Jerusalem cherry

Jerusalem cherry: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small, dense, evergreen shrub about 40 cm tall and 30 cm wide.

Foliage

Lance-shaped, glossy dark green, with a wavy edge.

Flower

Small, white, star-shaped flowers, from June to August.

Fruit

Round, orange berries of 1–2 cm that ripen in autumn and winter and stay on the plant for months. Poisonous.

Origin

South America; related to tomato, potato and aubergine.

Flowering: June–August · Plants: March–April · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• Bright orange berries in the dark months, often for months on end: colour at a time when few other plants flower or fruit.
• Compact (about 40 cm) and evergreen.
• The small, white star-shaped flowers in summer attract pollinators.
• You put it outside in summer and bring it back in in autumn.
• A hard prune and fresh compost in spring let it sprout again and carry berries for another season.

Jerusalem cherry: where does it grow best?

• Sun to half shade: a bright spot by the window with some sun. Plenty of light helps the berries stay on.
• Light, humus-rich potting compost with good drainage, slightly acid to neutral.
• Normal moisture: evenly moist, never wet.
• Cool in winter: 8–15 °C keeps the berries looking good for longer; never below 5 °C.
• In summer it can go outside, in a sheltered, bright spot, so insects can pollinate the flowers.

Light

Sunny or bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 5 °C

Goes well with

• Cyclamen: Flowers in winter in the same bright, cool spot and looks lovely with the orange berries.
• Indoor azalea: A flowering houseplant for a cool, bright room.
• Ivy: Evergreen, trailing foliage as a calm background.

Jerusalem cherry: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, after the berry season and the pruning.
2. Choose a pot with a drainage hole that is 2–3 cm wider than the old one.
3. Use light potting compost, with a little perlite for drainage if you like.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm lightly.
5. Water until it runs out at the bottom and empty the saucer after a quarter of an hour.
6. Put it in a bright spot; from late May it can go outside, sheltered.

Care

Water

Keep the compost evenly moist, but not wet. In winter in a cool spot, water less: let the top centimetre dry out.

Feeding

From April to September, a flowering-plant or tomato fertiliser every 2 weeks at half strength. Do not feed in winter.

Pollination

Put it outside in summer or tap the flowers: without pollination it will not set berries.

Humidity

Dry heated air makes berries and leaves drop. Keep it cool and mist now and then.

After the berries

When the berries drop or shrivel (February–March), prune and repot it, or throw it away as an annual.

Tip: Keep it cool and bright and put it outside in summer: it then sets plenty of berries and keeps them for months. Always keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Jerusalem cherry: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, when the berries drop or shrivel and before new growth begins.

How:

• Cut all the branches back by half or a third, just above a node.
• Remove dead, weak and crossing twigs.
• Then repot it in fresh compost and water.
• Use clean scissors.

Caution: Wear gloves and wash your hands after pruning: all parts of the plant are poisonous.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In February–March: sow on moist seed compost at 18–22 °C and cover lightly. The plants usually flower and carry berries in the same year.

Cuttings

In May–July: tip cuttings of 8–10 cm in moist cutting compost, under plastic at 18–22 °C. They root within a few weeks.

Jerusalem cherry: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy: keep it indoors at 5 °C or more; 8–15 °C is ideal.
• Give it a very bright spot, away from the radiator and draughts: dry, warm air makes berries and leaves drop.
• Water sparingly and do not feed.
• Keep it out of reach of children and pets: the berries are especially tempting in winter.

Diseases and pests

• Dropping berries and leaves: Caused by air that is too warm and dry, draughts or too little light. Move it somewhere cooler and brighter and mist now and then.
• Whitefly: Small white flies and sticky leaves on the underside. Use yellow sticky traps and rinse the plant weekly.
• Aphids: On young shoots and buds. Rinse them off or wipe them away with soapy water.
• Spider mite: Fine webs and dull leaves in warm, dry air. Rinse and raise the humidity.
• No berries: Too little light or no pollination. Put it outside in summer or tap the flowers with a brush.

Through the year

• January: Berries at their best. Cool and bright. Little water.
• February: Berries drop or shrivel: time to prune.
• March: Prune by half. Repot. Start watering again.
• April: Repot if needed. Feed every 2 weeks.
• May: Outside from late May, sheltered.
• June: Flowering begins. Let insects pollinate or tap the flowers.
• July: Flowering. Water in dry spells. Take cuttings.
• August: End of flowering, berries set. Feed.
• September: Berries colour up. Bring back in well before the first cold nights.
• October: Indoors in a bright, cool spot.
• November: Berries ripe. Do not feed. Little water.
• December: Berries. Keep cool (8–15 °C), out of reach of children and pets.

Edible and useful

Not edible. The orange or red berries of the Jerusalem cherry look like cherry tomatoes or kumquats but are poisonous (solanine and related compounds): in children and pets they cause vomiting, stomach ache and drowsiness. Keep the plant out of their reach or pick off the berries. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• Despite the name ‘Jerusalem cherry’, it does not come from Jerusalem but from South America.
• The species name pseudocapsicum means ‘false Capsicum’, the genus of peppers and chillies, after its fruits that resemble them.
• In warmer countries such as Australia and New Zealand it has become naturalised and is regarded as a weed.