creations. Growing your own surinam cherry plant provides the satisfaction of harvesting fresh, organic fruit right from your backyard or patio. This plant is grown organically in Florida, ensuring a healthy and robust start for your gardening journey. Its compact size as a seedling makes it easy to establish and care for as it matures.

Key Benefits

The spicy pitanga live plant offers a multitude of benefits for the home gardener, combining aesthetic appeal with a bountiful harvest of unique fruit. Cultivating this plant provides not just food, but also a beautiful, resilient addition to your outdoor space.

• Delicious & Unique Fruit: Enjoy the distinct flavor of ‘Spicy Pitanga’ cherries, known for their pleasant spice and lack of resinous aftertaste. These dark red fruits are excellent for fresh consumption, salads, and jams, offering a truly unique taste experience from your own pitanga fruit tree.
• Attractive Ornamental Plant: Beyond its fruit, the Eugenia Uniflora boasts attractive green foliage and produces charming small flowers, adding year-round beauty to your garden or patio. Its bushy growth habit makes it suitable for hedges or standalone specimens.
• Adaptable & Resilient: This tropical fruit plant is highly adaptable to various soil types and can tolerate periods of waterlogging, making it a robust choice for many gardeners. It thrives in tropical and subtropical regions, showcasing impressive hardiness.
• Organic & Healthy Start: Our plants are grown organically, ensuring you receive a healthy, chemical-free seedling ready to flourish in your garden. This promotes sustainable gardening practices and provides peace of mind.
• Versatile Culinary Uses: The large, appealing fruits from your surinam cherry plant are incredibly versatile. They can be eaten fresh, used in fruit salads, baked into pies, made into jellies and jams, or even infused into beverages, adding a gourmet touch to your meals.
• Supports Biodiversity: Planting fruit trees like the Eugenia Uniflora can attract pollinators and beneficial insects to your garden, contributing to local biodiversity and creating a more vibrant ecosystem.
• Educational Gardening Experience: Growing a tropical fruit from scratch offers an enriching educational experience for gardeners of all ages, teaching about plant life cycles, tropical horticulture, and sustainable food production.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your spicy pitanga live plant is relatively straightforward, especially with the right approach to its environment and routine. This tropical plant thrives in conditions that mimic its native habitat. For optimal growth, ensure it receives adequate sunlight, consistent watering, and appropriate soil. While tolerant of various conditions, a little attention to detail will ensure a bountiful harvest from your eugenia uniflora tree.

When it comes to sunlight, the Surinam Cherry prefers full sun to partial shade. In hotter climates, some afternoon shade can prevent leaf scorch, especially for young plants. Aim for at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for the best fruit production. Watering should be consistent, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged. Allow the top inch or two of soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot, so ensure your pot or garden bed allows excess water to escape. The plant is adaptable to various soil types including sand, sandy loam, stiff clay, and soft limestone, but it prefers well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral soil. Fertilize every 2-3 months during the growing season with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer formulated for fruit trees. Reduce fertilization during dormancy in cooler months. This tropical fruit plant is generally hardy in USDA zones 9-11.

Protect young plants from extreme temperatures, especially cold. While mature plants can tolerate brief dips, temperatures below 60°F can cause damage. If growing in a cooler climate, consider potting your pitanga fruit tree in a container that can be moved indoors during winter. Pests and diseases are generally not a major issue for Surinam Cherries, but keep an eye out for common garden pests like aphids or scale. Address any infestations promptly with organic pest control methods. Regular pruning can help maintain shape, encourage bushier growth, and improve air circulation, leading to better fruit development. Remove any dead or diseased branches as needed. Allow the plant a week or two to adjust to its new home after shipping before transplanting or fertilizing to minimize stress.

Size & Details

You are purchasing one spicy pitanga live plant, a vigorous seedling of Eugenia Uniflora, commonly known as Surinam Cherry. Each starter plant measures approximately 4-8 inches in height, with this measurement excluding the height of the pot. The plant is securely rooted in a 2.5-inch square nursery pot, ensuring a well-established root system for successful transplanting. This particular selection, ‘Spicy Pitanga,’ is renowned for its robust growth and superior fruit quality.

Expect a moderate growth rate, with the plant capable of reaching a mature height of 10-20 feet if planted in the ground in ideal conditions, though it can be kept smaller with pruning or when grown in a container. The fruits, which are dark red when ripe, typically appear within 2-3 years from planting, offering a rewarding harvest. The plant is shipped as a potted seedling, ready to be acclimated to its new environment and eventually transplanted into a larger pot or your garden. This surinam cherry plant is a long-lived perennial, providing years of delicious fruit and ornamental beauty.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this spicy pitanga live plant get? A: When mature, the Eugenia Uniflora tree can typically reach heights of 10-20 feet in optimal outdoor conditions, though it can be maintained at a smaller size through regular pruning or container cultivation.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: This spicy pitanga live plant is shipped as a starter seedling in a 2.5-inch square nursery pot, providing a healthy root base for its journey to your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Surinam Cherry is primarily an outdoor tropical plant, thriving in USDA zones 9-11. In colder climates, it can be grown in a container and brought indoors during the winter months.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For best fruit production, your pitanga fruit tree requires at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. It can tolerate partial shade, especially in very hot climates.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the surinam cherry plant is known for its adaptability and relative ease of care, making it suitable for both experienced gardeners and those new to growing tropical fruits.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a healthy, live seedling, approximately 4-8 inches tall, securely packaged in its 2.5-inch pot, ready for acclimation and planting.
• Q: Can I use the fruit in cooking? A: Absolutely! The ‘Spicy Pitanga’ fruits are excellent for fresh eating, adding to salads, making jams, jellies, or even incorporating into savory dishes for a unique flavor.
• Q: How long until it produces fruit? A: Under good growing conditions, your tropical fruit plant typically begins to bear fruit within 2-3 years from planting, offering a rewarding harvest.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: It thrives in tropical and subtropical climates (USDA zones 9-11). If you live in a colder zone, it’s best to grow it in a pot and provide winter protection indoors.
• Q: What type of soil does it prefer? A: The Surinam Cherry is quite adaptable but prefers well-draining soil. It can tolerate various soil types, including sandy, loamy, or clay soils, as long as drainage is adequate.