Sweet Tart Mango

[Mark in Texas]

Great info, thanks.

Using my WorkSharp and a 80 grit belt I put a knife edge on a large, thick S/S spoon to cut/scoop out the "cheek".  Works pretty good.  PITA to dice one into small squares and then cut them off the peel.

[WGphil]

I like the bigger hunks just something about a quantity of quality

[edzone9]

My St ..

[Guanabanus]

Palm City, if your Sweet Tart is growing in sandy soil, you need to add Calcium to the soil, preferably as Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum).  At flowering time you can drench or spray with Calcium Chelate and Boron, or sprayed with Calcium Nitrate.

You need at least twice as much Calcium as Nitrogen, so Calcium Nitrate alone will never get you to the correct ratio, and will easily get you too much Nitrogen.

[FruitFreak]

Palm City, if your Sweet Tart is growing in sandy soil, you need to add Calcium to the soil, preferably as Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum).  At flowering time you can drench or spray with Calcium Chelate and Boron, or sprayed with Calcium Nitrate.

You need at least twice as much Calcium as Nitrogen, so Calcium Nitrate alone will never get you to the correct ratio, and will easily get you too much Nitrogen.

Har.  As far as adding gypsum in sandy soil, can this be inferred for most other varieties of mango?  Also, can gypsum be applied via "top dressing" for the first couple years after planting?

[palmcity]

Palm City, if your Sweet Tart is growing in sandy soil, you need to add Calcium to the soil, preferably as Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum).  At flowering time you can drench or spray with Calcium Chelate and Boron, or sprayed with Calcium Nitrate.

You need at least twice as much Calcium as Nitrogen, so Calcium Nitrate alone will never get you to the correct ratio, and will easily get you too much Nitrogen.

Thanks for the information/confirmation of Calcium Deficiency Har,
I was also thinking this might be due to calcium deficiency after seeing JoeP's post. This is my first tree that I have noticed internal symptoms as described in JoeP's pictures below but I did use very poor 3-5 foot deep soil removed from a hole to fill in and elevate around the rootball extending a few feet when originally planted. 

Here is link to presentation posted before, but drives home the benefit of calcium in mango trees: https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/AustralianMangoes/food-for-fruit-nutrition-management-in-mangoes







The jelly seed is likely a calcium deficiency.
-joep450

The tree is only about 7 foot and first year I allowed it to fruit. I am guessing it is possible in another year for the roots to branch out and reach better soil with more of a chance of obtaining the needed calcium to prevent the soft areas described. However, gypsum does sound like a good preventative for calium deficiency symptoms.

Does anyone have suggestions of where to obtain gypsum 50 - 100 lb bags etc. to pickup and transport in a truck for any address between Brevard County and Miami?

updated 2018.... I have placed 2 large orders in 2017 to get free shipping via Lowes and home delivery.... Good deal as shipping is normally so expensive.....  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sta-Green-30-lb-Soil-Conditioner-Aerate-Soil/50189501  This is actually gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) rotate image and click enlarge.... $10/ 30lb and free shipping with large orders....

[bsbullie]

For large bags of gypsum, dont know for sure if they do but check with Winfield Solutions and/or Howards Fertilizer, both in Boynton Beach.

[johnb51]

Universal Enterprises Supply Corp. in Pompano has it.  2171 Blount Rd.  954-979-0600.  Call him in advance as he only keeps a few bags in stock at a time.  I believe you'll want the pelletized version.

[FruitFreak]

For large bags of gypsum, dont know for sure if they do but check with Winfield Solutions and/or Howards Fertilizer, both in Boynton Beach.

Winfield in Ft. Myers/Immokalee doesn't carry any as of this morning.  Hopefully they do on the East Coast.

[Guanabanus]

Any of the professional supply houses that sell to golf courses should have pelletized gypsum (Calcium Sulfate).

Yes, it is applied on top of the soil in orchards.  Don't expect a quick response.  Doing per the following instructions will probably show a visible improvement in plant health and fruit quality, within 1 1/2 years.

Apply it each each time you apply a mixed fertilizer.  Since I tend to apply no Nitrogen to established mangos, I calibrate Calcium applications to the amount of Potassium being applied, so that, AT A MINIMUM, there will be slightly more Calcium than Potassium.  (Many consultants recommend around ten times more.)   Mr. Cookie Monster, on this forum, did a one-time application of a huge amount of gypsum, and got a rapid positive response.

When I put out one 50-lb. bag of mixed fertilizer which contains 16% Potassium (K), I put out at least 1/4 bag of pelletized gypsum.
When I put out one 50-lb. bag of mixed fertilizer containing 12% Potassium, I put out at least 1/5 bag of pelletized gypsum.

Remember to fertilize the entire area of the circle that is 1 1/2 times the diameter of the canopy  (=twice the radius of the canopy).

[FruitFreak]

Any of the professional supply houses that sell to golf courses should have pelletized gypsum (Calcium Sulfate).

Yes, it is applied on top of the soil in orchards.  Don't expect a quick response.  Doing per the following instructions will probably show a visible improvement in plant health and fruit quality, within 1 1/2 years.

Apply it each each time you apply a mixed fertilizer.  Since I tend to apply no Nitrogen to established mangos, I calibrate Calcium applications to the amount of Potassium being applied, so that, AT A MINIMUM, there will be slightly more Calcium than Potassium.  (Many consultants recommend around ten times more.)   Mr. Cookie Monster, on this forum, did a one-time application of a huge amount of gypsum, and got a rapid positive response.

