Author Topic: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?  (Read 2426 times)

Jagmanjoe

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Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« on: October 02, 2020, 03:40:38 PM »
Late last year we purchased a home with some property and I purchased 9 Mango trees and 2 Peach trees.  I planted all of them with the dry roots remaining above ground as I have in the past.  I also put a plastic border around each and placed some mulch to help retain moisture.  Subsequently a neighbor and I were talking and he was speaking about how wet our properties would get with the Summer rains.  FWIW, we live in Lakeland, FL.  We have in recent months been getting some heavy rains to the point that the property often times can not even be mowed and the plastic borders around the Mango trees are holding water for days at a time.  Occasionally as much as 2 inches of water above the ground that just sits there.

I am very concerned about the consequences of this and, in hindsight am wondering if I should have planted them for the most part above the ground and then just mounded the dirt at a slope to keep standing water away.

My question is, would I be doing wrong if I were to try to take a pitchfork and raise the level of the trees so the dry roots would remain that way - probably have to raise them each by about 6 to 8 inches?  Concerned about disturbing the root system and adequately filling underneath so there would be no air pockets.  All of the trees are about 5 to 6 feet tall.  Also, the wet soil has already caused the Peach trees to lose all of their leaves when I see other Peach trees in nearby farms full of leaves.

Or, am I overthinking this and should just leave them as they are?  Also, I am hopeful of having some fruit from these trees in the Spring.  This last Summer we were lucky enough to get one or two mangoes from a couple of the trees.  Not sure how many years I have left to enjoy the trees so I am also apprehensive about adjusting the depth as it may keep them from producing fruit for the coming spring.

I appreciate any and all suggestions.

bovine421

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2020, 04:04:08 PM »
Does the property itself have standing water and for how long? Is it just inside your plastic ring that retains the water? If it's the property itself I think your instincts of raising the trees are correct. There'll be more harm from Suffocation from being underwater then the consequences of you disturbing the Roots. I am just a weed inspiring to be a palm one day. Would be curious to hear what others  opinions are :)
« Last Edit: October 02, 2020, 04:08:57 PM by bovine421 »
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bsbullie

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2020, 04:13:09 PM »
Remove the plastic ring and pull the mulch away from the trunk by about 12 - 15 inches.
- Rob

Mike T

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2020, 04:30:11 PM »
A high seasonal water table or persistent ground saturation is not good. While a big mound for each would have been good, it is hard to unscramble eggs and put them back in the shells. If it is localised ponding some drainage works can help. Not many plants are fans of puddling.

Jagmanjoe

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2020, 06:22:12 PM »
Thanks for the responses so far.  And to answer your question, Bovine, we have not had any rain over the past 3 days, including today and when walking around the yard in general, in most spots, taking steps still brings water to the surface.  I only wish I had been aware of the drainage issue when we purchased the property.  I should have recognized the signs when I saw the slab of the house is about a foot and a half above the general surrounding area of our lot.

The rain water over the past couple of months has been puddling and standing for multiple days at a time which really is concerning. 

I may just investigate biting the proverbial bullet and hiring someone with a large tree digging machine or possibly try to rent one myself and just go around to try to disturb the root structure as little as possible.  Raise each tree and fill about 8 to 10 inches of good soil then drop each tree back down with the existing dirt.  Then take my time sloping the ground down around each within the border. They have only been in the ground for less than a year so I hope the root system from the 7 gallon and 15 gallon containers they were in has not yet gone too crazy.

murahilin

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2020, 06:35:23 PM »
Thanks for the responses so far.  And to answer your question, Bovine, we have not had any rain over the past 3 days, including today and when walking around the yard in general, in most spots, taking steps still brings water to the surface.  I only wish I had been aware of the drainage issue when we purchased the property.  I should have recognized the signs when I saw the slab of the house is about a foot and a half above the general surrounding area of our lot.

The rain water over the past couple of months has been puddling and standing for multiple days at a time which really is concerning. 

I may just investigate biting the proverbial bullet and hiring someone with a large tree digging machine or possibly try to rent one myself and just go around to try to disturb the root structure as little as possible.  Raise each tree and fill about 8 to 10 inches of good soil then drop each tree back down with the existing dirt.  Then take my time sloping the ground down around each within the border. They have only been in the ground for less than a year so I hope the root system from the 7 gallon and 15 gallon containers they were in has not yet gone too crazy.

If you do go the route of trying to raise the trees, please do not backfill with "good soil". Mangos should do just fine with sandy soil.

Epicatt2

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2020, 06:37:32 PM »
Jag,

Please call the Coöperative Extension Service in Polk County and ask to speak to, or to be referred to a soil expert who knows about water tables and drainage problems.

It is possible that some of the problem could be due to the soil on your property having a hadrpan layer some inches or feet below the surface which keeps water from percolating away thru the soil.

You should be aware that there are ways to deal with hardpan if that's what the problem is.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

bovine421

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2020, 07:09:54 PM »
I wouldn't worry about digging a 7 gallon or 15 gallon tree and transplanting it somewhere else or up higher. Take a pair of post hole diggers dig a hole until you hit water that will show you where your water table is. Pay attention to the layers of soil. How hard it is to dig. If there isn't any water, fill the hole half way with water and see how many hours it takes to perk away. To get a permit to build a house or install a septic tank a perk test has to be done. Call Road and Bridge public works and ask them to send someone out. Maybe one of your neighbors has blocked a natural Waterway making it back up onto your property. Just remember be nice and offer them cookies and donuts :)
« Last Edit: October 02, 2020, 07:13:37 PM by bovine421 »
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saltyreefer

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2020, 08:42:41 PM »
I think it all depends on how long the property is completely saturated. Fix the drainage issue if it's saturated for a week after the rain. I sorta deal with this too in Brevard County, Fl. I put a Haden in a wet area after a big rain and its thriving. I need to also fix a drainage issue, the homes built around my house are newer with higher foundations.

