My Edible Fruit Trees: Panama Berry Trees

Panama Berry (Seedling) ^10/10

Comments: - Taste and abundance of fruit 

Height 3 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Blood and bone, manure, liquid from worm farm

When I Fertilise: Yearly and Spring

Pest Control: None 

Organic Status:Organic

Panama Berry

Panama Berry

Panama Berry

Panama Berry

Panama Berry (Cutting)

Comments: -

Plant arrived in Feb 2020 in great condition with soil still damp. Will plant this into a pot after 1-2 weeks outside and provide updates. 

May 2020 - This plant has grown rapidly, almost tripled in size since potting.  We will see how it copes with winter in Toowoomba - may have to bring it inside on cool nights. 

Winter 2020 - brought to Brisbane as worried it wouldn't cope with Toowoomba winter. Unfortunately a possum stripped the plant of every single leaf!

Spring 2020 - Did regrow some leaves, but eventually died ?failed recovery vs needs a bigger pot (in 25cm pot). 

Dec 2020 - Purcharsed and planted new panama berry seedling in 25L pot.

September 2021 - Grew as fast as the first seedling. Survived Toowoomba winter outside in pot - looks pretty unhappy (yellowing leaves) but has new growth. Will have a low threshhold to re-pot into 45L planter bag if continuing to look unhappy during Spring. 

Planted: 2020

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

Panama Berry

Planted: 2019

Panama Berry ^10/10

Fruiting Months January

Planted: 2019

Height 1 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: organic

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pest Control: nil

Organic Status:Organic

Panama Berry ^7/10

Comments: -

Extraordinary fast growing (3m/year in Sydney), attractive tree. Fruit are pleasant, very sweet and juicy. The leaves are soft and easily damaged by wind, so the tree can look a bit scruffy towards the end of winter until the new growth starts with warmer weather. It got sick looking and died after two years - in spring. (Clay soil?)

Planted a second one - it's first fruit were this summer 2019. Similar to the first one - hope I can keep this one alive!

Fruiting Months February, March, April, May

Planted: 2013

Height 4 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 2 kilograms per Year

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pruned By: 50% in Autumn and Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Pest Control:

None. No fruit fly (yet)

Organic Status:Partially Organic

Panama Berry (Seedling) ^9/10

Comments: -

This has to be the fastest growing tree in the world. Wow it just took off like a rocket. As can be seen in these photos mine is around 4-5 meters and I can see it wants to grow more. Proably will end up like 7m tall. Since it is only 14 months old and was pruned last year right back to 2 meters this is amazing growth indeed. Mine is getting too big for the area it is in and needs another large prune again. I am very safe in saying this tree is difficult to keep small.

It fruits all year in the subtropics (Brisbane) with little white flowers which turn to green fruit. They turn red when ripe and are a little soft. The taste is sweet and juicy, a bit like grapes in my opinion. You eat the skin just like grapes and bonus the seeds in the flesh are so small they can be eaten as if seedless. Most of mine are also grape size. So they are like seedless grapes....... Presently they are not thick on the tree but there are none the less always some on the tree ready to eat.

Sadly I have discovered a mafor problem with this tree in addition to its impossibilty to keep small. It has HUGE roots! They are extending like 5-10m from the tree and are very close to the surface. Some have even started to grow! See photo evidence. Be VERY CAREFULL where you plant! This tree is ready to rumble and will take over your back yard. Better to grow in a confined space.

I am planning to cut a decent root that is already growing and move it to a pot bag. I think it will happily grow from the root and I will soon have a new tree in a decent sized contained space. I am testing the pot bag idea with some other trees which I want to keep small. Hope it works out for the long term cause I do really want to keep this tree in my garden. I love the fruit.

Fruiting Months January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Planted: 2017

Height 5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 2 kilograms per Year

First Fruited: 6 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Summer

Pruned By: 60% in After Fruiting

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Urea, Mulch

When I Fertilise: When Fruiting, Yearly, Winter, Spring

Pest Control:

Not needed. Nothing seems to attack the fruit.

Organic Status:Organic

Comments

Btw , Panama berry if full of tiny minuscule seeds , seeds are the slight grit in the berry . Can grow from seeds or cutting ( and runners too ,as you have discovered,).

Panama Berry

Panama Berry

Planted: 2016

Panama Berry (Cutting) ^10/10

Comments: -

Make sure you spit out the skin as it can be a bit bitter the seeds inside are very sweet. They do like a lot of water when they are fruiting I think. If you are growing them in a pot them make sure that you keep the water up to them.

During Winter they look prety sick but once spring comes around they green up.

Fruiting Months January, February, March, April, May, December

Planted: 2006

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 400 Fruit Per Year

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Autumn and Spring

Pruned By: 30% in Summer and Spring

Pollination: No

When I Fertilise: When Fruiting and Spring

Organic Status:Organic

Comments

Did you really gt 400 kilos of that little tree???

