Banana Chikku (Manilkara zapota)

A unique and highly prized chikku variety named for its distinctive elongated, banana-like fruit shape, offering an exceptionally sweet, fine-grained, brownish-orange pulp with a honey-caramel flavor and very few seeds.

Grafted and air-layered trees adapt exceptionally well to home gardens or large container culture, maintaining a compact growth habit and bearing fruit heavily in just 1 to 2 years compared to 5+ years for seed-grown plants!

Description

Banana Chikku / Banana Sapota (Manilkara zapota) grows best in 6–8 hours of direct sunlight and thrives in warm, humid tropical climates. Water regularly during the early growth stage to keep the soil moderately moist, while avoiding waterlogging around the roots. It grows well in fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter and becomes relatively drought-tolerant once established.

Recommended Planting Method for Best Results
For healthy growth and strong establishment, prepare a 2–3 ft deep pit. If available, place a layer of green leaves at the bottom. Mix 1.5 kg bone meal, 1 kg oil cake, 20 kg raw cow or goat dung, and 100 g urea with an equal quantity of soil, then fill the pit and cover it with soil.
Leave the pit for about one month, watering it daily so the mixture decomposes well. After one month, mix the contents again and add 100 g calcium or dolomite. Wait one more week, then plant the sapling.
If you need to plant immediately and cannot wait for the one-month decomposition period, do not add oil cake or calcium/dolomite; use only the soil, manure, bone meal, and urea mixture for planting.