I saw on trade winds that they can grow up to 80 feet high!!! But it also said you can prune to like 6 feet and it'll still fruit

Liam Coldwell did you have any luck with it? I am hoping to plant a black sapote in zone 9b in Florida within the next year or so. I am also hoping to prune it a lot. Hopefully it will work :)

Flofli

i am in zone 9b (New Orleans)

i had 2 black sapote.

last January we had 1 night of frost. it got down to 27F.

i lost 1 plant (3yrs old) the other came back from the roots, but it was early June before i even saw a sprout pop up. i almost had thrown it out to reuse the pot.

I dont think height will be an issue. if you get temps of 28F or colder, even once every 5 yrs, that will prune the tree.

i am trying to grow mine out now until its as large as possible in a container, so i can protect it on cold nights.

hopefully, i can get it to 5 or 6ft before i plant it in ground.

this is the one i lost.

pwr_wrx does chico sapote really taste like caramel? I read that online and it sounds so good! Now I have another plant I want LOL

greenman62 I am so sorry that you lost your tree :( but at least the other tree survived. I thought after 3 years or so they would be safe but apparently not. At least if it only looses a branch or so once established it will not be that bad. I hope that planting it facing east will help because it warms up quickly in the morning. that is a good idea to delay putting it in the ground and keep it in a pot as long as possible. It is the first time I have had a yard and I hadn't thought of that :)

I don't know if I can say it tastes like caramel but has a gritty texture and its really delicious. You should try to get your hands on a fruit and taste it. A lot of Pakistani/Indian stores have chikoo in the freezer section if u don't have access to fresh ones like me :/ but my tree is growing a bunch of fruit so I'm excited :)

pwr_wrx I am glad that your tree is fruiting. There is something special about getting fruit you love off of your own tree instead of buying it :). There should be a store in Orlando where I can buy frozen.

Flofli; there should be a store in Orlando where you could get them fresh. Check any Hispanic markets (we have several Thrifty Markets here in Brevard that usually has them). You want ones that are not rock hard but have some give when lightly squeezed.

Also called Sapodilla (along with other name), I describe them like a pear that has been dipped in brown sugar, has the some what gritty texture similar to a pear.

I've have a Alano and Silas Woods sapodilla growing in my yard. Both about 6' tall and looks like a pretty good crop shaping up on them.