White sapote cultivars

[ofdsurfer]

You're welcome to some bud wood from my Bonita springs if you want any.

[marklee]

There were about 3 WS trees at Quail as of 2 years ago but I don't remember any were Leroy. I only remember the suebelle.

Fang the 3 varieties at Quail (San Diego Botanical Garden) are Vernon, Chestnut and Suebelle.

[fyliu]

Thanks Mark. Good to know. I never found out when I was there.

[vlan1]

What is the general consensus on Redlands?

[gnappi]

I had an SES2 for several years, it was constantly dying back. It was a delicate balancing act of too much or too little water. The last time it died back and started to flush new growth we had a long rain spell and it started to yellow and wilt again so I threw in the towel and yanked it.  Too bad it was a nice looking tree.

[ajeshcool47]

white sapot can fruit well in pure tropics, sea level...?.,having average annual rainfall of 300 cm...

[Agave muricana]

In my experience, Vernon is one of the very best varieties, and I have tried a few others. Larger fruits, great vanilla custard taste, and bears frequently and heavily. If I could only have one tree I would pick Vernon.

[crazyforcherimoya]

Here are some pictures of my homestead. Planted 2 years back already blooming and setting fruit. It must be self fertile as I have yet to see another white sapote tree in the neighborhood.

Question for the experts: I think the branch on the right which shoots for the sky grows from the rootstock and not from the graft. I posted a close up, what do you think am I right?

If yes I am inclined to remove it. However I wonder whether I should do it immediately or after harvest.

I cannot figure out whether that branch helps the tree support fruit development (if yes I would live it) or slow the process down by taking energy for its own growth (in which case I would remove immediately).

Also I am afraid of shocking the tree...

What do you guys think? Also how do I cut it and avoid the rootstock to produce 10 more shots from that very same area?

Thanks for any help.

[barath]

white sapot can fruit well in pure tropics, sea level...?.,having average annual rainfall of 300 cm...

It may depend on the cultivar.  It seems some cultivars do well in tropical conditions and others don't.  C. tetrameria definitely will fruit in tropical conditions, but from what I understand it's not as good of a fruit (I've never tried it).

[michsu]

wow, nice fruit crazyforcherimoya! It just looks like mine too  I can't wait to taste mine too..This is the 2nd year and already getting fruit.. not as big as yours though.. I think you should just let it fruit and then remove the branch after harvest.. It looks as thick as the main trunk so that's not good if you remove it now since you have fruit.. The fruit would need as many leaves as possible now..

[crazyforcherimoya]

What is interesting is that the tree is blooming again. The blooms in the pictured are opening now while fruit keep developing. I can count at least 5 more panicles.

Also it is worth reminding that I am in SOUTH FLORIDA. You Californians have it easier with Annonas, Avos and white sapote.

Down here (Miami and surroundings) White Sapote does not fruit consistently. So if somebody would like to give it a try I highly recommend homestead cultivar from Excalibur. It appears being self fertile.

[Stan]

I don't get why Sapote is considered too big to grow even if they taste great. Not a problem as they are very pruneable. Mine is about 30 years old and I prune it from a 6' ladder and polesaw to about 15' tall and wide. It's like what Floridians say about Mango's there. At that size they have plenty of fruit for a family.

Mine has a nice hemisphere canopy as thus:

[crazyforcherimoya]

Great canopy and super good looking tree!

In S florida I do not think folks complaint about size much but rather about lack of consistent production.

I don't get why Sapote is considered too big to grow even if they taste great. Not a problem as they are very pruneable. Mine is about 30 years old and I prune it from a 6' ladder and polesaw to about 15' tall and wide. It's like what Floridians say about Mango's there. At that size they have plenty of fruit for a family.

Mine has a nice hemisphere canopy as thus:

[johnb51]

I don't get why Sapote is considered too big to grow even if they taste great. Not a problem as they are very pruneable. Mine is about 30 years old and I prune it from a 6' ladder and polesaw to about 15' tall and wide. It's like what Floridians say about Mango's there. At that size they have plenty of fruit for a family.

Mine has a nice hemisphere canopy as thus:

Beautiful tree, and so is your daughter!

[Stan]

Thanks John,CFC.  Also- to the right is a Baileys Mango in ground since 2014. I've had it since 2012. In front and middle? That's a sky blue Weber's Tequila Agave. Sort of fits  as a TF in a certain way.

