Reading contradictory info on Little Gem

[bovine421]

I've read that it is low vigor compact and I have also read it is open and spreading moderately vigorous. Some say it's a small tree other say it is a medium tree. Not sure what to think. What has been your observations

[johnb51]

So does the name refer to the size of the fruit, as opposed to the size of the tree?

[bsbullie]

I think its a description to the ruby or emerald-like fruit!

?

[Satya]

My little gem is in a 3g pot, now grafted some to Carrie tree. Not sure if it is wise if Lil gem is later season and Carrie relatively early to mid. I have seen mature Lil gem trees in two of our forum memer’s garden. One is mangokothiyan in coral springs, his tree was perhaps  8-10ft tall but had the same look as the other one i saw at TonyinCc garden in cape coral. I think Tony’s tree was >5 yrs old. Pics someone posted here in a post was exactly what i saw but didnt take a picture. Both trees grow compact, like a round ball on a thick stick. I didnt see long lateral branches but a compact growth. Not sure how big they get and how much prining will halt production but seems these guys have the tree productive and short.

[bsbullie]

My little gem is in a 3g pot, now grafted some to Carrie tree. Not sure if it is wise if Lil gem is later season and Carrie relatively early to mid. I have seen mature Lil gem trees in two of our forum memer’s garden. One is mangokothiyan in coral springs, his tree was perhaps  8-10ft tall but had the same look as the other one i saw at TonyinCc garden in cape coral. I think Tony’s tree was >5 yrs old. Pics someone posted here in a post was exactly what i saw but didnt take a picture. Both trees grow compact, like a round ball on a thick stick. I didnt see long lateral branches but a compact growth. Not sure how big they get and how much prining will halt production but seems these guys have the tree productive and short.

Its hard to make certain judgments when people manage growth by pruning or branches that are topworked onto another tree.

[Satya]

pic i was talking about

[johnb51]

Rob, wouldn't you say some varieties respond well to pruning for compact growth and others don't?  My experience with Angie was that it responded well, but left on its own it could easily become a large tree.  Doesn't Dr. Campbell support that idea with his "condo mango" designation?

[bsbullie]

From my current planting, I have found no pruning leads to very good shape and growth habit.  Starting with 3 gal works best.  As the trees get older, you can cycle out the larger limbs to jeeo them shaped and sized down.  When you tip prune, you are actually causing more growth.

This would not apply if growing in a pot.

[johnb51]

What about topping?

[bovine421]

I think its a description to the ruby or emerald-like fruit!

?

As long as it does not taste like a fairchild Diamond

[skhan]

On one of truly tropical videos, i remember Marlys Zill(hope I'm spelling that right) mentioning rootstock when speaking about the vigor. It might have been on her yard tour

[bsbullie]

On one of truly tropical videos, i remember Marlys Zill(hope I'm spelling that right) mentioning rootstock when speaking about the vigor. It might have been on her yard tour

Yes, certain rootstocks can have a "dwarfing" effect on certain varieties.

[bovine421]

I think its a description to the ruby or emerald-like fruit!

?

As long as it does not taste like a fairchild Diamond

haha!

Next season I may sponsor Satya to do a review of Fairchild diamond and a imported Tommy Adkins LOL He may have to come up with a putrid scale from 1 to 5 not sure if the winner would be the loser or the loser would be the winner but it would be interesting

[Jabba The Hutt]

I've read that it is low vigor compact and I have also read it is open and spreading moderately vigorous. Some say it's a small tree other say it is a medium tree. Not sure what to think. What has been your observations

I posted a pic of TonyInCC's Lil' Gem from last month in one of his Lil' Gem threads.

[bovine421]

I've read that it is low vigor compact and I have also read it is open and spreading moderately vigorous. Some say it's a small tree other say it is a medium tree. Not sure what to think. What has been your observations

I posted a pic of TonyInCC's Lil' Gem from last month in one of his Lil' Gem threads.

Yes you and Tony are quite the sales team. I've sourced a 7 gallon and working on a confirmation of a  15 gallon. You both should be invited to the ZHPP Christmas party because it was not even on my radar screen.

[Satya]

I think its a description to the ruby or emerald-like fruit!

?

As long as it does not taste like a fairchild Diamond

haha!

Next season I may sponsor Satya to do a review of Fairchild diamond and a imported Tommy Adkins LOL He may have to come up with a putrid scale from 1 to 5 not sure if the winner would be the loser or the loser would be the winner but it would be interesting

I tasted Diamond this year. Didn’t feature it in videos for reasons we all know although my wife insisted i need to review even if the taste is not par. I wanted to taste more of these to form an opinion. That one tasted like an improved NDM #4, not the Sia Tong which was way better than NDM #4 . My neighbors Tommy that grows by the brackish river when picked mature and ripened in garage smelled and tasted like the good tasting Indian mangoes so i am not sure, may be its the brackish water that concentrates taste. Neighbors don’t have taste for mangoes so the tree is all ours but it is 50ft tall, i feel embarrased to ask to use picker. I pick lower branches and leave upper ones to fall, iguanas and squirrels eat the rest.

I had some bad tasting ones that i did tasting and recorded but never posted the video, instead of eyes opening up they were nose squeezing. Some of them are shwe ya za ma mango, a coconut cream that was over ripe with musky sewery taste, a fairchild that was dark orange but mild carotene taste etc.

