I found an improved tamarillos from New Zealand at a plant sale in Hawaii and it was superior to the other types I grew, but only survived for three years. I planted five new ones and this time I plan to prune them from beginning, starting at 6 months old
A HUGE thank you for all your video's on tamarillo's!! All the way from NZ! Bought one and have zero idea how to care for it. LOVED your pruning experiment as that was my next hurdle with it. And you being the UK is also helpful as I'm in southern NZ and I've been worried about "Tama" and winter but you've proven it can be it done haha I'm now about to go and re-pot and nip the top off with a lot more confidence :) Then I'll start watching your citrus videos haha #rookiegreenthumb
Thank you for commenting. So far the winter storage of my tamarillos in my unheated summerhouse looks ok, I look forward to continuing videos on them this season and I really hope to maybe see some flowers 🤞🤞. Yes I know Southern New Zealand is much corner than the North Island
Okay, I would say that every other experiment that you have done, has left me wanting to try the same things. All apart from the tamarillo’s! I am never purchasing this tree no matter how good it sounds to have tree tomato in the UK. Your labour of love is commendable. I hope you get loads of fruit set in the near future.
Unfortunately due to lack of space I have to keep cutting them back before winter and that obviously sets them back a lot in the Spring. I’m not sure mine will ever flower lol. I need a bigger garden with a huge greenhouse lol
They look fantastic, you could guess the height from the photo - towering over you and you are tall. I guess you couldn't put one in the stairwell? I know a lot of stairwells are by front doors, so it can get too cold/ draughty with doors being opened. The only other option would have been to bend them as they grow with wire - it would look odd, unless shaped, but it would save cutting them straight away. They are a size though to accommodate. Fingers crossed they'll be back on form for next season! Smart haircut Brett.
Haha you noticed my trim, it first appeared yesterday in my custard apple video. Yes the tamarillos suddenly grew nicely in the last month or so, the taller one suddenly shot up to 8 feet which would be ok in a huge greenhouse but no good to me. I want them to branch out more anyway and not keep blowing over so pruning seemed the best option
Tamarillo seem to be able to flower all over. Can't say that any particular branch or shoot doesn't. May of course be different from plant to plant. You just have to prune it and hope for the best 😉. As mentioned in another comment new growth is best for flowering and fruiting. It's said to only fruit once and so pruning may be the best way to ensure you always get new branches/flowers/fruit. Also as the plant gets older leaves and fruit will get smaller and it tends to attract more bugs
I know people that have got fruits here ( in a polytunnel or conservatory or greenhouse ), unfortunately I lost mine all in the big freeze of December 2022. Even in my unheated summerhouse they were killed by the cold. Now I have a small heater in there but I didn’t grow any more Tamarillo plants yet 😁
Hi trying to grow these. So are they ok with leaving it outside when they are matured plants? Or do we have to bring it inside every winter? Many thanks
No the slightest frost will kill them unless you live in a frost free area. In fact I’m pretty sure all of mine are completely dead inside my summerhouse over winter. I’ll know when I get them out in May if there is any sign of life at the base. Your best bet is a heated greenhouse or conservatory or an elaborate shelter you could use to cover them in cold winter such as a tarpaulin on a frame with a heat source under it, a friend of mine on UA-cam has great success doing that with his large plant
I’ve already cut mine back partially but I’ll probably remove all the leaves this winter as a trial as I want to reduce the problem of aphids. I may have time to shoot a video tomorrow lol
Lol, don't ask me why, but the thumbnail brought back memories of my Jack and the Beanstalk book. You appeared to be dwarfed by the towering tamarillos.
I’m not a big fan of neem oil especially on soft leaved plants, plus it’s pretty hard to buy here in the UK. On these I generally use soapy water or a shop bought organic spray which seems to work well enough 😁. Thanks for subscribing 👍
Lol I actually got it here from a horse supplies place, I gather they use it for some sort of hoof sterilisation or treatment in the UK. But as I said I’ve found the oil forms a heavy film on soft leaved plants which can cause problems especially in the sun , not so serious on tougher leaves like citrus 😁
@@lyonheart84 My gal likes gardening but hates huge plants in the house but i plan on getting a small greenhouse the one which u can keep tall tomato plants in.
