My Honey/Atalufo Mango Tree is getting big, what should I do?

[JakeFruit]

I started this tree from a seed back in 2010; poor, sad tree spent 4 years in a way too small pot while I moved 3 times. Finally put it into the ground in late 2014. Since it was from seed, I actively pruned it the first few years to try and control height. The problem was each growing season it would get nailed with something terrible, leaves would turn yellow with big splotches that would then turn brown and die. I thought it was anthracnose (even though it didn't look like the pictures of the disease), so I would diligently cut any signs of yellowing out of the tree. Some years it seemed I cut all the new growth out. I even tried a copper spray last season, but it still kept happening. I decided it had to be something else; happened to notice my lawn guy had sprayed some weedkiller around the tree just prior to the last issue and the lightbulb went off. I cleared the area underneath the tree at the start of the season, no grass or weeds (no need for fetilizer or weedkiller spraying), and I haven't seen the first problem. That problem (hopefully) solved, on to my question.

As you can see from the picture, it's getting big, probably a little over 12' now. I was so happy to see it growing, I just let it go this season (I am trying to force it to grow wider with the cinder-blocks and rope). Now I'd like to see it finally push some flowers out next year; it's nearly 10 years old and I've never seen a one. I'm worried if I let it just keep doing what it wants to do, it could be 30' tall in two years and I still won't see any flowers/fruit. I want to limit the size, but I also want to see it flower. Anybody have any suggestions on what I should do? I'm tempted to hack it back hard, but I think that ensures I won't see anything but vegetative growth next year.

Any comments are welcome, thanks in advance!

Jake

[johnb51]

I'm sorry.  I just don't get it.  Do you have other mango trees that are currently producing fruit for you?

[simon_grow]

Hey Jake,

Welcome to the forum! I know how sentimental it can get when you grow a tree from seed and take it with you to a new house. You spent all this time raising and it would be awesome to see the fruits of your labor.

Since it’s already been so many years and it still hasn’t fruited, you have a few options.

You grew this tree from seed so it needs to grow to sexual maturity before it will flower and fruit. Your tree looks like it’s large enough to start holding fruit but you say that you’ve been pruning it back for several years because of the dieback.

Mango flushes/vegetative growths need to expand and mature before the branch will hold fruit. If you prune the branches every year, at the wrong time, you may not be allowing the new branches enough time to mature so that they are ready to flower in Winter. Here’s an article on Mango flowering.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1677-04202007000400007&script=sci_arttext

Since you want to keep your tree manageable and you want it to flower and fruit, you should see when other local mango trees have finished harvesting their fruit. You can synchronize the pruning of your tree with the end of the harvest. There are early, mid and late season Mangos but just look around your neighborhood and approximate.

Don’t give your tree much, if any Nitrogen, unless it shows a need for it. Give it some Mango or Tropicalfruit fertilizer recommended for your area and hopefully it will fruit for you soon. Once it does start fruiting, just prune your tree after harvest.

Another option, since your tree is from seed, is to top work your tree with another variety. A seedling may take many, many years to fruit and the fruit may not taste good. You can top work your tree with a tasty new Zill variety mango or even multigraft several different varieties onto your tree and save one branch of the seedling to see how the fruit is when it finally does fruit. .

Good luck with your tree. Please keep us updated.

Simon

[Tommyng]

I started this tree from a seed back in 2010; poor, sad tree spent 4 years in a way too small pot while I moved 3 times. Finally put it into the ground in late 2014. Since it was from seed, I actively pruned it the first few years to try and control height. The problem was each growing season it would get nailed with something terrible, leaves would turn yellow with big splotches that would then turn brown and die. I thought it was anthracnose (even though it didn't look like the pictures of the disease), so I would diligently cut any signs of yellowing out of the tree. Some years it seemed I cut all the new growth out. I even tried a copper spray last season, but it still kept happening. I decided it had to be something else; happened to notice my lawn guy had sprayed some weedkiller around the tree just prior to the last issue and the lightbulb went off. I cleared the area underneath the tree at the start of the season, no grass or weeds (no need for fetilizer or weedkiller spraying), and I haven't seen the first problem. That problem (hopefully) solved, on to my question.

