Averrhoa carambola

Averrhoa carambola Care

Averrhoa carambola

What is the plant

Averrhoa carambola is a species of tree in the family Oxalidaceae native to tropical Southeast Asia; it is known as carambola, star fruit and five-corner. It is a small tree or shrub that grows 5 to 12 m tall, with rose to red-purple flowers.

Averrhoa carambola is a small, slow-growing evergreen tree with a short-trunk or a shrub. The branches are drooping and the wood is white and turns reddish. It has a bushy shape with many branches producing a broad, rounded crown. The compound leaves are soft, medium-green, they are spirally arranged around the branches in an alternate fashion. Averrhoa carambola has a number of different forms differing in fruit taste, texture, and shape, some are very acidic and others are sweet. It has become a commercial crop in many of these locations, grown for its edible fruits.

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Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

9b - 11

Difficulty

Medium

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Water your star fruit tree regularly from bloom through harvest. These trees need consistently moist soils for best performance and have limited drought tolerance. Avoid overwatering your tree because standing water often causes root rot diseases and foliage health problems.
Fertilizer
Container grown starfruit trees should have an application of a balanced fertilizer in the spring through the fall. Slow release or organic granular fertilizers are recommended and can be applied every few months. Starfruit trees may show signs of iron chlorosis during the winter, which appears as interveinal yellowing on young foliage. Treat the tree with chelated iron in the form of foliar spray or, if warm weather is nigh, wait for a bit and symptoms will often clear up.
Sunlight
Carambolas prefer full sun but will tolerate partial sun.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
Potted starfruit are not too picky when it comes to the soil they are grown in although, that said, the tree will grow more quickly and bear more heavily in rich loam that is moderately acidic (pH 5.5-6.5).
Temperature
This tree has minimal hardiness but will survive very light frost and temps into the upper 20’s°F for brief periods of time. They can be situated in the sunroom or greenhouse during fall and winter in northern climates and then moved to an exterior patio or deck during the temperate months. The tree needs at least 60°F (15°C) for flowering and successive fruit set.
Container
This plant can be grown in containers. Choose a container with enough drainage holes.