Too late this year to flower unfortunately, hopefully next year if I keep them alive over Winter. That’s the size leaves get to on tamarillo, in fact they can get bigger than this 🤪🤪. Almost grown as much as your peach has this Summer, imagine how fast these would grow in a climate like yours 😁
The fruits aren’t that small, as big as chicken eggs, and they can produce dozens at a time. Mind you not everybody likes them as I’d call them more savoury than sweet 😂😂
Well, my tams are back indoors due to snails not leaving them alone. They did leave the bigger one alone for a while but started to attack the base chewing it down to half the width and munching a few leaves despite covering the soil with a thick layer of broken egg shells. The little one they chewed down to a 6 inch stem and ate all the leaves started a new shoot from the base but the pesky slugs started to eat it and I woke to find half of it bent over having been chewed yet again. The top 6 leaves were still alive so I taped it up loosely with masking tape and it's still alive 2 weeks on and looking like it's healed nicely. My son heard that snails & slugs don't like copper so I'll be putting a layer of old copper wire around the pot and see if that will stop them on their munch fest LOL. Do you know if copper will work?
I believe the copper gives them an electric shock when they touch it. I know a lot of people sink small jars of beer into the soil as that apparently attracts and drowns them. To be honest I just use slug pellets.
@@lyonheart84 Thanks Brett, I'll be putting slug pellets on my shopping list next spring for sure then LOL. Plus I've decided to grow fruit trees and bushes that will stand up to the English weather next spring seeing as I just cannot get veg to grow here.
I found an improved tamarillos from New Zealand at a plant sale in Hawaii and it was superior to the other types I grew, but only survived for three years. I planted five new ones and this time I plan to prune them from beginning, starting at 6 months old
So fortunate to be in your climate for growing things like these 👍
Those have grown tremendously. They are amazing. Well done.
Suddenly done well in the last month or so
They look amazing!
Yes suddenly took off, but they hate our winters 😂
A HUGE thank you for all your video's on tamarillo's!! All the way from NZ! Bought one and have zero idea how to care for it. LOVED your pruning experiment as that was my next hurdle with it. And you being the UK is also helpful as I'm in southern NZ and I've been worried about "Tama" and winter but you've proven it can be it done haha I'm now about to go and re-pot and nip the top off with a lot more confidence :) Then I'll start watching your citrus videos haha #rookiegreenthumb
Thank you for commenting. So far the winter storage of my tamarillos in my unheated summerhouse looks ok, I look forward to continuing videos on them this season and I really hope to maybe see some flowers 🤞🤞. Yes I know Southern New Zealand is much corner than the North Island
Okay, I would say that every other experiment that you have done, has left me wanting to try the same things.
All apart from the tamarillo’s!
I am never purchasing this tree no matter how good it sounds to have tree tomato in the UK.
Your labour of love is commendable.
I hope you get loads of fruit set in the near future.
Unfortunately due to lack of space I have to keep cutting them back before winter and that obviously sets them back a lot in the Spring. I’m not sure mine will ever flower lol. I need a bigger garden with a huge greenhouse lol
Why? I really would like to have some at UK, but weather is terrible, I am freezing 15 days of partly sunny on 2024🤦😭😭😭 not enough
The answer is simple, move somewhere hotter, or grow something that does well in colder climates !
I used to grow these as a landscape plant. They love cool winter , but hate freezes.
Haha you’re right about that, even a sniff of frost and those leaves turn to brown slime 😂😂
They look fantastic, you could guess the height from the photo - towering over you and you are tall. I guess you couldn't put one in the stairwell? I know a lot of stairwells are by front doors, so it can get too cold/ draughty with doors being opened. The only other option would have been to bend them as they grow with wire - it would look odd, unless shaped, but it would save cutting them straight away. They are a size though to accommodate. Fingers crossed they'll be back on form for next season! Smart haircut Brett.
Haha you noticed my trim, it first appeared yesterday in my custard apple video. Yes the tamarillos suddenly grew nicely in the last month or so, the taller one suddenly shot up to 8 feet which would be ok in a huge greenhouse but no good to me. I want them to branch out more anyway and not keep blowing over so pruning seemed the best option
Tamarillo seem to be able to flower all over. Can't say that any particular branch or shoot doesn't. May of course be different from plant to plant. You just have to prune it and hope for the best 😉. As mentioned in another comment new growth is best for flowering and fruiting. It's said to only fruit once and so pruning may be the best way to ensure you always get new branches/flowers/fruit. Also as the plant gets older leaves and fruit will get smaller and it tends to attract more bugs
Yes I assume once it’s mature enough to start flowering it will continue do so 🤞
Awesome thanks
You’re welcome 👍
Can you tell me if you got fruits from them? I have some seedlings and wonder if I'll have any fruits :)
I know people that have got fruits here ( in a polytunnel or conservatory or greenhouse ), unfortunately I lost mine all in the big freeze of December 2022. Even in my unheated summerhouse they were killed by the cold. Now I have a small heater in there but I didn’t grow any more Tamarillo plants yet 😁
Hi trying to grow these. So are they ok with leaving it outside when they are matured plants? Or do we have to bring it inside every winter? Many thanks
No the slightest frost will kill them unless you live in a frost free area. In fact I’m pretty sure all of mine are completely dead inside my summerhouse over winter. I’ll know when I get them out in May if there is any sign of life at the base. Your best bet is a heated greenhouse or conservatory or an elaborate shelter you could use to cover them in cold winter such as a tarpaulin on a frame with a heat source under it, a friend of mine on UA-cam has great success doing that with his large plant
These look great. I have brought my Tamarillo indoors now is it too late to prune, should I wait till spring?
