Date: 25 Dec 2022
Surinam Cherry Lolita and Bermuda Christmas Pie
By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
Eugenia uniflora Lolita also known as Black Surinam Cherry, is a tropical fruit tree native to South America. Black fruited Surinam Cherry starts as red and turns black as it ripens and has exceptional flavor. The plant is vigorous and ready to fruit the same year. The fruit is very sweet, without aftertaste, large 1-1.2 inch, very juicy. The fruits are being eaten fresh, and also used in jams, jellies, and pies.
One popular use of Surinam Cherry is in Christmas cherry pie - Bermuda Pie, a traditional dessert served during the holiday season. The fruit is cooked down with sugar and spices to create a thick, flavorful filling for the pie. The dark red to really black color of the fruit adds a festive touch to the dessert.
In addition to being used in culinary applications, Surinam Cherry has a number of other uses. The tree is often grown as an ornamental plant due to its attractive foliage and bright ribbed fruit. The fruit is also used in traditional medicine in some parts of South America, where it is believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The pulp is a good source of calcium, and a fair source of phosphorus and iron. Its juice is fermented into wine or vinegar.
Despite its many uses, Surinam Cherry is not widely grown outside of its native range in South America. However, it is becoming increasingly popular in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, where it is prized for its attractive appearance and flavorful fruit. This tropical plant can successfully be grown in a pot indoors in the cooler zones.
See Video:
Date: 22 Aug 2022
What tree will fruit indoors?
Q: I love your tropical fruit selection and I wish I lived in a warmer climate. Is there any fruit tree that can be happy indoors during winter and have fruit? I am not expecting a big crop but it would be fun to have a small piece of tropics at home. I don't have much gardening experience, can you suggest something easy for a start?
A: Several tropical fruit trees can be grown indoors, in pots,
providing bright light that is necessary for flowering and setting fruit. Among
them are many varieties of Bananas,
Guavas,
Annonas and tropical Cherries - these can be easily maintained in containers. Even dwarf
varieties of
Avocado and Mango
are good candidates for indoor culture. You can bring containers indoors for
winter and take outside into full sun during warm months so your plants can
store lots of energy in Summer.
The easiest fruit tree for indoor culture that doesn't require bright light
and can be grown indoors year around is a Coffee tree. Start with it, it is on sale today! Once you gain some experience, you can upgrade to
a Chocolate tree!
Remember, all container grown plants need balanced nutrition program. It
can be easily provided with Sunshine Boosters your around. For fruit trees, just add some Sunshine C-Cibus Crop Booster to your cart.
Date: 28 Nov 2021
Easy Sunday Morning Deals: Sweet Dragon or Sweet Cherry?.. Both!
Sweet Dragon or Sweet Cherry?.. Both!
Photo above: Biquinho Pepper (Capsicum annuum x chinense) - nipple-shaped bright orange to red fruits with unique flavor which packs quite a bang!
Not because of its heat, but because of its intense fruity habanero flavor!
Saving on your favorite plants is Easy. Easy like Sunday Morning...
This weekend we celebrate our Easy Sunday and Cyber Monday together!
So we've doubled your opportunity to Save AND we've added a second beautiful plant to help you save even more!
Take an extra day to enjoy your Easy stroll through Top Tropicals' Garden with savings of
50% OFF and MORE!
For two days only, you can easily get the sweetest variety of the Dragon Fruit and add a super rare variety of Tropical Black Cherry Lolita to your garden!
Both plants Easy Priced at $19, that's a savings of more than 50% from the regular $39 price!
Learn more about these plants:
Yellow Dragon Fruit
Selenicereus megalanthus - Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit
- is the best tasting Dragon Fruit in the world that is not only sweet, it
has a great flavor (unlike most Pitayas that are pretty watery).
These plants originated from Ecuador and are well-developed, multi-branched, as you can see from the photo.
Picture of the actual plants for sale:
Lolita Cherry
Eugenia uniflora - Black Surinam Cherry Lolita
- rare, hard-to-find black-fruited variety Surinam Cherry starts as red and turns black as it ripens.
It is very sweet and has exceptional flavor, without aftertaste, large 1-1.2 inch, very juicy.
Reliable producer. The tree is upright, freely branching, cold hardy to upper
20's once established.
Plants are in 2 gal pots, well branched and ready to fruit next season.
Picture of the actual plants for sale:
Date: 3 Aug 2019
Grafted or seedling?
Photo: Mr Barcy meditating before planting Nutmeg seeds
Q: I planted an avocado seed and it sprouted quickly, it has been only a couple months and I already have a small plant. How soon will it produce fruit? Can I grow other tropical fruit from seed?
A: Unfortunately, some fruit trees, including varieties of
avocado, mango, lychee, as well as apples and peaches - must be either grafted or
air-layered in order to produce, for 2 main reasons:
- seedlings may take a very long time until fruiting, up to 10-15 years
- seedling gives no guarantee on the quality of the fruit or variety
These fruit trees should be propagated as "clones" - both grafted
material or cuttings are actually copies of the mother plant and will keep the
same fruit qualities. Grafted trees usually start producing immediately.
However there is a number of fruit trees that come true from seed, and
take a very short time to start flowering. Jackfruit, Annonas (Sugar Apple, Guanabana, etc), Papaya, Icecream Bean, Eugenias start producing at a young age (3-4 years from seed).
Recommended fertilizers for fruit trees:
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - for sweeter fruit
SUNSHINE SuperFood - microelement supplement
Date: 2 Jan 2025
New Year with New Plants:
Choose from 17 Tropical Paradise Resolutions!
"A garden is never so good as it will be next year..." - Thomas Cooper.
Happy New Year, dear fellow gardeners! As we step into a fresh new year, it's the perfect time to think about what exciting, special, and life-changing plants we can add to our gardens. The days are getting longer, and spring is just around the corner, so now's the time to make a plan and prepare for the season ahead. Let's take small steps each year to create the garden of our dreams. This winter, consider these fun resolutions:
- Hang a bird feeder and install a rain barrel
- Order some tropical plant seeds for an early start
- Ask your grandparents about their favorite garden plants
- Build a raised bed for succulents
- Plant a fruit tree or two to have some crop this year
- Start a compost pile
- Switch to organic fertilizers and plant boosters
- Fill empty spaces with flowering trees, shrubs, and vines
- Add butterfly attractors to your garden
- Provide water for bees and butterflies to help them thrive and pollinate your fruit trees
- Get a bonsai starter to try bonsai art
- Enjoy meals outside as often as you can
- Teach a child how to plant a tree
- Plant berry-bearing shrubs like Tropical Cherries to feed the birds
- Rake up leaves for winter mulch
- Add a few exotic plants to your indoor collection or container garden
- Share plants as gifts all year long
Happy gardening in 2025!