TnTrobbie

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2020, 05:56:47 AM »
Look into French drains (installed or DIY) if you have a route for this excess water to go away from your property. If you're lucky and the location of your trees permit it, your French drain system can be passive (gravity/ slope powered) or active (with a sump pump).
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Honest Abe

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2020, 12:08:08 PM »
I’ve transplanted a handful of mango trees in the 7 gallon size and moved them around my yard several times months after being established and all of them have done fine. I’ve raised them also and never had an issue Even after tearing roots they still do fine.

Planting a few cypress trees in the lowest, swampier areas of your land might absorb quite a bit of water for you. It doesn’t seem like a solution but a mature bald cypress can absorb 5000-8000 gallons of water a year.

EddieF

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #11 on: October 05, 2020, 12:37:17 PM »
I have one to move squirrels planted too close to property line.
Question- if tap root gets cut off, will it shoot another down?

SWRancher

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #12 on: October 07, 2020, 05:26:24 PM »

Although not ideal conditions, Mangos grow and fruit fine in damp soil with occasional heavy flooding. The pictures are my old yard which would flood a couple times yearly and then stay underwater for a week or two afterward. Never lost a mango tree there from flooding or disease.   



murahilin

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #13 on: October 07, 2020, 07:11:32 PM »

Although not ideal conditions, Mangos grow and fruit fine in damp soil with occasional heavy flooding. The pictures are my old yard which would flood a couple times yearly and then stay underwater for a week or two afterward. Never lost a mango tree there from flooding or disease.   



Tony! What are you growing up in Merritt Island?

Fishinsteeg234

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #14 on: October 07, 2020, 09:06:53 PM »
Jagmanjoe,

Is your yard still experiencing the drainage issue? If so, I would try to carefully dig each one up while trying to keep the root ball intact as best you can, and replant on a raised mound. Since they have been in the ground only a year, I would think they can be transplanted to a raised mound without too much harm. Season after season with wet feet may be a big issue if not corrected early IMO.

SWRancher

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #15 on: October 07, 2020, 10:14:07 PM »

Although not ideal conditions, Mangos grow and fruit fine in damp soil with occasional heavy flooding. The pictures are my old yard which would flood a couple times yearly and then stay underwater for a week or two afterward. Never lost a mango tree there from flooding or disease.   



Tony! What are you growing up in Merritt Island?

So far just a few mangoes, Dot, M4 and Pickering. Planning on adding a couple more mango trees and maybe a sapodilla in the backyard to block salt off the water.       

fliptop

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #16 on: October 08, 2020, 08:50:39 AM »
This thread made me raise up two mango trees and three jackfruit seedlings last weekend. And then SWRancher posts his waterfront property . . . I guess I could've at least left the mango trees as they were, ha! SWRancher, was that your front yard and driveway? Did you use a canoe to get around? The other properties in the pic don't seem to be holding that much water?

roblack

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #17 on: October 08, 2020, 09:44:53 AM »
I've definitely caused the demise of a few trees and plants by just not letting them be.

Jagmanjoe

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #18 on: October 25, 2020, 02:55:48 PM »
Well, water has receded for a bit and here is the update.  I reached out to Polk County Extension about the trees and the expert was not much help.  He did say that the Peach trees would probably not make it and hinted that the Mango trees may not survive.  I pulled the mulch away from the trees and was able to only raise one of the Peach trees.  The other Peach tree and the Mango trees root systems had expanded to such a point that I could not move them without professional help and I spoke to one person that said the property was far too wet for his equipment without doing significant damage to the property itself.  Also, the price to move the trees was more than the prices of the trees themselves.

Here is what I decided to do.  I found a plastic border product that is 10 inches wide at a reasonable price.  I have replaced the existing border with that and over the upcoming weeks will adjust so 5 inches of that is below ground.  I am then putting soil up a little higher along the inside of the border and adding mulch to within a foot or so of the trees creating a bit of a well at the trunk and allowing the above ground roots to remain exposed.  I am hoping that the border going down that deep will keep grass from growing under and more importantly slow water from rainfalls from weeping inside the borders.  When we get significant rains that put those exposed roots under water, I have a small pump to pump that water out for the next couple of years until the trees are more established.  A lot of work on my part but the best option I have come up with to try to save those trees.  If they don't survive, I will build up the dirt to form an island and then replace what I lose with new trees that will be higher.  The neighbors have said that while it can get bad here during the rainy season, this year was by far the worst in recent years.  Adding a pic of the Mango line.


johnb51

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #19 on: October 25, 2020, 03:11:38 PM »
The neighbors have said that while it can get bad here during the rainy season, this year was by far the worst in recent years.
This has been the rainiest October by far in the 32 years I've lived in Florida.
John

Jagmanjoe

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Re: Recently planted Mango trees planted too deep?
« Reply #20 on: October 25, 2020, 03:32:29 PM »
mangomadness, I really appreciate all of your input and efforts.