Green Sapote: What is the secret to speed up its growth and production?

[adiel]

Does anyone know how to speed up the growth and get a Green Sapote to fruit?  I know that the Green Sapote is a slow grower but I didn't realize exactly how slow until I planted one a year ago!    If anyone has any findings on how to speed things up, please share. 

Thanks,
Adiel

[siafu]

Hi,

Seedling Green sapote can be fast growers. From my experience, left unpruned, it wants to be a very large, tall tree. Maybe that explains why it takes such a long time to bloom.

I've also noticed that they do very poorly when the soil is too alkaline. I wan't
to graft green sapote onto lucuma to overcome this problem.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

Does anyone know how to speed up the growth and get a Green Sapote to fruit?  I know that the Green Sapote is a slow grower but I didn't realize exactly how slow until I planted one a year ago!    If anyone has any findings on how to speed things up, please share. 

Thanks,
Adiel

Micro nutrition will boost your growth, and regular fertilization schedule.

Look into applying TurfPro, and azomite...between these two organic micro nutritional products, there is no deficiency you can't fix.

The rest is up to you, location you plant should be full sun of course, and your watering should be consistent with the plant's needs.

I have 2 grafted Green sapotes, I got from Jeff Hagen, who so nicely grafted them...and they are doing very well...THANKS JEFF!!!! I believe they are of the Whitman variety...they sure do grow slow!

The one at fruit and spice had a fruit on it when I saw it last!

I guarantee someone will steal it!

Not me I promise....





As a rule, I won't steal your fruit if you:

1 only have one, or a small amount

2 if you've taken obvious measures to discourage fruit theft (nets, planting in back yard, signs, etc)

3 if the fruit takes more than 3 moths to ripen and is expensive or scarce.


When I am more likely to be a bandit:

1 when the fruit has fruits dropping or rotting on ground (obvious fruit isn't being all picked)

2 when fruit is of small size, abundant and ripening almost year round

3 when branches hang over the fence, and it's reachable from public property, don't care if its a jackfruit, don't plant it near a frickin fence, and a public area where your tree may encroach, tempting me and others with fruits! (my favorite! Legit way to eat on the street)

Just had to breakdown the code of conduct!  I know karma is real, and if you go stealing from peoples pineapple patch, or mamey tree up by their front door (far onto private property)....you may just meet a scary or pissed quadruped or bipedal creature.

[HMHausman]

The suggestions made so far are all very good....however, in my experience, I suggest suspended animation....set the time dial for about 10 years.....otherwise, if suspended animation is not an option.....I would suggest extreme patience and distracting yourself with faster producing trees until your green sapote gets around to fruiting.

Harry

[Felipe]

So far, my 3 GS seedlings in ground grow at a similar rate as all my other sapotaceas (mamey, caimito, canistel, abiu). Production? We will see...

[Cookie Monster]

They will flower in a 15 gallon pot, but getting them to hold fruit is another story :-). The trick with the mamey and green sapote is patience. But patience pays off pretty handsomely in this case, because those fruits are stinkin yummy!

Jeff

[Tropicalgrower89]

They will flower in a 15 gallon pot, but getting them to hold fruit is another story :-). The trick with the mamey and green sapote is patience. But patience pays off pretty handsomely in this case, because those fruits are stinkin yummy!

Jeff

I've read a while back that mamey won't hold fruit in a pot. Maybe the same goes for green sapote? 

[FloridaGreenMan]

Very common in Florida. Have seen lots of potted Mamey Sapote holding fruits. Just drive down to the nurseries on Krome Avenue in Homestead. They will put them close to the road so passing cars can see them. They are normally 15 gallon or bigger pots.     

[Tropicalgrower89]

Very common in Florida. Have seen lots of potted Mamey Sapote holding fruits. Just drive down to the nurseries on Krome Avenue in Homestead. They will put them close to the road so passing cars can see them. They are normally 15 gallon or bigger pots.   

There went that theory.

[FloridaGreenMan]

Here's photos of Green Sapote and Mamey Sapote

[Tropicalgrower89]

Here's photos of Green Sapote and Mamey Sapote

You can easily tell how closely related mamey and green sapote are to each other.  In fact, a tiny mamey that has just grown from a flower looks just like a green sapote before it grows further and attains it's brown scaly surface. 

[Fruitguy]

To overcome the alkalinity problem here in Dade County, they are usually grafted onto mamey sapote.  The large tree at TREC and most likely the one at the Fruit & Spice Park as well are so grafted.  I wish we could fruit lucuma here.      

[FloridaGreenMan]

Warren
Have you tried Lucuma? I tasted some so called "good ones" in Calif and found them inferior to Canistel.   How would you rate Lucuma vs Canistel?

[Tropicalgrower89]

To overcome the alkalinity problem here in Dade County, they are usually grafted onto mamey sapote.  The large tree at TREC and most likely the one at the Fruit & Spice Park as well are so grafted.  I wish we could fruit lucuma here.   

Does adding iron chelate help with soil alkalinity?

[adiel]

Hi,

Seedling Green sapote can be fast growers. From my experience, left unpruned, it wants to be a very large, tall tree. Maybe that explains why it takes such a long time to bloom.

I've also noticed that they do very poorly when the soil is too alkaline. I wan't
to graft green sapote onto lucuma to overcome this problem.

Thanks for everyone's comments.  Siafu, have you grafted onto lucuma before for alkaline soils?  We do not grow lucuma here in South Florida but we do have its close cousin the Canistel.  It would be interesting to see if the Green Sapote would grow faster using Canistel rootstock instead of Mamey rootstock...   Has anyone tried that?

