Tropical Fruit at a Glance—Mamey

By Jeff Wasielewski, Laura Vasquez and Jonathan H. Crane

Common name: Mamey sapote

Botanical name: Pouteria sapota

Family: Sapotaceae

Good varieties: Pantin (Key West), Magaña

About the fruit: Underneath their scruffy, dull brown exterior is a juicy, orange to crimson pulp that’s sweet and creamy, popularly used in batidos (milkshakes) and flan. When harvesting, nick the skin of the fruit and look for orange or red color under the peel. If the nicked spot is green, it’s not ready to harvest.

Season: Main season is June to September.

Why you should consider it: The mamey makes a handsome tree and is a reliable producer.

Be aware: Be on the lookout for iron deficiency with this tree and do not overwater. Trees can become very large if not pruned.

Pruning: This tree is difficult to prune due to harboring multiple crops (never a time without fruit) and the branches propensity to elongate with very few leaves. It can be kept at 15 feet through annual selective pruning.

Planting: Make sure not to plant too deep. Dig the hole bigger than the container but refill the hole with the native soil so the plant’s first flare root is at or just above ground level. Protect the tree from mechanical damage (string trimmers and mowers).

Fertilizer: Use an 8-3-9 or something similar two to three times during the rainy season (May to October). Drench with chelated iron (EDDHA) and use a micro-element foliar spray two to three times from May to October.

For more information see: Mamey sapote growing in the Florida home landscape https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg331.

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