Chayote / Choko (Trellised)
Chayote / Choko / Vegetable Pear
Sechium edule
Crop overview
- Crop group
- Cucurbit
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Growth habit
- Extremely Vigorous Perennial Climbing Vine With Branched Tendrils
This profile covers cultivated chayote, known as choko in Australia, grown vertically for its edible fruit. It includes smooth, wrinkled and spiny green or pale-fruited forms of Sechium edule. Chayote is a tropical or subtropical perennial and may remain productive for several years in a suitable frost-free climate. In colder areas it may be grown as a long-season annual, although fruit production is often unreliable because flowering is stimulated by short days. This profile focuses on fruit production. Young shoots, leaves, tuberous roots and the single soft seed are also eaten in some cuisines, but they have different harvesting and preparation requirements. It does not cover other pear-shaped gourds or unrelated crops also called vegetable pear.
Variety examples
Smooth Green, Spiny Green, White Chayote
Quick facts
- Plant spacing
- 1.80 m – 3.60 m
- Row spacing
- 3 m
- Support height
- 1.80 m – 3 m
- Support strength
- Extra Heavy
- Support types
- Reinforced Pergola, Extra-Heavy Cattle-Panel Arch, Overhead-Wire Trellis, Heavy Welded-Wire Arbor, Strong Permanent Fence
- Training method
- Tendril
- Vertical suitability
- Specialist
- Sun requirement
- Full Sun
- Days to harvest
- 120–180 days
Support & training
Training requirements
Install an extra-heavy, firmly braced trellis, pergola, arbor or overhead-wire framework before the vine becomes established. Guide young shoots onto the support and loosely secure them until the branched tendrils attach.
Spread vigorous growth across the available structure rather than allowing the vine to gather in one dense area. Keep growth away from roofs, gutters, powerlines, trees and lightweight fences.
Allow fruit to hang freely below or beside the support where it can be inspected and harvested safely. Check the structure, ties and anchors regularly because a mature perennial canopy can become extremely heavy, particularly after rain.
Pruning requirements
Prune regularly to restrict the vine to its allocated structure, improve access and prevent it from overwhelming neighbouring plants or buildings.
Redirect or shorten excessive shoots and remove dead, damaged, diseased or severely congested growth. Avoid removing all productive lateral growth because flowers and fruit form on developing shoots.
In frost-free climates, established vines may be cut back after the main harvest or when growth becomes unmanageable. Retain sufficient healthy vine and protect the crown if the plant is to regrow.
Growing setup guidance
Container
Minimum size: 100 L
Plants per container: 1
Grow one plant in a very large, broad and stable container holding at least 100 L (about 26 US gal) of potting mix. A larger container is strongly preferable where the vine will be retained for more than one season. Provide excellent drainage, consistent moisture, regular feeding and an independently anchored extra-heavy support. Do not rely on a lightweight pot-mounted trellis because the mature vine can extend more than 10 m and develop a very large, wind-catching canopy. Container-grown plants may need frequent watering during hot or dry weather, but the root zone must never remain waterlogged. Prune regularly to keep growth within the available support.
Raised bed
Plant beside a completed, extra-heavy trellis or overhead framework. Raised beds or mounded planting positions are particularly useful in areas with heavy seasonal rain because chayote does not tolerate standing water around its roots.
Allow one plant a large share of the bed and support. Position the structure where the dense perennial canopy will not overwhelm neighbouring crops or shade areas that require full sun.
Maintain consistent moisture and fertility while ensuring that excess rain drains freely.
In-ground
Plant in fertile, moisture-retentive but freely draining soil beside a fully installed support. Allow substantial root and canopy space because a mature plant can cover a large fence, arbor or pergola.
Avoid low-lying sites where water remains after rain. Mulch to conserve moisture and protect perennial roots, while keeping mulch away from the planted fruit and crown where it could encourage rot.
