It can be grown in a variety of soils but deep alluvium, sandy loam, and well-drained medium black soils with pH 6.0-8.0 are ideal for its cultivation. However, shallow clay soils underlaid with hard pan or high calcium contents are unsuitable for sapota cultivation.

It is a tropical fruit, which likes warm and humid (>70% RH) climate. It grows well up to an altitude of 1, 000m however, coastal climate is ideal for sapota cultivation. Temperature range of 10-38°C and annual rainfall between 1250-2500 mm is suitable for sapota cultivation where it flowers and fruits throughout the year. Temperatures exceeding 43°C leads to flower drop.