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Custard apple tree fruit

Custard Apple Tree Care

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Custard Apple Tree Australia

Custard apple tree care should ensure you continue to receive this creamy sweet tasting tropical fruit, that is also known as the sugar apple.

This plant originated in the Americas, but has been found in Timor as early as 1000 CE.

Custard Apple Tree Varieties

There are two main varieties of custard apples. These are the Pinks Mammoth (or Hillary White) and the African Pride. These are both sweet, juicy and delicious. Other commercially available trees are:

  • Geffner
  • Golden Emperor
  • Maroochydore Gold
  • Tropic Sun

We have found a dwarf Tropic Sun to be perfect for our tropical home garden.

Custard Apple Tree Height

The custard apple tree can grow from 3 meters (9.8 ft) to 8 meters (26 ft) tall.

Another option is to grow a dwarf custard apple tree. These are perfect for the residential gardener with limited space. These trees grow to about 2.m tall (6.5ft).

dwarf custard apple tree
dwarf custard apple tree

Custard Apple Tree from Seed

Time needed: 3 minutes

How to grow a Custard Apple Tree from Seed.

  1. Collect seeds.

    Scoop out the seeds from a ripe custard apple fruit. Rinse seeds to remove some of the pulp.

  2. Soak and dry seeds.

    Soak the seeds in water for a day or two. Throw out those that float and remove the others and place them on newspaper or a paper towel to dry out. After drying for a week they are ready for planting.

  3. Plant seeds.

    Plant seeds 2 or 3 cm (1 inch) deep in a container of potting mix. Water and then leave in direct sunlight.

  4. Germination.

    The seeds will germinate in 3 weeks or so. When your plant becomes too big for the container, plant it out into the place it will live out its life.

  5. Patience.

    Trees grown from seed should crop in 4 to 6 years.

Are custard apple trees grafted?

Most custard apple trees are grown from grafting. While you can easily grow them from seed, grafted trees ensure fruit quality. It ensures the taste, amount of seeds and size of the fruits. Grafted trees also fruit sooner than those grown from seed.

Custard Apple Tree Care

Location and Soil

The custard apple tree thrives in the tropics as an evergreen perennial. It can be grown in the sub-tropics as well, but in colder regions it will become deciduous.

When growing, go for well-draining soil that is sandy and loamy. A mixture of sand and garden soil is best. This plant is forgiving of poor soil, but areas that become waterlogged should be avoided.

Fertilising

Apply a citrus fertiliser every three months until the tree begins to bear fruit. Feeding potash is done to increase flowering.

Regular fertilising of mature trees is not common, but when done it is known to increase longevity and slow the decline of trees.

Pruning

Pruning your custard apple tree serves a number of purposes. It can help to restore the centre of gravity to a tree that is leaning (you can also stake young trees to help with this).

Pruning can also keep your tree a manageable size for an urban environment and make fruit production more prolific. It can also make it easier for you to harvest the fruit, by keeping them at a height you can reach.

Growing in a pot

Start off in a 35 litre (10 gallon) container and upgrade to a 90 litre (24 gallon) container when growth requires repotting. Also remember to make sure the top of the root ball is level with the top of the pot.

Make sure your container drains well and place it in a sunny spot.

Watering

Water trees regularly throughout the dry season. However, during the ‘wet’ they will be fine without any additional water.

Custard Apple Tree Pests and Diseases

Custard apple tree care means staying on top of pests and diseases. So the pests of this tree include aphids, borer, scales, mealy bugs, and whiteflies.

However, regular application of ‘white oil’ can help address some of these pests. Indeed white oil is an effective organic pesticide that you can make at home.

Custard Apple Tree Fruit

Trees produce a creamy sweet tasting tropical fruit. It also makes for a nutritious snack.

It has a creamy white coloured flesh surrounding blackish or dark brown seeds. The fruit size is generally proportional to the number of seeds within.

To make the fruit ripen faster, put the fruit into a brown paper bag with a banana. As a result, the banana will hasten the ripening of the custard apple.

custard apple tree fruit
Custard Apple Tree Fruit

Health Benefits

The fruit of the custard apple tree is extremely healthy. Indeed some have even labelled it the super-fruit of the 21st century.

Weight Loss

Firstly, consuming this fruit can help with weight loss. Furthermore it has zero cholesterol and studies show it helps to regulate blood glucose levels.

Fibre

Furthermore, the fruit has fibre that adds bulk to stools and helps them move through your intestines. Consequently, when combined with the good bacteria in the fruit, eating custard apples will assist your gut health.

Immune System  

Custard apples are also high in vitamin C. So they provide a handy boost to your immune system.

Antioxidants

Bullatacin and asimicin are two antioxidant compounds in the custard apple that are known to have anti-cancer properties.

Prebiotics

A prebiotic is also a ‘a non-digestible’ food ingredient that positively affects a person by stimulating the growth of one or more bacteria (that positively increases health) in the colon.

Finally, thank you for reading and all the best with your custard apple tree care.

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