A Detailed Guide to Planting and Caring for the Nipplefruit (Solanum mammosum)

The nipplefruit, Solanum mammosum, is a plant in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and the genus Solanum. It gets its name because its fruit resembles a nipple, and it is also called the five-fingered fruit because the base of the fruit has several finger-like protrusions.

The nipplefruit is a perennial deciduous subshrub with a plant height of up to 2 m and a crown of up to 1 m. Its branches are thick and semi-lignified, with prickles and short fine hairs. Its leaves are opposite, broadly ovate, 10-20 cm long, and irregularly lobed. The flowers are axillary and borne in cymes. The fruit is green, turning golden yellow when ripe, conical with a blunt tip, and variable in size; the largest can reach 10 cm, with finger-like protrusions at the base.

The nipplefruit is native to tropical America. It begins to sprout and grow above 15°C and requires full sunlight. It grows vigorously in high summer temperatures, flowers and sets fruit in late summer and early autumn, and the fruit begins to ripen around New Year. After ripening, the fruit can remain on the plant and stay fresh for as long as 4 months. Growth stops below 1-5°C, and leaves drop below 10°C. The following year, when spring returns, it sprouts and grows again. Among these, root-sucker seedlings grow most vigorously, while old branches that sprout after leaf drop grow poorly.

Propagation: After leaf drop and before sprouting in early spring, the nipplefruit can be propagated by taking leafless old branches, cutting them into sections of three nodes each, and rooting them as cuttings. Once they sprout and become seedlings, they can be cultivated, but their growth is poor and can be remedied by increasing water and fertilizer. Alternatively, after leaf drop, cut off the upper old branches three nodes above the ground, mound soil around the plant to overwinter, and when spring warms and sprouting begins, dig up the plant, remove the soil, and divide it into separate plants with three buds each for replanting. However, the most labor-saving method for mass production is still sowing seeds. First, select disease-free, large, attractive fruit to keep for seed. After they air-dry naturally, just before sowing, peel the fruit and remove the seeds, wash off the pulp, and sow in potting mix. After the seedlings emerge, transplant them into grow bags, with 3 seedlings per bag. When the seedlings reach 10 cm tall, plant them in the ground, with a spacing of 50 cm, on raised beds. When the seedlings are four cun tall, pinch them once, leaving 3 branches per plant; with three plants per hole, 9 branches in total are enough. The growing soil must be fertile, loose, and well-drained, with full sunlight. Because the plant is fairly large and needs more soil, water, and fertilizer, it is not suitable for container growing.

Management: Because the nipplefruit plant is large with deep roots and abundant foliage, the base fertilizer must be sufficient. After that, apply a compound fertilizer once a month as a top dressing. Since it is grown on raised beds, water remains in the furrows and does not accumulate on the bed surface. The nipplefruit is also strongly drought-tolerant, so on sunny days it can be watered once every three days. After December, when the fruit ripens and leaves begin to drop, stop watering. If there is prolonged rainy and cold winter weather, prevent the fruit from rotting.

Finishing the final product: The nipplefruit is often grown in the ground, and when the fruit ripens around Spring Festival it is used for ornamental purposes. 1) Nipplefruit for cut flowers: Choose deciduous fruiting branches that are thick and long, with many fruit evenly distributed. Cut 30 cm below the lowest fruit to make a commercial flower stem for carrying by hand and placing in a vase. Then cut off the fruitless branch section above the topmost fruiting node so that the fruit appears prominently at the top of the stem. The finished nipplefruit cut-flower stems are 50 cm to 1 m long, meeting commercial and ornamental requirements. 2) Potted temporary planting: Choose weaker fruiting branches and cut a section where the fruit is densely clustered. Combine several branches and insert them into a 5-7 cun plastic pot for temporary planting. Fix the base of the fruiting branches with wire, place gravel in the pot, and after shaping, it looks like a potted plant. Because nipplefruit fruits are leathery and covered with a waxy layer, they do not dry out easily, and after drying they neither deform nor change color. The fruits can remain fresh on the branch for as long as 3-4 months without rotting or drying out. Therefore, even though the nipplefruit fruiting branches are detached from the mother plant, they can still be enjoyed indoors for a long time without being kept in water, making them very popular.