Sugar Apples - Whe are they ready to pick?

[hughes182]

This is the second year my young sugar apple produced fruit, last year I picked the fruit too early.  When do you know sugar apples are ready to pick?

Charles
Port St John, Florida USA

[jcaldeira]

The sections will start to separate, and will have more yellow between the sections.  Ants are attracted to them when they're ripe, so if you ants, it's time to pick.

 It's okay to pick a few days early, as they will ripen more on the kitchen countertop.  Storing in the refrigerator retards ripening, if you want to keep them longer.

[FloridaGreenMan]

Ripe sugar apples should look like this....

[From the sea]

i pick when they are just a lil' soft to the touch

[FloridaGreenMan]

If you wait until they are soft its likely they will drop to the ground unless you sleep by the tree. No need to wait until they are soft. You pick them according to color, not softness. Believe me, I have picked thousands of fruits over the years and used to sell them commercially....

[jegpg1]

When sections begin to push apart, I start to check them everyday and pick them when there is a slight give when applying pressure.

[From the sea]

If you wait until they are soft its likely they will drop to the ground unless you sleep by the tree. No need to wait until they are soft. You pick them according to color, not softness. Believe me, I have picked thousands of fruits over the years and used to sell them commercially....

Thanks for the info