I would imagine you would handle the seed the same way, i.e. the green sapote and the mamey sapote. They are supposedly closely related, to the extent, that I was told that you could graft a green sapote scion unto a mamey sapote rootstock.

I would really like to know how similar they taste to each other. We bought a grafted green sapote last summer. It was around a foot tall and cost around $35 down in homestead... I hope it lives up to the hype.

The know the mamey seedlings sprout up pretty quick so hopefully your does too! Good luck.

The instructions for planting Green Sapote would be the same as for Mamey Sapote. The grafted Green Sapotes, which I have a small one of, are grafted on to Mamey rootstock. The thinking is that Mamey fares better in FL soils than does Green Sapote. I have planted Green Sapote seed, they have sprouted, but I have never gotten them up to any size. My grafted one was newly grafted and about a foot and a half tall when I bought it from Pine Island. It has more than doubled in size since I planted it. The taste of Green sapote is better, to me, than mamey. It has been a while since I have had any, but my memory is that is was richer and sweeter than mamey, although smaller in fruit size.

Harry

I have a green sapote via seed. I believe I put it in sideways and it did fine. The freeze killed it to the trunk, but it has repopped. I found it somewhat superior in taste to mamey and canistel, but I love them all. It's nice because they don't take over a year like mamey does.

Gary

I picked up a 2-3 foot tall grafted green sapote tree today in Homestead. Now I just have to decide on a nice high/dry spot in my yard to plant it.

Does this type tree grow fast, how wide do they get? How about the roots, are they shallow or overly destuctive? I'm leaning towards putting it between my 15 foot tall VP Mango tree and a 5 foot tall Sugar Apple tree. Would be maybe 10 feet away from each on a high stony area of the yard.

And yes I'm still trying to germinate the green sapote seed from the fruit, I tried last week. Hmmmm. maybe I can even graft onto the seedling if it grows.

I am more willing to try the green sapote now hearing that it doesn't taste like Mamey. I tried Mamey once fresh picked from Puerto Rico and I have to say, I was not a fan of it. I would not eat it again.
Andrew

I also bought a green sapote from PI on June 2009. It was one foot tall in a gallon size container, cost me $25. It is about 3 feet tall now and it has started to branch out.

The fruit is rather small about 3" long and 2.5" in diameter compared to the mamey sapote. On the plus side the fruit takes one growing season to enjoy unlike 2yrs or more for the mamey sapote.

The harvest season in Florida is from Dec-Mar so the tree will require winter protection if you are to harvest fruit in the dead of winter.

I have a few ones from seed (fruitlovers.com). The germination was fast and very succesfull (100% rate). But the plants are still to small to say much about their growth (1 year old). By the way, I've never tasted the fruit..

Tony:

I have only seen two adult Green Sapote trees. One was at the TREC facility in Dade County whch is growing out in an open field setting. The other was at Bill Whitman's house. His was huge and growing right up against and over his house. So, I am assuming the root issue wasn't a concern. At least, he never mentioned it being a problem. The tree can get quite large. I have never seen a mamey get that large, but then again, most of the mameys that I have seen have been in a grove setting so I would definitley defer to our Cuban members who may have encountered a field grown mamey that got as big as the green sapote Whitman was growing. Remember, Whitman's tree was probably 30 or more years old....so you won't have to worry about this isse for some time. But his was easily 40 or so feet tall....and I don't know if that was with any pruning or not. Overall, from what I have been able to observe, the tree is a fairly slow grower.

Harry

Green Sapote does taste like Mamey. Some believe it tastes a bit better, including me, but it tastes quite similar. I'd take either in a heartbeat.

Gary

Planted my grafted green Sapote tree this morning. Sure looks smaller out of the pot and planted in the ground...LOL, guess they always do though. Hopefully it takes and gives some fruit within the next few years.