Overview

Cultivate your own exotic fruits with this vibrant Surinam Cherry live plant, also widely known as Pitanga. Originating from Brazil, this delightful shrub (Eugenia uniflora) is renowned for its attractive foliage, fragrant white flowers, and most notably, its unique, ribbed, red-orange fruits. These small, juicy berries offer a distinctive tart-sweet flavor, making them a favorite for fresh consumption, jellies, pies, or refreshing beverages. Often grown as a hedge or ornamental shrub, the Surinam Cherry live plant is a resilient and rewarding addition to any garden or patio, bringing a touch of the tropics and a continuous supply of delicious, nutritious fruit.

The Pitanga plant is a fast-growing, evergreen shrub that can reach impressive sizes in ideal conditions but is also amenable to pruning for container growth. Its glossy, dark green leaves provide year-round visual appeal, while its seasonal blooms attract pollinators. Whether you’re an experienced gardener looking for an unusual fruiting specimen or a beginner eager to explore edible landscaping, this Surinam Cherry live plant offers both beauty and bounty.

Key Benefits

The Surinam Cherry live plant is not just a source of delicious fruit; it also offers a multitude of benefits for both your garden and your well-being. Its adaptability and low maintenance make it a popular choice for various climates and gardening styles.

• Delicious Edible Fruit: Enjoy a continuous harvest of unique, tart-sweet Pitanga fruits, perfect for fresh eating, juices, jams, and desserts. The flavor is a delightful blend of cherry and passion fruit notes.
• Attractive Ornamental Shrub: With glossy, dark green leaves and a dense growth habit, this plant serves as an excellent hedge, screen, or specimen plant, adding tropical flair to your landscape.
• Fragrant Blooms: Small, white, delicate flowers appear multiple times a year, filling the air with a sweet, pleasant fragrance and attracting beneficial pollinators to your garden.
• Fast Growing & Resilient: The Surinam Cherry live plant establishes quickly and is relatively hardy, tolerating a range of soil types and conditions once established, making Pitanga plant care straightforward.
• Container Friendly: Despite its potential to grow large, it adapts well to container growing, allowing even those with limited space to enjoy this exotic fruit plant on patios or balconies.
• Nutrient-Rich Berries: The fruits are rich in Vitamin C, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds, contributing to a healthy diet directly from your garden.
• Versatile Use: Beyond fresh consumption, the fruits can be used to make vibrant jellies, refreshing beverages, and unique culinary creations, making it a truly versatile tropical fruiting shrub.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

For optimal growth and fruit production from your Surinam Cherry live plant, consider the following care guidelines. This resilient exotic fruit plant thrives in warm, humid conditions but can adapt to various environments with proper attention. It prefers a location with full sun to partial shade, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day for best fruiting, though it can tolerate some afternoon shade in hotter climates.

When it comes to watering, the Pitanga prefers consistently moist soil but not waterlogged conditions. Allow the top inch or two of soil to dry out slightly between waterings, especially for potted plants. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot. For soil, a well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral loam is ideal. Fertilize your Surinam Cherry live plant every 2-3 months during the growing season with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer. Regular pruning helps maintain its shape, encourages bushier growth, and improves fruit production. You can prune after each fruiting cycle to shape the plant and remove any dead or weak branches. This also makes Pitanga plant care easier and more effective.

While generally robust, monitor for common pests like aphids or scale insects and treat as needed with organic solutions. The plant is fairly cold-tolerant for a tropical species, typically surviving brief dips into the upper 20s F (-2 to -3 C), but prolonged freezes will cause damage. In colder regions, it’s best grown in containers and brought indoors during winter, ensuring it remains a productive tropical fruiting shrub for years to come.

Size & Details

This Surinam Cherry live plant is supplied in a Half Gallon Pot, indicating a well-established plant with a healthy root system, ready for transplanting. At this stage, plants typically stand between 8-16 inches tall, depending on recent growth and pruning. Surinam Cherries are fast growers and can reach heights of 10-20 feet and similar widths if left unpruned in the ground, but they are easily maintained at smaller sizes through regular pruning, especially when grown as an edible cherry bush or in containers. Expect the plant to begin fruiting within 1-2 years under optimal conditions, producing multiple flushes of fruit throughout the year in warm climates. It is shipped as a rooted, live specimen, carefully packaged to ensure its safe arrival.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Surinam Cherry live plant get? A: If planted in the ground and left unpruned, a Surinam Cherry can grow up to 10-20 feet tall and wide. However, it responds very well to pruning and can be kept much smaller, making it suitable for hedges or container growing as an edible cherry bush.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Surinam Cherry is primarily an outdoor plant in USDA zones 9-11. In colder climates, it can be grown outdoors during warm months and brought indoors as a container plant for winter, making it a versatile tropical fruiting shrub.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Pitanga plant need? A: For best fruit production, the Pitanga plant thrives in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily). It can tolerate partial shade, especially in very hot climates, but may produce fewer fruits.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, Pitanga plant care is considered relatively easy. It’s a resilient plant that tolerates various conditions, making it suitable for both beginner and experienced gardeners. Regular watering, good drainage, and occasional fertilization are key.
• Q: What condition will my Surinam Cherry live plant arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a healthy, live specimen in a Half Gallon Pot, carefully packaged to minimize stress during transit. It will be ready for transplanting into its permanent location or a larger pot.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a Surinam Cherry? A: In warm climates, it can be planted year-round. In areas with distinct seasons, it’s best to plant in spring or early summer after the last frost, allowing the plant to establish before colder weather.
• Q: Can I grow this exotic fruit plant in a container? A: Absolutely! The Surinam Cherry is an excellent candidate for container growing. Choose a pot with good drainage and ensure it’s large enough to accommodate root growth. You’ll need to prune more frequently to maintain its size.
• Q: What does the fruit taste like? A: The fruit of the Surinam Cherry live plant has a unique tart-sweet flavor, often described as a mix between cherry, raspberry, and passion fruit. The riper the fruit, the sweeter it becomes.
• Q: Will this plant attract pollinators? A: Yes, the small, fragrant white flowers of the Surinam Cherry are attractive to bees and other pollinators, which helps with fruit set and supports local ecosystems.
• Q: What kind of soil does this Pitanga plant prefer? A: It prefers well-draining soil that is slightly acidic to neutral. A good quality potting mix enriched with compost works well for container plants, and in-ground plants benefit from soil amendments for drainage.