I’ve already cut mine back partially but I’ll probably remove all the leaves this winter as a trial as I want to reduce the problem of aphids. I may have time to shoot a video tomorrow lol
Wow, yeah I bet they take some watering 😅🌿
The large ones droop really quickly after 2 or 3 days hot weather 😂😂
Lol, don't ask me why, but the thumbnail brought back memories of my Jack and the Beanstalk book. You appeared to be dwarfed by the towering tamarillos.
Lol actually I am, the larger one is over 2 feet taller than me 😂😂.
Did you see my cherimoya video posted yesterday ? You didn’t comment 😉
@@lyonheart84 Been quite busy lately; it appears that you have a fruitlet! I'll watch the video now that I have some spare time.
@@lyonheart84 By the way, it is only the new growth on tamarillo that bears flowers; the older and woodier growth never does.
It’s tiny and will probably fall off but at least I’ve finally succeeded in a single hand pollination 🥳
I've had lots of new growth but no sign of flower buds 😬😬
Would spraying them with need oil help with the greenfly? Great videos by the way. Just subscribed! 🤗
I’m not a big fan of neem oil especially on soft leaved plants, plus it’s pretty hard to buy here in the UK. On these I generally use soapy water or a shop bought organic spray which seems to work well enough 😁. Thanks for subscribing 👍
@@lyonheart84 try the Afro-asian shops! 😊
Lol I actually got it here from a horse supplies place, I gather they use it for some sort of hoof sterilisation or treatment in the UK. But as I said I’ve found the oil forms a heavy film on soft leaved plants which can cause problems especially in the sun , not so serious on tougher leaves like citrus 😁
Does it survive in winter 🥶?
They all died last winter INSIDE my summerhouse unfortunately from extreme cold 🥶
Lovely ..Yours are huge ..Shame its not flowering ..I chopped mine before winter ..Best of luck.
Another year I think to flowering, just hope I can keep them better over this winter so they start quicker next Spring
@@lyonheart84 My Gf is already complaining about me wanting to get my plants over winter in the house hahaha
Lol my ex ( we are still married but separated for many years ) complains but I tell her it’s none of her business 😂😂
@@lyonheart84 My gal likes gardening but hates huge plants in the house but i plan on getting a small greenhouse the one which u can keep tall tomato plants in.
Haha half my kitchen is full of plants in winter, but I do what I want. Unfortunately my garden is too small to squeeze in a greenhouse
WOW! They must be close to flowering! Why are the leaves so large!
Too late this year to flower unfortunately, hopefully next year if I keep them alive over Winter. That’s the size leaves get to on tamarillo, in fact they can get bigger than this 🤪🤪. Almost grown as much as your peach has this Summer, imagine how fast these would grow in a climate like yours 😁
@@lyonheart84 nah because it’s a BIG PLANT .. but tiny fruit😂 still amazing though!
The fruits aren’t that small, as big as chicken eggs, and they can produce dozens at a time. Mind you not everybody likes them as I’d call them more savoury than sweet 😂😂
Well, my tams are back indoors due to snails not leaving them alone. They did leave the bigger one alone for a while but started to attack the base chewing it down to half the width and munching a few leaves despite covering the soil with a thick layer of broken egg shells.
The little one they chewed down to a 6 inch stem and ate all the leaves started a new shoot from the base but the pesky slugs started to eat it and I woke to find half of it bent over having been chewed yet again. The top 6 leaves were still alive so I taped it up loosely with masking tape and it's still alive 2 weeks on and looking like it's healed nicely.
My son heard that snails & slugs don't like copper so I'll be putting a layer of old copper wire around the pot and see if that will stop them on their munch fest LOL. Do you know if copper will work?
I believe the copper gives them an electric shock when they touch it. I know a lot of people sink small jars of beer into the soil as that apparently attracts and drowns them. To be honest I just use slug pellets.
@@lyonheart84 Thanks Brett, I'll be putting slug pellets on my shopping list next spring for sure then LOL. Plus I've decided to grow fruit trees and bushes that will stand up to the English weather next spring seeing as I just cannot get veg to grow here.
Plenty of interesting stuff to try 😉
If you don't know, why to make video?
The videos are a log for my own records, until you’ve tried something for the first time how could you possibly know what the result will be !