Ahhh, first, they are not YOUR mangoes. Second, I have tasted countless Zill "experiments" over the last few years so I have a good handle on what they are producing. Many, or should I say most, of their experiments are not worthy of naming/planting.
Also, don't believe everything you hear as to who got this first and such...even if you heard it from Patrick For there to be a plant to get bud wood for grafting these trees from there is most likely at least one in the ground.
Rob,
Until proven otherwise, I continue to believe my tree is the first "outside of a commercial nursery." Please look at the wording of my post. The bud wood likely came from Zill's facility in Costa Rica (a commercial nursery)....so I continue to believe that I am the first "outside a commercial nursery."
I bought the Zill tree based on Zill's reputation. I would not expect Zill's to hit a homerun with every mango, but that on the average Zills would produce good trees. I bought the Sunrise, coconut cream, Lemon Zest, Sunrise, Pina Colada, Sweet Tart and Pineapple Pleasure based on Zill's reputation. Similarly, I bought the Mahachanok, NDM, and Carrie without tasting them...instead relying upon the suggestions of others. I grew up in Hawaii eating Paris and Hayden mangoes...my varities should be an improvement. I have ten varieties of mangoes and still have room to plant more.
I am not trying to put you or your choices down, just to make you aware of Zills and their ways. There are a handful on here that not only know how Zills operates but knows the family. I am not knocking them either as some of their choices are outstanding...on the other hand, IN MY OPINION, some are duds and I would never think of planting them. While I love almost all mangoes, with the numerous varieties available during each "season (early, mid, and late), some come up very disappointing or pretty bad when there are much better varieties available.
I understand that you, and man other go by recommendation when buying mangoes. However, when doing this you should know the person and their tastes, What one person like another may hate. I have knowingly had all of the varieties Jeff listed above, with the exception of Lady's Choice, Ugly Betty and Juliette (I may have had Ugly Betty and Juliette but not familiar with their corresponding number...for those who don't know and without going into great detail, before Zills names one of their creations, they release the fruit with a number that identifies the tree it came from). To me, Sweet Tart was awful, Sunrise was "ok", and Pina Colada ranged from outstanding to inedible. The best were Coco Cream, Orange Sherbet, Lemon Zest and Harvest Moon.
Most of us are guilty of hyping certain varieties based on our knowledge of them. I will be the first to push the Mahachanok as the best mango available. Why, cause I have had a number of them and can vouch for just how good they are. I have also had a number of Coco Cream, OS, LZ HM and can also vouch for their quality though I will be honest in saying that none of them, TO ME, are better than the Mahachanok and my second fav would probably be Coco Cream. Are these new Zill "designed" varieties the best out there, probably not the best but some of them are right up there. Don't get caught up in the hype and overlook some of the superb "old" varieties such as Mallika, Duncan, Dot, NDM, Cushman, PPK, Edward, and Pickering just to name a few.
Since we are so close to the season this year, I would highly recommend tasting the different fruits to see what YOU like before you wind up wishing you had purchased variety A instead of variety B.