How To Grow Chiku At Home, Gardening Expert Shares Tips To Plant Sapodilla

Having your home garden can be a satisfying and enjoyable experience. Depending on the climate, available space, and personal choices, you can select what fruits to grow in your home garden. We have been bringing you many easy-to-grow fruits and vegetable guides with our series 'Into The Bloom'. This time, we bring you a detailed guide to growing chikoo or sapodilla at home.

On our recent visit to Junnar in Maharashtra during the Hindavi Swarajya Mahotsav, we got a chance to visit chikoo farms close to the tent city set in the heart of the city. Ved Kasturi Agro farm owned by Dr Amol Punde, founder of Junnar Tourism Development Organisation is dotted with chiku plantations. On our visit, other than immersing ourselves in the farm's beauty, we also learned a lot about sustainable agriculture practices and tips to grow fruits in our home gardens.

How To Grow Chiku At Home?

• Chiku plants can be grown from both seeds or seedlings.
• A well-draining soil with a balanced pH works best for the chiku plant.
• Wash the seeds once and start planting them one inch deep. To plant the seedlings, dig a bigger hole, larger than the seedling.
• Keep watering the soil every day. Make sure you aren't overwatering the plant or it can make the roots rot.

• Place the plant in a warm and sunny location.
• Apply a layer of mulch at the base of the plant to retain moisture in the soil.
• Keep removing any dead or infected branches to keep the plant healthy.
• Chiku fruit usually starts to ripen between five to eight months after it flowers. The fruit is ready to harvest when soft to the touch. To harvest it, twist the fruit gently and detach.

Expert Tips To Grow Chiku Plant Quickly At Home

• "Use bone meal to fertilise chiku plants. Bone meal is a fertiliser prepared by grounding dried animal bones. Bone meal is easily available in the market. It should be used regularly to fertilise your chiku plant at home," said Dr Amol Punde, owner, Ved Kasturi Agro Farm. (Benefits of Chiku)
• Cow dung manure is a natural way to boost your chiku plant's growth at home. Crow dung keeps your soil fertile for long. Cow dung has more than 300 microorganisms that enhance the soil's quality. Take equal quantities of soil and cow dung. Add one to two mugs of water to mix the manure well.
• Though chiku or sapodilla can be planted at any time of the year, it is best to plant the seeds during July or August for good growth.

• Choose a big container to plant the chiku plant. Sapodilla grows best in open land. It can take three to four years for the fruit to appear on the trees.
• Neem cake is an organic fertilser that can be used to grow chiku plant quickly. Neem cakes are prepared using neem leaves and these can be placed near the seedlings as they provide the plant magnesium and sulphur, essential for growth.

We hope this step-by-step guide helps you grow chiku plant at home. For more stories around gardening guides and tips, stay tuned to HerZindagi.com