How to Plant Sugar Apple Seeds from Taitung? A Detailed Guide to the Planting Method

Sugar apple seeds are the seeds of the sugar apple fruit, and the sugar apple, also known as custard apple, is a small deciduous tree of the Annonaceae family, Annona genus. It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas, and in China it is mostly found in Yunnan, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, and other places. The flesh of the sugar apple is snow-white with a dense, creamy texture, sweet with a slight tartness when eaten. Many people who enjoy this fruit want to collect the seeds and grow it themselves. So how exactly do you grow a sugar apple?

1. How to plant sugar apple seeds

First, wash the collected sugar apple seeds clean with water and soak them for one week. Then choose a container of appropriate size without drainage holes, and fill it nine-tenths full with soil, preferably sandy soil or sandy loam. When sowing, the sprouting point should face downward; place the seeds in the pot gradually from the outside inward, then cover them with a layer of gravel. After covering them completely, water so that the soil and seeds are thoroughly moistened; afterward, water every day to keep the soil moist. Generally, they will sprout after three weeks.

Sugar apples grown from seed are very difficult to fruit; even if seedlings grow, they can only serve as ornamentals, and even if they do fruit, the fruit is very small and not suitable for eating. The sugar apple is a tropical fruit that likes light and tolerates shade. When growing it in non-tropical regions, try to maintain good light, and at the same time try to maintain the temperature, because below zero degrees it may cause the sugar apple to suffer frostbite or freeze to death.

2. Care methods for the sugar apple

1. In regions with higher winter temperatures, it is best to sow sugar apple seeds in August to September, right after the seeds are harvested and dried. Fresh seeds have a higher germination rate, and the seedling growth period is long, which is conducive to cultivating strong seedlings.

2. During the seedling stage, water about once every 3 days; in case of drought, water once a day. After 6 to 8 leaves appear, you can apply diluted manure water or a 0.5% urea solution, and afterward gradually increase the concentration. In the later stage of the nursery, it is also necessary to apply potassium fertilizer or compound fertilizer to help cultivate strong seedlings.

3. The custard apple is relatively sensitive to water, and too much or too little water is not good for plant growth. During the seedling stage, pay attention to water and fertilizer management; generally water once every 3-4 days, and once a day during drought.

4. The fertilization principle for the custard apple is to fertilize scientifically according to the size of the tree and different growth stages, mainly using organic fertilizer, combining organic and inorganic fertilizers.

That is all for our discussion of related knowledge about the sugar apple. Friends who are interested in the sugar apple can keep the seeds after eating the fruit and try growing it themselves.