Star Fruits (Averrhoa carambola )
The "Carambola" or "Averrhoa carambola" is a bushy evergreen tree with many branches. It is slow-growing and short-trunked tree. The average height of a mature tree is 25-30 feet and it can spread till 20-25 feet.
It is known as Starfruit as it will exactly look like a star if cut in cross-section slices. The skin is thin, smooth and have a waxy surface. Mixed of Light and dark yellow. The flesh is soft and juicy, without fiber. It tastes best when ripe.
They like frost-free weather and full sun shine. They can tolerate wind if it’s not dry and hot. They need moisture for better growing. It’s a subtropical plant because a mature tree can be grown at 27° F for short period with little damage but a young plant will be killed at 32° F. They can’t survive flood. An average Carambola plant can bear so much fruit that the branches will break if they aren’t harvested. A ripe Carambola should be harvested with great care or it can be damaged.
It is known as Starfruit as it will exactly look like a star if cut in cross-section slices. The skin is thin, smooth and have a waxy surface. Mixed of Light and dark yellow. The flesh is soft and juicy, without fiber. It tastes best when ripe.
They like frost-free weather and full sun shine. They can tolerate wind if it’s not dry and hot. They need moisture for better growing. It’s a subtropical plant because a mature tree can be grown at 27° F for short period with little damage but a young plant will be killed at 32° F. They can’t survive flood. An average Carambola plant can bear so much fruit that the branches will break if they aren’t harvested. A ripe Carambola should be harvested with great care or it can be damaged.
They are kept as Ornamental plants at many places,as small trees can be grown in containers.The flowers are fragrant, pink or dark pink, 3/8 inch in diameter. Blooms in a group in axils of leaves on young branches. And on older branches they bloom without leaves. They can bloom throughout the year.
The leaves are 6 - 10 inches long, soft, light green and spirally arranged. Smooth on the upper surface and slightly hairy and whitish underside. The leaflets are 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches in length, more or less sensitive to light and are prone to fold together at night.
The leaves are 6 - 10 inches long, soft, light green and spirally arranged. Smooth on the upper surface and slightly hairy and whitish underside. The leaflets are 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches in length, more or less sensitive to light and are prone to fold together at night.
GERMINATION GUIDE
Step 1 :
Step 2:
Place Star Fruits seeds in the hot water and stir them for up to two minutes with a spoon before draining the liquid.
Step 3:
Fill a bowl with lukewarm water that's between 86 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit and soak the seeds in it for 24 hours. This pre-treatment is called scarification and alters the hard seed coat, which increases the chances of uniform germination.
Step 4:
Fill a pot with moist seed-starting mix up to 1 inch from the top, place the seed on top of the surface and cover it with a 1/2-inch layer of the mix. Tamp down lightly and moisten the surface with a water-filled spray bottle to avoid washing away the seed.
step 5:
Cover tightly plastic polythene wrap over the pot to promote soil moisture retention and place it in a dimly lit area of the house. Lift the plastic daily to check that the soil is moist. If not, lightly moisten it with a water-filled spray bottle before replacing the plastic. Expect germination within three to five days.
Step 6:
Remove the plastic as soon as the seedlings emerge, and gradually move the pot to a brighter area over a two-week period so that at the end of that time they're acclimated to being in full sunlight.
Step 7:
Transplant the seedlings outside to an area with full sun and well-draining soil after three to five months, when the seedlings are about 8 to 12 inches tall.
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