How to cultivate sugar apple tree saplings? Latest technical method tutorial

Sugar apple, also known as custard apple, sugar-apple, and Buddha head fruit, is a perennial semi-deciduous small tree of the Annona genus in the Annonaceae family. It originated in the tropical regions of the Americas. Its propagation methods include seed propagation and grafting propagation. Seed-propagated seedling trees have the characteristics of early fruiting and high yield, but their traits are difficult to maintain and they decline early, so grafting propagation is often used in production. Let us take a look at sugar apple sapling cultivation techniques below!

Sugar apple growth habits

Sugar apple likes light and is relatively suited to growing in a warm and humid climate. The best growing environment has an average temperature above 22 degrees. It is not suitable for growing in cold places and is suitable for growing in fertile, well-drained sandy soil. Its main ripening period is between June and November. It is cultivated in Hainan, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan in China.

Sugar apple seed seedling cultivation

Sugar apple seeds should be sun-dried before sowing to promote germination. The nursery should be chosen in a sunny, well-drained, fertile sandy loam, preferably gentle-slope flat land. Before sowing in the nursery, the land should first be deeply plowed and sun-dried for 1 to 2 months, then decomposed organic fertilizer and a small amount of lime should be used as base fertilizer, broken up and mixed evenly, and then trenches should be made and beds raised. Drilling or broadcasting may both be used, with 7 to 8 kilograms of seeds per mu. Cover with river sand or fine soil, press lightly, then water thoroughly and cover with grass or plastic film. The seedbed should be kept moist, but it also fears waterlogging, so care must also be taken to strictly prevent excessive water to avoid root rot. After germination, uncover the covering grass or plastic agricultural film to avoid bending the seedlings.

Sugar apple grafting seedling cultivation

The grafting method for sugar apple is mostly determined by season. In spring, the phloem is not easy to peel off, so cleft grafting is generally used, while in summer and autumn, budding is generally used. When sugar apple is grafted by budding, it is generally required to untie the binding after 20 to 30 days, while with cleft grafting, the buds are generally first picked out before untying. For plants that have survived budding grafting, about 15 days after untying, the rootstock can be cut about 5 cm above the budded position. After cutting the rootstock, a large number of sprouts will emerge from the base and should be removed in time to avoid competing with the scion for nutrients and affecting bud germination. At the same time, the nursery should be kept clean, free of weeds, and with sufficient fertilizer and water supply. When the grafted seedlings grow to a height of 50 cm and a stem diameter of about 1.0 cm, they can be lifted from the nursery and planted in the field.