Annona squamosa - Sugar Apple

In short: Sugar apple (Annona squamosa) is easy to grow from seed: press seeds about 2 cm deep in a mini greenhouse kept at 20–25 °C and they sprout in about a week. Keep the plant in full sun, outdoors from May to September, water regularly without overwatering and give it a winter rest at 12–20 °C.

Annona squamosa - Sugar Apple

If you're thinking about which exotic fruit you'd like to try growing, then give the Sugar Apple a go. Annona squamosa, also known as Sugar Apple or Sweetsop, produces juicy fruit with a delicate creamy flavour. Growing Sugar Apple is undemanding, the seeds germinate quickly, so even a beginner can handle it.

Sugar Apple (lat. Annona squamosa) - belongs to the custard apple family (lat. Annonaceae), from the Annona genus of lower dicotyledonous plants. This genus consists predominantly of tropical trees and shrubs, represented by a large group numbering 100-150 species. Not all species of Annona produce fruit. The Sugar Apple originates from tropical America (the so-called "New World") and is among the undemanding tropical woody plants.

Most fruit-bearing Sugar Apples are economically significant crops in terms of harvest and export of fruit. This crop is widely cultivated in the tropics throughout the world and in warm subtropical regions (Florida, southern China). It is also used in the medical and pharmaceutical industry. For the needs of the European market, Annonas are grown in Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Annona squamosa, alias Sugar Apple, was named after the shape of its fruits by the original inhabitants of the Antilles - the Taínos. This exotic woody plant blooms in sparse or solitary inflorescences. Although the flowers aren't particularly showy, they are distinctive. The flowers consist of three sepals and three to six petals. These petals are either fused or free. The inflorescence is bisexual. There are numerous stamens and pistils, the carpels contain one ovule. After pollination, the single-seeded follicles grow together during development into a fleshy aggregate fruit. The seeds are flat, ovate. They have a black or dark brown colour. The fruits of Annona squamosa are spherical up to 10 cm long, covered with rough scales that bulge outward. You can recognise ripe fruits by the fact that the flesh is creamy white, custard-like with a delicate sweet taste.

Sugar Apple is considered one of the most delicious tropical fruits that will amaze you with its juicy flavour. Warning - Sugar Apple seeds are poisonous, they contain toxic sap that can cause blindness upon contact with eyes. Definitely do not taste the seeds. However, the entire tree is medicinal. The bark, unripe fruits and leaves are used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. Leaf compresses are applied to skin injuries and help with epilepsy.

Custard Apple - Types

The most well-known type of Custard Apple is Annona squamosa - this tropical tree grows up to 6 m tall in the wild. The fruits are colloquially called sugar apples, and this species is the most widespread in the tropics. The fruits ripen in autumn, even in winter. They are harvested unripe and left for approximately 1 week to ripen. The fruits are consumed raw, without seeds, and are added to ice cream sundaes and mixed drinks, for example.

Other Annona species include:

• Annona cherimola - cherimoya - a species originating from the Andes. It tolerates cooler environments. The fruits resemble artichokes and have a pleasant banana-pineapple flavor.
• Annona muricata - with large and heavy fruits weighing up to 6 kg. The fruits are mainly used for beverage production. They have a bittersweet taste and smell like blackcurrant. This species originates from the Caribbean and thrives in very warm climates.
• Annona montana - mountain soursop has fruits up to 18 cm long with a rough scaly surface. It originates from the Caribbean.
• Annona senegalensis - African custard apple, which produces small fruits.
• Annona purpurea - soncoya - has egg-shaped fruits 20 cm long. The fruit surface is hairy, reddish-brown, covered with spines. The taste resembles mango. It originates from southern Mexico.
• Annona reticulata - custard apple - has cone-shaped fruits with a firm skin, called "bullock's heart". The fruits are consumed only when the skin on the surface is unappealing brown. The ripe fruit pulp is sweet and sour.

Growing Annona squamosa

Annona squamosa - sugar apple - is an undemanding plant. It's wonderful in a pot as an exotic decoration for your winter garden, even when it doesn't fruit. Due to its undemanding nature, it's possible to grow Annona in nutrient-poor soil. The more nutrients we provide, the better results we'll see in cultivation. Annonas are most reliably propagated from seeds.

Purchased seeds have very high germination rates. Annonas germinate best in a mini greenhouse, which maintains a constant temperature of 20-25°C and humidity during germination. So we prepare a mini greenhouse or another container with a lid filled with classic horticultural substrate. The seeds are large, dark to black. We press them approximately 2 cm below the surface and gently cover with substrate. We keep the substrate moist. We can preheat it in the microwave. The heat will transfer to the entire mini greenhouse. We can mist the substrate surface with a spray bottle. Germination benefits from warmth.

After just one week, we can celebrate success and see the first sprouts. Sugar Apple seedlings grow quite quickly. It's recommended to keep them at a height of 15 cm. We maintain the plants by trimming them. We grow Annona in a winter garden or on a sunny windowsill. During the warm summer months, we can move it to a sunny part of the garden or terrace. The plant can be taken outside as early as May and will stay outdoors until September. It therefore thrives in a sunny location with plenty of light and warm rays. In indoor conditions, it grows to a height of around 2m.

If we want fruits, we should definitely help the plant with flower pollination. We need to wait until the petals separate from each other. Then we pollinate using a small brush. We carefully transfer pollen from one flower to another, from stamens to pistils. We can recognize sufficiently mature pollen when the stamens gently change color as we apply the pollen powder. If we have only one flower and are waiting for another, we can store pollen from one flower for a day in a small box in the refrigerator.

Watering for Sugar Apple needs to be regular. However, we shouldn't overwater adult plants. It prefers well-draining soil, which we can allow to partially dry out between waterings. We definitely shouldn't overwater the plant. Settled rainwater is most suitable for watering. If you like providing plants with nutrients, you can also fertilize Annona. However, it's not necessary. Annona squamosa is a very undemanding plant and thrives well even in poor soil.

Even Annona needs a rest period. Let's give it this during our winter months. The recommended temperature for a resting plant is 12-20°C.

Sugar Apple - Annona squamosa

Sugar Apple fruits are considered the tastiest fruits of exotic plants overall. If you see them in a supermarket, don't hesitate to buy and taste the fruits. They combine the fruity taste of bananas, papaya, pineapple, and cream. The fruit is very tasty and easily digestible. The fruits contain vitamin C, B1, B2, calcium, and phosphorus. If this article has caught your interest, as well as the taste of these fruits, then don't hesitate to grow Annona squamosa.

Due to its undemanding nature, Annona is also suitable for beginner growers.

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Author: Hana Michalíková