Fruit tree size and production

Q: I am interested in a Strawberry Tree... does this tree produce fruit while still small or do I have to wait until it is large before it produces? Should I fertilize it so it produces sooner? I ask because my garden is not large and I prefer to keep my fruit growing trees in a smaller size. Also, how big is the fruit and does it have a seed?

A: Strawberry Tree, Muntingia Calabura, is one of those fascinating fruit trees that starts flowering and fruiting in small size. We have plants growing in 1 gal containers that already have flowers. This tree is nearly year-round producer providing warm conditions. It is a fast grower, although a compact tree when mature, and can be trimmed to desirable size without affecting production.
Muntingia fruit is one of our favorites. It is super sweet and juicy, and the seeds are tiny small, not bigger than the strawberry seeds, so you don't have to spit them out. The fruit size normally about 1/2 inch, but we have a tree in our garden that produces almost cherry-size fruit! See picture above. The secret is, good watering and using fruit booster - SUNSHINE honey micro-element supplement. We also fertilize our fruit trees using Fruit Festival and Mango-Food fertilizers.

Featured plant. Acacia sphaerocephala - Bulls-Horn Acacia

Acacia (Vachellia) sphaerocephala - Bulls-Horn

The name of this cool unusual tree comes from the shape of the thorns which do indeed resemble the horns of a bull! The tree has a strong, symbiotic relationship with a species of an ant, Pseudomyrmex sphaerocephala for which it is the obligate habitat. The ants act as caretakers for the tree, and clear the ground and keep it free of any other plants and even prune surrounding branches of other trees that threaten to outshade the acacia. Without the protection of the ant colony, the acacia tree would fall vulnerable to chewing insects such as beetles or caterpillars, and surrounding trees and shrubs would quickly outcompete the acacia without the maintenance work of the ants to keep the tree safe.

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Featured plant. Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum - Voodoo Lily

Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum - Voodoo Lily

Rare Amorphophallus ralative, Typhonium venosum (Sauromatum venosum), is a common shade-loving house or garden plant from temperate and tropical Africa and Asia. This plant is also known as the Voodoo Bulb because of its ability to flower from a corm without soil and water. Tuberous perennial with solitary, segmented round leaf and strange, arum-like flower. Rare collectable, it is a showy exotic container plant.
Typhonium grows to around 20 inches tall from an underground corm. A large corm can spawn multiple new corms. Inflorescences emerge before the leaves. An inflorescence has a purplish-brown-spotted, yellowish spathe and a purplish-brown spadix which emit a strong odor perceived as similar to cow manure, rotting flesh, or a dirty wet dog, depending on who smells the inflorescence ;) The odor lasts only a day and attracts carrion-feeding insects which can pollinate this plant.
Plants we have in stock, have tubers 1-2"in diameter. The plant goes dormant in winter and starts sprouting in March-April. Keep soil slightly moist but not wet, and wait for the magic leaf to pop up... The plant should flower within a year or two.

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RARE Featured plant, finally in stock!

Vanilla dilloniana - Leafless Vanilla Orchid

Very rare, collectible and extinct species! This plant propagated at TopTropicals nursery from Robert Riefer's unique specimen, the biggest potted specimen in the World, grown in 100 gal pot, originated in 1927, awarded in 2011 with CHM certificate of Horticultural Merit by American Orchid Society. Leafless Vanilla Orchid is amazing exotic vanilla that forms a multi-branched, leafless vine reaching lengths up to 15 ft. The light green flowers are similar to Vanilla barbellata but the petals and sepals are longer and the fluted lip is a deep reddish-purple with a yellow crest. Vanilla dilloniana is distributed throughout the West Indies and had been reported on the banks of the Miami River in South Florida. Vanilla dilloniana is a very rare species and considered vulnerable, endangered across its range. Pieces of plants from the original colony have been shared and may be found in local collections.

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Featured plant. Randia formosa - Blackberry jam fruit

Randia formosa - Blackberry jam fruit

This unique compact plant, perfect for container culture, combines features of a fragrant flower and tasty desert fruit. Kids love it! Originally from Central and South America, this rare tropical small evergreen tree bears fruit which tastes like fresh Blackberry jam. Many claim that it's even better than preserves. Closely related to the gardenia, its flowers are sweetly fragrant. This relatively hardy tropical has attractive foliage and can be grown in a container as well as in the ground. The Randia formosa (or Rosenbergiodendron formosum) produces as many as 25 to 30 fruits at a time. Since it blooms for a few months in the fall and winter, fruiting and flowering can be enjoyed when many other plants are dormant. Large tubular white flowers that attract nocturnal moths... Read more about this plant...

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