Green sapote sun requirements in SoCal?

[RodneyS]

I wanted to know if green sapote want full sun or part shade in Southern CA?

[waxy]

Give it full sun.

Mine is in full sun, no shade.
Deals with frost no problem.

Fruiting out of control, they're just dropping all over the place.
Tastes like sweet avocado!

[CA Hockey]

That's something to look forward to. I cut mine back last summer (10 gallon pot) and it took forever and a day to sprout some new growth. But it's in full sun and hasn't batted an eye at high heat, night time lows, or Santa Ana winds.

K

[barath]

Give it full sun.

Mine is in full sun, no shade.
Deals with frost no problem.

Fruiting out of control, they're just dropping all over the place.
Tastes like sweet avocado!

I'm surprised about this -- I thought they were pretty frost sensitive.  What cultivar are you growing / where did you get it?

[waxy]

Give it full sun.

Mine is in full sun, no shade.
Deals with frost no problem.

Fruiting out of control, they're just dropping all over the place.
Tastes like sweet avocado!

I'm surprised about this -- I thought they were pretty frost sensitive.  What cultivar are you growing / where did you get it?

That's what everyone said about my atemoyas, longans, lychee, and a bunch of other stuff.
The best way to acclimate plants and trees is to help them transition from season to season slowly.
Not take them directly from one zone and expect them to survive in another region 2 zones below.

- Alano
- Black
- Suebelle
- Ross (Doesn't do well in frost, temps below 34F)
- Vernon White

I do not cover them unless it's less than 30F, I've had them for years and growing very well.
Come spring, they explode in blooms and its quite the spectacle.
Bought it from the local nursery here.

[Vernmented]

Give it full sun.

Mine is in full sun, no shade.
Deals with frost no problem.

Fruiting out of control, they're just dropping all over the place.
Tastes like sweet avocado!

I'm surprised about this -- I thought they were pretty frost sensitive.  What cultivar are you growing / where did you get it?

That's what everyone said about my atemoyas, longans, lychee, and a bunch of other stuff.
The best way to acclimate plants and trees is to help them transition from season to season slowly.
Not take them directly from one zone and expect them to survive in another region 2 zones below.

- Alano
- Black
- Suebelle
- Ross (Doesn't do well in frost, temps below 34F)
- Vernon White

I do not cover them unless it's less than 30F, I've had them for years and growing very well.
Come spring, they explode in blooms and its quite the spectacle.
Bought it from the local nursery here.

Do you have green sapote?

[Bush2Beach]

Waxy, Thats amazing you found a local nursery to sell Green Sapote tree's near San Jose. Those seeds are in high demand , especially cold acclimated. Are you starting a bunch of seedlings or trading any?

[waxy]

Waxy, Thats amazing you found a local nursery to sell Green Sapote tree's near San Jose. Those seeds are in high demand , especially cold acclimated. Are you starting a bunch of seedlings or trading any?

I made a confusion with the skin green and not the name green.
Both Suebelle and Vernon are green to me.

The actual "Green" Sapote Pouteria Viridis, I only have a small tree and hasn't fruited.
Sorry for the mix up.

[Bush2Beach]

Nice, glad to hear your White Sapote and other subtropicals are growing well in San Jose. Good luck with the Green Sapote, with your green thumb it should do well.

[joehewitt]

I've been playing with Green Sapote in the 9b San Jose area. Last year I had a tall spindly one in the ground that was killed by frost, but it was a weak plant with foliage only at the top, planted in an open area at the bottom of a slope. This year I planted another one near the top of my slope under the canopy of a big oak tree. It's not the sunniest spot but it's got frost protection. I also have a few more Green Sapotes in pots which are currently in an open area. We've had such a mild winter there hasn't really been an opportunity to test their hardiness yet.

I should also note that 4 of my potted Green Sapotes flowered like crazy this year but there was no fruit set. It could be that being pots was a factor in that, or it could be that our cold summer nights were the cause.

[waxy]

I've been playing with Green Sapote in the 9b San Jose area. Last year I had a tall spindly one in the ground that was killed by frost, but it was a weak plant with foliage only at the top, planted in an open area at the bottom of a slope. This year I planted another one near the top of my slope under the canopy of a big oak tree. It's not the sunniest spot but it's got frost protection. I also have a few more Green Sapotes in pots which are currently in an open area. We've had such a mild winter there hasn't really been an opportunity to test their hardiness yet.

I should also note that 4 of my potted Green Sapotes flowered like crazy this year but there was no fruit set. It could be that being pots was a factor in that, or it could be that our cold summer nights were the cause.

My Sapote's are all potted, and they're doing well.
Only issue with potted plants is they need to be beaten up once in a while or provided with plenty of worms.

Sue/Ver Sapotes grow very easily here in our area Bush, take some of my fruit if you'd like, not many of us eat it anymore.
I was thinking about grafting the Green Sapote on half of the tree since it's growing so vigorously and very cold hardy.

Hell, I can give you scions if you'd like.

[dragon]

I've been playing with Green Sapote in the 9b San Jose area. Last year I had a tall spindly one in the ground that was killed by frost, but it was a weak plant with foliage only at the top, planted in an open area at the bottom of a slope. This year I planted another one near the top of my slope under the canopy of a big oak tree. It's not the sunniest spot but it's got frost protection. I also have a few more Green Sapotes in pots which are currently in an open area. We've had such a mild winter there hasn't really been an opportunity to test their hardiness yet.

