Author Topic: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)  (Read 7304 times)

starch

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Here is what I have noticed from my trees:

Molix - I have had it for 1.5 years and it is still only 3 ft tall. Has relatively short leaf internodes, seems like a dwarf / compact grower. But it has already flowered multiple times.

Makok - I grafted it onto one of the rootstock suckers on my Molix. I have not observed tree behavior directly. But based on other observations and comments it looks like it is another compact grower

Alano - Large internode spacing, seems like it will be an upright grower. Has not flowered yet

Silas Wood - My tree is still small (2 ft) but it seems very Alano-like in terms of internode spacing. Has already flowered at 2 ft tall (seems very precocious).

Tikal - Upright with large internode spacing. Have not seen flowers yet.

What about Hasya, Moreno and Ox? How would you rate their growth habits and precociousness ?

Also,

I have never met a Sapodilla I didn't like. They are one of my favorite fruits (close behind mamey sapote). But I don't know any of the cultivars I have tasted, they were just sold as Sapodillas.

So which one is your favorite?
- Mark

roblack

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2016, 08:25:25 PM »
My Alano is about 6 feet tall and has flowered and started to set fruit, and then dropped them while very small. Same with the Silas Woods (4.5 feet), except one fruit almost made it to maturity, and then split. Both currently have a few flowers and very small fruit. I would consider them both precocious, with considerable spacing between nodes. Initially the Silas Woods looked different, but now is growing more upright like the Alano. They both have been in the ground since January (coming up on a year) and are growing nicely. Not sure how old they are.

Think I've had Molix, which was nice, and some unknowns from the market. They were all very good. Hoping the ones I'm growing become my favorites.
« Last Edit: December 05, 2016, 08:29:46 PM by roblack »

Johnny Eat Fruit

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2016, 09:25:34 PM »
My Haysa Sapodilla has been in the ground now one year and has leafed out but otherwise has not grown much. I expect the Haysa to grow moderately well over the next several years and I believe is now established in the ground.

The First photo is my Haysa planted from a 15 gallon in late 2015. The second photo is a Morena Sapodilla I recently saw at Mimosa Nursery in a 25 gallon container and they were asking $500 for this tree.



Haysa Sapodilla


25 Gallon Morena Sapodilla

JF

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2016, 12:50:25 PM »
My Haysa Sapodilla has been in the ground now one year and has leafed out but otherwise has not grown much. I expect the Haysa to grow moderately well over the next several years and I believe is now established in the ground.

The First photo is my Haysa planted from a 15 gallon in late 2015. The second photo is a Morena Sapodilla I recently saw at Mimosa Nursery in a 25 gallon container and they were asking $500 for this tree.



Haysa Sapodilla


25 Gallon Morena Sapodilla
Wow $500 for a glorified 3 gallon ?! You can buy those same $500 trees for $30 in south Florida...sapodillas are like white sapotes much too sweet and no real character

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2016, 01:10:12 PM »
HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?
Jeff  :-)

mangokothiyan

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2016, 01:33:45 PM »
HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?

Agree with you on Makok being too sweet. The tree however is super productive. I also have Hasya,  Alano and Molix. Hasya and Alano are growing well but are yet to fruit.  I am planning to pull out the Molix; it hasn't grown at all in the two years that it has been in the ground. Gets attacked by pests all the time as well.

Jeff, does Tikal's productivity compare to that of Makok?


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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2016, 01:37:34 PM »
Oxkutzcab is very similar to Alano's growth rate in my yard- both planted as 3gal at the same time. Over 4yrs in ground with numerous flowers 2-3x a year yet I'm still waiting for the Ox to set a fruit. Alano is a superstar. I've noticed that saps do need feeding with an N containing fert for bigger fruit and direct sun exposure for flowers to emerge.
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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2016, 01:40:34 PM »
HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?
Lol who buys those tree? IMO  Molix and Alano are just sweet & spicy. I've had dozens of other cultivars some are grainy and bland others are unpalable because they are so sweet. I just tried these 2lb in Ticul spit it out


mangokothiyan

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2016, 04:25:44 PM »
Oxkutzcab is very similar to Alano's growth rate in my yard- both planted as 3gal at the same time. Over 4yrs in ground with numerous flowers 2-3x a year yet I'm still waiting for the Ox to set a fruit. Alano is a superstar. I've noticed that saps do need feeding with an N containing fert for bigger fruit and direct sun exposure for flowers to emerge.

Hasya in my yard is similar to your Ox. Lots of flowers, very healthy looking but no fruit yet. I planted it in 2012 as a tiny 7-gallon tree. It gets plenty of sunlight.

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2016, 05:09:07 PM »
Has it grown much? Have you been fertlizing it? Are you sure it's a Hasya (where did you get it)?

