Author Topic: Duncan mango  (Read 21468 times)

BluePalm

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Duncan mango
« on: March 25, 2012, 09:43:43 PM »
Can anyone give me some feedback on the Duncan mango? I read some older posts on the web where it was referred to as a very good/excellent mango. Now, since we are all mango snobs here  :) is the Duncan in the same category (give or take) as the Edward, Kent, Cushman, Dot, etc?  Or would it be a second tier mango? Also, what are the growth habits of the tree (vigorous like the Bailey's Marvel/Valencia Pride, moderate like a Kent, or slower)? And how about disease resistance?  I have read the informative Wikipedia article (thanks to Squam I believe)...but I wanted any personal experiences if available...especially regarding growth habits.  Thanks in advance!

BluePalm
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DuncanYoung

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2012, 10:04:28 PM »
One of the original 'Duncan" trees.  Hasn't been pruned except by a few storms.  45 plus years old.  Excellent fruit, I would rank it right up there with an 'Edward'.  Very resistant to anthracnose, good producer.


Squam256

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2012, 07:27:25 AM »
Duncan's flavor to me is like a sort of 'milder' Edward, with some other delicate notes it probably inherited from the Pico cross.. It is quite good. I would not place it in the level of Cushman or Dot strictly in terms of flavor but it certainly ranks well. The best quality of Duncan is the sum of all its qualities really; its a medium sized grower, only moderately or semi-vigorous and can be controlled relatively easily (think 'Glenn' in that regard). Its production habits are very good and it has great fungus resistance. Another mango that should have been propagated more than it has been.

bsbullie

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2012, 07:37:46 AM »
I would say the production is excellent, better than Edward or Cushman, and fungus resistance is excellent.  I feel the flavor is outstanding and much better than Kent, better than Cushman (I have found Cushman to be a little inconsistent), and every bit as equal to Edward or Dot (though the flavor profile is different than Edward or Dot so it is unfair to truly compare as it is a subjective thing at that point).  While if left unpruned to grow naturally, the tree will get large like most mangoes.  However, if maintained on a good pruning schedule, the tree can be kept quite manageable within the Richard Campbell/Fairchild system.
- Rob

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2012, 07:56:19 AM »
I pretty much agree with everything Squam has written.  Looking into the Fairchild mango "bible" it is rated Good to Excellent on the Excellent, Good Fair, Poor scale.  They say it is of unknown parentage with Saigon being one of its parents.  The tree was supposedly patented by David Sturrock  of West Palm Beach.  I know Squam's research has some different info on the lineage of this cultivar. In any case, this is a fiberless, orange fleshed fruit with nice flavor.  In my expereince it can be near the top of the tasting table ratings, but is rarely the blue ribbon winner as against some of the top of the top fruits.  It is overall, very worthwhile growing.  I have it....but did not purchase it.  I won it at a Fairchild Mango Festival in a raffle. My tree was severely broken down by Hurricane Wilma, down to a 4 foot stump with no branches.  It took two years to start producing again, but has produced reliably ever since.  The crops are heavy and generally run from July into early August in a later flowering year. The tree is a moderate grower but can easily be controlled with pruning.

Harry
Harry
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mangomandan

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2012, 08:11:21 AM »
One of the original 'Duncan" trees.  Hasn't been pruned except by a few storms.  45 plus years old.  Excellent fruit, I would rank it right up there with an 'Edward'.  Very resistant to anthracnose, good producer.


When you first joined the forum I was tempted to ask if you knew that you were named after two mango cultivars.   So, if Duncan were not a fine mango, would we be calling you Cogshall Young, or Rosigold?  Or ?

FloridaGreenMan

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2012, 07:54:59 PM »
I would rate Duncan as an excellent tasting mango that produces generous crops with no spraying. One of my relatives has a 6 yr old (15 ft tall)  tree that has produced at least 75 fruits every year for the past 3 years. The only quirk I noticed is that it has thin "leggy" branches that need to be tied or propped up when they overload with fruit.  Highly recommended and it's a "semi- dwarf condo" mango regarding growth. At least this one is.   
 




FloridaGreenMan

DuncanYoung

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2012, 08:09:21 PM »
LOL,  I wasn't named after two mango cultivars, I chose that forum name after PIN dissed my granddad's work and came up with their tall tale. 

Tropicalgrower89

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2012, 07:44:30 PM »
LOL,  I wasn't named after two mango cultivars, I chose that forum name after PIN dissed my granddad's work and came up with their tall tale.

Your grandfather started the Young and Duncan mango cultivars?
Alexi

bsbullie

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2012, 07:55:09 PM »
LOL,  I wasn't named after two mango cultivars, I chose that forum name after PIN dissed my granddad's work and came up with their tall tale.

Your grandfather started the Young and Duncan mango cultivars?
David Sturrock initially planted the seed that became the Duncan.  It was named after Ralph Duncan.
- Rob

Tropicalgrower89

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2012, 09:05:37 PM »
LOL,  I wasn't named after two mango cultivars, I chose that forum name after PIN dissed my granddad's work and came up with their tall tale.

