The Tropical Fruit Forum

I was just gonna stick mine in the ground in a shady spot and see if they take.

I have a few batches of seeds from a delicious pink flesh Custard Apple, San Pablo variety. The seeds come from the fruit of a grafted tree. San Pablo is known for the red skin of the fruit and raspberry flavor. It's my understanding that the seeds will grow close to type so they are worth planting to grow as seedlings or for your grafting projects.

$1 per seed, minimum quantity of 20. Add a flat $10 for shipping regardless of quantity.

Have you tried Bushel Stop? They have many locations and I get a lot of my bulk materials from them. Each location has a slightly different selection. I buy my pine bark fines and wood chip mulch from them. They carry a wide array of bulk hardscape and landscape materials in their yard.

No need to worry, you will get your trees, it will just take time. I have pre-ordered a lot of stuff and it always shows up, even if the order is broken up into multiple parts. Last night I got a shipping notification for an avocado I pre-ordered back in August. It was the last tree in that order and the other items had been delivered a while back. Lots of people are waiting on these new Mamey cultivars.

I hesitate to total up all the money I've spent on trees and fruit at Lara Farms in the last couple of years. The only issue I have had is with the very small trees dying suddenly. Mamey is hard to graft and these are being shipped very young. I had 3 potted Mamey trees from Lara die on me over the winter, some over a year old, thankfully my Jamaica survived and I will be planting it soon. Make sure you don't overwater and keep a careful eye out for root rot and graft failure.

I would rather wait a few extra months and be sure I'm getting a tree that is viable. Another local nursery recently lost an entire batch of Mamey to graft failure.

I'm still happy I planted this variety, I tend to make shakes from all my Sapodillas anyway. Some lime and raspberry/strawberry makes it go down real nice

I think you'll be pleased with the Gigantia, especially if the tree gives you large quantities of big fruit. I liked the sweetness and the Maraschino cherry flavor quite a bit, I think it would make an amazing milkshake blended up with coconut milk.

The T-shirt design looks really cool. That mango would look more realistic with some black spots on it though 

I went VIP mostly so I can get in early and do a little shopping. Am I going to have to bring a hand cart with me so I can haul my trees and fruit around?

Big thanks to Alex Salazar of Tropical Acres Farm for generously supplying the rare fruit and forum admin Murahilin for mailing it to me at his expense.



Around 10 years ago, Zill selected the Gigantia cultivar in Costa Rica and brought it to market in Florida. Nobody cared. The lonely plants sat in the back row of the nursery, saddled with a name that some struggled to pronounce consistently. It might sound Spanish, but Gigantia is a Greek word meaning “giantess” in reference to its large fruit.

Years passed and the Gigantia Sapodilla languished in relative obscurity, while customers drove three hours to buy Butterscotch trees for the sexy name and the promise of up to five fruits per year. That was until two weeks ago, when a video appeared on the internet in which a bearded man declared the Gigantia fruit the best tasting Sapodilla in the world. Alex Salazar, who grows the fruit, was far less enthusiastic. So what does it actually taste like? Let's find out with a...

Gigantia Sapodilla Tasting
General Notes: While not truly gigantic, these are among the larger sapodilla I have tried. The fruit has striations that emerge with increasing ripeness. Like I have observed in other Sapotaceae, larger fruit tend to have more seeds. The Gigantia fruit I tried had an average of 4 seeds per fruit with a few shards of partial or unfertilized seed coats as well. The flesh is caramel colored with some hints of orange.

Texture: When fully ripe, the Gigantia is soft and squishy without much body. It's also completely free of any grit or latex. For me, this texture is a minus, while folks who demand a completely grit-free sapodilla might prefer Gigantia. The lack of grit and fiber could be an asset with culinary uses like milkshakes, panna cotta, and preserves.

Sweetness: Very sweet and sugar forward, but not as sweet as Excalibur. 8/10 rating on the sugar scale.

Flavor: The sweetness is offset by a slight tang and moderately strong flavor. I taste cherry cordial with amaretto and hints of cinammon. This truly delightful primary flavor is distinct from other Sapodilla. However, some bites are watery and almost flavorless while others are quite flavorful.

Rating: Sugar or spice? How about both? The Gigantia is the rare Sapodilla that balances high sugar levels with complex cherry flavor. The fruit are large and the tree has a reputation for solid production. Drawbacks include many seeds, a distractingly soft texture, and the occasional flavorless mouthful. I rate Gigantia as very good with those demerits. If you use Sapodilla for milkshakes and cooking, then you avoid the problems. Otherwise, it comes in behind Molix, Hasya and Excalibur. Not the best ever but not completely lame.

If you are growing in a pot, and prioritizing low vigor, I think the classic choice would be Silas Wood which is productive, precocious and can be kept small. Makok would also work fine but it makes tiny fruit. Alano is sometimes described as dwarf and could be trained/pruned to a smaller tree but I don't think it's a true dwarf like Silas Wood or Makok.

Sapodilla in general can be a slow grower in the early years. Especially further north, you might be ok growing almost any variety in a pot for 5-10 years. Maybe get one Silas Wood as an insurance policy and then a Molix for flavor. The cross pollination will help production.

Would finger lime grow in your zone?

See if you can find a Rivas. If I can get any, will pm.

Cool, I would be happy to pay for the fruit and the postage if you can find them. If anybody has any of the varieties not yet tasted, the same applies. I might also be able to pick up the fruit, if my schedule permits.

Im waiting for ur taste test of the said above.

That might end up stretching into next season. I have most of them planted but they are not producing yet. Next year I can be more systematic about chasing down the rest of them.

Alex Salazar of Tropical Acres was kind enough to hook me up with a few Gigantia fruit. Right now they are sitting on the counter ripening. Counting down the hours until I get to taste them and share my impression. I hope I can remain an objective judge in the face of recent video hype and pronunciation issues!

Sounds like a very nice and up-to-date selection!

If you are coming South from Vero then be sure to stop at Nelson Family Farms in Fort Pierce at the Midway exit. They have a huge selection of fruit trees and also sell fruit.

Fig Casa is also pretty much on the way down in Port St. Lucie and not far from Nelson. Just make sure to call ahead and talk to Sandra. She has tons of stuff on her farm which is a few miles West on Germany Canal Road.

Jack and the Beanstalk is an absolute must for selection and quantity, Catherine has SO MUCH AWESOME STUFF. I stopped going to Love Nursery, but maybe it's gotten better in the last year.