Oxkutzcab is very similar to Alano's growth rate in my yard- both planted as 3gal at the same time. Over 4yrs in ground with numerous flowers 2-3x a year yet I'm still waiting for the Ox to set a fruit. Alano is a superstar. I've noticed that saps do need feeding with an N containing fert for bigger fruit and direct sun exposure for flowers to emerge.

Hasya in my yard is similar to your Ox. Lots of flowers, very healthy looking but no fruit yet. I planted it in 2012 as a tiny 7-gallon tree. It gets plenty of sunlight.
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2016, 07:01:02 PM »
My favorite by far is Silas Wood.  But I'm a candy junkie and taste is subjective. Fruits are small but it produces a lot and started producing while quite small. Super sweet.

My Morena has great vigorous upright growth and production. But I let them rot as I'm not fond of their strong taste. Looking to trade it out for an Alano if anyone is interested in my area. Currently in a 15 gal.
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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2016, 07:19:57 PM »
Silas woods is incredible. It has the production and growth characteristics of the makok but with larger, white fleshed fruit that are of a mild "honey" type sweetness (vs the panela / brown sugar sweetness of the makok).

The main drawback on the SW has been the fragility of the limbs. They regularly break under the load of the fruit.
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2016, 07:43:21 PM »
HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?

The Tikal I have usually produces around 9-15 fruits per year. Not much, but what it produces is incredible. If you let it get dead ripe to the point that it falls off the tree and refrigerate it over night, it will taste like super sweet mamey/raisin flan.  Or let it get it soft on the tree, then pick it before it falls and let it get very ripe, then chill it overnight in the fridge.  It seems to taste even better cold.  I agree with your statement. I'm not sure why Pine Island gave it only 3 stars. I currently have seven fruits on the Tikal,  two fruits on the Hasya and one on the Alano (some new developing fruits also).
Alexi

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2016, 07:51:13 PM »
How old / big is the tikal? Once they get big, they start producing very well, and you'll get 2 distinct crops per year: one around Feb and another in the summer.

HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?

The Tikal I have usually produces around 9-15 fruits per year. Not much, but what it produces is incredible. If you let it get dead ripe to the point that it falls off the tree and refrigerate it over night, it will taste like super sweet mamey/raisin flan.  Or let it get it soft on the tree, then pick it before it falls and let it get very ripe, then chill it overnight in the fridge.  It seems to taste even better cold.  I agree with your statement. I'm not sure why Pine Island gave it only 3 stars. I currently have seven fruits on the Tikal,  two fruits on the Hasya and one on the Alano (some new developing fruits also).
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #14 on: December 06, 2016, 08:34:07 PM »
How old / big is the tikal? Once they get big, they start producing very well, and you'll get 2 distinct crops per year: one around Feb and another in the summer.

HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?

The Tikal I have usually produces around 9-15 fruits per year. Not much, but what it produces is incredible. If you let it get dead ripe to the point that it falls off the tree and refrigerate it over night, it will taste like super sweet mamey/raisin flan.  Or let it get it soft on the tree, then pick it before it falls and let it get very ripe, then chill it overnight in the fridge.  It seems to taste even better cold.  I agree with your statement. I'm not sure why Pine Island gave it only 3 stars. I currently have seven fruits on the Tikal,  two fruits on the Hasya and one on the Alano (some new developing fruits also).

The tikal was a 3 gallon tree 4 years ago and it is about 12-15 feet tall. I tipped the growth that was growing skyward, so the tree would widen.  Usually, the main crop ripens around late December and again around March from a second smaller crop.  This crop has been a bit small cause these weird caterpillars ate through most of the flowers.  They tunnel right through them causing them to just dry up and fall off.  I never fertilize any of my sapodillas. I just water them and mulch them.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2016, 08:35:49 PM by Tropicalgrower89 »
Alexi

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #15 on: December 06, 2016, 09:58:48 PM »
March should still be part of the first crop. Second crop should be summer, stretching into aug if memory serves. Maybe it's not old enough to produce 2 crops yet? My tree is about as tall as yours but with a trunk thickness about equal to my forearm. Produces > 100 fruits per year.

PS -- the other identifying characteristics of tikal that I've seen (other than the dual harvest) is the tendency to produce round saps in addition to the football shaped ones.

How old / big is the tikal? Once they get big, they start producing very well, and you'll get 2 distinct crops per year: one around Feb and another in the summer.

HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?

The Tikal I have usually produces around 9-15 fruits per year. Not much, but what it produces is incredible. If you let it get dead ripe to the point that it falls off the tree and refrigerate it over night, it will taste like super sweet mamey/raisin flan.  Or let it get it soft on the tree, then pick it before it falls and let it get very ripe, then chill it overnight in the fridge.  It seems to taste even better cold.  I agree with your statement. I'm not sure why Pine Island gave it only 3 stars. I currently have seven fruits on the Tikal,  two fruits on the Hasya and one on the Alano (some new developing fruits also).

