Natal plums: Carissa macrocarpa (forum)

Rowena starts with ...
A question: how tall do Natal plums grow? Daley's site says 2-3 meters, but others only 1 meter..?

Time: 27th December 2015 7:07am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author Rowena
Woodend
#UserID: 12960
Posts: 2
View All Rowena's Edible Fruit Trees

denise1 says...
I have seen numerous carissas at the one meter mark, and think they are a selection for gardens. You may find it hard to source a taller growing one. Worth trying out daleys plant then.

Time: 28th December 2015 7:03am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author denise1
auckland NZ
#UserID: 6832
Posts: 688
View All denise1's Edible Fruit Trees

Rowena says...
Thanks Denise, Maybe I will ask them directly :)

Time: 28th December 2015 2:42pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author Rowena
Woodend
#UserID: 12960
Posts: 2
View All Rowena's Edible Fruit Trees

Linton says...
Carissa macrocarpa vs Carissa bispinosa.


I would like to hear other opinions about how good the edibility is for Natal Plums as there have been so many conflicting reports. However I do realize that there are wide fluctuations in the quality of the fruits of this species, but Louis Glowinsky did rate them very highly in a video I once watched. So it would be good to read other growers recent opinions about them.

The Natal Plum is Carissa macrocarpa but in the mean time I have also been growing Carissa bispinosa as the general consensus is that the fruit of this species has superior fruit to that of the Natal Plum.

Now, after 3 months of growing Carissa bispinosa in a pot it has it's first flowers so it may be possible to try the fruit first hand in a much shorter time frame than expected.

Thanks for reading!
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2

Time: 4th February 2017 3:17pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(1) | LIKE this Question (1) | Report
People who Like this Answer: Amanda
People who Like this Question ivepeters
Original Post was last edited: 4th February 2017 8:17pm

About the Author Linton
NOBLE PARK,3174,VIC
#UserID: 2286
Posts: 993
View All Linton's Edible Fruit Trees

denise1 says...
One plant I am aware of has good and bad tasting fruit on the same bush at the same time. You only know when you taste it.

Time: 6th February 2017 2:32pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
About the Author denise1
auckland NZ
#UserID: 6832
Posts: 688
View All denise1's Edible Fruit Trees

Linton says...
Natal Plum flowering now....worth growing or not?

One of my plants currently has flowers but I don't think it will make fruit as it says on your site that you need 2 plants for pollination but the other one hasn't flowered.

Please advise if anyone has had fruit produced on just one flowering plant and if the fruit was good to eat. Thanks.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2

Time: 8th December 2017 10:22am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author Linton
NOBLE PARK,3174,VIC
#UserID: 2286
Posts: 993
View All Linton's Edible Fruit Trees

Linton says...
Both of the Natal Plum trees are very sick now. They seem to be stricken with some kind of black spot disease.They are growing in full sun, hot and dry.

Have tried spraying them with copper but it hasn't made any difference. The black spots keep getting worse and thickening until the whole of the leaf has turned black.I removed a lot of the leaves but the new juvenile leaves quickly develop the black spots again. No other plants next to them are showing these effects, it is only on the Natal Plums so I urgently need to know what is causing it and if there is any suitable remedy. Thank you and Happy Christmas!
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3

Time: 22nd December 2018 8:47pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author Linton
NOBLE PARK,3174,VIC
#UserID: 2286
Posts: 993
View All Linton's Edible Fruit Trees

denise1 says...
This looks quite bad. As it is getting worse and they are relatively easy to get a replacement, sorry but I would be inclined to incinerate the plant and wait some time before trying one again. Unless it is purely of a physical cause such as sunburn, fertiliser burn, dog piss etc.

Time: 23rd December 2018 2:38pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
Original Post was last edited: 23rd December 2018 2:41pm
About the Author denise1
auckland NZ
#UserID: 6832
Posts: 688
View All denise1's Edible Fruit Trees

Linton says...
Carissa bispinosa currently fruiting. Although lesser known, it's closely related and very similar to Natal Plum, Carissa macrocarpa. Natal Plums are said to require pollination from another plant to produce fruit.

However I only have one plant of Carissa bispinosa and there is nothing else around to pollinate it, yet it has produced fruit. Could someone please shed some light on this matter. Thank you.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3

Time: 23rd May 2019 8:18pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(1) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
People who Like this Answer: Amanda

About the Author Linton
NOBLE PARK,3174,VIC
#UserID: 2286
Posts: 993
View All Linton's Edible Fruit Trees