Mamey sapote

About Mamey sapote

Mamey sapote is a large tropical tree from Mexico and Central America with football-shaped fruit that has rough brown skin and sweet, creamy salmon-to-red flesh tasting a bit like pumpkin and almond. In the U.S. it is grown mostly in Miami-Dade County, Florida, where Cuban and Central American families made it popular. Grafted trees start bearing in 3-5 years, and by planting a few varieties you can pick fruit almost all year.

UF/IFAS says it is not frost tolerant: young trees are hurt below 32 F, mature trees take a few hours at 28 F with slight damage, and long spells below 22 F kill them; UF limits home planting to the warmest parts of south Florida. The zone range is our estimate from those temperatures. The Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment rates it low risk, and we found no U.S. invasive or noxious listing.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Plant a grafted tree at the start of the rainy season (or any time you can water reliably) in full sun, 20-30 ft or more from other trees, buildings and power lines; plant on a 2-3 ft mound where the water table is high (UF/IFAS). Seedlings take 7 or more years to bear and vary in quality, so UF/IFAS does not recommend them for home growers.

Soil

Grows in many well-drained soils, from clay to sand and Florida limestone, but not in soil that stays wet or floods, which kills roots and invites root rot (UF/IFAS).

Don't put fertilizer, topsoil or compost in the hole; mix any amendment no more than half and half with native soil, and plant on a 2-3 ft high mound where the water table is high (UF/IFAS).

Feeding

• First 3 years: when new growth appears and through the growing season, mid-March to October: Granular fruit tree fertilizer with magnesium, such as 6-6-6-2 or 8-3-8-3. About 1/4-1/2 lb per tree per feeding in year one and 1/2-3/4 lb in year two, about four times a year, increasing a little each year after that (UF/IFAS).
• March through October, each year: Leaf spray with magnesium, manganese, zinc, molybdenum and boron. Three or four sprays a season, especially on limestone soils; follow the label to avoid leaf burn (UF/IFAS).
• April through early fall, when leaves yellow between green veins: Chelated iron soil drench (Fe-EDDHA on alkaline soil, Fe-DTPA on acid soil). Drench moist soil around the tree one or more times a year; iron leaf sprays don't work well (UF/IFAS).

Cut back or skip nitrogen from November to February so the tree doesn't push tender growth before cold weather, and don't overwater, which brings root rot (UF/IFAS).

Harvest

Fruit takes 13-24 months from flower to maturity. Scratch a tiny spot of skin: if the layer underneath has turned from green to pinkish-brown, orange or red, it's mature. Twist or clip it off and let it soften for a few days to a week; immature fruit never softens (UF/IFAS).

Each tree ripens its fruit at one time of year, but fruit takes 13-24 months to mature, so a tree often carries flowers, young fruit and ripe fruit at once. Planting 3-4 varieties with different seasons (such as 'Tazumal', 'Pace', 'Magana' and 'Pantin') can give fruit nearly all year.

Varieties (18)

Pests to watch for

Scale insects, Twospotted spider mite, Leafhoppers

Diseases and problems

Anthracnose, Algal leaf spot (red alga), Root rot

In the kitchen

Eaten fresh with a spoon after removing the big seed, and made into milkshakes, ice cream, jellies and fruit pastes, often from frozen pulp (UF/IFAS).

Keeping it: Let mature fruit soften at room temperature for a few days to a week, then keep ripe fruit chilled (about 50-55 F is ideal) and use it soon.

Safety: The fruit is eaten as a food. The sources we checked list no toxic parts, and we found no research-based guidance on pregnancy, drug interactions or allergies for mamey sapote.

Pets: Not listed by the ASPCA