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echobelly

Aaaaargh! Star Fruit!

echobelly
9 years ago

My wife and I purchased a house last spring with a mature Star Fruit tree in the courtyard. It's very beautiful and shades the yard all day. It also has an amazing Staghorn fern growing off it. When we moved in the season was just winding down and we were only able to get a few fruit. Well, the tree is fruiting again, and we're being overwhelmed! Last week I put out a full trash barrel of rotting fruit that had dropped. I have to pick up 3 times a day, or the smell of rotting fruit and fruit flies makes the yard unusable. We sit in the courtyard at night, and watch fruit rats running in the branches. Is there anything I can do in the future to limit its fruit? The branches are hanging to the ground, and it's still covered with flowers, so it looks like it's going to be a long season. The fruit is sweet enough, but not the sweetest. I've offered it to neighbors and they wrinkle their noses. Can I prune the branches that are flowering now? I'm afraid that might set off a spur of new growth and buds. Any advice would be helpful, and anyone living in the Venice area that would like Star Fruit, let me know!

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