Sugar Apple Trees, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Sugar apple can fruit in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Naples if it gets sun, good drainage and frost protection. It is a small, open tropical tree that makes bumpy green fruit with sweet, creamy, custard-like pulp in late summer and fall. It stays 15 to 20 ft tall, a fit for a backyard. Our crew delivers it and sets it at the right depth.
- Light:
- Full sun
- Water:
- Moderate; regular water while fruiting, drought tolerant once established
- Salt:
- Low; keep out of salt spray
Sugar Apple
Ask for a photo of the actual plant we would deliver.
Sugar Apple sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Plant | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Sugar Apple | Call for Quote |
Sugar Apple in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 15 to 20 ft tall and about as wide; often pruned smaller
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate; regular water while fruiting, drought tolerant once established
- Salt tolerance
- Low; keep out of salt spray
- Cold tolerance
- Tender: frost burns leaves and tips, so cover young trees on inland frost nights
- Growth rate
- Moderate to fast
- Florida native
- No
- Botanical name
- Annona squamosa
Where Sugar Apple works in a SW Florida yard
Sugar apple is a small, open, slightly irregular tree, so treat it as a fruit tree rather than a shade tree. It fits the sunny side of a backyard, a mixed planting with mango, avocado or guava, or a warm corner by the house where the wall gives some frost protection.
Give it 15 to 20 ft of room, keep it out of salt spray, and prune it smaller to keep the fruit within reach.
- Backyard fruit trees
- Sunny edible gardens
- Small-lot orchards
- Tropical fruit plantings
How our crew plants it
Plant in full sun, root ball top level with the ground, mounding a few inches on low spots. Open a hole about twice as wide as the pot, backfill with native soil, and add a mulch ring clear of the trunk. Water in, then keep it moist but not soggy, using the establishment allowance Lee and Collier give new plantings.
Care after planting
- Prune in early March, taking back about a third of last year's growth, to keep size and fruiting wood in balance.
- Fertilize with a slow-release fruit tree product that has micronutrients in spring and early fall; feeding with nitrogen or phosphorus is banned June 1 to September 30.
- Hand pollinate flowers in the early morning with a small brush if fruit set is poor.
- Pick when the fruit is full size and the green segments start to separate with creamy-yellow between them, then ripen it on the counter.
- Cover young trees on frost nights, since sugar apple is less cold hardy than atemoya.
What to watch for
- The black seeds and bark are toxic, so spit seeds out, never crush or chew them, and keep them away from pets and kids.
- Annona seed borer, scale and mealybugs are the main pests, and fungal spots on leaves and fruit increase in the rainy season.
- Cold is the limit: frost burns leaves and kills tips, so skip exposed inland spots unless you can cover it.
Sugar Apple questions we hear
Can sugar apple grow in Cape Coral and Fort Myers?+
Yes, it grows in the warmest parts of Florida, and coastal Lee and Collier suit it. The limits are frost and wet soil. Sugar apple is less cold hardy than atemoya, so cover young trees on frost nights and plant in a sunny, well-drained spot away from salt spray.
When does sugar apple fruit in Florida?+
Fruit ripens from late summer into fall, often August to October, and a tree may keep producing into winter. Pick it when it is full size and the green bumps begin to separate with a creamy-yellow color between them, then let it soften on the counter for a few days.
Does sugar apple need hand pollination?+
Not always, but it can help. Most trees set some fruit on their own, though UF/IFAS says hand pollination in the morning can improve fruit set and shape. Use a small brush to move pollen from freshly opened flowers to receptive flowers in the early morning.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Sugar Apple
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
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We deliver and plant across Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and about an hour around.