Author Topic: Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?  (Read 2440 times)

Badfish8696

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 32
    • SoCal
    • View Profile
Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?
« on: February 18, 2018, 02:25:29 PM »
So I am thinking about putting in some Cherimoya and Mango trees.

I need advice on which varieties to look for that will do well in my area. I am in zone 10a and occasionally see lows in the upper 20s, my soil is well draining, my avocados and citrus are doing very well.

I have been lead to believe cherimoyas are very similar to avocados in their growing requirements. The only variety I have tried is Dr. White which I loved. Some others that seem to be available in my area are Pierce and Booth. Any varieties that stand out or you would recommend? I am probably only going to put in 1 or 2 trees if that factors at all.

I am less confident in mangos as I believe they are much more frost sensitive. The varieties I have had are the common grocery store ones and the champagne/ataulfo. I am looking for a typical mango, preferably with low fiber and small pit that can handle the occasional cold snap. I think Valencia Pride and Ataulfo are the main ones available around me but I am sure others can be found. I can probably find a somewhat protected location close to my house for the mango.

Any advice you could provide on these two fruit trees would be greatly appreciated.

simon_grow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • USA, San Diego, CA, Zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2018, 09:40:17 PM »
I just looked up the USDA zone 10a and it states that average minimum temperatures are 30-35F. Are you sure you’re in Zone 10A? If your average minimum temps are 30-35F, you may be able to find an area where the microclimate is slightly warmer where you can successfully grow Mango. If you are going to try to grow Mango, I would try to acquire a polyembryonic seed from a variety that you like and plant the seed directly into the ground after the last chance of frost so that it can establish a decent root system before the next Winter. You may have to protect it the first several winters but once it puts on some size, it will be better able to withstand the cold. There are videos of people successfully growing Mango in Northern California( Bay Area) and also in Arizona
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lwGDDiRay6Q
If you plant in a south facing area that gets the earliest morning sun and if you have a large thermal sink like a cinder block or stone wall that can slowly release heat at night, you maybe able to grow Mango.

Mango is so delicious, I would definitely do everything I can to plant it. Some polyembryonic varieties that are pretty well liked by many people are Nam Doc Mai, Sweet Tart, Po Pyu kalay, Lemon Zest.

I know NDM, Sweet Tart and Lemon Zest seedlings grow very well for me but Lemon Zest seems to have an issue with setting Fruit because of issues with Powdery Mildew.

Simon

simon_grow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • USA, San Diego, CA, Zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2018, 09:51:22 PM »
Pierce and Booth are both excellent varieties. Also consider El Bumpo and Orton. Before you purchase a variety, you shoul try to make it to a Cherimoya tasting at the UC extension in Riverside so you can taste the different varieties before selecting which one to purchase.

Simon

Badfish8696

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 32
    • SoCal
    • View Profile
Re: Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2018, 01:11:08 AM »
Thanks Simon, yes I am in 10a, I am close to Fallbrook and it has the closest microclimate to mine. The winters do vary, for instance this year has been unseasonably warm and the lowest temp I recorded was 34F. Last year however there was significant chill hours and quite a few nights around 28F. I just checked the USDA map and my average minimum temp is 33.1 F.

I am not sure I have the patience to grow a mango from seed, can you elaborate on why this would be beneficial? The mangos at local nurseries seem like they are seed grow as they will often have two seedlings emerging side by side in one pot.

I will try to do more tasting of cherimoyas before I make a decision. Glad to know the varieties available should be solid in any case.

Mugenia

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 232
    • People's Socialist Republic of California USDA Zone 10
    • View Profile
Re: Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2018, 04:56:26 AM »
I am in a similar situation like you. Just planted a bunch of atemoya, Valencia Pride mango, jackfruit, etc., after moving to Southern California. Looks like there's a frost/freezing advisory for Riverside area. The temperature is expected to drop to 31F for Monday's and Tuesday's night. Hope nothing will happen to those young plants. Will report back later.

simon_grow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • USA, San Diego, CA, Zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2018, 08:34:30 AM »
From my experience, Seedling trees adapt much better to various soil conditions, possibly because they will have a long undisturbed tap root. If you want to save yourself some time, you can plant a Lavern Manilla Mango from Home Depot. It has proven to be a good grower here in SoCal as long as you have decent soil and get it into the ground before it gets severely pot bound. The issue with this Manilla Mango is that the Fruit is poor quality. That means that you will need to top work the tree with named varieties if you want good quality fruit.

Unfortunately, grafting causes issues here in SoCal. Once a tree is grafted with mature scion, it will likely flower in its first or second Winter. Flowering on a small tree is a huge waste of the young trees resources and will delay vegetative growth and establishment of the canopy.

I suggested planting polyembryonic seeds because in theory, if you get multiple sprouts, you may get lucky and get a clone so you will not have to graft. Also, because it is a seedling tree and thus it is not grafted, it does not get stimulated to flower and you should have several years of vegetative growth and establishment before it reaches sexual maturity.

Simon

simon_grow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • USA, San Diego, CA, Zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Cherimoya / Mango Advice For SoCal (10a)?
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2018, 09:16:04 AM »
Here’s some info on growing Mango in SoCal.
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=23124.0

Simon