When to Plant Sugar Apple in Alice Springs, Arid / Semi-Arid Guide
What this month normally looks like in Arid / Semi-Arid
In October the Arid / Semi-Arid zone normally runs 32°C by day and 16°C overnight, with about 19 mm of rain over 2 or 3 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was 1.9°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 10 postcodes, SILO.
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This Sugar Apple guide is written for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, which takes in Alice Springs, Broken Hill and Port Augusta. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Sep to Nov
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6.6–7.3
Sugar apple, also called sweetsop, is a small partly deciduous tree of 2 to 5 m for tropical and subtropical gardens, with knobbly sweet fruit eaten raw and chilled (Daleys).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Arid / Semi-Arid
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep P
- Oct P
- Nov P
- Dec -
P = Planting window
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. Sugar apple is drought tolerant and grows wild in dry regions of North Queensland (Morton), so hot dry inland gardens with frost free winters may grow it with watering. Frost at 0 to minus 1 degree kills young trees (IFAS) and most arid gardens see frost. No source gives harvest months for this zone, so none are listed. Plant in spring.
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How to Grow Sugar Apple in Arid / Semi-Arid Australia
- Soil
- Well drained soil; flooding for 7 to 10 days kills the tree (IFAS). Shallow rooted (Morton).
- Salt
- Sensitive. Struggles with salty bore water or salty soil. Give it rainwater if you can.
- pH Range
- 6.6-7.3
- Sunlight
- Full sun (Daleys).
- Keep away from
- Frost pockets, Wet ground (IFAS), Bushland edges where seed could escape (Morton)
Arid / Semi-Arid Growing Tips for Sugar Apple
Recommended Varieties
- Sweetsop seedling (Daleys)
Key Challenges
- Winter frost
- Dry air at flowering
Pro Tips
- Hand pollinate
- Deep weekly water in summer
Pests and problems for Sugar Apple in Arid / Semi-Arid
Harvesting Sugar Apple
When ready: Pick when the skin colour shows between the segments and they start to separate (Morton).
How to harvest: Clip with a short stem; ripe fruit lasts 2 to 4 days (IFAS). Chilling injury at 4 degrees, so do not refrigerate unripe fruit (Morton).
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Sugar Apple
When do you plant sugar apple in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Jan to Mar, Nov to Dec
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Oct to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): not recommended
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Sep to Nov
- Mediterranean (Perth): not recommended
When should I plant Sugar Apple in Alice Springs?
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. Sugar apple is drought tolerant and grows wild in dry regions of North Queensland (Morton), so hot dry inland gardens with frost free winters may grow it with watering. Frost at 0 to minus 1 degree kills young trees (IFAS) and most arid gardens see frost. No source gives harvest months for this zone, so none are listed. Plant in spring.
How do I know when Sugar Apple are ready to harvest?
Pick when the skin colour shows between the segments and they start to separate (Morton).
What are the best Sugar Apple varieties for Alice Springs?
Recommended varieties for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone include: Sweetsop seedling (Daleys).
Are sugar apple salt tolerant?
No. Sugar apple are salt-sensitive, one of the more sensitive veggies. Use rainwater if your bore water is salty, or grow them in a raised bed of fresh mix if your soil is.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, Alice Springs is its reference city.