How to Grow Naranjilla

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Sowing and establishment	0	Propagate by seed (RHS). Plant outside only in early summer, once frost risk has fully passed.
Vegetative growth	3	Grow in full sun or partial shade, sheltered, in moist well-drained soil. Large, purple-veined, spiny, hairy leaves develop rapidly (RHS).
Flowering	6	White flowers appear given a long enough growing season (RHS).
Fruiting	8	Fruit ripens to orange with green flesh, used mainly for juice; UK-grown fruit may not fully ripen (RHS; Purdue NewCROP).

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Sunlight	4-8 hours direct sun
Soil texture	Clay, loam, sand or chalk (RHS)
Drainage	Moist but well-drained (RHS)
Lifecycle	Tender, fast-growing shrubby perennial, nearly 2m tall (Purdue NewCROP)
Edible parts	fruit

At a Glance

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Fruit matures to orange, 4.5-5.5cm diameter, with green flesh inside used mainly for juice (Purdue NewCROP).

Diseases

Honey fungus

low

Armillaria spp.

RHS notes honey fungus rarely affects this crop.

Pests

Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)

low

Tetranychus urticae

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Root-knot nematodes

moderate

Meloidogyne spp.

Purdue NewCROP names root-knot nematodes as a particularly serious pest of this crop.

Glasshouse whitefly

low

Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Aphids

low

Aphididae (various spp.)

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Sources

1. Plants For A Future (PFAF) - Solanum quitoense

   PFAF entry for Solanum quitoense. Fetched and parsed directly for the USDA hardiness rating.

2. Purdue University NewCROP (Center for New Crops & Plant Products) - The Naranjilla, Cocona and Their Hybrid

   Native to and principally cultivated in Colombia and Ecuador, thriving at altitudes of 1000-1500m; also established in Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala, though commercial attempts in Florida were unsuccessful. Shrubby perennial nearly 2m tall, large purple-veined leaves, white flowers. Fruit matures orange, 4.5-5.5cm diameter, green flesh inside; juice is the primary use, rich in vitamins A and C. Subject to numerous diseases and pests; root-knot nematodes are a particularly serious problem -- resistance has been identified in related Solanum species but is not widely used commercially.

These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Plants For A Future (PFAF), Purdue University NewCROP (Center for New Crops & Plant Products), Royal Horticultural Society) is in the references of our UK guide to naranjilla; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.