The tree is pretty, it seems healthy, it has been flowering constantly.
There is just one problem:
POWDERY MILDEW!!!!
This tree keeps putting out new flowers, and those flowers keep getting utterly destroyed by powdery mildew. I have sprayed with copper fungicide before and during flowering, but it doesn't seem to care. The powdery mildew shows up all the same.
So, as many have warned me, it seems that Alphonso is kind of a waste of time in Southern California. I plan on replacing it with Sweet Tart, or some other tried-and-true variety in this region.
The tree is decently mature (6 feet tall with a 1 inch trunk). So my question is: since the tree is pretty mature (and I paid a lot for it), should I just prune hard to wood (leaving no leaves) and graft on the superior variety?
Thanks everyone!