Chikoo / Sapota (Desi, Grafted) Fruit Plant

Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), popularly known as Chikoo or Sapota, is a long-lived tropical evergreen fruit tree native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Today, it is widely cultivated across tropical regions, including India, for its delicious fruits, attractive foliage, and excellent productivity.

A mature Sapodilla tree can grow up to 30 meters tall in the wild, while grafted and cultivated varieties typically reach 9–15 meters, making them suitable for home gardens and orchards. The tree develops a dense, rounded canopy with glossy, dark green leaves, adding ornamental beauty to the landscape.

The fruits are round to oval berries, measuring 4–8 cm in diameter. They have a thin brown skin and soft, grainy flesh that ranges from pale yellow to earthy brown. Fully ripe fruits are exceptionally sweet, juicy, and malty, with a flavor often compared to brown sugar, pear, and caramel. Each fruit contains 1–6 glossy black seeds, while unripe fruits contain natural latex and should be allowed to ripen completely before consumption.

Benefits of Sapodilla

• Sweet, nutritious fruits rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and natural antioxidants.

• Excellent for fresh consumption and also used in milkshakes, smoothies, desserts, jams, and ice creams.

• Traditionally valued for supporting healthy digestion due to its natural fiber content.

• A long-living, high-yielding fruit tree ideal for home gardens and commercial orchards.

Plant Care & Fertilizing

Sapodilla thrives in warm, sunny, frost-free climates and grows best in fertile, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter.

• Apply well-decomposed farmyard manure regularly to improve soil fertility.

• Feed with a balanced NPK fertilizer according to the tree's age and soil nutrient status.

• Under rainfed conditions, fertilizers are best applied before the monsoon.

• In irrigated orchards, apply fertilizers in two split doses—one before the monsoon and the second during the post-monsoon period.

• Regular watering during dry periods promotes healthy growth and improves fruit production.

Harvesting

Sapodilla trees generally begin fruiting from the fifth year after planting. Mature fruits are harvested by hand or using a fruit picker attached to a long pole. Fruits are ready for harvest when they develop a brownish skin, lose most of their milky latex, and separate easily from the tree. After harvesting, they continue to ripen and develop their characteristic sweet flavor and soft texture.

Why Choose Sapodilla?

• Premium tropical fruit with rich, naturally sweet flavor.

• Long-living evergreen tree with excellent annual yields.

• Attractive ornamental foliage suitable for home gardens.

• Nutritious fruits rich in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.

• Thrives exceptionally well in Kerala's warm and humid tropical climate.

• Ideal for home gardens, orchards, and commercial cultivation.