Strawberry Tree - Arbutus unedo

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Picked up this two-for-one from a local listing for unwanted trees. Picture from listing:

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The pot had been left outside for a few days unwatered and the soil in the container looked like moon dust.

Full height of the tree here was ~8" - so I had to field dress to fit in the car. I trimmed back a bit further and cleaned/sealed wounds later in the day.

Removed top 1.5" of moon-dust and replaced with some pearlite and potting soil + some fertilizer granules.

The red-barked tree is a Strawberry. I see them planted in landscapes locally - usually by streets or in parking lots. I'm curious to see what it looks like below the line, and
hope it will back bud post the chop. Base is about 2".

Other tree in the pot is a silver wattle. That too got chopped back hard and I'll separate when repotting.

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Esolin

Shohin
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Nice find! The fruits are so pretty on these. I bet it'll make a cool bonsai.
 
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It's been about three weeks since chopping this tree back.

Managed to back bud aggressively on old wood - even branches cut below the leaf line.

Was particularly encouraged to see buds right at the cut site, despite hollowing out the ends of thick branch/trunk cuts.


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I haven't. Fruiting cycle here is late-fall/early-winter for these. Berry in the pic above was from this tree, but still very unripe.

I'm not anticipating much from this tree this year given the chop, but there are a few established trees in my area I'll test later in the year.
 

BrightsideB

Omono
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I started some seeds last year and my tree’s are like a foot tall. I read some people like them and others don’t. I guess it’s like most fruits then lol. The bark looks cool! Will be interesting to see how this works for you as bonsai.
 
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Will see what happens when I repot in the Spring. I think this has been in the same (huge) plastic can for over a decade.

I'm enjoying so far. One of the better accidental freebees I've run across.

The red outer bark turns deeper red and flakes off like a (much easier) juniper.
 

Esolin

Shohin
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I've read that the fruit is very astringent and dry, not something most people really want to eat straight off the tree. It's better sweetened in a jam or sauce.
 

Rivian

Chumono
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Years ago I read the name of the tree means "i will only eat one"
 

Dkdhej

Sapling
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I've read that the fruit is very astringent and dry, not something most people really want to eat straight off the tree. It's better sweetened in a jam or sauce.
I have eaten the fruit plenty of times and it tastes great, really sweet.
You gotta eat it when its ripe, when the color is deep red. If you try it when its green or yellow it will taste bad and acid.

The fruit will ferment with time and contain some alcohol. It is said that if you eat a lot of them when they are fermented you may end up a little tipsy lol
 
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Took a few pictures of this today for update. Strawberry has been doing well.

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The curb pot had two plants, strawberry and a silver wattle. The SW was about 4-5 feet high initially, and I field chopped to fit in trunk.

Ended up shortening that significantly and wiring a subsequent leader; 6-8 weeks later wound is starting to roll over - used liquid cut paste for visibility.

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It's been about 8 weeks since the last shortening / wiring. Wire was on for 2-3 weeks only - leader fattened up quick.

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Anyone familiar with silver wattle growth? They push out a branch with a leafier stem below, similar to BC or dawn redwood.

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I have some test trims at higher branches to see what happens when either or both (branch + stem) are removed for now.
 
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Got the collection through repotting season - goal this year was smaller footprints (space consideration) and no new pots. :)

The strawberry tree was in an absolutely gigantic plastic tub with moon dust soil.

I opted for a repotting video on this instead of pictures of the bareroot - here's a screengrab:

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After full soil removal and root washing, I was a little concerned that none of my existing pots would fit without being too harsh on the roots.

Eventually I found one that worked, and added some sphagnum on the side where roots were a bit closer to the surface.

I did this repot on 12/31 - it's an evergreen plant in this area - so was curious how well it would pull through. New buds were just beginning to push.

Here's a couple shots from today - about three months later. The long shoots were cut back about a week ago.

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Firstflush

Chumono
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Good luck and hope it lives. I have killed one myself. Really watch the overwatering.
 

Arnold

Omono
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Plants in the Ericaceae family usually dont like rootwork or repoting in my experience
 

cishepard

Shohin
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Did your Unedo survive the repot earlier this year? It seemed like a pretty drastic root reduction which most sources say they don’t tolerate well.
 
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