How to grow Soursop
Updated October 2026
Soursop, also called guanabana or graviola, is a small tropical evergreen tree with the largest fruit of the custard apple family: green, soft-spined fruit with white, juicy, sweet-tart flesh. It is very cold sensitive, so in the US it grows outdoors only in the warmest parts of South Florida and in Hawaii. Hand pollination greatly improves the often lopsided fruit.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Soursop in the US
Not to be confused with: Soursop is a relative of sugar apple (sweetsop), cherimoya and atemoya. Its fruit is much larger, with soft green spines and tarter, juicier flesh.
Where to plant
Soursop needs a frost-free, warm, humid climate. Trees show cold damage at about 38°F, and freezing temperatures, about 32°F for young trees and 30°F for mature ones, kill or badly damage them. Plant it in the warmest, most sheltered spot you have, out of wind.
It tolerates a range of soils but produces best in well-drained, sandy soil with a pH of about 5 to 6.5. It does not tolerate soil that stays wet. Near the coast it needs protection from salt spray.
- South Florida: plant in the warm months so the tree is established before winter cold snaps. Keep it watered and out of the wind, and be ready to cover young trees on cold nights.
- Hawaii: grows well in warm, humid lowlands up to moderate elevations. Plant in spring or fall.
- Central Florida and colder regions: too cold outdoors; it is only practical in a large pot moved into a heated space, where it rarely fruits.
How to plant
- Choose a sunny, sheltered spot at least 15 to 20 feet from other trees, buildings and power lines.
- Plant in the warm season, setting the tree at the depth it grew in its pot.
- Water in thoroughly and mulch widely, keeping the mulch off the trunk.
- Water regularly while the tree establishes; soursop is thirsty but rots in waterlogged soil.
Watering and feeding
Water regularly, especially from flowering through fruit development, as dry spells cause flower and fruit drop. Never let the soil stay soggy.
Feed young trees with a complete fertilizer every six to eight weeks during the growing season, as UF/IFAS advises for related Annona trees, then less often as the tree matures.
Pruning and care through the year
- Soursop flowers are female first and male later, so a flower rarely pollinates itself. Natural pollination by small nitidulid beetles is often poor, which gives few or lopsided fruit.
- To hand pollinate, collect pollen from flowers in the male stage in the late afternoon and brush it onto the centers of newly opened, female-stage flowers the next morning with a small paintbrush.
- Prune to keep the tree low enough to reach the fruit and to open the canopy to light and air.
Harvesting
Pick soursop when it is full size, the skin turns from dark to a lighter, slightly yellowish green, the spines soften and spread apart, and the fruit looks swollen. Pick it before it is fully soft and let it ripen at room temperature, which takes a few days; ripe fruit gives to gentle pressure.
Ripe fruit bruises easily and keeps only a day or two in the fridge. The pulp freezes well.
Using it
Scoop out the white pulp and remove the black seeds. The pulp is used for juice, smoothies, ice cream and sorbet. Do not eat the seeds: they are toxic, and CTAHR warns they can cause severe eye inflammation.
Pests and diseases
Seed-boring wasps, fruit flies and mealybugs are the main pests. Anthracnose attacks flowers and young fruit in wet weather.
Pests to watch for
- Annona seed borer Small round exit holes in the fruit, about 2 mm across, where adult wasps have chewed out; rot often follows. Bag young fruit early.
- Caribbean fruit fly Small maggots in soft, ripening fruit.
- Mealybugs White, cottony clusters on fruit and stems, often tended by ants.
Diseases to watch for
- Anthracnose Dark spots on leaves, flowers and young fruit, which blacken and drop in wet weather.
Common questions
Can I grow soursop in Florida?
Only in the warmest parts of South Florida. Trees show cold damage at about 38°F, and young trees are killed near 32°F. Plant in a warm, sheltered spot and protect young trees on cold nights.
Why are my soursop fruits lopsided?
Poor pollination. Each flower is female before it is male, so it rarely pollinates itself, and the beetles that pollinate it are often scarce. Hand pollinating with a small brush gives fuller, better-shaped fruit.
How do I know when a soursop is ready to pick?
When it is full size, the skin turns a lighter, slightly yellowish green, the spines soften and spread apart, and the fruit looks swollen. Pick it then and let it soften at room temperature for a few days.
Are soursop seeds poisonous?
Yes. Remove the seeds and do not eat them. The pulp is what is eaten.
How big does a soursop tree get?
Up to about 30 feet, but it is usually pruned to about 15 to 20 feet or less so the fruit is easy to reach.
Sources we checked: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Sweetsop, soursop and atemoya; University of Hawaii CTAHR: Soursop (F_N-22); UF/IFAS: Sugar apple growing in the Florida home landscape (MG330); Florida Entomologist: Insects associated with the soursop crop.
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