How to Grow Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
Breadfruit is a large tropical evergreen that needs consistently warm, humid conditions and cannot tolerate any frost. In the UK it can only be grown in a large heated greenhouse or tropical conservatory. Provide rich, well-drained soil, regular watering, and monthly feeding during the growing season. The starchy fruit is cooked like a vegetable and can be roasted, fried, or boiled.
Yearly Lifecycle
Care Essentials
Feed monthly with a balanced fertiliser throughout the growing season. Breadfruit is a vigorous grower and benefits from regular feeding to support its large leaves and fruit production.
Watch For
- Mealybugs in leaf axils and on stems
- Scale insects on stems and leaf undersides
- Red spider mite in heated glasshouses
- Root rot from overwatering
- Leaf spot in humid conditions
Track your Breadfruit care schedule — pruning, feeding, and seasonal tasks
Start planning freeCare Requirements
☀️ Light
Full light under glass; needs headroom
Full bright light under glass. Needs a large heated greenhouse in the UK with maximum light. This is a big tree — allow plenty of headroom.
💧 Watering
Consistent moisture and high humidity
Water regularly and keep soil consistently moist during the growing season. High humidity is essential. Reduce slightly in winter but never let soil dry out.
🌱 Fertilizing
Monthly balanced feed in growing season
Feed monthly with a balanced fertiliser during the growing season. Breadfruit is a vigorous grower and benefits from regular feeding.
✂️ Pruning
Prune to control size under glass
Prune to control size when growing under glass. Breadfruit responds well to pruning and can be kept smaller than its natural size.
❄️ Overwintering
Minimum 15°C; heated greenhouse essential
Maintain minimum 15°C year-round with high humidity. A large heated greenhouse is essential in the UK. Reduce watering slightly in winter.
🍎 Harvesting
Pick when yellowish-green; cook before eating
Harvest when fruit is full-sized and the skin turns from green to yellowish-green. The starchy fruit must be cooked before eating — roast, fry, or boil.
Growing Tips
Tropical warmth required
Needs minimum 15 °C year-round and high humidity. A large heated greenhouse is essential in the UK.
Feed and water well
Water regularly and feed monthly with a balanced fertiliser during the growing season.
Cook before eating
Harvest when fruit is full-sized and the skin turns from green to yellowish-green. Cook before eating.
Allow space overhead
This is a large tree — allow plenty of headroom. Prune to control size if growing under glass.
Pests & Diseases
Pest Mealybug
Identification: White cottony masses in leaf axils and on stems, sticky honeydew
- Dab with a cotton bud soaked in methylated spirit
- Introduce Cryptolaemus ladybird as biological control under glass
- Spray with fatty acid or plant oil-based insecticide
Pest Scale Insects
Identification: Small brown bumps on stems and leaf undersides, sticky honeydew and sooty mould
- Wipe off with a cloth dipped in soapy water
- Introduce parasitic wasps as biological control
- 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
- Increase humidity by misting regularly
- Introduce predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis
- 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. Ensure pots have adequate drainage holes
Disease Leaf Spot
Symptoms: Brown or black spots on the large leaves, sometimes with yellow halos
Treatment: Remove and destroy affected leaves. Improve air circulation
Prevention: Avoid overhead watering. Ensure good ventilation in the greenhouse
Popular Varieties
Ma'afala
A popular Samoan variety with compact growth habit and shorter fruiting time. Small to medium fruit with pale, dense, starchy flesh when cooked.
Ulu Fiti
A Fijian variety known for tolerance to salt spray and difficult soil conditions. Round fruit with rough skin that cooks down to smooth texture.
Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 1350 cm |
| Row spacing | 1500 cm |
| Mature height | 1000 cm |
| Mature spread | 600 cm |
Called ulu in Hawaiian. Large evergreen tree. Many varieties exist. Can produce year-round with main crop July-November.
Log Breadfruit in your garden — track growth, care, and harvests year after year
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