I have been reading about it , still just a little material on the internet that I can find regarding it, grows from seeds or has to be grafted ? Any sources that I can order from? Too many questions on my mind ?
It’s a tropical fruit, Achachairu, often referred to as Garcinia humilis, but that may not be the correct species epithet. It’s commercial development is relatively recent in terms of decades, but it’s commercialized in Australia. You’ll occasionally see it in markets here in Puerto Rico, but it’s still quite obscure.
Very tasty, worth growing despite the somewhat poor pulp-to-seed/skin ratio (it’s better than Quenepa, which is practically a national fruit here). Vaguely reminiscent of its relative, Mangosteen (and referred to as Bolivian Mangosteen), but overall a tougher tree. It should be self-fruitful, if memory serves me correctly.
Seed-grown. Fruit Lover’s Nursery in Hawaii sells seed when they’re in season. Other people might sell them in the trade section of the Tropical Fruit Forum. They also sell Luc’s Garcinia there, which is often compared favorably to Achachairu, being tastier, much bigger, with a better pulp ratio (edible skin); it might also be hardier (it’s originally from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico).
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I planted a small seed grown lucs garcinia almost three years ago and it has survived southern California winters with minimal protection the first year (blanket at night). Sloooow growing but im excited to try the fruit someday! I bought an acha acha too but it turned out to be another more tender garcinia and didnt survive winter. I believe they are both slow growing, ive been told to expect 10 years to fruit so a grafted option might be better if youre impatient
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I thought I saw grafted garcinia at flying fox fruits but dont see any in stock now, might be worth contacting to see if they will have them available in the future.
https://www.flyingfoxfruits.com/shop/plants/4?page=1&limit=60&sort_by=name&sort_order=asc
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Here’s a picture from the other forum, comparing both species:
Judging from your experience, Luc’s Garcinia is probably the best bet (as if the other advantages weren’t incentive enough).
There’s also mention of Russell’s Sweet Garcinia in the other forum, but even there, it’s nearly impossible to find. Dioecious too.
I got one Luc’s in the ground, one in a pot, and a strangled pot full of Achachairu “seedlings” dating back to 2017 (from a local market). If they survive, I’ll be planting out the Achachas around town, Appleseed style.
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They will call you CaesarAchaseed, I wish i lived in that town!!! How long has your luc’s been in the ground? I read stories of people who killed theirs by fertilizing but i cant wait for mine to pick up in growth rate
Killed by fertilizer‽ Then my neglect was more benign than I thought.
That Luc’s was seed-grown since around 2015-16 (maybe earlier), kept in a 3g pot with its long taproot stickin’ out the side. I planted it out at my Grandmother’s house around mid-2019, and it pushes out new growth on occasion. It hasn’t really gotten bigger. The second one was given to me in a trade (plus some sprouted Conophor nuts), allegedly with bigger fruit than the standard form.
I also got a Garcinia intermedia at my grandma’s (and one in a pot with some Guavas, for the Appleseed project), a Sweet Madroño at the bottom of my backyard, and a standard Madroño (Garcinia madruno) in a pot, trying to sprout back from the sides after tip death. Garcinias are my favorites, but all mine are still young, and I’ve managed to kill off every Purple Mangosteen I’ve had… They really don’t like sun!