Adiel

[siafu]

Hi,

Not yet Adiel.
I have to get a few lucumas first.
I have one but its too small for such experiments.

[fruitlovers]

The suggestions made so far are all very good....however, in my experience, I suggest suspended animation....set the time dial for about 10 years.....otherwise, if suspended animation is not an option.....I would suggest extreme patience and distracting yourself with faster producing trees until your green sapote gets around to fruiting.

Harry

I agree. Something like a time machine would be the best solution.  If you don't have patience you're in the wrong hobby. I think the only way to speed them up is like with any other plant: lots of fert applied consistently, and lots of TLC.
Oscar

[Fruitguy]

Noel,  from what I hear, out of hand the canistel is better tasting,  and the lucuma tastes better in ice creams and maybe baked goods, but since I've never tried the lucuma, I'd like to give it a try.

Does adding iron chelate help with soil alkalinity?

Iron chelate would help with iron availability in an alkaline soil, but I don't think it will be the magic bullet that allows seedling green sapotes to grow in S. Florida.  Of course, I would not mind being wrong!  I base my thinking on the work with green sapotes done at TREC over many years, and I doubt that Drs. Crane and Campbell as well as Dr. Balerdi from the Extension Office would not have tried that over the years.  That would also be my rationale for canistel not being a better rootstock than mamey.  Having said that, even if they had tried that before and it didn't work, I would certainly encourage people to try it again.  Different rootstock characteristics, different soil conditions, all could play a role.  I would definitely like to see more green sapotes planted and fruiting down here! 

[fruitlovers]

Noel,  from what I hear, out of hand the canistel is better tasting,  and the lucuma tastes better in ice creams and maybe baked goods, but since I've never tried the lucuma, I'd like to give it a try.

Does adding iron chelate help with soil alkalinity?

Iron chelate would help with iron availability in an alkaline soil, but I don't think it will be the magic bullet that allows seedling green sapotes to grow in S. Florida.  Of course, I would not mind being wrong!  I base my thinking on the work with green sapotes done at TREC over many years, and I doubt that Drs. Crane and Campbell as well as Dr. Balerdi from the Extension Office would not have tried that over the years.  That would also be my rationale for canistel not being a better rootstock than mamey.  Having said that, even if they had tried that before and it didn't work, I would certainly encourage people to try it again.  Different rootstock characteristics, different soil conditions, all could play a role.  I would definitely like to see more green sapotes planted and fruiting down here! 

There are lucumas that are excellent to eat out of hand, very moist and pleasing. Then there are ones as dry as talcum powder, which are the ones used as flour and ice cream flavoring. So the whole gamut.
Oscar

[fruitlovers]

Noel,  from what I hear, out of hand the canistel is better tasting,  and the lucuma tastes better in ice creams and maybe baked goods, but since I've never tried the lucuma, I'd like to give it a try.

Does adding iron chelate help with soil alkalinity?

Iron chelate would help with iron availability in an alkaline soil, but I don't think it will be the magic bullet that allows seedling green sapotes to grow in S. Florida.  Of course, I would not mind being wrong!  I base my thinking on the work with green sapotes done at TREC over many years, and I doubt that Drs. Crane and Campbell as well as Dr. Balerdi from the Extension Office would not have tried that over the years.  That would also be my rationale for canistel not being a better rootstock than mamey.  Having said that, even if they had tried that before and it didn't work, I would certainly encourage people to try it again.  Different rootstock characteristics, different soil conditions, all could play a role.  I would definitely like to see more green sapotes planted and fruiting down here! 

Forgot to say, a good lucuma will trounce a good canistel!
Oscar

[FloridaGreenMan]

Noel,  from what I hear, out of hand the canistel is better tasting,  and the lucuma tastes better in ice creams and maybe baked goods, but since I've never tried the lucuma, I'd like to give it a try.

Warren
Go to any larger latin grocery store in Dade and you will find Lucuma ice cream or powder. Up here in Broward there is a chain of Peruvian restaurants called La Granja that sell Lucuma juice, ice cream and even flan.

[Lianne Murray]

Spraying a light concentrate of minerals every three weeks in growing season, using chelated iron dry onto the roots and water in about four tablespoons should do, plenty of organic matter in topsoil. They really benefit from trace elements added to our calciferous Florida soil. I had a tree that had curled leaves and a little yellowing and it responded really well to feeding it minerals as well as a manure type fertilizer. They are slow, but need complete nutrition for optimal growth. Good Luck!
 

[fruitlovers]

Spraying a light concentrate of minerals every three weeks in growing season, using chelated iron dry onto the roots and water in about four tablespoons should do, plenty of organic matter in topsoil. They really benefit from trace elements added to our calciferous Florida soil. I had a tree that had curled leaves and a little yellowing and it responded really well to feeding it minerals as well as a manure type fertilizer. They are slow, but need complete nutrition for optimal growth. Good Luck!

Here the green sapote seedlings appreciate quite a bit of shade while still small.
Oscar

[simon_grow]

Hey Adiel,

I wonder if anyone has tried multiple rootstocks on Green Sapote?  Dr. Bernie Dizon from the Phillipines did a lot of work with multiple rootstock technology on Mangoes and its is supposed to speed up growth and increase precocity, just what you were looking for.  I Innarched my Maha Chanok with a Manilla Mango and now I have a Maha Chanok mango with two rootstocks.  the weather has been really cold and rainy here so I'll have to wait until it is warmer to see if the multiple rootstocks will increase growth and precocity with my mango. 
Simon

[adiel]

Simon that sounds very interesting.  I have not heard of anyone who has tried that yet.