The Tropical Fruit Forum

Thanks for sharing the soil details! I hadn't looked this up before and didn't realize the diversity of soil types. According to FL soil survey map, https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?layers=3995a23b3e4541deb336bc1bf9b076d1, I've got the ridge "Tavares sand" which is considered "farmland of unique importance" and a small section of "Arents" soil. No irrigation here but I've always mulched and tried to increase organic matter.

Nice find! I like the map. Another cool one is web soil survey. https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx The photo feature worked this time, so I was able to add pictures to my last post. I'm in entisols with some areas close by with spodosols. Might not be 100 percent accurate since I think my soil is a spodosol. Just one block over the soil looks a bit different. Sandy also, but a bit more rock it seems. D's Fruit Trees uploaded a video of him planting a large nam doc mai mango and I recognized the area. I could see the palms that are in my block on the other side. lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2nHWktUil8

https://identify.plantnet.org/k-world-flora/species/Ficus%20saussureana%20DC./data

Looks like okvid is correct.

I think a fresh ripe fruit pic would provide a better idea of what it is. Try seeing if you can zoom in or try to pick one if possible.

Definitely match growth rates on cocktail trees or one will take over pretty quickly.

Lop off a branch and graft the water sprouts. That's the easiest way.

Bummer to see a CC get top-worked though. That's still one of my favorite mangoes.

I am keeping one side coconut cream and the other side I am changing to m4 if I stay at my current home. If I need to move due to a future job (graduating optometry school in May), then it is staying as a large coconut cream tree.

Cool. Thanks! I'm thinking about converting my large 10 year-old coconut cream into an M4 and 40-26 cocktail tree or leaving one side coconut cream. It has two main branches forking from one trunk.

Looks like a Carrie.

Quote from: Tropicalgrower89 on January 31, 2024, 08:43:11 AM

Viejo and Tazumal are winter mamey cultivars. My Viejo and Pantin bloom at the same time, but Viejo fruit development period is shorter. My Viejo takes 11 to 12 months from flower to mature fruit, while my Pantin takes 1.5 years more or less.

Thanks! I personally dislike the flavor of Pantin. Tastes too sweet and doesn't really have the almond flavor I enjoy from Mamey.

I guess if you had to pick between Viejo and Tazumal, which would you pick? (or anyone else reading)

I have no experience with Tazumal with the exception of Julian of Lara Farms mentioning that it has a tendency of uneven ripening. Viejo is a productive tough tree, but fruits are on the small side most of the time and fruit quality can vary in regards to sweetness ( mamey flavored potato to a sweet delicious mamey).

I think you can grow mamey with no issues in 10 b.

If it is growing above the graft, then it is a grafted mamey tree. Green sapote leaves look different.

My Carrie has flowers.

I've tried grafting mamey scions onto new branches of my older mamey trees to make a cocktail tree a few times, tried grafting a couple of larger seedlings by doing a side-cleft graft with no leaves (wrapped in parafilm) like a mango a couple of times with no luck. Recently, I have tried doing a cleft graft using a scion with leaves on it and covering the plant and pot with a moisture bag to create a mini green house affect and it worked! I had a 2 year old Pace mamey that had an extra branch that I did not want, plus I had a young vigorous Viejo seedling with a thick stem, so I thought "why not give it a try". Grafted it, and a couple of weeks later, I noticed fresh sap leaking from the stem, which was a good sign. But, it started forming clusters of suckers from the base of the seedling. I left it as is, thinking that I will trim them off when I remove the bag when the scion begins pushing leaves. Unfortunately, it began dropping it's leaves. That is when I cut a small hole in the bag and snipped off the suckers with a pair of scissors and taped it back up.  A week later, it began pushing new leaves and I removed the bag. Only one leaf stayed on the scion. It took a total of 3 weeks. Here are pictures from a week ago and now a week later. I am not planning on selling it.










One week later.

It's been a while since I've had them, but the flavor was quite good, just a notch below cherimoya and atemoya. However, getting them to fruit and remain healthy is a challenge. They are plagued by leaf hopper, which causes stunted leaves, chlorosis, and ultimately an unhealthy and stunted tree. Seed borer may also present a problem. And it usually requires boron to set fruit. I've only seen one productive / healthy ilama tree in south florida. I'd say it is only suited for the more advanced growers.

Green leaf hoppers have been a major issue in my back yard lately. Hard to grow sugar apple now without the use of some sort of insecticide. They also attack the new slow growing leaves of the Viejo mamey. They don’t attack my Pace,  but do also attack the Pantin, but not as bad.

Guys. I messed up and cut a mamey in half and it is rock hard but orange. Any chance it will ripen or should I throw it in the trash?

That sucks. Don't think that would ripen correctly now. Just wait until it gets soft with no firmness next time.