Anyone here from Canada?

[Priyanka]

Hi! Is there anyone here from Canada growing tropical fruits at home? I have been growing lots of potted tropical flowers for several years now in zones 5-6a, but I am pretty new in growing fruits. Since having success with figs (without overwintering it in a garage or something. I don't have a garage or a basement...I live in a southeast apartment. I just left the pot in my living room in winter then dragged it outside in spring. Now I have figs!), I got a little more adventurous and ordered a black sapote and an Alphonso mango to be grown in containers. They're both in 3 gallon nursery pots.

I have a few questions as a newbie, please help if possible. What's the minimum pot size for both of these plants? My fig is in a pot that's between 10-15 gallon (it's a large terracotta, about 18" diameter). Will these plants do well in similar sized pots with root prunings every 1-2 years? They will be outside from spring-fall in 6-8 hours full sun. My apartment is fairly bright even in our stupidly eeky winter. The natural lights coming from the large window on a sunny day + the ceiling lights seem to be enough for my other tropicals (plumeria, jasmines, orchids, croton, bay leaf, meyer lemon, fig etc). Will that be fine for these as well? I use organic Pro-Mix potting soil, organic compost, organic bone meal, organic hen fertilizer or liquid fish fertilizer, crushed eggshells, vegetable & fruit peels etc for all my plants (including my seasonal outdoor container garden) and they respond well to that. I am guessing the mango and black sapote will do as well? Or do I need to add something else to make them thrive? I know mangoes love high nitrogen fertilizer, so I'm gonna get some for it. Anything else? Also, please feel free to provide any helpful tips and suggestions, thank you!

[The_Last_Saxon]

Hi!
I am from Canada (Vancouver area).
For figs, I grow them outside (in the ground and in pots). The one in a pot is about six feet tall and has yet to produce a single fig (unsure of the species). The one in the ground has become a 15 foot tall by 15 foot wide monster that (when the weather is right) produces a 100 pounds of figs, plus, lol.

As for the lemon (and all citrus) watch out for Scale insects. They killed my lime and seriously hurt my lemon.

As for the mango (where did you order it from, btw?) watch out for fungus. I've sprouted at least a dozen mangoes over the years but every last one has died by the time it has reached two feet in height. Fungus hits the leaves and kills them like clockwork for me.

As for rootprunings, my general rule of them is to wait until you see a decent mass of roots emerging out of the bottom of the pot. Then cut off about a third to forty percent of the roots before repotting. Best (imho) to do in early spring just before the growing season starts.

Hope this helps.
Cheers.