Sugar Apple Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on March 31, 2022

Planting instructions

Select a spot for your sugar apple tree that gets good, consistent sunlight throughout the day, with soil that drains well. The trees aren’t picky about soil type, but they don’t like standing water. Dig a hole for your sapling that’s twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Unpot the tree and tease out any encircling roots, which can eventually girdle the tree and kill it. Place it in the hole so that the top of the root ball is at ground level, and fill in around it with soil, tamping as you go to eliminate air pockets. When finished, water thoroughly and apply an organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the tree’s root zone, being careful to keep it from touching the trunk.

Watering and nutrients

Water your young tree consistently about once a week, giving it roughly an inch of water at a time, unless you get the same amount from rain. Once the tree is established and growing well, it will need less supplemental watering. To know when to water, dig a hole down 2 inches near the root zone, and, if the soil seems dry, give it a watering. Fertilize young trees frequently — every six weeks is good — with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer designed for trees and shrubs.

Pollination

Sugar apple trees are self-fertile, although you will get a larger harvest if you have more than one tree. They flower in mid to late spring. Flowers are small and feature three elongated green petals with tiny sepals and multiple pistils on each flower. Pollen is transferred most frequently by a variety of beetle called nitidulid beetles, or sap beetles. Flower pollination happens more readily during times of high humidity.

Pruning

Avoid pruning your tree during its first year, unless it’s to remove broken or diseased branches. The following year, prune back main limbs to encourage side branches to form and to help shape the tree. A light annual pruning each year should be done in early spring to remove about a third of the previous year’s growth. You can also prune the top selectively to keep the tree shorter and more manageable.

Pests and diseases

Insect pests that may be attracted to your sugar apple tree include the annona seed borer, which is common in Florida. Look for small black holes on the surface of fruit, as well as decayed fruit. Fixing paper bags over individual fruit will prevent infestations. Other insects include several types of scale insect, mealy bugs, and ambrosia beetles. The sugar apple tree is fairly disease-resistant, although it may infrequently suffer from dry fruit rot, which is a fungal disease. Consult an arborist if you have any significant problems.

Harvesting

Sugar apples won’t keep ripening after they’ve been picked, so hold off on harvesting until the fruit color changes from green to a more yellow-tinted green. Other signs of ripening include a white or blue bloom covering the fruit, and the spaces between the fruit’s bumpy surface turning yellow. Ripe fruit should be kept at room temperature and should be used quickly — they only last for a few days off the tree.

Achieving maximum results

Sugar apple trees are not high-maintenance — and because of that, they adapt readily to container growing. If you live north of Florida and would like to grow sugar apple trees, select a container that is about twice the size of the sapling’s root ball, and fill it with a fertile soil that’s been amended with some well-rotted compost or manure. Plant your tree as per the directions above, and set it outside if the weather is warm. Bring your tree inside whenever the weather is predicted to go below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. During the winter, place it in a sunny window and cut back on fertilizing. Wipe down the leaves regularly to remove dust and mist the leaves with water once a month or so.

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Customer Reviews

Anonymous

Verified Buyer August 4, 2021 at 3:56pm

Tree arrived in excellent condition

This is my first time buying any trees via shipping method and I am very happy with the purchases. The Sugar Apple tree came in excellent condition and now is growing very strong.