The Tropical Fruit Forum

Looks like it is healing well...

OP here, thought I'd post an update to my Luc's G. since this thread was started more than 3 years ago. It's now about 16-18 inches tall and has 2 new branches. I think the steady supply of water from the small sprinkler may have helped a bit. Otherwise its a slow grower in this environment.  Does seem to look healthy though, what do you guys think..?

X

Also grows wild here, and is appreciated by most. During the season people gather up the fallen fruit and sell them along the road side. There are two varieties here. One is bigger, more of a brown color when ripe, has more flesh and a very slight difference in flavor than the more widely available smaller purple variety. Never tried the wine or jelly either, enjoying them ripe is a enough of a treat... the edible portion is sparse but the intense taste is well worth the effort to gather up a couple pounds in my opinion.

It does look big. Do all the fruit get to this size or do you get some that are smaller than others...? Our local variety produces in a range of between 2 to 6 ounces. How old was your Molix when it first started fruiting...? and how old is it now...? looks like it shouldn't be more than 3 years old. 

In my opinion sapodilla do not need hand pollination. If there are other trees in your vicinity that are fruiting and have no issues then your problem may be a soil deficiency or nutrient imbalance that is impeding fruit set. If there are none in your area that are producing then the saps may have a problem with your micro-climate. There are some other fruit varieties that flower profusely and hardly if ever set fruit because of climate conditions. There is another member at or around your latitude that posted earlier this year about problems with sapodilla. See the link.

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=9924.msg127067#msg127067

This may not help the OP but maybe someone else that will be getting a somewhat rubbery sap in the near future. Once you dig the hole for the transplant take a stake (bamboo mostly) and push it into the ground dead center inside the hole maybe a foot or more deep (the hole for the root ball should be about the same depth depending on the age of the tree, so the stake will be about two or more feet deep when done) then place the tree in the hole accommodating the root ball so that the trunk is aligned as much as possible with the stake, fill in, press down firmly but not excessively, then tie the trunk to the stake leaving about a half inch gap between the stake and the stem. If the stake is taller than the tree I would cut it off to just below the top of the sap. Ideally this should be done before pushing the stake in the ground to avoid loosening the stake once in place. This is what I did and it worked well for me, just thought I'd share...

I don't remember planting them but I do remember my dad saying one day, "OK, its time to harvest the peanuts...!" my sisters and I got exited and ran out to see how these peanuts would be harvested and how they would be eaten. They grew right in the sand in the front yard next to the beach. Following the little vines and pulling them up was fun, opening the shells and eating the raw nuts... not so much. Only after we had gotten our mouths full of the unpleasant taste did Dad tell us that they tasted better roasted…

My next experience was planting cassava. Dad had brought home some sticks and asked that I help plant them; well somehow it turned into a competition. He would plant his in one area and I would plant in my area… 6-8 months later the results were in, my cassava had bigger and fuller tubers, I had no clue what made the difference, I was just happy I beat the old man…

After my glorious victory with the cassava, maybe at around 6 or 7 years of age, I planted a sapote (mamee) seed. It sprouted and grew well but at that age I expected to see flowers and fruit every time I went to check on it ... impatience pushed me to apply some of Dad’s Miracle grow. I mixed a whole cup in about a quart of water and poured the whole thing over the little seedling. The next evening I could still see some blue on it but it had already withered... I felt so sad I actually cried…

It would be nice if you could put some names to these... especially the big yellow/green one...

I'm no expert but I am familiar with saps. I have seen them grow practically in salt water here in the Caribbean. Just an impression I have at this point, but I believe that the high salt uptake actually provokes the tree to produce year round.  I know of two particular cases where the tree's are growing on low ground with salt water only a foot or two underground. These are not young trees. One is about 50 years old, the other is around 30, and both have fruit on them constantly.  Other trees farther inland fruit only once a year. Also, I can remember reading somewhere that in the Philippines -if not mistaken- salt is applied to induce flowering/fruiting.
It could be different in your area but a waterlogged sap in these parts shows pale light colored leaves and growth is restricted. They do like a lot of water, but drainage is a must. Your saps leaves, at least the unburnt ones are green and appear healthy. It may be a good idea to transfer it to a barrel into some well drained rich soil... If the problem persist then the poor sap is most likely out of its element.

Yam, I will also make an effort to locate seeds, and if found will likewise message you... I saw this fruit on facebook and for the life of me I cannot locate the post again, but will continue the search.

Great info in this thread... Can someone please comment on the viability of bare rooted grafted sapodillas shipped abroad... how long do they remain viable...? I have estimated the timing down to around 4 days that the plant will be "exposed"... I have access a several varieties here but non are as appealing as Hasya, and I must have one... Question for mods... should I have started a new thread with this question...? or how long must a thread remain inactive before one can no longer post in it...?

Add me to the list too please...