[mangomike]

Just ran across this list I made up of WS cultivars:

Charles Early
Suebelle
Pike
Kampong
Leroy
Younghan's Gold
Redlands
McDill
Vernon
Michele
USDA
Chestnut
Rainbow
Cuccio
Malibu #1
Malibu #3
Walton
Gwin
Bonita Springs
Reinecke Commercial
Selck
Vista
Edgehill
Mexico
Reinecke #9
Nies
Lemon Gold
Salad
Cate
Troweridge
Selk
Golden Globe
Pritchard
Bravo
Ortega
Tremont
Smathers
Roa
Lammertz
Clytia
Nettie
Fourney
Rixford
Snyder
Ecke
Louise
Maltby
Stickley
Wilson
Mac's Golden
Florida
White
Fallbrook
Fisch
San Felipe
Arcadia
Ramsey
Ramsey Large
Miller
Yellow
Sheffler
5G2-S
4A1-S
Homestead
SES 1
SES 2
Jay Rusky Yellow
Popenoe
Thomson
Simmons
Burkill
Hawaiian Supreme
Chris
May
Blumenthal
Chapman
Coleman
Galloway
Gillespie
Johnston's Golden
Harvey
Lenz
Lesley
LNP
Ed's Wooly
Maechtlen
Lomita
Page
Parroquia
Sarah Jones
Whatley
Wood
Dade
Santa Cruz
5B8-S
Fiesta
Snyder
Walton
Candy

These are varieties I was able to find from an internet search; there may be others in the literature. Most of these are from Bob Chambers collection; not sure how many of these could still be found.

[ScottR]

Mangomike, that's quite the list but I've been to Bob chambers grove's and many of those varieties were not there! There could be that many varieties out there but I bet that many are renamed older varieties! Cool list thanks for posting! 8)But you are right that many of those varieties were from Bob's place and I will always be grateful for Bob letting us to come to his grove's to gather scion wood before he passed

[gpuccio]

Keep in mind the fact that any cultivar is worth trying in the tropics, or elsewhere. White sapote is easy enough to graft, in fact, it's one of the easier. I just gotta say this, If  I limited myself to growing what I and other people originally thought would grow well in my climate, I would have stuck to stone fruits, grapes, and berries...I would have never  known I could fruit bananas, cherimoya, guava, white sapote and would have never known that things like Rollinia deliciosa, black sapote, green sapote, custard apple, mango and a few other tropicals are pretty much unphased by my winter (we'll see about friuit in the next couple of years  ) Meanwhile, part of the fun of having a garden is the experimentation!!  You'll never truly know until you try.

Vallejo winters have seen 19-25 degrees in recent times. Average low temps throughout the months are in 40s and 50s. Do you plant in containers and move them? Have you ever gotten mango trees to fruit up there? Curious. I agree, part of the fun in gardening is experimenting and "zone pushing".

[Stan]

If california hasn't he will. I have had Mangoes fruit in Hayward..sweet. 
I have Ice Cream Banana..3 going on three years (already??) and I did plant a Santol.  That I mention as just going whole hog experiment. It got too big as a houseplant. I only wanted one to remind my wife of the Philippines. Even she said "Put it out!" after 5 years from a seedling. Right now new leaves are slowly coming out after its planting in March.
Its been near 30 years since we had a deep freeze. Maybe never again as the bay area has nearly doubled in population since the 70's. Plus the GW stuff you have hear about...

[9B in Brazil]

I'm looking for some WS scions to graft to two seedling that I have in Brazil zone 9B.  It's hot and humid with a lot of rainfall in the summer, but cold to 32F in the winter.  I was thinking Vernon and Leroy might be good ones to try.  Because of my climate, I'm not sure if I should go with the FL or the CA varieties.  Does anyone have any suggestions here?  Also, where can I buy scions to be sent to me in Providence, RI?

Thanks,
Marc Doyle

[snowjunky]

Read that Rainbow, Walton and Malibu #3 are top tier white sapote varieties in CA.  I got these trees form Bush2Beach last year and am growing them here in Phoenix AZ.  Hope they turn out good!
I also have a nursery bought Vernon fruiting.  It's been in the ground 3 years. 

Vernon does way better than the slow growing Suebelle here in the hot desert.  I've kill many Suebelles before I got the Vernon.  Suebelle is less tolerant of the heat/sun and the cold probably due to it being low vigor and having woolly leaves.  It also takes much longer to start bearing fruit here(I read 8 years)!

[fyliu]

8 years?! That sounds like the number for a seedling (in CA).

[snowjunky]

Haha yeah, I would have chopped it down after 5.  Suebelle is not even worth topworking here, but it's what HD and Lowes here stock.  Vernons are less common. 

[raimeiken]

Read that Rainbow, Walton and Malibu #3 are top tier white sapote varieties in CA.  I got these trees form Bush2Beach last year and am growing them here in Phoenix AZ.  Hope they turn out good!
I also have a nursery bought Vernon fruiting.  It's been in the ground 3 years. 

Vernon does way better than the slow growing Suebelle here in the hot desert.  I've kill many Suebelles before I got the Vernon.  Suebelle is less tolerant of the heat/sun and the cold probably due to it being low vigor and having woolly leaves.  It also takes much longer to start bearing fruit here(I read 8 years)!

Keep us updated on how those three do here in AZ.

I too have killed many Sue Belles.

My successful attempt now is a McDill seedling. Quite vigorous so far.


Anyone experienced on grafting these? what's the best method and time to graft them?

[snowjunky]

I would say sometime in Feb right after the last frost.  Similar to citrus.  White sapotes are easy to graft.  Use cleft graft for same size stock/scion.  Use off center cleft if scion is a bit smaller.  Use bark graft, side graft or budding or if stock is too thick.