White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

Here's how my Suebelle is reacting to the "winter" weather here in San Diego! There are dozens of inflorescences like this one all over the tree.

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

They are doing the same thing up here. Several at a local nursery today had flowers and some had set fruit.

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

My 'Redlands' cultivar is flowering for the first time with about a 3" caliper at the base. Out of all my fruit trees, the white sapote has been the most vigorous. Looks like the warm winter has it thinking spring is in the air.

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

Been too cold up here for any flowering but very little damage to them even after all of the frosts. I had some fruit going into the winter and looked for them about a week ago and there was no sign of them. I've not had rats do anything with any of my other fruits so I'm a bit puzzled as to what happened.

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

Here's a couple of fruits I harvested the other day

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

Nice

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

Richard, when did your tree flower to produce those fruits? It's still an adventure for me to find which varieties might flower at the right time in my climate. I had Pike fruit sizing up in late fall but lost them in the winter. Last summer was particularly cool so I'm not ruling that one out yet.

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

I'm guessing those fruits set in September. As for the flowering, my tree has not stopped flowering since last spring and the flowers set fruit if the weather is compatible. :08:

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

This fruit is unknown to me so I looked it up and its full native american name means sleepy fruit. I wonder if it will grow here in my 8b hardiness zone? Apparently the seeds are highly toxic and the flesh of the original cultivars can induce sleepiness.

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

It's hardiness is similar to lemon and might be a challenge to do well in 8b, but possible. The seeds are quite large and I've not heard of anyone eating them on purpose or by mistake but also don't know that they're very toxic either. It's not a fruit that's been studied much. I've eaten quite a few fruits at one time, some with skins, and never felt sleepy from eating them. I'm aware of such information but think it's over-stated. I usually peel the fruits but not always, especially when eating out in the field such as the expedition a group of us made last year to Bob Chamber's groves in northern San Diego County. See my the photos, etc. I've posted at WhiteSapote.com

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

I enjoyed the "stealth pruning" caption. :ha:

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

Richard,
How old is the tree? I've had one in the ground for over a year, lots of leaf growth, but no fruits. Also, what does it like with regards to watering? I ordered some fruits, very delicious!

Thanks,

Re: White Sapote cultivar Suebelle
 

I'm losing track of when I planted it -- perhaps 6 years ago. The tree is eight feet high and 10 feet wide.

The native white sapote grows alongside wild avocado trees in its native habitat. Expect the same years to maturation as an avocado, and although they are not closely related, the bark is similar too.

The unpruned growth habit of white sapote is vertical, with lowering side branches that sprout vertical uprights. A completely unpruned tree is often very tall and narrow. I heavily trained my tree during the first 4 years to force a crotch-like structure starting about knee high.