If you want to harvest the seeds of a starfruit, gently split the lobes lengthwise. Cutting it width-wise will produce the fruit’s namesake shape, but as you can see from my photo, the seed will likely be sliced through. (Boy, did i feel stupid doing that.) This is actually my 3rd attempt in growing store-bought starfruit, so I’ve been waiting a loooong time to make this post. I live in the NE of USA, so we only see this fruit for a short time around early winter. This year, I was finally successful. I used the paper towel and ziplock incubation method, but I did discover this seed really like a heat mat to ensure a vigorous germination.
It’s been a little over 1 year and I have 4 surviving starfuit seedlings. They could be probably bigger at this stage, but honestly, the fault is my own. I really should have repotted these guys already. The most I’ve been for these guys is a little bit of chicken poo fertilizer.
Still, I am surprised by how delicate and tender these leaves were for tropical plants. I was expecting something with more plasticity (?).
Kihaku-Gato's Garden Blog (tumblr import) 