When I put out one 50-lb. bag of mixed fertilizer which contains 16% Potassium (K), I put out at least 1/4 bag of pelletized gypsum.
When I put out one 50-lb. bag of mixed fertilizer containing 12% Potassium, I put out at least 1/5 bag of pelletized gypsum.

Remember to fertilize the entire area of the circle that is 1 1/2 times the diameter of the canopy  (=twice the radius of the canopy).

Awesome Har.  There's golf courses all over the place in Naples so I'll have to inquire as to the pelletized gypsum source.  Great info, thanks.

[GrassFlats]

I got a few trees in sandy soil.....they're young, 4-5 feet tall....I fertilize with 8-3-9 so how much gypsum would I need to apply?  Thanks!!

[JoeP450]

Another point the the presentation makes is that calcium is not easily absorbed, and so I'm assuming that applying calcium in a drench > powder > granular would procede in that order of fastest rate of absorption by the tree.

-joep450

[Mark in Texas]

Har.  As far as adding gypsum in sandy soil, can this be inferred for most other varieties of mango?  Also, can gypsum be applied via "top dressing" for the first couple years after planting?

Yes, gypsum is water soluble.  See if you can find it in pastule form for a longer lasting effect.

[Guanabanus]

At least 1/6 bag gypsum with 1 bag 8-3-9.   You CAN put a whole bag!

[sidney]

A local grower, lets call him Alex told me at a recent fruit club meeting that he is not as keen on sweet tart as he once was because of low production. Of course he is commercial so for dooryard growers it may produce enough.

[bsbullie]

A local grower, lets call him Alex told me at a recent fruit club meeting that he is not as keen on sweet tart as he once was because of low production. Of course he is commercial so for dooryard growers it may produce enough.

Low production?  Whatever production issues one may feel about it., it would not make a good commercial variety for other reasons (as many of the elite, newer varieties are not good commercial candidates either but they were never meant to be). 

Dont worry about "commercial production" when choosing a tree for your yard.  Choose for what you like im taste, Sweet Tart will provide you with enough fruit for your personal consumption.

[Alekhan]

I really like the spicy cola taste of Madame Francis mango (but without the fiber). Does sweet tart flavor as good as MF?
Looking for a final mango tree, other I have are LZ and Maha C.

Thanks....Joe

[bsbullie]

I really like the spicy cola taste of Madame Francis mango (but without the fiber). Does sweet tart flavor as good as MF?
Looking for a final mango tree, other I have are LZ and Maha C.

Thanks....Joe

Considering the flavor of MF is not what I would call very good, finding a final tree should be easy.  With that being said, yes, Sweet Tart is far superior in taste to MF (I am not going to comment on any mango having a cola taste).

[Squam256]

Sweet Tart's issue with production isn't that it can't set and hold heavy crops. It definitely can. It's issue seems to be that it requires a stronger bloom stimulus than other varieties in order to achieve full bloom. Some other cultivars have this issue as well.

[Alekhan]

Considering the flavor of MF is not what I would call very good, finding a final tree should be easy.  With that being said, yes, Sweet Tart is far superior in taste to MF (I am not going to comment on any mango having a cola taste).

"Sweet Tart is far superior in taste to MF" please elaborate, MF tastes very good to me (but too fibrous for me). ST is spicier? sweeter? more complex...?

[WGphil]

I called Diamond R in Winter Garden for gypsum and  they had fifty pound bags for under 15 bucks.
Other locations most likely have it also

[Mark in Texas]

On our way to Johnny Nicolas' Hilltop Cafe (former member of Asleep at the Wheel) we took our back road along Gypsum Mine Trail Road.  Courtesy of Georgia Pacific Gypsum mines I picked up a bucket of fines along the road.   Put a handful on my mangos.   Hope you guys are onto something.



Just pulled this ST green as opposed to the first one that was full yellow. 



Am totally new to this.  Apparently the first one I pulled was over ripe.  Had a great taste though and a fine texture.



Fun to play with this stuff!

[bsbullie]

On our way to Johnny Nicolas' Hilltop Cafe (former member of Asleep at the Wheel) we took our back road along Gypsum Mine Trail Road.  Courtesy of Georgia Pacific Gypsum mines I picked up a bucket of fines along the road.   Put a handful on my mangos.   Hope you guys are onto something.



Just pulled this ST green as opposed to the first one that was full yellow. 



Am totally new to this.  Apparently the first one I pulled was over ripe.  Had a great taste though and a fine texture.



Fun to play with this stuff!

Why do you say the one in the second picture is overripe?

[zands]

On our way to Johnny Nicolas' Hilltop Cafe (former member of Asleep at the Wheel) we took our back road along Gypsum Mine Trail Road.  Courtesy of Georgia Pacific Gypsum mines I picked up a bucket of fines along the road.   Put a handful on my mangos.   Hope you guys are onto something.



Just pulled this ST green as opposed to the first one that was full yellow. 



Am totally new to this.  Apparently the first one I pulled was over ripe.  Had a great taste though and a fine texture.



Fun to play with this stuff!

ST can have problems with uneven ripening within the fruit. Your second pic mostly greenie should turn out great given a few days on the kitchen counter

Asleep at the Wheel=== Did they do "I'll fix your flat tire Merle"   I think it was Big Brother