Ahh thanks for picking that up... Meant to be 400 fruit per year.

Panama Berry (Cutting) ^10/10

Comments: -

Gosh I love this plant. My pots all go through some unintentional neglect at some stage, so things have got to be able to stand some tough love occasionally. Other than prefering to be in partial shade through summer, this one is easy and fuss free. Can go a few weeks with me forgetting to water it, and still bears beautiful fruit. I'd never tried it before buying it, but it absolutely lived up to its reputation! It is delicious!

If i had to describe the flavour... it's like a lot of people say. Sort of burnt caramel/popcorn. It's most definitely a sweet fruit, but the after taste reminds me of tomato. It's not the least like a tomato or at all acidic like a tomato, though. They're difficult to explain, but super tasty!!

It doesn't get a lot of fertiliser- I just do the compost top up and maybe a bit of whatever else I have once a year while doing some of the other pots, and it is mulched thickly, and underplanted with salvias and parsley. It gets water when I remember, and I move the pot into full sun in the cooler months so I continue to get fruit, and back into part shade in summer. Other than that, sweet fruits all year round! 

Definitely one of my favourites for fuss free pot growing in hot, humid, dry Brisbane!

Planted: 2016

Height 1 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 3 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Panama Berry (Cutting) ^10/10

Comments: - I only planted this tree in a lrage pot a couple of months ago and it is growing like mad! Long branches and weeping foliage makes this a very attractive tree. It easily grows a few inches every week at this point. The tree doesn't seem to mind frequent watering when in a pot with well draining soil. I mixed in fresh horse manure and a compost blend with just some cheap hardware store cane potting mix and it seems to love it. I also give my plants a regular (weekly) dose of worm castings, and a bit of blood and bone just to give it a start. 

Planted: 2017

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Panama Berry

Panama Berry (Cutting)

Comments: - Oct 2016- Took a battering in heavy winds for several days after we received and planted it. Hopefully it recovers.

Height 60 Centimetres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: worm juice, animal manure

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pest Control: Not needed so far

Panama Berry

Comments: -

wonderful flavour

Qty: 2

Pollination: No

Panama Berry (Cutting) ^10/10

Fruiting Months January, February, March, September, October, November, December

Panama Berry (Cutting) ^10/10

Fruiting Months January, February, March, September, October, November, December

Panama Berry (Cutting) ^10/10

Comments: -  My favourite browsing tree. Fast growing, beautiful wide canopy makes it a great shade treefor warm frost free spots.

Fruiting Months January, February, March, April, May, December

Height 4 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 6 Years from purchase in pot

Water Given in: Summer

Pollination: Self Pollination

Panama Berry ^10/10

Comments: - I've only ever had 2 berries, one from a friend at work who bought one in for me to try.  That convinced me that I HAD to have this tree in my yard.  The most beautiful tasting berry - sort of like caramel.  The second one I just ate off my little tree.  Just as gorgeous.  Only complaint - they are tiny and my tree, while growing fast, is still not big enough to produce enough to satisfy me.

Planted: 2014

Height 1 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 0.5 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

Pest Control: No pests so far except the chickens - they will eat the fruit off the plant as it is still small enough for them to reach

Panama Berry (Seedling) ^9/10

Comments: - Moved to new location, water hungry,  not watered sufficiently. 

Planted: 2011

Height 2.5 metres

Growing: In a Pot

First Fruited: 6 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Autumn and Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Panama Berry (Cutting) ^10/10

Comments: -

Grows very fast, gets lots of fruits which taste like caramel popcorn. Looks a bit sad in the Sydney winter but takes off again in spring, needs plenty of water. Still producing fruit at the end of autumn, wait until they are slightly squishy before picking for maximum sweetness.

The fruit tastes awfull once the weather cools down, this tree is now in the ground and I expect it to really take off this summer.

Fruiting Months January, February, March, September, October, November, December

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Pest Control:

Needs protection from birds when fruiting.

Panama Berry

Panama Berry

Pollination: Self Pollination

Panama Berry (Seedling)

Comments: - It looks beautiful!  I have one fruit growing on the tree now, but the rest of the flowers keep falling off.

Panama Berry (Seedling) ^2/10

Comments: - Seemed very susceptible to dry conditions - even in spring when it wasnt extremely hot. 

Comments

Panama Berry (Seedling) ^8/10

Height 0.4 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Cow manure when planted

Organic Status:Organic

Panama Berry (Seedling) ^9/10

Comments: - Apparently this tree fruits for most of the year and after hearing the berries taste like caramel - well I bought 2! It is also a great shade tree with an umbrella style shape when mature. The leaves are soft and velvety and after planting it 3mths ago already it is fruiting. I also read that the Panama Berry is one of the fastest growing trees you can find. 

Planted: 2012

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 2

First Fruited: 1 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Dynamic Lifter

Pest Control: No Pests!

Organic Status:Organic