In India, custard apple is also referred to as sita palam or sita phal. The fruit’s lack of Indian heritage is an intriguing feature about it. It was brought from Tropical America to India. This grows well, as one might anticipate, in tropical and subtropical climates. The name of the species is Annona squamosal.
Custard Apple Varieties in India:
Indian states such Red Sitaphal, Hybrid, Balanagar, Washington, Purandhar, Atemoya, Pink’s Mammoth, etc. have diverse custard apple fruit kinds.
Growing Custard Apples
Let’s briefly concentrate on the essential information about this tree before moving on to the details.
- Custard apple trees are deciduous in nature, meaning they lose their leaves every year.
- Since all apple fruit varieties are of tropical origin and thrive in hot, dry climates, it is expected that they will exhibit symptoms.
- They require a hot, dry temperature during flowering and high humidity at fruit set since they develop more slowly in very cold climates.
Growing them in a Garden
Soil:
- They are resistant to all soil types. The sole drawback is that they cannot stand stagnant water.
- Therefore, if you want to avoid this issue, pick a mixture that drains effectively.
- Prepare a blend of sand, compost, and manure (if available) A possible ratio is 40:20:20 (Soil: Sand: Manure)
- Let’s now focus on how to get the planting place ready.
Planting:
- Pick a location with plenty of sunlight and sufficient airflow.
- To avoid contracting bacterial wilt, stay away from areas where you have planted potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, and brinjal.
- These need a base that drains well, as I already mentioned. So let’s get to work building one.
- Make a hole that is 60x60x60 cm in size.
- Allow the hole to dry out in the sun for a few days (4 days). To sanitise the hole, do this.
- Fill the hole with the prepared mixture at this point. the one we already witnessed.
- All that’s left to do is plant a plant.
Growing Custard apple from seeds
- Take the seeds out of the fruit you purchased and soak it in water for a full day (24 hours)
- The following day, you can observe that the powerful seeds have been submerged in water.
- The floating ones serve no purpose. You can discard it.
- They can be planted straight in soil (pots or in ground).
- To do this, dig a hole with your finger, place the seed inside, and water it each day to prevent the soil from drying out.
- minimum of 4 seeds should be sown, of which 2 might germinate.
- In order for them to germinate, you can even keep them in damp tissue paper and a zip-top bag.
- It takes 2-4 weeks for it to germinate, regardless of the technique.
