Flacourtia inermis, also known as Lovi-Lovi, Batoko Plum or Rukam Masam, is an attractive tropical fruit tree native to Southeast Asia. It grows as a slow-growing, dense, evergreen shrub or small tree with decorative reddish-green foliage. The young leaves have a distinctive orange-red color, which gradually turns into a dark green color. Due to its compact growth, it is very suitable for growing in pots and containers.
The plant produces a large number of round, shiny cherry-sized fruits that ripen from green to deep red to reddish-purple. The fruits grow in dense clusters of several pieces and more than twenty fruits can ripen on one branch at the same time. The flesh is whitish to slightly pinkish, juicy and contains 4 to 14 small hard seeds.
The fruit has a sweet and sour taste. The fruit is eaten fresh or used to make jams, jellies, syrups, chutneys, wines and desserts. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.
The flowers are small, inconspicuous, without a pronounced scent and grow in small clusters along the branches. The plant can bear fruit several times a year, with the largest harvest occurring during the summer months.
Lovi Lovise adapts well to growing in containers, which allows it to be overwintered indoors or in a bright frost-free area in colder conditions.
The plant is valued not only for its edible fruit, but also for its decorative appearance. The glossy leaves, colorful new growth and abundance of red fruit make it an attractive collector's plant for lovers of exotic fruit species.
THE SIZE OF THE PLANTS SOLD WITH A POT IS 15 TO 20 CM LAST PICTURE
PRICE 12€
Growing Instructions for Lovi Lovi
Substrate:
Preferably more acidic and well-drained.
Recommended mixture: 2 parts peat, 1 part perlite, a little sand.
Watering:
Keep the substrate slightly moist at all times.
In winter, reduce watering, pour out excess water from the tray after watering.
Growing location:
At home all year round: As close to a window as possible, with plenty of light.
Summering is possible outside on a terrace, garden, or balcony, and only from spring to autumn: Partial shade.
Wintering:
Tropical plant - cannot tolerate temperatures below 10 °C for a long time. Winter at min. temperature 15C and above
For the winter, place in the living room, bedroom, hallway, winter garden or tempered greenhouse, always as close to the window as possible.
Fertilization:
Common water-soluble or granular fertilizers.
Suitable fertilizer:
long-term granular fertilizer OSMOCOTE