black sapote help (forum)

leanne starts with ...
Hi Everyone,

I have a black sapote which has been planted now for about 6 months and I seem to be growing flowers. Because I have never grown these before or seen one fruiting, any advice would be great - I thought the flowers were white but mine appear to be brown? Also, I have seen some people say there are male or female flowers - what do these look like and are mine too early to tell? Many thanks Leanne
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Time: 19th August 2011 11:17am

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About the Author Nqgrower1
north queensland
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John Mc says...
Hi Leanne, Daley's would advise you to knock the flowers off for the first year to help the tree get established. By knocking the flowers off it goes back into growth mode instead of wasting it's energy flowering which it might not support to maturity anyway. You must have bought a grafted specimen for it to be flowering in it's first year?
Jujube Lucy sent me two superb fruit during the week for me to try. They are one of best fruit I've ever tasted. I have four grafted cv's and a few seedling trees but no still no fruit.

Time: 19th August 2011 6:12pm

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About the Author JohnMc1
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Mike says...
Black sapotes have a couple of 'dry runs' before fruiting properly.Most of the time only a small proportion of flowers set fruit.In NQ single trees on their own fruit well but it can take 3 or even 4 years before grafted trees have a good crop.Some seedling prodigies can very good quality fruit in 4 years.Having tried fruit from dozens of trees I am surprised at their variability.

Time: 19th August 2011 6:51pm

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leanne says...
Thanks everyone for the great advice - I will take the flowers off and see how we go. Not sure if the tree is grafted, it isn't obviously so - I bought it from daleys (maher variety).



Time: 19th August 2011 7:56pm

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John Mc says...
Daley's don't generally specify what cv the seedlings came from. If you bought a Maher cv from Daleys, you bought a grafted cv. Around $34 + freight?

Time: 20th August 2011 2:45pm

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Warnervale NSW
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leanne says...
yep that's what i paid so that sounds about right. I knew most plants wouldn't fruit until year three or four but being new to fruit trees I wasn't sure what age the plants are when you receive them from daleys (i assumed about one year but when i had flowers I thought I better check on the forum :) ) I have actually been pretty amazed - I have this year planted about 20 varieties of trees and have had masses of flowers twice on my pomegranate which I pulled off, two fruit developing on one of my finger limes, fruit off my oranage berry and then flowers on the black sapote. At least they are not dying that's the main thing :)

Time: 20th August 2011 4:13pm

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Mike says...
Where in NQ are you leanne? I cannot get my pomegranates to fruit so they will be pulled out.I really need a tropical variety.Fruit trees sometimes flower much faster than expected, especially citrus,avocadoes,rambutans and abuis.Is your berry Micromelom minutum?

Time: 20th August 2011 6:05pm

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leanne says...
Hi Mike - located in Townsville. No the berry is Glycosmis trifoliata - also ordered from daleys. So far the pomegranates have had heaps of flowers but a lot seem to fall off before I pull them off so I might not have success either - not sure what variety it is because I purchased that one from bunnings.

Time: 20th August 2011 7:36pm

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north queensland
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