Author Topic: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim  (Read 1098 times)

fliptop

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Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« on: March 13, 2021, 12:05:55 PM »
I have three Soursop seedlings in I think 15 gal pots. I did my level best to protect them from the cold this winter by dragging them inside every time it went below 50°. Two have fully leafed out, but this one only leafed out about halfway up the tree. My Sugar Apples in the yard look a little naked still, so I was thinking this Soursop could still leaf out, but then I was thinking maybe it's got some dieback issue and I should cut it off at the pass.

All this to ask: should I trim off above the new leafage, or should I let it be?

Thanks!

« Last Edit: March 13, 2021, 12:14:08 PM by fliptop »

bovine421

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2021, 07:08:27 PM »
I would just leave it be for a while and see what it does. You can always prune it later. My soursop was inside from Thanksgiving until last week. In between the wind and temperatures in the mid 50's it lost most of its leaves. They are starting to come back. The same may happen to yours.



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fliptop

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2021, 08:18:45 PM »
Thanks, bovine421! Mine are about the same size as yours--has yours flowered/fruited yet?

bovine421

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2021, 08:40:55 PM »
Thanks, bovine421! Mine are about the same size as yours--has yours flowered/fruited yet?
No I just got it last summer. I really didn't want the commitment of growing something in a container but in 9B that is feasibly the only way. It was beautiful and glossy. One week of wind and mid-50 temperatures wreak havoc on it. This fall it's going under the grow light before Thanksgiving and not going out until April Fool's Day :)
I'm upgrading my grow lights and going to add the addition of a fan to keep it from getting lanky.
Please keep us updated on your soursop I am quite interested in its progress
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bovine421

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2021, 08:30:33 AM »
Can we get an update on your Soursop

I have fully switch over to drinking black coffee no sugar through the work week thanks to you and EddieF :)

« Last Edit: April 28, 2021, 06:27:36 PM by bovine421 »
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pineislander

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2021, 08:37:27 AM »
It was beautiful and glossy. One week of wind and mid-50 temperatures wreak havoc on it.
Wind chill is un under-considered factor in damage to the more tropical species out of their preferred zone.
I have some soursop that were protected by overhanging pigeon peas this past winter which suffered far less defoliation than open grown examples in adjacent places on the same property.

brian

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2021, 12:31:21 PM »
I think wind chill only matters for warm blooded animals, unless you have so much shelter and a nearby heat source you are actually holding a bubble of warmer-than-ambient air around your plants.  I suspect it is the mechanical action of the wind yanking things around that harms them.

pineislander

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2021, 12:34:20 PM »
I think wind chill only matters for warm blooded animals, unless you have so much shelter and a nearby heat source you are actually holding a bubble of warmer-than-ambient air around your plants.  I suspect it is the mechanical action of the wind yanking things around that harms them.
If that were true, we would see defoliation during summer winds, yet we don't.

bovine421

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2021, 06:21:52 PM »
I think wind chill only matters for warm blooded animals, unless you have so much shelter and a nearby heat source you are actually holding a bubble of warmer-than-ambient air around your plants.  I suspect it is the mechanical action of the wind yanking things around that harms them.
If that were true, we would see defoliation during summer winds, yet we don't.

It has been rather windy lately

I don't know would the wind chill take it to the low temperature sooner which would make it be at that temperature for a longer duration.
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bovine421

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2023, 03:28:43 PM »
It looks like my patience has been paid off. So after Thanksgiving as usual I'll bring the soursop into the house after putting it in a larger pot and changing the medium then under a grow light until March. From the experience of last spring I put it in a protected area from the wind underneath the shade of the guava bush. I've been giving it a dose of Miracle-Gro water soluble bloom once a week. I just noticed that it looks like I have four flowers.



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brian

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2023, 03:36:08 PM »
Your tree looks nice and bushy.  Mine mostly defoliated over the winter and while it is now pushing new growth it isn't very full at all yet.  Hoping by summer it is back to normal.  I have gotten a few flowers but no fruit set yet, not sure if it requires pollinators

bovine421

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2023, 03:50:30 PM »
Your tree looks nice and bushy.  Mine mostly defoliated over the winter and while it is now pushing new growth it isn't very full at all yet.  Hoping by summer it is back to normal.  I have gotten a few flowers but no fruit set yet, not sure if it requires pollinators
One of the reasons when I took it outside I put it under the guava bush was the leaves under the grow lights get large and very dark green but sunburn very easily. So I'm hoping if I can keep it from defoliating and playing catch up it will produce for me
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palmcity

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Re: Soursop: to Trim or Not to Trim
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2023, 05:02:35 PM »
It was beautiful and glossy. One week of wind and mid-50 temperatures wreak havoc on it.
Wind chill is un under-considered factor in damage to the more tropical species out of their preferred zone.
I have some soursop that were protected by overhanging pigeon peas this past winter which suffered far less defoliation than open grown examples in adjacent places on the same property.

Cool weather and wind blowing above the house  and hitting the soursop this winter. It lost 3 plus fruit and all of it's leaves. I was surprised the top where the wind hit it above the roofline actually killed that section (I doubt if it got down to even 34F but not sure). It also totally defoliated it down to the ground but 2/3 grew new leaves but no new fruit as far as I can tell by checking today. Located with west and north walls protecting it from the cool winds.





Bovine, you best keep yours in the pot to bring indoors during the winters. It dies easily.