How to Grow Sugar Apple (Sweetsop)? A Detailed Guide to Planting Techniques and Precautions
Speaking of sugar apple, many people may find it both familiar and unfamiliar. Familiar because most people have heard the name sugar apple, and unfamiliar because few have actually seen this food. Sugar apple is a tropical fruit, and its shape is somewhat similar to lychee, hence it is also called custard apple (fan li zhi). At present, many people are learning how to grow it.
How to Grow Sugar Apple
1. Seed treatment
Sugar apple can be grown directly from seedlings, and the seeds should come from large, well-shaped fruits on high-yielding, high-quality mother plants of a superior variety (common sugar apple); it is best to use fruits set by artificial pollination of the same variety. Wait until the fruit is fully ripe, when the fruit turns pale green-yellow and the suture lines between the small fruit segments become obvious, then harvest and collect the seeds. When the seeds are to be used for raising grafting rootstock, the requirements for seed collection can be lowered. After the seeds are removed, wash them clean, discard the empty and small seeds, dry them in the shade and sow immediately; seeds to be sown in the following spring must be thoroughly sun-dried, then placed in polyethylene plastic bags and stored sealed.
2. Sowing time
It is best to sow immediately after the seeds are harvested and dried in the shade in August-September; fresh seeds have a higher germination rate, and the seedlings have a longer growth period, which is conducive to cultivating strong seedlings.
3. Sowing method
Stored sugar apple seeds should be sun-dried before sowing to promote germination. The nursery should be chosen on sunny, well-drained, fertile sandy loam, preferably flat land on gentle slopes. Before sowing, the nursery land should be deep-ploughed and sun-exposed for 1-2 months, then decomposed organic fertilizer and a small amount of lime should be applied as base fertilizer, broken up and mixed evenly, and then trenches should be made and beds raised. Both drilling and broadcasting can be used, with 7-8 kg of seeds per mu. Cover with river sand or fine soil, press slightly firm, then water thoroughly and cover with grass or plastic film. The seedbed should be kept moist, but it also fears waterlogging, so care must be taken to strictly prevent excessive water, to avoid causing root rot. After germination, uncover the grass or plastic agricultural film to avoid bending the seedlings.
Sugar Apple Planting Techniques and Precautions
I. Planting techniques
1. Planting time
Sugar apple is generally planted around March each spring; rising temperatures are conducive to the growth of the plants. In areas with lower temperatures, insulation film can be used for heat preservation, and greenhouse cultivation can also be used according to the number of plants.
2. Planting method
Sugar apple generally grows in a warm climate with relatively humid air, so it is usually planted in the warmer south where the climate is more suitable. Choose soil with good aeration and drainage, then select good-quality seeds; intact and healthy sugar apple seeds can resist cold, while some can only grow in tropical regions. Select intact sugar apple seeds, subject them to a series of treatments, and then plant them in the previously selected soil; the seeds do not need to be buried too deep. Water appropriately during the growth period, and after a long wait the seeds will sprout tender shoots.
3. Planting conditions
After the seeds grow into plants, prune them; this can both make the fruit tree grow more robust and increase its ornamental appeal, making the fruit produced plumper. If sugar apple is planted in southern regions, then the height of the trunk must be controlled to prevent typhoon damage in southern coastal areas in summer, which could cause unnecessary damage to the fruit trees. In areas with heavy summer rain, when planting sugar apple, the method of piling up soil mounds can be used for planting, effectively preventing water accumulation at the roots.
II. Precautions
1. Watering and fertilizing: During the seedling stage, water about once every 3 days; in case of drought, water once a day. After 6-8 leaves appear, thin manure water or 0.5% urea solution can be applied, and the concentration can then be gradually increased. In the later nursery stage, potassium fertilizer or compound fertilizer also needs to be applied to help cultivate strong seedlings.
2. Pest and disease control: Sugar apple seedlings suffer relatively little insect damage, but diseases often occur, especially root rot.
Sugar Apple Pest and Disease Control
1. Anthracnose
Damage symptoms: mainly causes leaf drop, black fruit, and rotten fruit.
Control method: During the periods of new shoot emergence and fruit setting after flower drop, spray 1-2 times with 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 500 times dilution or 70% thiophanate wettable powder at 800-1000 times dilution.
2. Root rot
Causes: water accumulation, root injury, high temperature and high humidity, and application of undecomposed garbage and miscellaneous fertilizer easily trigger this disease; applying fermented and decomposed organic fertilizers such as soybean bran and poultry and livestock manure helps inhibit the occurrence of the disease.
Control method: focus on prevention, promptly dig out and burn diseased plants, spread a 10:1 mixture of lime and sulfur powder on the affected site, applying 0.5 kg per plant.
The Difference Between Sugar Apple and Custard Apple
In fact, sugar apple and custard apple are the same food; its scientific name is custard apple (Annona squamosa). The flesh is substantial and sweet and delicious. The sugar apple plant generally grows very tall, with whitish leaves arranged relatively neatly. The leaves at the top are translucent and visible, and the fruit shape is relatively round, occasionally with other shapes, and the protrusions on the surface are like small bumps.
Many people previously believed that sugar apple and custard apple were two different fruits, but this is actually wrong; it is simply that people did not understand them. Sugar apple has good medicinal value and edible value, with many benefits for the human body.