Cherimoya Transplant

[Pedroboy]

I recently made the tough choice to risk digging up a roughly 5g sized Chaffey Cherimoya - with just two pencil thickness harping limbs to its stature. I felt it was just starting to take too much shade from my neighboring Mexicola avocado to really give it its due.

I was careful to dig an excessively wide diameter around it, but the roots didn't manage to hold onto a whole lot of the sandy medium I had set it in maybe 18 months ago. The limbs are just starting a delayed push now - due to a chillier than usual April.

This is just sort of my open letter to Behl and all the other growers here who have devoted so much energy to the needs of these trees over the years. What are my chances of success if I pot this thing up for several months worth of convalescence? How generous - or restrained - should I be in my watering/feeding schedule during the early days of this move?

I'd be grateful for any advice - or cautionary tales.

Cheers,
Chris

[PassionBob]

I would have dug up the Mexicola avocado and left the Chaffey cherimoya in the ground.  But now that you have dug up the Chaffey, keep it moist but not wet until it leafs out.  If you didn't do too much damage to the tap root, it may be okay.  You'll know in a month or so, if it doesn't leaf out then it's done.

[sc4001992]

I agree, it should be ok as long as you didn't cut up the roots when you dug it up. Cherimoyas are very tough plants, kinda hard to kill it.
When I move my 2yr old seedling cherimoyas for up potting or to separate the bunch (10) of seedlings I grow for rootstock, I just flip the 5 gal pot sideways and dump out the seedling plants. Then I separate the individual plants and put each one in a pot and when I do this most of the soil is complete off the roots. After you plant your tree back in the pot, if the tips of your branches start to wilt or look bad in a week, just cut off some of the branch back about 12" and it should grow new buds from leaf nodes below the cut. Use a size of pot that is big enough for the roots on your tree, maybe a 15 gallon ?

I think with cherimoya replanting, just like any other plants, the key is to not have it out with its roots exposed to sun or drying out before you put it in the pot and water it immediately. You can always add some B1 if you feel the need, I never do except when I take air-layers of branches, and before I pot them I like to soak them in B1 with water mix for an hour.

[Pedroboy]

Thanks for the suggestion of the B supplement.

I'm optimistic that I made the right decision in moving it, at least - the rootball didn't put up much of a fight when I excavated. Seems to me after a year and a half in the ground, the thing should've settled into its home a little more aggressively if it was truly happy.

Now if this bracing, 'Victory at Sea' Spring weather we've been getting here would only cooperate...

Cheers.

[Pedroboy]

I would have dug up the Mexicola avocado and left the Chaffey cherimoya in the ground.  But now that you have dug up the Chaffey, keep it moist but not wet until it leafs out.  If you didn't do too much damage to the tap root, it may be okay.  You'll know in a month or so, if it doesn't leaf out then it's done.

Meh - I've since put in a Sharwil and a Reed several paces to the north - after I got over my initial frost phobia.

What can I say? - they can't all be rock stars.

[Plantinyum]

I think the plant should be okay, u can try to give it some shade for a while if its in full sun and its very hot. I also just transplanted around 100+ cherimoya seedlings that were sprouted in several pots two days ago, do not have a single one that has dyed,they are in a greenhouse in full sun and with temps at the highest around 30c . They just wilted for a few hours and perked back up since ...seem resilient and forgiving, I have never had problems with growing mine ,the big tree year old ones ...