I have tried a Bell an thought it was very good. It was at Excalibur, and likely from an established tree. So there is hope.

I have a Kari, and it is also very prolific, bringing at least 2 crops per year after being in the ground for 3 years.

I like the fruit a lot, and my son is totally crazy about them. Overall I am quite impressed with it.

The Bell is probably my personal favorite in terms of flavor, just slightly besting the Kari. However, the Kari (in my experience) was much more productive. For that reason alone, I yanked my Bell and planted a coconut cream mango in its place :-).

Also, the summer crop tends to be sweeter, and I've been able to sweeten up my carambola a bit by giving them 0-0-50.

Ultimately, the carambola is so productive you only need one tree to supply the neighborhood friends and family :-).

Jeff

Interesting....I have Bell, Kari, Sri Kembangan, Arkin, Thai Night, Hart, Possum Trot and a couple seedlings that are fruting. First, it has been my experience that the winter crops are sweeter than the summer ones. This discrepancy with what Jeff is commenting on may be as the result of some watering of flavor that my summer fruits experience as a result of constant rains and wet ground. With winter's usually drier weather my fruits may have a further concentration of flavor/sweetness. Or, Jeff could just be wrong (Lord knows I couldn't be). I have never had a Bell that I would call "disappointing or not sweet"....not at least as far as comparing them to other carambolas is concerned. I wonder if you really have a Bell tree. If you do, I wouldn't have a good explanation for your Bell fruit as you describe it. I have seen fruit improve with subsequent maturity, so its worth giving it another year to see if it straightens out its act.

Harry

:-) Or it could just be that I"m less lazy in the summer and actually apply 0-0-50.

Jeff

Hey, it's not my imagination after all :-). I guess it depends on cultivar, but the Kary, Fwang Tung, Kajang, and Sri Kembangan are all sweeter in July than in Nov according to an analysis done in 1997 (see Table 3 on page 300). Granted this was done in Homestead where soil conditions are closer to mine here in Tamarac. So, that may not apply for muck soil or sandy soil.

Jeff

Also of notable import in that study is that the Kary won in terms of taste preference (see Table 7 page 301), which is probably why it's the only one I have planted :-). It's hard to beat the good old Kary. It's precocious, super productive, delicious, and slightly smaller than some other cultivars!

Jeff

I won't argue the taste of Kari. But, looks like 8 of the 13 cultivars tested for brix, had mean brix levels higher on the fall/winter crop measurements. So there! LOL
Nice find research-wise.

Harry

:-) I don't think I've ever had those other cultivars. With the quantity of fruit on my one Kary I've had plenty for me to eat and my wife still has plenty left over to sell :-). I just went out and picked a few - the darn thing has ripe fruit, green fruit, and flowers all at once. It's a non stop fruiting machine.

The only pain in the beehive with that tree is that I have to give it foliar spray like 4 times a year to keep it healthy. One time my neighbor came over and was admiring my 'variegated' carambola ... :-).

Jeff

Well Jeff, the Kari that I got from you is doing real well. It has lots of very large green fruit and flowers. I was hoping that the three would ripen to taste them all at the same time.

I know that they produce a LOT of fruit, but my neighbors and friends and especially my GF's relatives are sure to eat them all. If not I'll go to the flea market and sell them :-)

Jeff, if you used the micro nutrients in your soil would they work the same as spraying them? Seems a lot easier to do it this way or would the nutrients leech away if applied into the soil?

:-) glad to hear the tree is doing well! I've had to apply to directly the leaves. I haven't had much success using a soil drench.

Jeff