The small tree grows relatively quickly. Its leaves are alternate, ovate or elliptical in shape, about 5 to 15 centimeters long and up to 10 centimeters wide. They shine in light green and house leaf veins that are arranged slightly recessed. This makes them appear wavy and similar to the beech leaf. The leaves of the cherimoya also have a slight hairiness on the underside. If you grow the Annona cherimola in a pot or winter garden, it will reach a height of about 2 meters when fully grown. The flower forms on the spurs of the branches and appears either singly or arranged in clusters. It smells wonderfully aromatic. Her corolla consists of 6 petals: 3 are fleshy elongated and the rest are smaller and pinkish. As a result of pollination, a flower becomes a berry. The heart-shaped or conical fruit reaches a size of about 10 to 20 centimeters.
Table of Contents
Substrate
Necessary properties of the substrate at a glance:
- lean, well-drained substrate
- pH value of maximum 7
- Quartz sand, peat or cactus soil
Annona cherimola is best cultivated through the seeds of its fruit. To do this, remove the large, dark brown to black seeds from a cherimoya that is as ripe as possible and clean them with water. Be sure to thoroughly remove the seeds from the pulp, as this contains germ-inhibiting substances.
Now put the seeds in a lean, well-drained substrate that has a maximum pH of 7. Quartz sand, peat or cactus soil are recommended. To ensure that the substrate is free of fungi and pests, heat it up before actually using it.
To do this, take a heat-resistant container and put the moistened substrate in it. Leave it for about 15 minutes in an oven with a temperature of at least 160 degrees Celsius or better in the microwave – if you have one. In any case, make sure not to close the jar too tightly, as the resulting water vapor would burst it. However, a lid is essential to avoid escaping too much steam. Fireproof glass bowls with a lid are very suitable.
planting process
Use a container that is at least 8 centimeters in diameter, such as a simple saucepan. First fill this with a drainage layer of expanded clay or pottery shards. Then add the plant substrate – with light pressure and up to about 1 to 2 centimeters below the pouring edge. Then place the clean core in the middle and flat. Now fill the remaining 1 to 2 centimeters with substrate and press it down lightly again. Then add lukewarm water. It is advisable to work with a sprayer, as a watering can could easily wash away the substrate. The germination time is about 1 to 3 months, depending on the substrate temperature. Once the planter is prepared, you need to choose a suitable location.
The right location for your tree – in summer and in winter
Features of a good location for the plant at a glance:
- hell
- warm
- sheltered from the wind
In the beginning, it doesn’t matter whether the space provided for the cherimoya is light or dark. Only the heat counts: If you want to place the plant on a windowsill, you should definitely check beforehand whether it is sufficiently warm there. 25 to a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius are required. A heatable room greenhouse is best, in which you can ideally adjust the soil temperature. A place next to a radiator is also theoretically justifiable: Check the temperature for a day using a minimum/maximum thermometer.
As soon as shoots become visible, you must allocate your Annona cherimola to a place that is as bright as possible. However, avoid a location in the blazing sun – the plant does not get more than 30 degrees Celsius! If you have the opportunity to place your plant outside in a sunny, but at the same time sheltered and reasonably windless place from May to September, you should use it. In winter, on the other hand, the tree does best in a bright interior. A conservatory with a temperature of around 12 to 15 degrees Celsius is ideal. Don’t be surprised if you drop leaves in the cold season – this is completely normal. New growth occurs in March and April.
Recommendations for species-appropriate watering
The substrate must be moist for the tree to thrive. However, waterlogging harms its development. Therefore, do not water your cherimoya too often, as their roots can easily rot if they are overwatered. Take breaks between the individual watering periods; this gives the root ball time to dry. The Annona cherimola is sensitive to limescale deposits. For this reason, it is advisable to water with low-lime rainwater instead of high-lime tap water. Use a sprayer to water and mist the leaves a bit in the late afternoon. While the tree needs water regularly in the warmer seasons, this is put into perspective in winter: During this time, the cherimoya only needs little liquid.
Rarely be fertilized
The situation with the supply of fertilizer is similar to that of the water supply: the exotic plant only requires a supply of nutrients every four weeks during its vegetation period. However, it is advisable to water weekly and only use a quarter of the total amount. Seedlings are not fertilized at all – they take care of themselves from the core. Only after about two months should you start to act very weakly with the help of a liquid fertilizer. In winter you can do without fertilizing completely.
Cutting is not required
Basically, it is not necessary to cut the cherimoya. If you want to cultivate the tree as a shrub, it is advisable to cut it annually around February – before new growth. To keep them in shape as they grow, you can also “prune” your cherimoya every now and then throughout the year.
repot
Due to the moderately developed root development, the Annona cherimola can remain in the same pot for a long time. After about 1 to 2 years you should change the substrate you used for growing. Use a mixture of coconut substrate or, if necessary, peat, compost, loamy garden soil and perlite. Make sure that the mixture is balanced, i.e. evenly distributed.
Multiply with the help of the fruit seeds
The Annona cherimola can be easily propagated with the help of the fruit seeds. You should use a separate container for each seed to avoid separating the sensitive young plants.
Typical diseases and pests of the tree
Pests are very rare, especially during the summer months. In winter, spider mites or the red spider can become a problem; they usually occur on the leaves and undersides of leaves. The biggest “enemy” of the cherimoya, however, is the fruit fly, a small fly – only about 1 to 6 millimeters long – that is found almost everywhere.
What is special about cherimoya: its fruit
If not homegrown, the fruits of the Annona cherimola are rarely available in Central Europe. When ripe, the fruit is light to medium green with a slightly brownish tinge. It yields to very gentle pressure with the fingertips and the fruit stalk pulls out easily. This is how the fruits taste the juiciest and most aromatic. Because of the facets, the surface of the commercially available fruit is often reminiscent of a polished gemstone.
The white to cream-colored and sweet to very sweet flesh is characteristic. It is either consumed pure or used to prepare delicious desserts. Depending on the variety and degree of ripeness, the fruits are tasty or too sweet when enjoyed pure. For example, to eat the pulp, halve the fruit and simply scoop it out. If you harvest the fruit from your tree yourself, this usually only happens in autumn and winter. At this point the fruits are fully ripe. However, you can also harvest the fruit beforehand – it ripens without any problems at temperatures of around 12 degrees Celsius. However, the fruits should preferably not be harvested until they have soft flesh.
- Name: Cherimoya or Annona cherimola
- Family: Annona family
- Origin: South America
- Height: 5 to 10 meters
- Leaf color: light green
Special properties
The Cherimoya, also called Annona cherimola, is native to the South American subtropics: Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. There the cherimoya is cultivated in the valleys of the Andes – at an altitude of 1500 to 2000 meters. Although it is now widespread in all warm countries, it is still particularly common in South and Central America. The Annona cherimola is primarily cultivated for its sweet fruits, which are nicknamed “sweet sack”. They show either bulges, the appearance of which gives the impression that someone had hammered into sheet metal with a pointed object, or facet-like flattening. Fruit shops generally have the latter variant ready. A cherimoya tree that has not set any fruit is extremely inconspicuous and could also be a Central European plant in this form.
Conclusion In
summary, the Annona cherimola can be characterized as an exotic shrub-like tree that requires little irrigation and fertilization and is therefore extremely easy to care for. All it needs is warmth and – once shoots begin – sufficient light. The showpiece of the basically unspectacular plant are its fruits: very sweet and tasty when ripe.