How to grow Sapodilla in Australia
Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), also called chiku or naseberry, is a slow-growing, evergreen tropical tree from Central America. Its round, brown, sandpapery fruit has soft, honey-coloured flesh that tastes of brown sugar and pear. It is a tough tree for North Queensland, the Top End and warm, frost-free parts of South East Queensland.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Sapodilla in Australia
At a glance
When to plant by region
| Region | When to plant | Regional note |
|---|---|---|
| South East Queensland | October to December | |
| Northern Rivers NSW | October to December | |
| Sydney & Coastal NSW | Not suited | Not viable in Sydney. Too cold for this slow tropical tree. |
| Melbourne & Victoria | Not suited | Not viable in Melbourne. True tropical only. |
| Adelaide & SA | Not suited | Not viable in Adelaide. True tropical only. |
| Perth & WA | Not suited | Not viable in Perth. True tropical only. |
| Tasmania | Not suited | Unsuitable. True tropical only. Not viable in Tasmania. |
| Canberra & ACT | Not suited | Not viable. True tropical only. |
| North Queensland | November to March | Plant Nov to Mar once the wet season rains arrive. Very wind and salt tolerant, a good tree for exposed coastal yards. |
| Darwin & Top End | November to March | Plant Nov to Mar once the wet sets in. A proven Top End tree that shrugs off wind, salt and poor soil. |
Where to plant
Sapodilla grows best in the tropics and warm subtropics, in full sun and well-drained soil. It copes with a wide range of soils and rainfall, and it is notably tolerant of wind and salt, which makes it a good tree for exposed coastal yards. Young trees are damaged by frost.
It is a slow grower, so plant it where it can stay for decades.
- North Queensland and Darwin: plant from November to March, once the wet season rains arrive. A reliable, low-fuss tree.
- South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers: plant in October to December in a warm, sunny, frost-free spot. Growth and cropping are slower than in the tropics.
- Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Canberra: not suited.
Choosing a variety
Buy a grafted or marcotted tree of a named variety. Seedling trees take 8 to 12 years to fruit, and many never fruit well. Grafted trees usually start bearing in two to four years. Varieties grown in Australia include Krasney, Tikal, Prolific and Makok; ask a tropical fruit nursery which crop well in your area.
How to plant
- Choose a sunny, well-drained spot with about 6 m of room.
- Dig a hole wider than the pot and backfill with the soil you dug out, mixed with some compost.
- Plant so the top of the root ball sits at or just above ground level. Do not plant too deep.
- Water in well and mulch over the root area, keeping mulch away from the trunk.
- Water young trees about twice a week until they are established.
Watering and feeding
Water young trees twice a week until established, then every week or two in dry weather. Mature trees benefit from deep watering through the dry season, especially while flowering and fruiting.
Feed young trees lightly and often through the warm months with a balanced fruit tree fertiliser, increasing the amount as the tree grows. Queensland growers have used a fertiliser higher in potassium for fruiting trees.
Pruning and care through the year
- Prune lightly each year after harvest to keep the tree low enough to pick, about 4 to 5 m. Remove strong upright shoots and encourage side branches.
- Wear gloves and old clothes when pruning. The bark and stems are full of sticky white latex (the original source of chicle chewing gum), which gums up tools.
- Keep grass and weeds clear of the root zone of young trees.
Harvesting
In North Queensland the main flowering is November to February, and fruit is picked from about September to November, with odd fruit at other times. The fruit does not change much in colour, so check maturity by gently scratching the brown, scurfy skin: mature fruit shows yellowish-brown skin beneath, while immature fruit is green.
Pick mature fruit while still hard and ripen it on the bench. It softens in about a week to ten days and is ready to eat when it gives to gentle pressure, like a ripe kiwifruit. Eaten unripe, it is astringent and full of latex. Ripe fruit keeps a few days in the fridge.
Using it
Halve a ripe sapodilla and scoop out the sweet flesh with a spoon, discarding the shiny black seeds. It is good fresh, in smoothies and milkshakes, and in ice cream. Do not eat the seeds.
Companion planting
Sapodilla is a large, long-lived tree, so it does best with its own space in a tropical fruit garden.
Good companions
- Tropical fruit trees It fits into a mixed tropical orchard with trees that like the same warmth and dry-season watering.
Pests and diseases
Sapodilla is generally a tough tree with few problems.
Pests to watch for
- Fruit fly Small sting marks on the skin and maggots in ripening fruit. Pick fruit at maturity and ripen it indoors.
- Scale Small brown or white bumps along stems and under leaves, often with sooty mould.
- Caterpillars Grubs boring into flowers and young fruit.
Sapodilla is rarely troubled by disease.
Common questions
What does sapodilla taste like?
Ripe sapodilla is very sweet, with a soft, slightly grainy texture and a flavour often compared to brown sugar, pear and caramel.
How do I know when sapodilla is ripe?
Pick fruit when it is mature: scratch the skin lightly, and if it is yellowish brown underneath rather than green, it is ready. Then let it ripen on the bench until it gives to gentle pressure, usually in about a week to ten days.
Can I grow sapodilla in Brisbane?
Yes, in a warm, sunny, frost-free spot. It grows and fruits more slowly than in the tropics. It is not suited to Sydney or the southern states.
How long does sapodilla take to fruit?
A grafted tree usually fruits in two to four years. Trees grown from seed take 8 to 12 years and may never fruit well, so buy a grafted named variety.
Why is my sapodilla fruit sticky and bitter?
It was eaten before it was ripe. Unripe sapodilla is full of latex and tastes astringent. Let mature fruit soften fully on the bench before eating.
Is sapodilla tolerant of salt and wind?
Yes. It is one of the more wind and salt tolerant fruit trees, which suits exposed coastal gardens in the tropics.
Sources we checked: Rare Fruit Club archives: Sapodilla culture in Australia (Watson and Wait, 1983); University of Florida IFAS Extension: Sapodilla tropical fruit guide.