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ABOUT THIS TREE
4 Plant Offer (Limited Quantity) True Annatto – Beautiful pink flowers give way to unreal odd looking fuzzy fruit that when ripe hold inside little hard red seeds, that when ground and used in culinary or cosmetic applications produces a brilliant deep reddish orange color referred to as Anatto. The tropics answer to Saffron. Prized for its dyes and medicinal properties, Bixa Orellana has been used by indigenous peoples for hundreds of years.
These are very healthy tropical trees with well established root systems. This True Annatto is ready to be repotted and enjoyed upon delivery.
Please note: Leaves are often trimmed prior to shipping to reduce transpiration and travel stress. The growth rate of True Annatto will vary greatly depending on season, soil type, sunlight, temperature and other factors. Always changing!
BASIC CARE
True Annatto are very easy to grow tropical trees that and seem to grow best when neglected. They add a wonderful accent to any outdoor space, garden or patio. In very cold zones a containerized True Annatto can be brought inside for the winter months. Most will survive a very light frost and quickly return to normal in spring. In the northern end of their grow zone True Annatto trees should be brought indoors or protected during the winter months.
When you receive your new tree, there is no need to worry about planting right away. Your new tree can be stored for a while by simply placing it in a bucket with about a half inch of water in the bottom and moving it a shady location. You can then add some mulch to the bucket to keep your True Annatto standing straight. The mulch will also supply nutrients while in storage. This will give you plenty of time to select the ideal location for your True Annatto.
CONTAINER SIZE
Most gardeners don’t realize that True Annatto trees grow very well in patio containers. Allow enough room for growth generally a 18″ to a 30″ diameter, 14″ deep container will suffice. Remember the looser the roots, the taller and healthier your tree will be. When the tree becomes root bound its growth will slow. At that point it is time for a larger pot.
SOIL
True Annatto enjoy well drained but moist, rich organic mix. Remember try to stay away from wet, mucky soils.
FERTILIZER
To help establish your new True Annatto, fertilize sparingly, biannually with a slow time release 15-5-10. Unfertilized they will tend to grow very slowly. WARNING – The heavy salts in cheaper fertilizers may damage the roots thus killing the tree.
GROW ZONE & LIGHT
Best outdoors if grown in zone 10a-11, find your zone here. This tree requires 85-100% sunlight. Depending on your location full sun is best. The patio zone is 4b-11 which means the potted tree will flourish over the summer months in this zone but must be brought inside for the winter months. (avoid frost)
BEFORE YOU PLANT OUTDOORS
Here at Kens Nursery these trees are grown under 20-40% shade cloth. If you plant directly in full sun you may experience leaf burn. It is best to acclimate this tree to its environment by keeping it outside and slowly moving it into a sunny area over a week or two to avoid stress before planting.
WHAT IS THE SHIPPING SIZE
All trees for sale will vary in size. In the spring, trees are often smaller than trees shipped in the fall. Most trees designated with a (-4, or -3) will arrive in a standard 4 inch or 2.75 inch growers pot respectively. Kens new, reusable, recyclable deep cells are 5 to 7 inches deep and 1 to 2.5 inches in diameter. Products growing in these cells are easy to transplant and allow for deeper, faster growth and are designated with a (-5, or -7). The color and style of these pots may vary. If we are out of a particular size item, we may ship a larger size at no additional charge. You can see the various pot sizes and actual trees ready to ship. (click-here)
Note: Before leaving, True Annatto are inspected, watered, pruned if necessary and topped to 36″ to facilitate shipping. Your new tree is then bagged to keep the soil moist, to ensure that the soil stays in the pot and not loose in the box. Then your tree is tissue or kraft paper wrapped and secured in place with natural biodegradable peanuts. You will be pleased.
You may want to buy True Annatto online now while they are in stock.