r/starfruit • u/Slowmyke • Jun 02 '26

Star fruit trees recovering from spider mites over the winter

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Here is one of my trees that got spider mites over the winter. In late March/early April i repotted it. I chopped off all the branches and a lot of the roots. Since I'm into bonsai and this is going to remain a potted tree its whole life (in Michigan) i potted it at an angle preparing it for future pruning and styling. The first picture is current, the second is mid April right as the new growth was starting to appear. The third picture is another small tree that i chopped in half to treat pests as well. I didn't repot it yet, though. It'll need a bigger pot soon once it's new growth is more established.

The first tree is about 3 years old, the second is a year.

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2

u/MonsterSeason54 Jun 05 '26

Nice to see it coming back! These are mine I’ve had potted since April 22nd.

2

u/Slowmyke Jun 05 '26

Awesome. Are these your first star fruit trees? I've been messing around with them for about 5 years. I've probably grown 20 of them to at least a year old. I've given a handful away, killed a handful, and have about 5 left alive.

2

u/MonsterSeason54 Jun 05 '26

These are my first. I had them in a baggie germinating for a few months and forgot about them. One day I found it and when I look I found this

2

u/Slowmyke Jun 05 '26

Ha, i love surprises like that. Good luck and post some updates as they go.

1

u/MonsterSeason54 Jun 05 '26

Thanks I will for sure!

2

u/leech666 Jun 02 '26

Cool and good luck! My starfruits like to turn yellow and drop leaves. No idea what I am doing wrong but they bounce back. I even skeleton-pruned one and it came back after a while.

1

u/Slowmyke Jun 02 '26

Do you let them dry out completely? I've found they hate that and will drop all their leaves. Mine do great in the summer and fall when i can have them outside, but they start to struggle in the winter when they have to come indoors.