How Long Does Sapodilla Take to Bear Fruit? A Detailed Guide to Fertilizer and Water Management

Sapodilla is also called Wufeng persimmon, red iron fruit, miracle fruit, and so on. It originated in the tropical regions of the Americas, and is cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan (Xishuangbanna) in China. Because the fruit of the sapodilla looks very much like a human heart, people named it sapodilla. So how long does sapodilla take to bear fruit? What are its fertilizer and water needs?

1. How long does sapodilla take to bear fruit?

Generally, it takes 8-10 years to begin bearing fruit. After the first fruiting, it flowers and fruits almost year-round, so there are multiple harvest periods in a year. When the fruit is fully developed, the skin is yellowish-brown, the flesh is milky white with a green tinge, and the milky sap flowing out from a cut fruit stalk has decreased, but the flesh is still firm, it can be harvested.

Because sapodilla flowers multiple times a year, the fruit development stages differ greatly, so in addition to harvesting only fully ripe fruit, it should be harvested in stages, with the earliest-ripened picked first. Although unripe fruit will also soften after harvest, its quality is poor. Although the flesh of ripe sapodilla is still firm, because the skin is very thin it is easily damaged, so it is equally important to emphasize gentle picking, gentle handling, and gentle transport to avoid all mechanical damage.

2. What are the fertilizer and water needs of sapodilla?

For fertilizing sapodilla, it should be fertilized about twice a year. The first time is around March, and the second time can be arranged around September.

According to relevant information, sapodilla is suitable for planting in high-temperature, fertile sandy loam, in sandy loam with convenient drainage and irrigation and good ventilation, so that sapodilla can grow normally. Sapodilla can generally overwinter safely when the winter temperature is maintained at 2-3°C, and can grow and develop normally in relatively low-fertility clay soil. Sapodilla can generally flower and fruit normally at 11-31°C, and young sapodilla fruit suffers freeze damage at -1°C, which will affect the yield of sapodilla. During the growing period, sapodilla needs sufficient water supplementation. Because sapodilla grows well and its root system is relatively deep, sapodilla can grow vigorously. Sapodilla seeds germinate relatively slowly, and seedling growth is relatively slow. Sapodilla generally only bears fruit 8-10 years after planting, and the full-production period is relatively late. Therefore, garden staff should raise sapodilla seedlings. Garden staff should carry out grafting on sapodilla as appropriate, and should try to avoid damaging the sapodilla buds. When grafting sapodilla, the bud patch and the rootstock should be pressed tightly together, which can effectively promote the sprouting of the scion.

In order to improve the yield and quality of sapodilla, garden staff should carry out fertilizer management on sapodilla in a timely manner. When selecting sapodilla varieties, garden staff should choose seeds that are smooth on both sides and bony; after the seeds are taken out of the fruit, they should be washed, dried slightly, and sown on a sand bed with moisture retained to promote germination. When the seedlings are 15-20 cm tall, they should be carefully transplanted to a nursery for cultivation. Grafting is carried out when the stem thickness of the sapodilla seedling reaches about 1 cm. At the same time, sapodilla is generally fertilized from March to April, using 1 packet of Aiduoshou and 0.25 kg of compound fertilizer, mixed with 50 kg of water. For sapodilla fruit thinning, if there is indeed too much fruit, it can be appropriately thinned to ensure high and stable yields. For fruiting sapodilla trees, organic fertilizer is the main type, and after harvest, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be applied once more, with topdressing once each in spring and autumn, to improve fruit quality. Garden staff should, in winter, combine this with clearing the orchard, and prune diseased and insect-damaged branches and dead branches.