Author Topic: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?  (Read 12957 times)

Mark in Texas

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #50 on: September 21, 2018, 08:11:39 AM »
Which really good annona has the least amount of seeds?  I've read that Fino de Jefe is pretty low in seed count in comparison to others.

behlgarden

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #51 on: September 21, 2018, 10:23:58 AM »
Which really good annona has the least amount of seeds?  I've read that Fino de Jefe is pretty low in seed count in comparison to others.

Mark, I have found seed count directly corresponds to how much pollen you put in in most cherimoyas. more pollen = bigger fruit and seedy. However I have had Pierce, Campas, Helmut with under 10 seeds for an average size fruits.

ScottR

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #52 on: September 21, 2018, 11:21:34 AM »
I agree with Sumesh, it's how much pollen get's put in flower! Example i had 3 or 4 Fino de Jete this year with only about 6-7 seeds and they were medium size while the ones i picked later were smaller with many more seeds! So it depends on how much pollen get's on your brush when you pollinate. When i first started hand pollinating my cherimoya's i was putting brush with pollen in flower and rotating brush and I was getting super high seed count but then after watching vedio by Alex from papayatree nursery explain hand pollinating, he explained that it best to dip brush in pollen and just push straight in and out of flower. I done that since and get less seed count but not always because hard to tell how much pollen get's on brush. ;)

Mark in Texas

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #53 on: September 23, 2018, 10:13:46 AM »
Which really good annona has the least amount of seeds?  I've read that Fino de Jefe is pretty low in seed count in comparison to others.

Mark, I have found seed count directly corresponds to how much pollen you put in in most cherimoyas. more pollen = bigger fruit and seedy. However I have had Pierce, Campas, Helmut with under 10 seeds for an average size fruits.

Wow, impressive.  I find the same thing with citrus.  I get a lot of seeds when the bees get after it in the spring.  My Pierce and Campas are the most vigorous.  Hope to be able to taste my first home grown cherimoyas next year!!!!!!

behlgarden

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #54 on: September 23, 2018, 12:17:33 PM »
Mark, note that of you want fruit on cherimoyas next year, stop fertilizer just about now. I don't fertilize, mulch only a d get fruits out of twigs too.

CherimoyaDude

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #55 on: February 07, 2019, 09:35:11 PM »
Have you tried crossbreeding atemoya/cherimoya with soursop? Idk if that is possible or not, curious if someone tried it.

Samu

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #56 on: February 07, 2019, 10:13:13 PM »
Mark, note that of you want fruit on cherimoyas next year, stop fertilizer just about now. I don't fertilize, mulch only a d get fruits out of twigs too.

I just saw this, could you please give the reason of why this is so? Perhaps you did explain it already in the past, but I missed it, thanks Behl!
Sam

simon_grow

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #57 on: February 08, 2019, 09:44:04 PM »
Sam, you want to stop Nitrogen input about now so that it will not encourage out of season growth flush. Cherimoya trees should be starting to go into dormancy about now. Because of our rains, I have already stopped watering my Cherimoya trees about two months ago.

I will be growing out some Dr White x Pierce seedlings this year. Next year, we will be doing more crosses in the hopes of breeding something really delicious. I’m still trying to breed something that has better acidity than what is currently out there and flowers that can set fruit on their own would be an added bonus.

Simon

Samu

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #58 on: February 09, 2019, 12:46:05 AM »
Hi Simon, thanks for your explanation!
I was just wondering though, why do we need to stop fertilizing them as early as September...(as I understood his answer to Mark was dated September 23 2018).

Hope your time and effort to finding a better cherimoyas will be fruitful, and we all would be reaping the reward!
Good luck, Simon!
Sam

Mark in Texas

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #59 on: February 09, 2019, 09:32:36 AM »
Being new to annonas would someone please explain the life cycle of cherimoya?  I have a very nice cocktail tree holding grafts of Behl's budwood, that in spite of my watering it (less than summer) and it getting a fresh dose of Osmocote recently..... it's dormant.  What's next?  Leaf drop, new leaf output, when do they flower?

I also have an Giant Atis sugar apple and cherimoya seedlings.

Thanks

spaugh

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #60 on: February 09, 2019, 09:44:51 AM »
Being new to annonas would someone please explain the life cycle of cherimoya?  I have a very nice cocktail tree holding grafts of Behl's budwood, that in spite of my watering it (less than summer) and it getting a fresh dose of Osmocote recently..... it's dormant.  What's next?  Leaf drop, new leaf output, when do they flower?

I also have an Giant Atis sugar apple and cherimoya seedlings.

Thanks

Its normal.  They go semi dormant here too.  Then in March or April you can do some pruning and strip off the leaves of the nodes where you want new growth and that is where stems and flowers will grow from. 
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #61 on: February 09, 2019, 10:10:17 AM »

Its normal.  They go semi dormant here too.  Then in March or April you can do some pruning and strip off the leaves of the nodes where you want new growth and that is where stems and flowers will grow from.

Thanks, that's the info I need.

I see where you guys are getting some nice rains!  Yay!
« Last Edit: February 09, 2019, 10:12:08 AM by Mark in Texas »

spaugh

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #62 on: February 09, 2019, 11:15:37 AM »

Its normal.  They go semi dormant here too.  Then in March or April you can do some pruning and strip off the leaves of the nodes where you want new growth and that is where stems and flowers will grow from.

Thanks, that's the info I need.

I see where you guys are getting some nice rains!  Yay!

Yes, lots of rain and more on the way.  Mark, these other guys may have better advice on exactly what to do with your cherimoya.  I think winter feeding is pretty much not necessary as the plant loses vigor in the cold.  Probably spring and summer feedings makes more sense.  They seem to be salt sensitive also so don't get too carried away.
Brad Spaugh

simon_grow

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Re: Breeding Cherimoyas/Atemoyas?
« Reply #63 on: February 09, 2019, 08:19:09 PM »
Sam, for full grown Cherimoya trees, they need very little Nitrogen input. Stopping Nitrogen input around September will help to control the overall size of the tree.

For my fruiting size Cherimoya, I feed it with 3-12-12 once a month throughout the year except October through March or April when the tree is beginning or in dormancy. I also feed it my Cherimoyas with Kelp emulsion, coffee grounds, earthworm castings and compost.

Mark, Cherimoya trees are pretty much Evergreen trees in SoCal except the months of March and April but this depends on where you are(climate) and how you care for your trees. If you do nothing, the tree may stay green and hold leaves year round.

I back off on Nitrogen fertilizer and watering around October because of our Winter rains and I significantly back off on watering around March. This is specific to where I live and I look for clues from my tree to tell me when to prep it to go dormant.

I prep it for dormancy when all the fruit are off the tree and the tree shows signs of pulling nutrients back from the leaves. The leaves will start to look like it is getting some interveinal chlorosis. Leaves will also start drying up and dropping on its own.

After it’s dormancy period, you will know when to gradually increase watering and fertilizing because you will see new growth or swollen buds from where the leaves have fallen off.

When the Cherimoya tree comes out of dormancy, the flowers will usually appear on the new growth.

Simon