Just wanted to see if anyone has had any experience/success growing the Acai plant? I love these berries, but they are only available in a processed juice form, and I'd like to try my hand at growing fresh berries.
Also, any recommendations on where to get the plant/seeds?
Thanks! -Billy
Acai Plant
Billy,
I LOVE acai! I haven't grown any myself, but I do know they grow in the Amazon jungle along riverbeds, and they are huge palm trees (the fruit is tiny and berry like). I'm not sure it would be a crop you can easily harvest - the trees are enormous, the berries have very large pits and the yield per berry is minimal.
I'm sorry I can't be of more help...
Roberta
Thanks for the reply. I've heard of people growing them in containers successfuly, but wanted to see if I could get a little insight. Also, there are retailers online that sell the plants, but would like to see if anyone has had good experiences with a specific place.
They can be kept in containers and get quite large. The trick for you is your zone - you will always need to move it to/keep it in a protected spot during the winter. I've always thought of this species in association with hearts of palm, but now that I know it is the source for Acai berries I haven't happened to notice at what size it begins to fruit.
Euterpe oleraceas are easy to grow IFF you live in a very warm, tropical climate (zone 11 is about their lowest limit zone-wise). If grown in a green house they rarely make good fruit.. .they get up to 30' tall so you need a big greenhouse anyway. It is a very popular landscape palm in Hawaii. But I have not seen any luck growing them anywhere in California.
Acai, Euterpe oleracea, loves water and is easy to grow, but outside it's natural environment may be reluctant to produce fruit.
They are easy to grow in the ground here because it rains 200 inches per year. My plants and everyone else I know that grows them, have not gotten them to flower or make fruit yet, although some nurseries offer them once in a while, so someone's plants must be producing!
I have had plants for about seven years, Carol down the road from me has larger plants (she takes better care of her plants) but they are younger.
I know I can't grow them here even with a green house so it was recommended to me to grow Goji berry which has almost the same qualities as the Acai and tastes very good. Just a suggestion.