Rose Apple - Syzygium moorei - Care Guide
Syzygium moorei! More commonly known as Rose Apple or Coolamon, this rare sub-tropical rainforest tree is native to northeast New South Wales and southeast Queensland, Australia. A rare species, you'll find it growing on volcanic soil regions. It grows gorgeous pink or orange flowers that form in dense panicles on mature branches. This later turns into an edible berry!
Whilst the berries are edible, Rose Apple berries generally have a mild, flat taste that's not particularly palatable but this can vary with ripeness. You can eat them raw on their own, or use them as an ingredient in all kinds of sweet and savoury recipes!
You can expect this spectacular native to blossom with pink or orange flowers in late Spring that turn to edible fruits mid Summer.
Once the fruits have turned a white pale colour or are falling from the tree, that's when they're ready for harvest. Waiting until this stage will guarantee the most flavour!
Quick Care
| Botanical Name | Syzygium moorei |
| Size Plant: | Seedling pot, min 20 cm tall |
| Frost Tolerance: | Tolerates light frost. |
| Drought Tolerance: | Drought Tolerant. |
| Soil Type: | rich, well-drained soils. |
| Sun: | Full-sun/Part-shade |
| Size: | 40m Tree. |
| Pots: | Does well in pots. |
| Feeding: | Feed a high-quality native plant food every 6 months. |
Planting
For best results, plant your Rose Apple in rich, well-drained soils and place your plant in full sun. You can also grow in part shade for reasonable results. This dense, glossy tree can attain a height of up to 40m. It's the perfect fruit tree for creating shade in your garden.
Frost tolerance
Only able to handle light frost initially, Rose Apple we'll be able to tolerate frosty conditions once established. If you live in a cooler climate like Melbourne keeping your plant well protected is super important, so we recommend offering it extra protection during winter.
Sunlight
This lovely species does well in full sun but it can thrive in part sun but with lower fruiting amounts.
Maintenance
Watering & Drought Tolerance
Water Rose Apple regularly for the first 12 weeks until the plant is established. During wintertime, you can hold back on watering but as the temperature increases ensure that you're keeping your it well watered. When dry, it will wilt which is a good indication of when to water.
Fertilising your Rose Apple
Being a plant that generates large volumes of fruit, it's important to ensure continued fruiting that you feed regularly. We recommend feeding your plant every Spring with a dose of cow manure or organic fertiliser if you don’t have great soil. Fertilising with high-quality, plant food during winter and summer will result in a plant with deep green foliage and lots of fruit.
Harvesting
Harvesting should be done when the fruits have turned a white pale colour or are falling from the tree, that's when they're ready for harvest. Waiting until this stage will guarantee the most flavour!
Growing Rose Apple in pots
Rose Apple does well in pots. Be sure to keep it in a sunny spot on a balcony or backyard. Use a high-quality potting mix without fillers or additives and add your own plant food for the highest success.