Your grandfather started the Young and Duncan mango cultivars?
David Sturrock initially planted the seed that became the Duncan.  It was named after Ralph Duncan.

Cool. :)
Alexi

BluePalm

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #11 on: March 28, 2012, 01:21:26 PM »
Thanks for the feedback everybody! I love this site. I bought 2 Duncan trees today (1 for me, 1 for my dad), and I also purchased another Spirit of '76! The Duncan sounds great. I can't wait to try it.

Best regards,
BluePalm
They're like the Varmint-Cong...

bsbullie

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2012, 01:31:00 PM »
Thanks for the feedback everybody! I love this site. I bought 2 Duncan trees today (1 for me, 1 for my dad), and I also purchased another Spirit of '76! The Duncan sounds great. I can't wait to try it.

Best regards,
BluePalm
Not sure how much of a drive for you to go to Lake Worth but start checking with Excalibur in mid to late May for Duncan mango, the fruit, available for sale.  If I remember, I will let you know when I see it.
- Rob

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2012, 09:38:51 PM »
Yes, my granddad patented both the 'young' and 'duncan'. 

BluePalm

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2012, 06:57:12 PM »
My dad got the Duncan in the ground today at his house. I can't wait to try it...the reviews were great!



They're like the Varmint-Cong...

bsbullie

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2012, 07:31:28 PM »
My dad got the Duncan in the ground today at his house. I can't wait to try it...the reviews were great!

I would remove some of that mulch from around the trunk and crown roots.
- Rob

DuncanYoung

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2012, 07:48:06 PM »
Nice looking tree!  It will be well worth your efforts!

natsgarden123

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #17 on: April 22, 2012, 08:08:03 PM »
My dad got the Duncan in the ground today at his house. I can't wait to try it...the reviews were great!


You have a beautiful backyard-  :)

BluePalm

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2012, 02:25:08 PM »
The mulch around the tree trunk and roots in a 3' radius is extremely thin (for aesthetics).  You can see that it is already dry in the picture. Thanks though...
BluePalm
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bsbullie

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2012, 04:36:03 PM »
The mulch around the tree trunk and roots in a 3' radius is extremely thin (for aesthetics).  You can see that it is already dry in the picture. Thanks though...
BluePalm
For aesthetics or not, it is still enough to cause breathing issues for the crown. and trunk.  Just trying to give some good advice.
- Rob

BluePalm

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #20 on: June 17, 2013, 09:53:12 PM »
Picked 2 Duncans off the tree. This is a fantastic mango, and a top 5-7 in my book. In fact, my father and I chainsawed down a 10' Nam Doc Mai to make room for an 8' Duncan today. The Nam Doc Mai is nothing too special in our book; the fruit tastes like honey; nothing complex. We are out of room so any average mangos get the heave ho! 
They're like the Varmint-Cong...

Cookie Monster

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #21 on: June 18, 2013, 07:33:45 PM »
oops. I hope that wasn't a mistake. The nam doc mai is an incredible mango. It has tres caras or 3 faces.

 - Fully ripe (I call it overripe): If you eat NDM at this stage, it's super sweet, but boring -- like sugar water
 - Just a hair underripe (still slightly hard and green): At this stage, the NDM is a wonderful mix of sweet and tart with a really nice texture
 - Sazon / Mature green: At this stage, the NDM is incredible -- like a granny smith apple rolled in honey

North American palate probably prefers the latter two stages. Latin American palate may prefer fully ripe stage. Dr Richard Campbell eats them at the 'sazon' or mature green stage.

I've found that one of the most important aspects to appreciating a mango is to know 'when' to eat it.

Picked 2 Duncans off the tree. This is a fantastic mango, and a top 5-7 in my book. In fact, my father and I chainsawed down a 10' Nam Doc Mai to make room for an 8' Duncan today. The Nam Doc Mai is nothing too special in our book; the fruit tastes like honey; nothing complex. We are out of room so any average mangos get the heave ho!
Jeff  :-)

BluePalm

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #22 on: June 18, 2013, 10:50:54 PM »
I assure you it is not a mistake. We are not mango rookies.   ;)  In fact, we are mango snobs. We wear monocles when we inspect our trees and instruct our butler to pick only the finest fruit.

In all seriousness though I've had NDM's from several trees and think it is a good mango...not just the drop-dead hype-mango that it's been built up to be. It tastes like...honey. I want something more complex. I'm not a green-mango guy anyway so no big loss there. I can understand the tree being more special to someone with a differing palate than mine though.  Too late now though it is ggggggone!
They're like the Varmint-Cong...

Cookie Monster

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #23 on: June 19, 2013, 11:47:41 PM »
hahaha I agree with you on the NDM when fully ripe -- sweet and boring. But there is a point just before that where the mango is astoundingly delicious with a richer flavor.
Jeff  :-)

BrettBorders

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Re: Duncan mango
« Reply #24 on: July 30, 2013, 09:22:23 AM »
The one Duncan I tried had nice, smooth flesh and a pleasing flavor for the most part... but it also had a distinctly bitter taste near the peel that kind of ruined it for me.

Is this a general characteristic of this variety... or a fluke?

« Last Edit: July 30, 2013, 09:28:41 AM by BrettBorders »