The tikal was a 3 gallon tree 4 years ago and it is about 12-15 feet tall. I tipped the growth that was growing skyward, so the tree would widen.  Usually, the main crop ripens around late December and again around March from a second smaller crop.  This crop has been a bit small cause these weird caterpillars ate through most of the flowers.  They tunnel right through them causing them to just dry up and fall off.  I never fertilize any of my sapodillas. I just water them and mulch them.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2016, 10:01:17 PM by Cookie Monster »
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #16 on: December 06, 2016, 10:19:45 PM »


It has grown a lot; it stands at about 8 feet now. Very healthy and has had flowers the last two years. No fruit yet.  I got it from Excalibur.

Has it grown much? Have you been fertlizing it? Are you sure it's a Hasya (where did you get it)?


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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2016, 11:04:45 PM »
March should still be part of the first crop. Second crop should be summer, stretching into aug if memory serves. Maybe it's not old enough to produce 2 crops yet? My tree is about as tall as yours but with a trunk thickness about equal to my forearm. Produces > 100 fruits per year.

PS -- the other identifying characteristics of tikal that I've seen (other than the dual harvest) is the tendency to produce round saps in addition to the football shaped ones.

How old / big is the tikal? Once they get big, they start producing very well, and you'll get 2 distinct crops per year: one around Feb and another in the summer.

HAHAH yah, 500 bones is pretty steep. That would be around $50 on the retail market here.

Saps are excellent. Makok tends to be too sweet for my taste though. Tikal is probably my personal favorite these days. Very productive, 2 major crops per year, large sized fruit. I don't get why Pine Island rates it as 3 stars for flavor and production?

The Tikal I have usually produces around 9-15 fruits per year. Not much, but what it produces is incredible. If you let it get dead ripe to the point that it falls off the tree and refrigerate it over night, it will taste like super sweet mamey/raisin flan.  Or let it get it soft on the tree, then pick it before it falls and let it get very ripe, then chill it overnight in the fridge.  It seems to taste even better cold.  I agree with your statement. I'm not sure why Pine Island gave it only 3 stars. I currently have seven fruits on the Tikal,  two fruits on the Hasya and one on the Alano (some new developing fruits also).

The tikal was a 3 gallon tree 4 years ago and it is about 12-15 feet tall. I tipped the growth that was growing skyward, so the tree would widen.  Usually, the main crop ripens around late December and again around March from a second smaller crop.  This crop has been a bit small cause these weird caterpillars ate through most of the flowers.  They tunnel right through them causing them to just dry up and fall off.  I never fertilize any of my sapodillas. I just water them and mulch them.

There is actually a round sap in my tikal, while the others are football shaped.  The biggest fruits also have more seeds, compared to the smaller ones.  The trunk is thickest below the graft which is as wide (maybe a bit less) as a coke can. I'll take some pics when I have a chance.
Alexi

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #18 on: December 07, 2016, 12:42:04 AM »
That's a pretty big tree. You should be getting more than a dozen fruits a year. Interesting.

There is actually a round sap in my tikal, while the others are football shaped.  The biggest fruits also have more seeds, compared to the smaller ones.  The trunk is thickest below the graft which is as wide (maybe a bit less) as a coke can. I'll take some pics when I have a chance.
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #19 on: December 07, 2016, 12:43:39 AM »
That's weird. Hopefully it's a hasya. My little 6 footer that was planted as a 3gal 2 years ago produces fruits already.


It has grown a lot; it stands at about 8 feet now. Very healthy and has had flowers the last two years. No fruit yet.  I got it from Excalibur.

Has it grown much? Have you been fertlizing it? Are you sure it's a Hasya (where did you get it)?
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #20 on: December 07, 2016, 05:35:16 AM »







Here's my sapodilla tree about 10 feet tall and 8 years of age.I need to bagged most of the fruits due to oriental fruit fly infestation

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #21 on: December 07, 2016, 09:45:32 AM »
HASYA was planted out as a 7 gallon, in 2013 - It grows very fast in my yard ( Central Palm Beach County). Ive trimmed it a few times and right now its about 16 feet tall. 
Currently there are at least 50 fruit on it  .

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #22 on: December 07, 2016, 11:02:10 AM »
:-) You guys are spoiled with that nice deep sand. Things grow a lot more slowly here in our 3 inches of soil atop limestone rubble.

HASYA was planted out as a 7 gallon, in 2013 - It grows very fast in my yard ( Central Palm Beach County). Ive trimmed it a few times and right now its about 16 feet tall. 
Currently there are at least 50 fruit on it  .
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Sapodilla growth habit and precociousness (and which are your favorites?)
« Reply #23 on: December 09, 2016, 02:26:18 PM »
If you had to grow a few varieties for local commercial sales which ones would you plant?
- Marley

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Anyone know the growth habit of brown sugar variety?