In frost-free climates, prune and renew older growth periodically. Plants are often replaced after several years where disease pressure or declining productivity develops.
Planting, pollination & harvest
Sowing / transplanting
Chayote is normally propagated by planting an entire mature fruit because the single soft seed germinates inside the fruit and cannot usually be stored or handled like ordinary cucurbit seed.
Allow a sound mature fruit to begin sprouting in a warm, sheltered place. Plant the whole sprouted fruit on its side or at a slight angle, leaving the sprout and upper portion exposed above the soil. Do not bury it deeply because the fleshy fruit may rot.
Plant after frost danger has passed when soil and nights are reliably warm. In colder districts, begin sprouting the fruit under protection and plant it outside only after conditions have warmed. Install the permanent support before or immediately after planting.
Pollination
Chayote plants produce separate male and female flowers on the same vine. Bees, wasps and other visiting insects transfer pollen between the flowers and are important for reliable fruit set.
An absence of pollinating insects may cause female flowers or young fruit to fail. Avoid applying insecticides while flowers are open and pollinators are active.
Flowering is strongly influenced by day length. Many plants begin initiating flowers when day length falls to about 12 hours or less, so a vigorous vine may remain vegetative for months before flowering.
Warnings
Chayote is very frost-sensitive. Cold conditions can stop growth, prevent fruit from maturing and kill exposed vines. In temperate climates, short-day flowering may begin so late that fruit cannot mature before frost.
The mature vine can grow more than 10 m long and can overwhelm trees, roofs, gutters, fences and lightweight trellises. Use an extra-heavy support and prune regularly.
Avoid standing water and deeply buried planting fruit, both of which increase the risk of rot. Watch for aphids, whiteflies, mites, fruit flies, cucumber beetles, caterpillars, root-knot nematodes, powdery mildew, downy mildew, anthracnose, root rots, bacterial diseases and cucurbit viruses.
Some cultivars have sharp surface spines. Wear gloves when training vines or harvesting spiny fruit.
Fallen mature fruit may sprout in warm climates. Remove unwanted fruit and seedlings where spreading is a concern.
General notes
Harvest fruit while it is firm, tender and approximately 10–15 cm across, before the skin becomes hard or fibrous. Suitable size varies among smooth, wrinkled and spiny forms.
Fruit commonly takes about 35–60 days to develop after successful pollination. Cut it from the vine with a short section of stem attached rather than pulling against the support.
Young fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is used similarly to a mild summer squash. The single soft seed is edible with the flesh.
Leave sound fruit to mature fully where planting material is required for the next season. Store planting fruit somewhere cool, dry and protected from frost, then allow it to sprout before planting.
Established plants can produce heavily, so inspect vines frequently once harvesting begins.
Climate guidance
Climate suitability: Specialist
Planting season
Plant in spring after frost danger has passed and soil and nights are reliably warm. Establish the vine as early as safely possible so it has time to develop before short-day flowering begins.
Wet / dry season
Water deeply during dry summer weather and maintain even moisture from flowering through fruit enlargement. Avoid saturated soil after storms.
Soil temperature
Plant when soil is at least about 18°C (65°F). Do not rush sprouted fruit into cold spring ground.
Frost sensitivity
Extremely frost-sensitive. Autumn frost may kill the vine before fruit matures, and winter cold usually prevents outdoor perennial survival.
Heat sensitivity
Warm and hot summers promote rapid vegetative growth. Extreme heat combined with dry soil may cause wilting and flower or young-fruit loss.
Humidity / disease
Hot rainy periods can increase mildew, leaf disease, root rot and insect pressure. Maintain an open canopy and freely draining root zone.
Sowing guidance
Begin sprouting the whole fruit under protection, then plant it outside after frost danger has passed. Install the permanent support before vigorous growth begins.
Notes
The plant may produce a huge vine but no crop until late summer or autumn because flowering responds to shorter days. Fruit is most likely where autumn remains warm and frost-free for at least five to eight weeks after flowering.