How to grow Jaboticaba

Where to plant

Jaboticaba prefers part shade, such as under tall oaks or 30 to 60% shade cloth, though full sun gives larger crops. It wants acidic, sandy or loamy soil around pH 5 to 6. On the alkaline soils of Miami-Dade it can be grown, but needs the soil acidified and extra minor nutrients.

Frost tolerance varies by variety, and prolonged temperatures below about 28°F cause damage. A warm spot against a south or east-facing wall helps. The roots are shallow, so big trees can lean in strong winds; stake them or give them a windbreak. Fallen fruit stains, so keep it away from driveways and paths.

• Central Florida: plant in spring in a sheltered spot and cover young trees on frost nights. Established trees are fairly cold tolerant.
• South Florida and Hawaii: grows outdoors.
• North Florida, the Gulf South, Texas, California and the Desert Southwest: outdoors it needs USDA zone 10a or warmer, and parts of these regions are colder. Grow it in a large container you can move under cover.
• Colder regions: only in a container indoors or in a heated greenhouse.

Choosing a variety

UF/IFAS describes several types grown in Florida. 'Sabara' has dark, succulent fruit tasting of grape and lychee and tolerates two common root-knot nematodes. 'Red Hybrid' gives large, mild, sweet red fruit and may fruit in three to five years from planting. 'White' has pale green, sweet fruit.

Most Florida jaboticabas are grown from seed, which can take 8 to 10 years to fruit and may differ from the parent. Grafted and air-layered trees fruit within a few years.

How to plant

1. Plant in spring, at the same depth as in the pot, into acidic soil improved with organic matter.
2. Space trees about 10 feet apart, as they reach 10 to 15 feet high and wide.
3. Mulch well to keep the shallow roots cool and moist.
4. If sowing seed, plant it immediately after cleaning it from the fruit. The seed dies within about 10 days if it dries out, and germination takes weeks to two months.

Watering and feeding

Keep the soil consistently moist; jaboticaba tolerates drought poorly, and dry spells brown the leaf tips first. Drip irrigation is ideal. Young plants need more frequent watering. Older trees can survive up to a month of flooding if the soil then dries out.

There are no UF/IFAS fertilizer rates for jaboticaba. UF/IFAS suggests a slow-release organic fertilizer, about three times a year but not during the June to September rainy season, following mango or similar fruit tree rates. Go easy on nitrogen, which burns it, and use chelated iron if leaves yellow between the veins.

Pruning and care through the year

• Young trees need no pruning and form a dense, branching shape. Remove root suckers if you want a single trunk.
• On mature trees, thin crossing branches and those that shade the trunk and main limbs, where the fruit forms. Avoid cutting large branches.
• A cool but frost-free, dry spell before flowering increases the crop.

Harvesting

Jaboticaba can crop several times a year, with the main harvests in Florida from February to May. Fruit ripens 30 to 45 days after flowering, turning black, red or yellow depending on variety.

Pick fruit as it ripens. It keeps only 1 to 2 days at room temperature and 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, so eat it fresh or make juice, jam or wine.

Growing in pots

Jaboticaba is one of the best fruit trees for long-term container growing, as it grows slowly and tolerates being rootbound, which can even bring earlier flowering. Water often, as the fine feeder roots sit in the top few inches of the pot, move it into a larger pot from time to time, and feed regularly.

Propagation and saving seed

Seed is the usual method in Florida, sown fresh and cleaned of its pulp. Grafting and air layering are used for rare varieties and for earlier fruiting.