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How to Grow Atemoya

Annona atemoya

Perennial

Atemoya is a tropical hybrid of cherimoya and sugar apple that needs warm, frost-free conditions year-round. In the UK it must be grown in a heated greenhouse or large conservatory with minimum temperatures above 10 °C. Provide rich, well-drained soil, regular watering during the growing season, and reduce water when the tree is semi-dormant. Hand pollination is often needed for reliable fruit set.

Yearly Lifecycle

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JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Leaf Fall Flowering Fruit Set Harvest

Care Essentials

Feed every four to six weeks with a balanced fertiliser during the growing season. Stop feeding when the tree is semi-dormant and leafless in winter.

Watch For

  • Mealybug
  • Scale insects
  • Red spider mite
  • Root rot from overwatering
  • Anthracnose fruit rot

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Care Requirements

☀️ Light

Bright light under glass; supplement in winter

Bright light under glass. Needs a heated greenhouse or conservatory in the UK. Provide as much direct light as possible, supplementing with grow lights in winter if needed.

💧 Watering

Regular in growth; reduce when semi-dormant

Water regularly during the growing season, keeping soil consistently moist. Reduce watering during the semi-dormant leafless period but do not let soil dry out completely.

🌱 Fertilizing

Feed every 4-6 weeks in growing season

Feed every 4-6 weeks with a balanced fertiliser during the growing season. Stop feeding during the dormant period.

✂️ Pruning

Light pruning for shape and size control

Prune lightly to maintain shape and control size under glass. Remove dead or crossing branches. Can be trained as a small open-centred tree.

❄️ Overwintering

Minimum 10°C; reduce water when dormant

Maintain minimum 10°C year-round. Reduce watering as leaves drop. Good ventilation prevents fungal problems during the cooler months.

🍎 Harvesting

Pick when softening; ripen at room temperature

Harvest when fruit gives slightly to gentle pressure and the skin turns pale green. Ripen at room temperature for a few days before eating.

Growing Tips

Strictly under glass

Needs frost-free conditions year-round. A heated greenhouse or conservatory is essential in the UK.

Hand pollinate

Natural pollinators are absent in the UK, so hand-pollinate flowers for reliable fruit set.

Pick when softening

Harvest when fruit gives slightly to gentle pressure and the skin turns pale green. Ripen at room temperature.

Ease off in winter

Reduce watering during the semi-dormant leafless period but do not let the soil dry out completely.

Pests & Diseases

Pest Mealybug

Identification: White cottony masses in leaf axils, on stems, and around fruit, sticky honeydew

Organic treatment:
  • Dab with a cotton bud soaked in methylated spirit
  • Introduce Cryptolaemus ladybird as biological control under glass
Chemical treatment:
  • Spray with fatty acid or plant oil-based insecticide
Pest Scale Insects

Identification: Small brown or white bumps on stems and leaf undersides, sticky honeydew and sooty mould

Organic treatment:
  • Wipe off with a cloth dipped in soapy water
  • Introduce parasitic wasps as biological control
Chemical treatment:
  • Spray with plant oil-based insecticide
Pest Red Spider Mite

Identification: Fine webbing on leaf undersides, stippled yellowing leaves, tiny mites visible with a hand lens

Organic treatment:
  • Increase humidity by misting regularly
  • Introduce predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis
Chemical treatment:
  • Spray with fatty acid-based miticide
Disease Root Rot Phytophthora spp.

Symptoms: Yellowing leaves, wilting despite moist soil, dark mushy roots, plant collapse

Treatment: Remove from pot, trim rotten roots, repot in fresh free-draining compost. Reduce watering

Prevention: Use well-drained compost. Water carefully, allowing the top layer to dry between waterings

Disease Anthracnose Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

Symptoms: Dark sunken spots on fruit, black lesions on leaves and stems, fruit rot

Treatment: Remove and destroy affected fruit and leaves. Improve air circulation

Prevention: Avoid overhead watering. Ensure good ventilation in the greenhouse

Spacing & Planting

Plant spacing 700 cm
Row spacing 800 cm
Mature height 600 cm
Mature spread 400 cm

Hybrid of cherimoya and sugar apple. Semi-deciduous. More heat-tolerant than cherimoya. May need hand pollination.

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