Chocolate Sapote zone 9

[Empoweredandfree]

Worth a try to grow in zone 9?

[achetadomestica]

I'm in 9b and I got a couple seedlings growing. One has 2 fruit on it
and is about 5'. I 've never eaten it before

[Tropheus76]

Cold killed mine 2 years ago in Orlando. Maybe in a pot but not in ground.

[achetadomestica]

Cold killed mine 2 years ago in Orlando. Maybe in a pot but not in ground.

What temps killed your tree?

[K-Rimes]

Papaya Tree Nursery has a very old tree in the ground, 40-50 years old. Alex, the owner, says it is a more cold hardy variety. I have one that I'll be attempting in my 9B zone (bringing close to house during winter).

[Jack, Nipomo]

Assuming you are referring to Diospyros nigra, the black sapote, sometimes called chocolate sapote.  I have two small trees that have flowered, but never held fruit.  Has not been a problem with colder temps.  Seeds came from Mexico where fruit was more like axle grease than chocolate.  Blended with other fruit or sugar would help.  Still, an attractive tree in the persimmon family.

[Ulfr]

I have found them to be less cold tolerant than jackfruit and mango. I have lost two smaller trees (in the only two freezes I have seen here). I’m in a bit of a frost pocket when it does get cold here.

In saying that, size helps and there seems to be some variation in cold tolerance. A friend up the road also lost a smaller one during those freezes, while another larger tree was ok. Coldest temp was about 26F for an hour or two. The survivor was a larger seedling that grows and fruits very well. There are other big trees around too, couldn’t tell you if it was genetics or no cold early on that helped those trees.

[SeaWalnut]

Assuming you are referring to Diospyros nigra, the black sapote, sometimes called chocolate sapote.  I have two small trees that have flowered, but never held fruit.  Has not been a problem with colder temps.  Seeds came from Mexico where fruit was more like axle grease than chocolate.  Blended with other fruit or sugar would help.  Still, an attractive tree in the persimmon family.

They made flowers but no fruit ,because they are both male or both female trees.These are dioecious trees most likely ,but sometimes they can make one year female flowers then 2 years after they make male flowers and sometimea.they can make.both types of flowers in the same year.
Texas persimmon is a lot better than black sapote and the asian persimmon pollination variant , ,,chocolate,, its an interesting tree.

[Tropheus76]

The low was 29. It was that really cold spell we had in the winter of 17. All of my inground mangos and wax jambu lost their leaves and one jackfruit froze to the roots and came back while another died completely. Even my mountain anonna froze back to the roots.

[WGphil]

Too big and bland flavor

Better choices out there

[NewGen]

Assuming you are referring to Diospyros nigra, the black sapote, sometimes called chocolate sapote.  I have two small trees that have flowered, but never held fruit.  Has not been a problem with colder temps.  Seeds came from Mexico where fruit was more like axle grease than chocolate.  Blended with other fruit or sugar would help.  Still, an attractive tree in the persimmon family.

They made flowers but no fruit ,because they are both male or both female trees.These are dioecious trees most likely ,but sometimes they can make one year female flowers then 2 years after they make male flowers and sometimes.they can make.both types of flowers in the same year.
Texas persimmon is a lot better than black sapote and the asian persimmon pollination variant , ,,chocolate,, its an interesting tree.

Ah, learn something new today. My black sapote (in a big trash container) had about 18 flowers a couple months ago, all dropped. So you're saying I'll just have to wait for that one special year where both male and female flowers are produced at the same time?

[SeaWalnut]

Assuming you are referring to Diospyros nigra, the black sapote, sometimes called chocolate sapote.  I have two small trees that have flowered, but never held fruit.  Has not been a problem with colder temps.  Seeds came from Mexico where fruit was more like axle grease than chocolate.  Blended with other fruit or sugar would help.  Still, an attractive tree in the persimmon family.

They made flowers but no fruit ,because they are both male or both female trees.These are dioecious trees most likely ,but sometimes they can make one year female flowers then 2 years after they make male flowers and sometimes.they can make.both types of flowers in the same year.
Texas persimmon is a lot better than black sapote and the asian persimmon pollination variant , ,,chocolate,, its an interesting tree.

Ah, learn something new today. My black sapote (in a big trash container) had about 18 flowers a couple months ago, all dropped. So you're saying I'll just have to wait for that one special year where both male and female flowers are produced at the same time?

Not all the trees ( of D Nigra) can make male and female flowers.Those are rare and usually they make male or female flowers all their life.
You need 2 trees for polination ,male and female.Or you could graft a male branch on a female tree and vice versa.
Also,there might be allready self fertile cultivars that have both type of flowers ,for sale and if you have a single female tree ,then a self fertile cultivar will polinate it.
Sometimes ,a persimmon tree from a closely related specie could pollinate them and make them set fruit and if you plant those seeds then you will get verry interesting hibrids that could be more.cold hardy or taste better/ have bigger fruit,etc.D. virginiana X D. Kaki hibrids Rosseyanka,Nikitas gift are allready famous hibrids.Similar hibrids can be obtained with D Nigra also.

[Bananaizme]

 I have a nice sized black beauty that has been flowering for the past 3 years and it never seems to set fruits even though I was told by seller that it’s self pollinating. I also have a Rienenke that I’ve had for 2 years and it also flowers for 2 years and just like the other one does not set fruits. I see two different shaped flowers on them but they just don’t hold anything .

William