For good fruit production, the plant must be irrigated. In Israel, brackish water is utilized with no adverse effect. In California, irrigation water is supplied by overhead sprinklers which also provide frost protection during cold spells. The fruits ripen 6 to 7 months after flowering. The fruit cannot be ripened off the tree even with ethylene treatment.
Growers generally consider the fruit ready for harvest if it makes a metallic sound when tapped.
The fruit must be picked before over maturity when it tends to crack open if rained upon or under certain conditions of atmospheric humidity, dehydration by winds, or insufficient irrigation. Of course, one might assume that ultimate splitting is the natural means of seed release and dispersal. The fruits should not be pulled off but clipped close to the base so as to leave no stem to cause damage in handling and shipping. The fruit ships well, cushioned with paper or straw, in wooden crates or, for nearby markets, in baskets. Commercial California growers grade the fruits into 8 sizes, pack in layers, unwrapped but topped with shredded plastic, in covered wood boxes, precool rapidly, and ship in refrigerated trucks.