No fruit has set, but it has flowered. The problem with the flowers is that they are first female, then after a few days they open further to reveal male parts and release pollen. Without the native beetle that pollinates the plant in nature, I must do this by hand. It means that I need to gather pollen with a paintbrush or something similar, store it, and use it on future flowers as they first mature into their female phase.
My brother is growing a different cultivar "Lucida - Pierce" and it will help to have some cross pollination and a broader flowering timeframe. As our trees get bigger, they will flower more consistently, and we will have success in pollination.
This tree only flowers once a year, but my brother's cherimoya had a rough dormancy - had some dieback and was slow to push new growth - so his is just starting to flower. Mine won't flower again until March.
Unfortunately the flowers are pretty unspectacular; they attract beetles, not bees and hummingbirds. The fruit is where all the goodness is. Plus there's satisfaction in saying I can grow a rare tropical fruit tree in a very unusual location.
No fruit has set, but it has flowered. The problem with the flowers is that they are first female, then after a few days they open further to reveal male parts and release pollen. Without the native beetle that pollinates the plant in nature, I must do this by hand. It means that I need to gather pollen with a paintbrush or something similar, store it, and use it on future flowers as they first mature into their female phase.
My brother is growing a different cultivar "Lucida - Pierce" and it will help to have some cross pollination and a broader flowering timeframe. As our trees get bigger, they will flower more consistently, and we will have success in pollination.
[This comment was removed]