How to Grow Cherimoya
Annona cherimola
Cherimoya is a subtropical tree that needs frost-free conditions, so in the UK it must be grown under glass in a large heated conservatory or greenhouse. Provide bright light, high humidity, and a minimum winter temperature of around 10°C. Hand pollination is usually essential because the natural beetle pollinators are absent in Britain. The custard-like fruit is delicious but requires patience — trees can take several years to begin bearing.
Yearly Lifecycle
Care Essentials
Feed every 4–6 weeks with a balanced fertiliser during the growing season. Stop feeding during the brief dormant period when leaves drop.
Watch For
- Mealybugs in leaf axils and on stems
- Scale insects on stems and leaf undersides
- Red spider mite in low-humidity greenhouse conditions
- Root rot from overwatering
- Anthracnose (dark sunken spots on fruit)
Track your Cherimoya care schedule — pruning, feeding, and seasonal tasks
Start planning freeCare Requirements
☀️ Light
Bright light under glass; maximum exposure
Bright light under glass. Needs a heated greenhouse or large conservatory in the UK. Provide as much direct light as possible, especially during flowering and fruiting.
💧 Watering
Moist in season; reduce when leaves drop
Keep soil consistently moist during flowering and fruiting. Reduce watering as leaves drop during the brief deciduous period but never 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. Avoid overfeeding which promotes leaf growth over fruit.
✂️ Pruning
Light pruning for open shape under glass
Prune lightly to maintain an open shape and control size under glass. Remove dead or crossing branches. An open canopy improves air circulation and light penetration.
❄️ Overwintering
Minimum 10°C; good ventilation essential
Maintain minimum 10°C year-round. Good ventilation is essential to prevent fungal problems. Reduce watering during the brief leafless period.
🍎 Harvesting
Pick when softening; ripen at room temperature
Harvest when the skin turns slightly pale and the fruit yields to gentle pressure. Ripen at room temperature for a few days. The custard-like flesh is best eaten fresh.
Growing Tips
Grow under glass in the UK
Cherimoya cannot tolerate frost. A heated greenhouse or large conservatory with good ventilation is essential for successful cropping in Britain.
Hand pollinate for fruit set
Collect pollen from mature flowers in the evening and transfer it to newly opened flowers the next morning using a small brush. Without this, fruit set is very poor.
Water carefully through the seasons
Keep soil consistently moist during flowering and fruiting but reduce watering as leaves drop. Avoid waterlogging at all times.
Harvest when fruit gives slightly
Pick cherimoya when the skin turns slightly pale and the fruit yields to gentle pressure. It ripens quickly off the tree at room temperature.
Pests & Diseases
Pest Mealybug
Identification: White cottony masses in leaf axils, on stems, and around developing fruit
- 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 or white 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. Allow the top layer to dry slightly between waterings
Disease Anthracnose Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Symptoms: Dark sunken spots on fruit, black lesions on leaves, premature fruit drop
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 | 500 cm |
| Mature spread | 400 cm |
Briefly deciduous before flowering. May require hand pollination. Prefers cooler tropical highlands. Custard-like fruit.
Log Cherimoya in your garden — track growth, care, and harvests year after year
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