Chiku / Sapodilla

Shaun starts with ...
Is there a nursery in Perth that I could get this Chiku/Sapodilla plant?
The Wonder West Nursery in West Swan used to stock them, and the business had been closed since August this year.
Thanks.

Shaun says...
Thanks for the reply, Rev.
I'll try to enquire from Bunnings :-)

Correy says...
You could always mail order them through daleys when they are ready for sale however if it was the only fruit tree you wanted sent to perth the freight and quarantine charges may cause it to be too expensive to be worth your while.

Daleys Sapodilla Trees - Achras sapota

rev says...
hey
i tasted them in geraldton
both locally grown and from coles fruit section

i never was impressed, though they will grow there

they grow from seed fairly well too as an option

San says...
I sometimes see this Chiku fruit in Sydney's Paddy's Market.

Didn't realised they could be readily grown from seed .....
the delicious varieties are Sawo Manila and Krasuey ..... I find some of the un-named varieties (those I tried in Malaysia and Singapore) to be too "grainy" in its texture.

rev says...
true. as noted above they may be grainy
perhaps thats why i wasnt too impressed

its still and intersting tree - the bubble gum tree!

you cant always get them from coles. but coles does have what seems and australia wide policy of stocking wierd stuff

therefore for the geographically challenged it can be a good place to get seeds
back in the day i grew choc sapote, abiu, limes, mammey sapote, passionfruits, lychee,caimito, jakfruit rambutan, longan, chiku, turmeric, galangal, chinese Ya pears, californain dates,arguta berries and dragon fruit from pits from their exotic secton in the fruit n veg
most of these i left behind at past residences, but they sure grew, and no doubt someone is enjoying some of them

they also stock gourmet mushrooms which can be cloned

they dont always have a great selection but i keep the habit of checking in..

San says...
I have not seen Chicku in Paddys Market in Sydney this year.
So can't help you.
Sorry.

Anonymous says...
It seems the variety sapodilla trees have been out of stock for a long while .... only seedling plants are available, and fruits of these seedlings are supposedly rather unpredictable.

Anonymous says...
There do not seem to be much interest in Sapodilla in Perth ?

Shaun says...
Don't know much about Melbourne, juanita ....
but if you propagate it in late spring/summer time with 'heated base' set up (as shown in Gardening Australia a wee while ago for propagating tropical trees/shrubs from seed), then I s'pose you could have some success ....
Good luck !!

chickadee says...
Have bought them around beginning of Sept in a little shop in William st. before, so a little wait and they will have them again, hopefully. Someone is growing them succesfully, but there are only a handful available.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Shaun says...
in http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/forum/non-fruiting-sapodilla1/

Kath says...
"From Susanna Lyles book - Discovering Fruit and Nuts, page 282
Flowers may be self-infertile, so you may need more than one trees. Insect pollinated: mostly by thrips, which live within the flowers and move onto a new flower once the food reserves have been depleted, inadvertently taking pollen with them. Pollination may be a problem in some locations, although bees will do some. Fruit-set is very variable and many flowers do not develop into fruits."

Does that mean that I need to acquire 2 plants before I get any Chiku or Sapodilla fruit ?

Kath says...
I have a Krasuey and it sets well on its own, as I love the brown sugar flavoured fruits, I have made room for another sapodilla in my orchard with the hope that both trees will set more fruits for me.