Seed grown cherimoya from Rincon Tropics

[vnomonee]

This is my 2 year old seed grown cherimoya. I grew about 30 seedlings in a big pot, left the pot out in early spring which was hit with freezing temperatures many times.

I selected the most vigorous growing survivor with the least amount of damage. 

It's almost 8ft tall (really like 6ft without the pot) after 2 years.

[sc4001992]

Wow, that is a vigorous grower, I never had any seedlings grow that fast.

[vnomonee]

It put out most of this growth while in the grow tent. I actually topped it at one point in order for it to branch out but it shot up a new shoot anyway.
You can tell this is indoor growth because the leaves are pretty big compared to the lower leaves when the plant was outside.




The new main stem where I topped it is still pretty green, not lignified wood. I don't want it to get taller so I just pinched growth at the top.

I am going to give it some 0-10-10 fertilzer, maybe it will put out some flowers in the spring or is that too soon?

[Seanny]

It could flower on 3rd year, but doesn’t need special fertilizer.
Prune and strip leaves in spring.

I would cut low to develop more branching.
Fruit from small root system is poor so I won’t let it fruit at this size.

[vnomonee]

Thanks! Will do.

I wonder if putting the pot outside in late March would have the same effect as stripping leaves (low temps 30s-40s with possible freezing would cause defoliation?) Does cherimoya need chill hours? I did the same with potted feijoa in March and it was enough cold for blooms to form.

Also forgot to mention, there is a seedling sugar apple in the pot, when it gets a little bigger is it graft compatible on cherimoya?

[Nick C]

I've experimented with putting annonas out in early spring to encourage leaf drop but doesn't really work. I'd just strip the leaves, just did that with my atemoya last week. I'm trying to find the best time of the year to do this since our growing season is more limited

[vnomonee]

Thanks Nick. Yeah I'll do that then.

My theoretical fruit will probably finish inside my grow tent under LEDs, provided I don't get pests or mold issues on it due to the high humidity of the tent. But that is to be seen. I don't recall which forum member did this but he put his potted annona by a window indoors and it seemd to ripen the fruit so that is also an option

[Galatians522]

Thanks! Will do.

I wonder if putting the pot outside in late March would have the same effect as stripping leaves (low temps 30s-40s with possible freezing would cause defoliation?) Does cherimoya need chill hours? I did the same with potted feijoa in March and it was enough cold for blooms to form.

Also forgot to mention, there is a seedling sugar apple in the pot, when it gets a little bigger is it graft compatible on cherimoya?

Yes, I should be. A study I read said that Sugar Apples produce larger leaves and fruit when grafted on Cherimoya.

[spaugh]

To get your tree to brqnch, you can cut it way down like you did then strip off the leaves below the topping point.  The new buds come from under the leaf petiole and need to be stripped to make new branches.

[Nick C]

Thanks Nick. Yeah I'll do that then.

My theoretical fruit will probably finish inside my grow tent under LEDs, provided I don't get pests or mold issues on it due to the high humidity of the tent. But that is to be seen. I don't recall which forum member did this but he put his potted annona by a window indoors and it seemd to ripen the fruit so that is also an option

I've gotten cherimoya to ripen in the past, mid November, when it was in the greenhouse




This year I got this MASSIVE fruit to somehow ripen indoors under crowded grow lights haha I pollinated an el bumpo flower with pollen from another annona  that I don't remember exactly which one but was either temoylata or African pride atemoya. Ended up producing two viable seeds that I planted out

[vnomonee]

@nickc haha I get pawpaws that size with 1 or 2 seeds sometimes

@galatians thanks! i will graft it onto this tree since I dont have room for so many pots. i also planted seeds of a yellow skin sugar apple variety that I was told was imported from thailand that one will also go on this tree, the fruit was very sweet. seeds havent germinated yet unfortunately

@spaugh interesting will def try that