Mango Multi-grafting Experience & Combinations

[MarcoIslandMango]

Hi All - So I've finally done it.  I have (almost) all of the mango varieties I want - and they're all growing and fruiting fairly well.  That said, I have way too many trees planted for the size of my lot. (11 in total - Lemon Zest, Maha Chanok, Angie, PPK x2, NDM, Glenn, Velencia Pride, Lancetilla, Pickering, an unknown 25 yr old tree with large, almost entirely purple mangos).

After reading the bad reviews on Lancetilla 2 years ago I started top working portions of that tree with other varieties.  This season it fruited ~5 Lancetilla, 30 Glenn, and 5 NDM.  It's incredible to see different varieties that are totally different shapes, sizes, and colors hanging from the same tree.

This summer I completely top worked one of my 2 PPK trees with Maha, Angie, and Pickering... hoping that I could manage the growth habits to keep them in relative balance.  The grafts took and have had 1 flush of growth thus far.

I'd like to start combining other trees to keep the diversity but reduce the footprint (or increase the number of varieties I can have).  I'm at the point where I have more mangoes than I can eat in a summer, so diversity is a big part of the equation for me. 

My latest thought is to combine VP, PPK, and LZ.  My VP tree is about 6 years old and would be the best rootstock to top work.  I've aggressively pruned it to limit the size, and, probably for that reason, it hasnt fruited very well (maybe 12 fruit this year).  Do you all think that would work or would the VP dominate given its extreme vigor? 

More broadly - what are the best variety combinations others have found? 

Thanks!

Brett

Thanks!

[simon_grow]

Here's a thread I found using the forum search.

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=5196.0

Simon

[Guanabanus]

Leave the lower arching-down VP branches, and top-work graft other varieties in the dominant positions on top.

[MarcoIslandMango]

Thats a great idea Guanabanus.  Without thinking about it, that's essentially what I did with the Lancitilla.  The Glenn was grafted right in the middle and thus had the best opportunity to thrive.  Lemon Zest is my smallest/newest tree, and also my favorite so maybe Ill graft that into the best position, a few PPK scions onto the second best positions, and leave the lower branches for VP as you've described.  Thanks for the tip.