How to Grow Sugar Apple (Sweetsop)? The Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Sugar apple is a perennial semi-deciduous small tree of the genus Annona in the family Annonaceae, named for its surface being covered with polygonal, pinky-finger-sized soft wart-like protrusions. It originated in the tropical regions of the Americas, and is cultivated in Hainan, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan in China. The fruit is mainly for fresh eating and is extremely rich in nutrients, giving it very high planting value. Let's take a look at sugar apple planting techniques together!

Sugar Apple Planting Conditions

1. Climate: Sugar apple is a tropical to subtropical plant that prefers a warm and humid climate. The most suitable conditions for its growth are an average annual temperature of 21-23°C, annual rainfall of 1200-1800 ml, and air humidity of 70-95%. Generally speaking, the south subtropical climate with no frost in winter, abundant rainfall and high air humidity is relatively suitable for growing sugar apple.

2. Soil: Sugar apple is a shallow-rooted plant, with most of its roots distributed within 35 cm of the soil layer. Its new roots lignify late, are aerobic, and are intolerant of waterlogging. Land sheltered from wind and facing south should be chosen for planting. Windy areas must have windbreak forests built, otherwise the plants are prone to wind damage and root and stem rot. The most suitable soil is fertile sandy soil or sandy loam with good aeration and drainage. The most suitable soil pH is 5.5-6.5. Overly acidic soil should be improved with lime. Although clayey soil and neutral soil can also support growth, the results are not as good as sandy soil or sandy loam.

Sugar Apple Seedling Techniques

1. Seed seedling raising: 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 on gently sloping flat land. Before sowing, the nursery land should be deep-ploughed and sun-dried for 1-2 months, then given a base fertilizer of decomposed organic fertilizer and a small amount of lime, broken up and mixed evenly, and then ditched and bedded. Both drilling and broadcasting can be used, with 7-8 kg 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 you must also strictly guard against excessive water to avoid root rot. After germination, uncover the grass or plastic agricultural film to avoid bending the seedlings.

2. Grafting seedling raising: The grafting method for sugar apple is mostly determined by season. In spring, the phloem is not easy to peel off, so the branch grafting method is generally used, while in summer and autumn the bud grafting method is generally used. When sugar apple is grafted by bud grafting, it generally requires unbinding after 20-30 days, while with branch grafting, the buds are generally picked first and then unbound. For plants that have survived bud grafting, about 15 days after unbinding, the rootstock can be cut about 5 cm above the bud grafting position. After cutting the rootstock, a large number of sprouts will emerge from the base and should be removed in time so as not to compete with the scion for nutrients and affect the germination of the grafted bud. At the same time, the nursery land should be kept clean, free of weeds, and ensure sufficient fertilizer and water supply. When the grafted seedling grows to a height of 50 cm and a stem diameter of about 1.0 cm, it can be released from the nursery for field planting.

Sugar Apple Field Planting Techniques

1. Planting time: The field planting time for sugar apple is February to April each year. In areas without frost in winter, it can be advanced to October to December of the previous year. In the Beijing suburbs, greenhouse cultivation should be planted in mid-to-late April (planting is possible regardless of whether the greenhouse is covered with film). At this time, the temperature rises, which is conducive to the seedlings recovering and growing. The planting specifications should be determined according to the specific conditions of the greenhouse.

2. Seedling treatment: Before field planting, sugar apple seedlings must be treated. First, they should be disinfected by spraying the seedlings with a 3-5 degree Baume lime-sulfur mixture solution, and at the same time the seedlings should be graded and trimmed. Grade them according to seedling size and root quality, and select strong seedlings or plant good and poor ones separately. Seedlings transferred from other places and those that have lost water during storage must have their roots soaked in water for 3-5 hours before planting.

3. Planting density: The plant and row spacing varies by variety. Generally, 3X4 m or 4X5 m is suitable, and the closest can be increased to 2x3 m. Before planting, the planting holes need to be dug in advance. The size of the hole is 0.8x0.8x0.8 m. Topsoil mixed with composted organic fertilizer is placed below, and subsoil is placed above. Then put in the seedlings and plant them, tread firmly, water thoroughly once with settling water, and then cover with a layer of raw soil to prevent water evaporation. If planting on flat land with abundant rainfall, it is not appropriate to dig large holes for planting. Planting on high ridges is enough to prevent water accumulation in the holes from causing plant death.

Sugar Apple Fertilizer and Water Management

1. Fertilizing young trees: Generally, 1-2 year old young trees require 5 kg of organic fertilizer, 0.45 kg of urea, 0.35 kg of superphosphate, and 0.1 kg of potassium sulfate per plant. Except for the organic fertilizer, which is applied all at once before winter pruning, the remaining chemical fertilizers are applied separately after the first, second and third new shoots mature and before winter pruning begins. The amount of fertilizer for winter pruning should be the highest, accounting for about 55% of the total annual amount, while the other three times each account for 15%, in order to promote tree vigor growth and canopy formation.

2. Fertilizing mature trees: The fertilizer requirement of fruiting sugar apple trees is greater, and the amount should be determined according to tree age, tree vigor and fruiting conditions. Generally, 3-4 year old trees require an annual application of 10-15 kg of organic fertilizer, 2 kg of superphosphate, 0.5 kg of potassium sulfate, and 1.2 kg of urea, of which the organic fertilizer is applied all at once before and after winter pruning.

3. Irrigation management: Sugar apple most needs water during the bud break stage, young fruit expansion stage, rapid fruit expansion stage, post-harvest recovery stage and dormancy stage. Timely and appropriate irrigation should be carried out according to specific conditions to ensure the fruit-setting rate, large-fruit rate and premium-fruit rate, as well as the recovery of the root system and tree vigor. Hole irrigation and furrow irrigation are better irrigation methods. Insufficient water will lead to poor plant growth, uneven bud break, massive shedding of young fruit, poor fruit development and a large increase in the fruit-cracking rate. But sugar apple is also most afraid of waterlogging. Even short-term waterlogging can lead to the same results as water shortage, and can trigger root rot, causing plant death. Therefore, drainage work must be done in time.