Carambola - averrhoa carambola

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Carambola - averrhoa carambola

By goodadmin | May 27, 2007

by steve stamos

A warm climate, attractive medium-sized evergreen fruit tree, native to Brazil, commonly referred as star fruit tree. Carambola trees have the most beautiful small, purple and pink flowers that appear from the branches, trunk and twigs. This tree is a must for home gardens. They are worth growing just for the flowers. It reaches 8 to 10 m so keep them pruned to about 4 meters if you want the fruit. It produces masses of golden, star-shaped delicious, golden-yellow, sweet fruits which ripen from summer through autumn. The sweet pulp of the fruit taste like a cross between passion fruit and apricots and they are fantastic in fruit salads. They are also used pickled, for chutney and jams.

Carambola trees prefer a tropical or warm subtropical climate - full sun is ideal - and a well-drained site with moderate acidity. They will stand light frosts when established -2C to -3C but young trees may be killed or badly damaged by frosts. Feed the trees regularly with some organic matter, and mulch a couple of times a year. In addition a weak solution of fish emulsion sprayed over the tree once a month will help the tree to produce more fruit that you and your whole family could eat.

Seedling varieties should crop in three to eight years, selected grafted varieties in only one or two years. Seedling trees are not generally recommended. However the sweet-fruited ones will produce sweet fruit. It is a good idea to pick a few fruit and sample for sweetness before harvest. Be careful not to bruise fruit edges as they discolor rapidly. Fruit can be stored in refrigerator and keep well for ten to twenty days.

The main pest problems are fruit-sucking moths and fruit fly. Pick the fruit before it’s ripe to beat the fruit fly.

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