Awl Tree is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 11 through 12. Its spring flowers are a modest draw for honeybees, even though the fruit is the prize. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Awl Tree — the short answer
Awl Tree: grown in zones 11–12, full sun, pH 4.3–7.
- USDA zones
- 11–12
- Hardy to zone 11a — USDA PLANTS Database (36 °F, converted).
- Soil pH
- 4.3–7
- FAO ECOCROP; USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Converted from FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Awl Tree on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether awl tree actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score awl tree against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
What Awl Tree is
Awl Tree grows as a perennial and reaches around 20 feet at maturity. It blooms white in spring.
How to grow Awl Tree
Awl Tree grows in USDA zones 11 through 12. Awl Tree does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.3 to 7, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
11-12
Hardy to zone 11a: USDA PLANTS Database lists 36 °F, converted to zone 11a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
Soil pH
4.3 - 7
FAO ECOCROP; USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
Converted from FAO ECOCROP
Drainage
well (dry spells)
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
53.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
20 ft
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
Plant it right
Set awl tree in full sun with well-drained soil. Many fruit trees need a second variety nearby to pollinate — check before you plant just one.
Match the soil
Awl Tree prefers pH 4.3 to 7 (FAO ECOCROP; USDA NRCS PLANTS Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Be patient, then harvest
Prune annually while the tree establishes; fruit trees reward patience with years of harvest. Local Extension guides publish per-cultivar bearing-age tables.
Where Awl Tree thrives
Awl Tree is hardy across USDA zones 11 through 12. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 11–12 spans average winter lows from 40°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 3 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 11–12·Where Awl Tree growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Awl Tree stands, state by state
Awl Tree is rated for zones 11–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 40 to 50°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 48 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
3 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Florida · zones 8b-12a
- Hawaii · zones 8b-13a
Awl Tree’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Awl Tree
Growing guides for awl tree
Good to know
Awl Tree offers low value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Before you harvest awl tree, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant awl tree for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Awl Tree's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Awl Tree will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether awl tree actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Awl Tree
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Awl Tree in my zone?
Awl Tree grows in USDA hardiness zones 11 through 12 (Hardy to zone 11a: USDA PLANTS Database lists 36 °F, converted to zone 11a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Awl Tree?
Set awl tree out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Awl Tree need?
Awl Tree needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Awl Tree need?
Awl Tree prefers soil pH 4.3 to 7, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP; USDA NRCS PLANTS Database). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Awl Tree attract pollinators?
Yes — awl tree's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Keep exploring Awl Tree
Awl Tree state by state
Every state awl tree's zone reaches — 0 link straight to that state's awl tree growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.