Author Topic: Transplanting a sugar apple (Read 5096 times)

gnappi · « **on:** August 28, 2014, 10:11:10 PM »

I would like to move a sugar apple and I'm wondering if I should. It's about 8' tall, and the trunk is around 2" in diameter and has been in the ground ~2 years.

My Geffner seems to be happy near it but I think a sunnier location will be better for it? Also I can fill a hole I have if I move it. I don't want to kill it, it's a cool tree and VERY dark green but the place I move it to will have another sugar apple nearby maybe helping pollination?

So, the questions I have are:

What is the likelihood it will die.
Will breaking the tap root make it less wind resistant or lack of water tolerant? I suspect yes on both accounts
Is a simple shovel around it to break the surface roots and wait a couple of weeks to dig it out a sound method?

Does anyone have any other advice?

Das Bhut · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2014, 04:19:48 AM »

How much more sun does this new spot get? It doesn't seem worth the transplant shock/risk of death to me.

If it's putting out flowers but not a lot of fruit is setting you should try this http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=10918.msg140063

nch · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2014, 04:32:23 AM »

Gary, I found this about transplanting grown Cherimoyas. Don't know if it applies to other annonas or not.

Quote

It is to be mentioned that the cherimoya is extremely easy to transplant. Trees
six or eight years old with trunks four inches or even more in diameter are often moved
without difficulty and this seems even more remarkable when one remembers that no
care is taken in digging trees for transplanting. Very rarely are the tops cut back to
reduce transpiration.

.
The passage is under the Cultural Conditions and Practices part. Here is the whole article.

Quote

http://www.avocadosource.com/CAS_Yearbooks/CAS_44_1960/CAS_1960_PG_47-53.pdf

BTW, I just want to let you know that the soursop seeds you gave me are all sprouting. Thank you so much.

Mike T · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2014, 09:25:15 AM »

Trim hard to 5 ft taking most foliage and thin branches and wait a week.Spade around moist soil perimeter about 14 inches out from the trunk to 12 inches depth.Water profusely.Loosen soil every few days and make the move in a week with good soil load around roots.Busted taproot is alright and it will partly reestablish.Shade heavily in new spot while convalescing and gradually increase sun and water well.

gnappi · « **Reply #4 on:** August 29, 2014, 09:32:36 AM »

Das Bhut,

It will get quite a bit of western sun.

NCH,

I had hoped that would be the case. I'm glad the seeds are sprouting. Funny I went to a Home Depot (west Boca Raton Fla.) yesterday and for the first time ever I saw soursop seedlings for sale.

Mike,

Thanks for the detailed directions. I won't be able to shade it after 12:00 unless I throw some cloth over it?

Mike T · « **Reply #5 on:** August 29, 2014, 04:27:52 PM »

Shadecloth is really needed at the start in a new sunnier spot until the tree is hardened.

TREESNMORE · « **Reply #6 on:** August 29, 2014, 04:33:43 PM »

Leave that plant were it is and plant another one . A red one or a sour sop. You can never have to many annona.

gnappi · « **Reply #7 on:** August 29, 2014, 05:13:40 PM »

Quote from: TREESNMORE on August 29, 2014, 04:33:43 PM

Leave that plant were it is and plant another one . A red one or a sour sop. You can never have to many annona.

No Can Do!!! I already followed Mike's sage advice and trimmed the rootball and bought some burlap to shade it with. I'm also wondering should I wrap the rootball in burlap and plant it that way to keep the rootball from falling apart?

Oh, I don't really like soursop though if I could find a red one I might do that also! :-)

gnappi · « **Reply #8 on:** August 30, 2014, 03:12:53 PM »

Well, I went ahead and moved it today. I decided to wrap the rootball in burlap to keep the sandy soil from crumbling away while I lifted it. Luckily HD had a big roll of burlap for a bit over $10. After digging around it, trimming the roots and wrapping / tying it up it was EASY to move and re-plant. I hope it does well in its new location. The burlap also came in handy as a shade cloth wrapped and stapled over the canopy.

Thanks for the advice, now I wait and hope it does well.

Mike T · « **Reply #9 on:** August 30, 2014, 04:13:42 PM »

gnappi it all looks good and you would have seen roots were shallower and closer to the trunk than expected and no single deep tap root was there to snap off.The hard part now is not overwatering or uinderwatering and getting that shading right.You don't want direct sun yet but enclosing the crown can cause other problems if too liitle light or air flow get through. A sail or tent above on 3 or 4 poles is what I have done before.

jmc96 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 30, 2014, 06:38:17 PM »

Hard to see in the pic but did you leave the burlap on around the roots? if so, it might be stopping the soil from filling the air pockets around the roots properly.

Mike T · « **Reply #11 on:** August 30, 2014, 08:31:52 PM »

Yes it should not be planted with the wrapping.

gnappi · « **Reply #12 on:** August 30, 2014, 08:50:06 PM »

Nope I threw the burlap on top of the root ball to hold in moisture. Fingers crossed that it makes it.

Oh the burlap I used as a sunscreen lets more light and air pass than shade cloth so I tied it rather than tent it

gnappi · « **Reply #13 on:** September 03, 2014, 06:23:06 PM »

Well it's been nearly 6 days since I moved it and so far it hasn't lost a single leaf, nor have any leaves wilted, yellowed or turned brown!

The combination of root pruning, pre-move care, canopy thinning, root ball soil retention, and shading in addition to the natural resiliency
of the sugar apple quoted by NCH seems to have worked!

I'm thinking another week under the manufactured shade, then another week gradually cutting it to make more light get in will be sufficient?
What do you guys think?

Doglips · « **Reply #14 on:** September 04, 2014, 12:45:27 PM »

I'd say if you haven't lost a leaf in a week, you probably did a good job. You may have stunted it, but I'd say that you have made it over a big hurdle. Time tells all.

gnappi · « **Reply #15 on:** September 28, 2014, 01:02:56 AM »

So Cool!!!

Today I took the time to look over my transplanted tree and it's pushing out new growth everywhere I cut it back! Now the wait for fruit begins.

Saltcayman · « **Reply #16 on:** September 28, 2014, 04:15:01 AM »

Congrats on your successful move. A good how to... Thanks

Jchin · « **Reply #17 on:** September 28, 2014, 11:30:57 AM »

Hello, all. New member to the forum. Great information, great community. Thank you for this post. I may have to move soon and am dreading leaving my trees behind, many of them grown from seed. This gives me hope that my sugar Apple at least may be portable

nch · « **Reply #18 on:** September 28, 2014, 08:27:36 PM »

Congrats, Gary, and thanks for the update.

gnappi · « **Reply #19 on:** September 29, 2014, 06:59:52 AM »

Quote from: nch on September 28, 2014, 08:27:36 PM

Congrats, Gary, and thanks for the update.

How are the soursop seedlings coming? If possible start a thread and post some pics. I bought a soursop, a rather large one for a home depot to have and it's living and thriving in a pot

solow · « **Reply #20 on:** August 02, 2021, 12:44:19 PM »

I transplant a 3 years old sugar apple plant yesterday from other home. We trimmed it, put it inside my car.
Due to its weight during moving/handling, all of its soft roots came off, only hard roots remained.
Now still no leaf wilted, we will see how in these coming few days.
If it still can grow well, that means this plant is very insensitive to transplant, easy to move around.

News:

Author Topic: Transplanting a sugar apple (Read 5096 times)