Does Diamond have any benefit over NDM#4, may be has no fruit splitting?

[bovine421]

I think its a description to the ruby or emerald-like fruit!

?

As long as it does not taste like a fairchild Diamond

haha!

Next season I may sponsor Satya to do a review of Fairchild diamond and a imported Tommy Adkins LOL He may have to come up with a putrid scale from 1 to 5 not sure if the winner would be the loser or the loser would be the winner but it would be interesting

I tasted Diamond this year. Didn’t feature it in videos for reasons we all know although my wife insisted i need to review even if the taste is not par. I wanted to taste more of these to form an opinion. That one tasted like an improved NDM #4, not the Sia Tong which was way better than NDM #4 . My neighbors Tommy that grows by the brackish river when picked mature and ripened in garage smelled and tasted like the good tasting Indian mangoes so i am not sure, may be its the brackish water that concentrates taste. Neighbors don’t have taste for mangoes so the tree is all ours but it is 50ft tall, i feel embarrased to ask to use picker. I pick lower branches and leave upper ones to fall, iguanas and squirrels eat the rest.

I had some bad tasting ones that i did tasting and recorded but never posted the video, instead of eyes opening up they were nose squeezing. Some of them are shwe ya za ma mango, a coconut cream that was over ripe with musky sewery taste, a fairchild that was dark orange but mild carotene taste etc.

Does Diamond have any benefit over NDM#4, may be has no fruit splitting?

Would Diamond be more comparable to Baptiste which is said to have a strong note of carrot?

[Satya]

I remember eating Baptiste in 2018. Small yellowish orange mango, hard outside but ripe inside. It had a spicy note with mild sweetness. The Diamond i had was more comparable to a NDM type flavor( is it what indochinese favor is? ) with mild sweetness and no other funky or any complex taste notes.

[bovine421]

I remember eating Baptiste in 2018. Small yellowish orange mango, hard outside but ripe inside. It had a spicy note with mild sweetness. The Diamond i had was more comparable to a NDM type flavor( is it what indochinese favor is? ) with mild sweetness and no other funky or any complex taste notes.

We had a Keow Savoy this season.I did not know that we should of ate it crunchy green. We let it ripen until it was yellow but was quite good. Some much so that I bought one and give it to my neighbor who like's green crunchy mangoes. She is from the Philippines where they are a custom to that.

[skhan]

I remember eating Baptiste in 2018. Small yellowish orange mango, hard outside but ripe inside. It had a spicy note with mild sweetness. The Diamond i had was more comparable to a NDM type flavor( is it what indochinese favor is? ) with mild sweetness and no other funky or any complex taste notes.

I had one Diamond from ZHPP this year.
It was actually decent. I prefer it over NDM actually. (Wouldn't plant a tree)
It tasted exactly like a combination of its supposed parents (NDM and Julie)

NDM, BKM etc would fall into the "Thai" flavor group
Zinc, ST, CAC are in the "indochinese" flavor group

[Satya]

I remember eating Baptiste in 2018. Small yellowish orange mango, hard outside but ripe inside. It had a spicy note with mild sweetness. The Diamond i had was more comparable to a NDM type flavor( is it what indochinese favor is? ) with mild sweetness and no other funky or any complex taste notes.

I had one Diamond from ZHPP this year.
It was actually decent. I prefer it over NDM actually. (Wouldn't plant a tree)
It tasted exactly like a combination of its supposed parents (NDM and Julie)

NDM, BKM etc would fall into the "Thai" flavor group
Zinc, ST, CAC are in the "indochinese" flavor group

Spot on with the taste. Your description reminded me that i actually did make a tasting video on it. This is for you bovine421 : https://youtu.be/nz_KFyUEO7o

[bsbullie]

We seem to have gotten off course here...but as long as we are, I find the Diamond aka HW14, formerly Fairchild Diamond to have a unappealing vegetative flavor component. It otherwise is only mildly sweet with no discernable enjoyable flavor.  I cannot recommend this mango under any circumstances.

[Satya]

We seem to have gotten off course here...but as long as we are, I find the Diamond aka HW14, formerly Fairchild Diamond to have a unappealing vegetative flavor component. It otherwise is only mildly sweet with no discernable enjoyable flavor.  I cannot recommend this mango under any circumstances.

Yes seems like the topic went for a ride  , perhaps bovine421 thought Diamond is a gem after all. I am not growing this variety, nor plan on grafting it to any other trees. But i feel we missed a good marketing name "diamond" for an average tasting mango here.

[bovine421]

We seem to have gotten off course here...but as long as we are, I find the Diamond aka HW14, formerly Fairchild Diamond to have a unappealing vegetative flavor component. It otherwise is only mildly sweet with no discernable enjoyable flavor.  I cannot recommend this mango under any circumstances.

Yes seems like the topic went for a ride  , perhaps bovine421 thought Diamond is a gem after all. I am not growing this variety, nor plan on grafting it to any other trees. But i feel we missed a good marketing name "diamond" for an average tasting mango here.

Yes I agree! Diamond should have been reserved for the very best. A more fitting name may have been Kryptonite because not even Superman can finish one. LOL

[Jabba The Hutt]

OMG I was wondering why you had a picture of Jabba the Hut with christmas decorations, and just now I realised he is covered in berries!! Jabotica!!

Have to honor one of the greatest fruits properly!!