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A Jerusalem cherry covered in round berries at every stage at once, green, yellow, orange and red, among dark wavy-edged leaves

Jerusalem Cherry

Solanum pseudocapsicum 'Supreme'
Care level: Moderate

The Jerusalem cherry is bought for the one thing it does superbly: it carries round berries in green, yellow, orange and red all at the same time, and holds them for months through the darkest part of the year. It is a small evergreen shrub of 30 to 50cm, a relative of the tomato and the potato, and 'Supreme' is a compact strain grown for heavy fruiting. Those berries are the reason for the plant and the reason to be careful with it: they are poisonous, and they look exactly like something to eat.

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Varieties and related species
Solanum pseudocapsicum 'Variegatum'Solanum capsicastrum

Light

Bright light, with some direct sun. The RHS gives full sun to partial shade; indoors that means the brightest windowsill you have, or the berries colour poorly and the plant stretches.

Water

Keep the compost evenly moist while it is in fruit and never let it dry out, which is the quickest way to lose the berries. Ease off in late winter once the fruit is over. It must drain: wet feet rot the roots.

Humidity

Dry heated air is its enemy indoors and the commonest cause of berry drop. Stand it away from radiators, and group it with other plants or stand the pot on damp gravel in a heated room.

Soil

A loam-based potting compost, peat-free, which is what the RHS specifies. Neutral pH, moist but well drained.

Temperature

Cool: around 12-16°C in winter. Bring it indoors before the first frost.

Size

Up to 90cm tall and wide.

Growth speed

Fast

Hardiness

Hardy down to about 1°C. Source: RHS

Toxic to pets

Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten.

The berries contain solanine. Eating them causes vomiting and diarrhoea, and in quantity can bring on seizures, slowed breathing and collapse.

If your pet has eaten some, contact your vet.

Source: ASPCA

Read this before you buy it

Every part is poisonous and the berries most of all. The ASPCA lists the principle as solanine and the signs as gastrointestinal upset, possible ulceration, seizures, respiratory depression and shock; the RHS says harmful if eaten and advises gloves when handling it. A cherry-sized orange berry at toddler height is the worst possible combination of attractive and harmful, so this is a plant for a household with no small children and no pets that chew, or for a shelf that neither can reach.

Spring

Cut back by about half if you are keeping it, repot into fresh loam-based compost and start watering properly again. Take semi-ripe cuttings now, or sow seed, which is the other way the RHS propagates it.

Summer

Put it outdoors in a sheltered spot once the frosts are over. It flowers now, small white stars, and it needs insects to reach them: a plant kept inside all summer often sets no fruit at all. Feed fortnightly.

Autumn

Bring it in before the first frost, to the brightest and coolest room you have. This is when the berries colour, and when a warm dry room will make them drop. Stop feeding.

Winter

Cool and bright, around 12 to 16°C, watered just enough to stay moist. The RHS rates it H2, tolerant of low temperatures but not of being frozen, so it cannot stay outside. Sweep up fallen berries where a child or an animal could find them.

Soil and pot

A loam-based, peat-free potting compost, neutral, moist but well drained.

Repotting

In spring, into fresh loam-based compost, after cutting the plant back.

Pruning

Cut it back by about half in spring if you are keeping it for another year.

Propagation

From seed, or from stem cuttings. Each berry holds 50 to 100 seeds; wear gloves, as the berries are poisonous.

Common problems

Berries dropping

Most likely cause: Dry air, a dry root ball or too much warmth.
What to do: Keep it in a bright, cool room at 12-16°C, away from radiators, and keep the compost evenly moist.

Leaves dropping

Most likely cause: Too much water, or too much hot sun.
What to do: Let the compost drain freely and give bright light without scorching sun behind glass.

Flowers but no berries

Most likely cause: No pollination indoors.
What to do: Stand the plant outdoors in summer, or move pollen between flowers with a small brush.

Wilting

Most likely cause: The compost has dried out.
What to do: Water thoroughly and do not let it dry out again while the plant is in fruit.

Grey mould on leaves and stems

Most likely cause: Botrytis, in damp, still air.
What to do: Remove the affected parts and give the plant more air.

Pests & Diseases

Whitefly

Signs: Tiny white moth-like insects that rise in a cloud when the plant is disturbed, sticky honeydew on the leaves below, and sooty mould on top of it
Treatment: The classic pest of this plant, as it is of its relative the tomato. Rinse the undersides of the leaves, use yellow sticky traps to judge the numbers, and treat early: a heavy infestation on a fruiting plant is hard to clear.

Red spider mite

Signs: Leaves going dull and finely speckled, fine webbing between the stems, and early leaf fall, almost always in dry heated air
Treatment: Raise the humidity around the plant and rinse the foliage. The dry warm room that brings the mites is the same one that drops the berries, so fixing one usually fixes the other. Check the undersides of the leaves and the crevices where the leaf stem meets the main stalk.

Berry drop

Signs: Fruit falling while still firm and well coloured, often a lot of it over a few days
Treatment: Not a pest but the usual complaint. Dry air, a dry rootball, too much warmth or a draught, in roughly that order. Move it somewhere cooler and brighter and keep the compost evenly moist; the berries already down will not reattach.

My plant has dropped all its berries. What went wrong?

Usually dry air, a dry rootball, or too much warmth. It wants a bright, cool room, around 12 to 16°C, and steady moisture; a hot living room with the heating on dries the air and the berries fall. Draughts and a sudden move from the shop to a warm house do the same.

Can I keep it for next year?

Yes, though most people treat it as a one-season plant. After the berries finish, cut it back by about half, keep it cool and nearly dry through late winter, then repot and start watering in spring. Put it outside for the summer once frosts are over: it needs insects to set a new crop of fruit.

Are the berries really dangerous, or is that overstated?

They are genuinely poisonous. Two independent sources say so: the ASPCA for pets, the RHS for people. Serious cases are rare because the berries taste bitter and are usually spat out, but a child or a dog that swallows several needs medical advice, not watchful waiting. Keep the plant out of reach and pick up any berries that drop.

How often should I water a Jerusalem Cherry?

Often enough to keep the compost evenly moist while it is in fruit. Never let it dry out, which makes the berries drop, but do not leave it standing in water either.

How do I get berries on a Jerusalem Cherry?

The flowers have to be pollinated. Put the plant outdoors in summer, or pollinate the small white flowers indoors with a soft brush.

How do I propagate a Jerusalem Cherry?

From seed taken from a ripe berry, or from stem cuttings. Wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards, because every part of the plant is poisonous.

How big does a Jerusalem Cherry get?

Up to 90cm tall and wide, though plants sold for winter are much smaller. It grows fast once it is cut back and repotted in spring.

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