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Image of Annona squamosa or Sugar Apple or Sweetsop
plant coming soon... |
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Annona squamosa
(Sugar Apple, Sweetsop) |
Origin: Believed to be native of Central America or West Indies
Family: Annonaceae
Light: Full sun/sun-part shade
Height: 10-12'
Blooms: Bronze, mid-Spring
Fruit: Green, bumpy-skin, maturing to yellowish-green,
cone-shaped with black colored seeds inside. Sweet juicy creamy flesh taste like custard when
ripe and has black shiny seeds
Foliage: Evergreen, single, alternate
Water: Regular, stop watering when dormant
Soil: Well-drained, rich, loamy, clayey, keep moist. (pH: 7.6-8,5,
Mildly alkaline-alkaline)
Fertilizer: Well-balanced 8-8-8 NPK, in mid Winter
Uses: Specimen, landscaping, indoor, container
Propagation: Seeds, budding, grafting, woody stem cuttings
Caution: Seeds are poisonous, remove seeds from fruit before
eating
Comments: Annona squamosa or Sugar Apple or Sweetsop is a fast-growing subtropical fruit tree. This
perennial tree attracts birds and bees. The leaves have medicinal
value. The creamy-white fruit tastes sweet and juicy like custard.when eaten
fresh or made into drinks or sorbets. Excess
Sugar Apple
fruits can be refrigerated. Protect
Sweetsop
tree from wind and frost. For young trees, cover
entirely to protect from the cold. Annona squamosa is easily
propagated from seeds or stem grafting in full sun or sun to part shade. Plant in south facing wall to
trap heat. Prune thinner woody branches of Sugar Apple when plant is dormant to
promote stronger branches for fruit support.
Sweetsop
trhives well at a minimum temperature of 27degrees F. Annona
squamosa will bear fruits when grown in a container. Hand pick
fruits when they are greenish-yellow and allow to ripe otherwise
tree-riped fruits will split open. It is a great
specimen plant for the landscape. For colder regions, bring plant
indoors for the Winter.
USDA Hardiness Zones
: 10-11 |