As you can see from the picture, it's getting big, probably a little over 12' now. I was so happy to see it growing, I just let it go this season (I am trying to force it to grow wider with the cinder-blocks and rope). Now I'd like to see it finally push some flowers out next year; it's nearly 10 years old and I've never seen a one. I'm worried if I let it just keep doing what it wants to do, it could be 30' tall in two years and I still won't see any flowers/fruit. I want to limit the size, but I also want to see it flower. Anybody have any suggestions on what I should do? I'm tempted to hack it back hard, but I think that ensures I won't see anything but vegetative growth next year.

Any comments are welcome, thanks in advance!

Jake

For 10 years I would be inclined to try one of its fruit but during the wait cut off every branch but one and graft onto the shoots that sprout from the cut branches.

[JakeFruit]

Since you want to keep your tree manageable and you want it to flower and fruit, you should see when other local mango trees have finished harvesting their fruit. You can synchronize the pruning of your tree with the end of the harvest. There are early, mid and late season Mangos but just look around your neighborhood and approximate.

Thanks Simon. I'm an hour south of Tampa, FL (only a few hundred yards from the beach), all the ripe mangos around here are coming off the trees, so I think it's a good time to cut it back. As you can see in the photos, most new growth branches are at least 3' in length. How much to cut them back is my remaining question. The tree finally has healthy leaves on it, each one I remove feels like a crime. What length of branch would you leave on the tree after each cut?




This tree definitely holds emotional value. I so loved these mangos when they first hit the market (they were calling them champagne mangos back then), they are what determined me to grow a tree of my own. I have learned so much since that time, probably wouldn't even be trying to reproduce store-bought mangos now, but I'm determined to see it through before I top-work other varieties onto the tree. Also, the store quality of this fruit seems to have gone completely downhill. Anecdotally, I've found breaking a leaf off a tree and smelling the sap gives me clues about what variety of mango the tree is and the quality of the fruit. Trees that have a mild sap smell also have very mild/bland fruit. Leaves I brake off this tree smell so strong and so sweet & tangy.....my hopes remain high 

[TnTrobbie]

That's some good advice from simon_grow. If you want to control the height of those 3' new flushes, you can prune off above the 3rd or 4th leaf (counting from the base) of the new shoots.

[simon_grow]

here’s some good info on pruning Mangos

https://www.growables.org/information/documents/MangoPruningStrategies.pdf

Simon

[JakeFruit]

Thanks for that link Simon. I'm going to need to read that page a few more times to digest the info. I'm just learning the relationship of Nitrogen and vegetative flushes/growth on the mango. I've been feeding the tree 6-6-6 to try and get it healthy, obviously stopped doing that now. I'll try a 0-0-12 organic fertilizer and I'm researching N-loving ground cover to plant under the mango. I need to find something that doesn't look too weed-like, preferably something with flowers that my wife will find pretty 

[JakeFruit]

Adding a photo of the trimming I just did:


I could have been more aggressive (I did some additional trimming after the photo to even out the height). Hopefully this cures the uneven flushes I've been noticing this season. I'll post an update in the spring, hopefully with its first panicles...

[OCchris1]

Well done Jake! I know it's tough but the tree will perform better, and it will get easier for you to do it in the future.

[JakeFruit]

Well done Jake! I know it's tough but the tree will perform better, and it will get easier for you to do it in the future.

Thanks Chris! Fingers-crossed

[mangomanic12]

Nice Pruning Jake...you did good.
Now teach yourself how to graft and also plant another tree so you are not so invested in this one tree!

[simon_grow]

Yeah, beautiful trimming job.

I agree with mangomaniac12 that you should try a few grafts just so you’re covered in case the seedling fruit isn’t so great.

Sweet Tart, CAC, Honey Miss, Cotton Candy, Peach Cobbler and Edward may be good varieties for you to add onto your tree but most these varieties are fairly large varieties. If I had to pick one, I’d recommend Sweet Tart. If you must keep your tree small, Pickering may work well for you.

If you join a fruit club in your area, they may be able to show you how to graft. You might also be able to find someone in your area to help you graft by posting on this forum.

Simon

[JakeFruit]

Nice Pruning Jake...you did good.
Now teach yourself how to graft and also plant another tree so you are not so invested in this one tree!

Thanks, this one is just my special first tree, but there are many others. I've had my plant lab above going for several years now. I'm good with cleft grafts, working on veneers and t-buds this season. Also working on a bigger plant lab

[JakeFruit]

Well, it wasn't one big flush, more like two. Here's a pic, lighter green leaves (up top, mostly) are the initial flush. Hopefully I'll see some panicles this Spring....