My friend has just bought one of these plants in full fruit and I am consid : Grows on You

London, United Kingdom

My friend has just bought one of these plants in full fruit and I am considering getting one too. I understand that they can be kept inside in pots and are recommended for pots around 6" diameter, but can not find any detailed care instructions for it.

Please can you advise?

How much do I need to water it per week? I understand that it needs a sunny spot getting around 6 hours of sunlight a day. do I need to use a slow release fertilizer or any other type of care? Should it be potted up into a bigger pot after a year or can it survive in the same pot for years? If I was to move it outside in the spring and move it inside for winter would it cope with this?

Many thanks for any advice you can offer.

Alison

On plant Solanum

17 Nov, 2009

Answers

Bamboo

This plant is usually a temporary visitor in the home - once those fruits drop, the plant goes on, but it's a real performance trying to get it to fruit again - these plants are treated in such a way that they fruit now, usually a couple of months before Christmas, because that's when most of them are sold, in time for Christmas, but this isn't the true fruiting time for this plant in its natural environment. The fruits stay on the plant for a long time, 2 or 3 months, though. In terms of care, it just needs watering once a week or every 5 days, once the compost has dried out a little.

17 Nov, 2009

Moon_grower

And, given the way they have been forced for the Christmas market you are far better to treat as an 'annual' and buy another one next year. They have probably been micro propagated in Holland and are not designed for a long life.

17 Nov, 2009

Cestina

I hesitate to contradict the pair of you - but I've had one fruiting now for its third year. I put the pot outside in the summer and then back in again before the frosts come, when it seems to put on a growth spurt. This is in the Czech Republic.

I got the idea when I saw that my neighbour in the UK actually has one growing permanently in his front garden, which is south-facing and sheltered and it's massive and fruits every year.....

17 Nov, 2009

Bamboo

Its true that if you can get it to grow outside, it fruits every year - but I've never had any success in trying to get them to fruit again. What I'd really like to know, though, Cestina, is when it fruits for you. And am I right in thinking that your plants inside are kept at very low temperatures during the winter because you're not there in the winter? Which might have an impact on fruiting, etc.

18 Nov, 2009

Cestina

That's an interesting question Bamboo - it was just starting to fruit as I left two weeks ago and certainly it has been kept at 11C for the last two winters. However this year it has gone into a normally heated home since the person coming in to care for my houseplants managed to kill some off each year - the Christmas Cherry was always knocked back substantially but has managed to survive. Another friend now has everything in her own home so it will be interesting to see if it fruits again next year.

I'll report back this time next year!

18 Nov, 2009

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