I should also note that 4 of my potted Green Sapotes flowered like crazy this year but there was no fruit set. It could be that being pots was a factor in that, or it could be that our cold summer nights were the cause.

My Sapote's are all potted, and they're doing well.
Only issue with potted plants is they need to be beaten up once in a while or provided with plenty of worms.

Sue/Ver Sapotes grow very easily here in our area Bush, take some of my fruit if you'd like, not many of us eat it anymore.
I was thinking about grafting the Green Sapote on half of the tree since it's growing so vigorously and very cold hardy.

Hell, I can give you scions if you'd like.

Are Sue/ver bitter nearby the skin, waxy?

[waxy]

I've been playing with Green Sapote in the 9b San Jose area. Last year I had a tall spindly one in the ground that was killed by frost, but it was a weak plant with foliage only at the top, planted in an open area at the bottom of a slope. This year I planted another one near the top of my slope under the canopy of a big oak tree. It's not the sunniest spot but it's got frost protection. I also have a few more Green Sapotes in pots which are currently in an open area. We've had such a mild winter there hasn't really been an opportunity to test their hardiness yet.

I should also note that 4 of my potted Green Sapotes flowered like crazy this year but there was no fruit set. It could be that being pots was a factor in that, or it could be that our cold summer nights were the cause.

My Sapote's are all potted, and they're doing well.
Only issue with potted plants is they need to be beaten up once in a while or provided with plenty of worms.

Sue/Ver Sapotes grow very easily here in our area Bush, take some of my fruit if you'd like, not many of us eat it anymore.
I was thinking about grafting the Green Sapote on half of the tree since it's growing so vigorously and very cold hardy.

Hell, I can give you scions if you'd like.

Are Sue/ver bitter nearby the skin, waxy?

Given the time to ripen, they aren't bitter near the skin, more waxy than anything.
Still very edible, tastes like a sweet avocado!

[greenman62]

i have a mamey that had gotten to a decent size
outgrowing a 10gal pot, it was at least 6ft wide with lots of foliage.

last year we had 1 night unusually cold at 26F
i thought it was dead, but didnt get the chance to remove it from the pot
it started sprouting from the roots in June !

i went ahead and bought a green sapote and put it in my raised garden bed.
its about 4ft tall, and 25 or 30 leaves, and just lost a handful due to light frost.
i had it in full sun all summer and it hasnt grown much
though, i am one to be very light on the fertilizer and use organic only.

its supposed to get to 30F on Monday night
i hope its not under that
and if it does loose all its leaves, i am waiting till July before i remove it.

Brad

[joehewitt]

Good luck with that incoming cold, Brad! I'm realizing now that Mamey is not an "ultra" tropical. I have intentionally left a lot of truly tropical plants outside this year to help judge their relative hardiness. Santol and Chempedak were dead the moment temps approached 40F. Mamey Sapote still looks perfect despite several nights around 30F.

Green Sapote is another level up. If I lived in SoCal I would plant Green Sapote in full sun and not worry about it.

[Cookie0208]

@waxy

My friend has a lychee tree on the ground here in San Jose for over 10 years and it never have one fruit. Her tree is huge, taller than her house here in San Jose. Not sure why it isn’t fruiting.

[greenman62]

Good luck with that incoming cold, Brad! I'm realizing now that Mamey is not an "ultra" tropical. I have intentionally left a lot of truly tropical plants outside this year to help judge their relative hardiness. Santol and Chempedak were dead the moment temps approached 40F. Mamey Sapote still looks perfect despite several nights around 30F.

Green Sapote is another level up. If I lived in SoCal I would plant Green Sapote in full sun and not worry about it.

thanks
i thought i dodged the bullet, when i protected everything best i could
and it got down to 28F.
dont think i lost anything (except a couple of mango seedlings... i have several for grins)
though it did seem to burn the foliage and small growth on Jabo, guava etc...
been through it before... one day it will get large enough so i dont worry, and let them be.

now, we have another front coming.
Teu night it supposed to hit 27 or 28

my plan is to boil water and put it in 5gal buckets next to the jabos
and other sensitive plants.

i have a Baobob that's 7ft tall and has a bole the size of my waist.
i would hate to lose it.

hope the green sapote makes it.

I just ordered a CHE , 2 Pawpaw, and some blueberries.
the tropical give me headaches all winter.

[mrtexas]

"my plan is to boil water and put it in 5gal buckets next to the jabos
and other sensitive plants."

Don't bother boiling the water. The heat is in the water freezing at 1,000 btu/lb

Water cooling is 1btu/lb/degF. So boiling the water provides 180 btu/lb going from
212F to 32F and 1,000btu freezing.

[waxy]

@waxy

My friend has a lychee tree on the ground here in San Jose for over 10 years and it never have one fruit. Her tree is huge, taller than her house here in San Jose. Not sure why it isn’t fruiting.

What kind of lychee is it? Oh my gots mans, 10 years and not a single fruit?
Mine is a sweetheart, I've seen it flower every year but no fruits.

Perhaps it's a bad air layer, or does the tree have to mature to grandma level first?
I bought a Jabo the same time I bought the Lychee several years ago and the Jabo (Sabara and Red Hybrid)