Author Topic: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango  (Read 3975 times)

TonyinCC

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Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« on: August 07, 2018, 01:15:49 PM »
I planted the tree last year as a 3 gal and it held 11 fruit this year.
I have very poor soil at my place in Cape Coral. Tree is very healthy and looks like it will stay small.
 I have about 50% mortality of young mango trees at my place,anything that survives has decent fungal tolerance.
 I planted it in a spot that a 2 year old lemon meringue had slowly declined and succumbed previously from some sort of some fungal dieback.
  I  tried picking a few almost a month ago that ripened decently after about 10 days, but they were definitely picked too early.
At that stage they tasted like a firmer Carrie. Carrie is my least favorite mango. I would never buy one, and only eat them when there is no other local mango available at the time. My dad has a tree and won't let me topwork it....
 I picked a Little Gem fruit 4 days ago and tried it today, it was amazing. Complex with strong coconut pineapple and fresh orange juice flavors, maybe a hint of apricot, a great sugar acid balance and medium soft texture. Juicy too. It has a bit of resin flavor too closest to the peel, not a lot but it is detectable.
 Blew Edgar away, at least in my yard. Edgar was pretty good though and came in about a month ago, I had 5 fruit this year on a 3 gal I planted last year.
 Some fiber clung to the seed of Little Gem.
 When I slice a mango the way I do, it minimizes the appearance of any fiber.
It looks like a Julie, is it a Julie seedling? Maybe it would be a good alternative to Julie, the fruit I had today was similar to a Julie I ate a couple years ago.
 It had  Little Gem 29-26 on the label when I bought the tree last year.
 I was expecting an average flavor from what little information is out there , but my son thought it was the best mango of the year and I think I agree with him. It has been very rainy lately and it was not washed out. Fruit was not big but the seed is the smallest and thinnest I have seen.
 I have 3 fruit left on the tree, I will see how long they hold. hoping they make it at least a few more weeks.  I am very glad I bought the tree,so far it really is a Little Gem....









« Last Edit: August 07, 2018, 04:17:08 PM by TonyinCC »

nighthawk0911@yahoo.com

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2018, 03:11:23 PM »
Little Gem is a highly precocious little gal isn't she?
« Last Edit: August 08, 2018, 04:37:02 PM by nighthawk0911@yahoo.com »
Blessed be the man who plants a tree knowing he will never live to enjoy it's fruit or shade.

mangokothiyan

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2018, 02:23:23 PM »


Happy to know you loved it. I have it planted but it did not flower this year.  It is said to be very productive.

TonyinCC

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2018, 01:07:20 PM »
Just an update, wind blew the last fruit off the tree today and it was delicious. I am very excited they made it into the first week of September.

behlgarden

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2018, 11:02:08 AM »
11 mangoes on 3 gal plant, could this be the reason on other trees also not making it? here in CA its a death sentence to fruit at 3-gal size, trees get stunted and eventually die. I am sure Florida is more forgiving?

Mango looks amazing!

Brev Grower

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2018, 11:41:17 AM »
I believe that little gem is descended from the Julie. Has the same type of flavor as Graham and Juliette.

wslau

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2018, 10:10:09 PM »
I believe that little gem is descended from the Julie. Has the same type of flavor as Graham and Juliette.

I have it noted as MAYBE a hybrid of Julie and Gary.
Warren

Mango_Seed

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2019, 07:29:02 PM »
I bought a Little Gem yesterday and planted it this morning along with a Sweet Tart between a Pickering and a Rosigold.  Not sure how big they will get?
« Last Edit: July 15, 2019, 10:09:29 AM by Mango_Seed »

Jabba The Hutt

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #8 on: September 03, 2020, 11:58:04 AM »
  Had the opportunity to stop by a couple weeks ago and see Tony's Lil' Gem tree compared to last year. His tree had a very nice compact growth habit and had some beautiful looking mangos still hanging from it. Definitely a winner for those with smaller yards or those only being able to plant one or two trees.

  Tony very graciously shared a couple Lil' Gems with my wife and I and boy were we not disappointed!!!
  As I said, the fruit was beautiful, the colors were a dark yellowish orange with some of that nice red blush going on in spots.
  The taste and smell was even more magnificent then the appearance!!
  The smell of the freshly picked Lil' Gem was definitely that of a classic mango when given the sniff test, but fear not Zill fanatics, upon Tony's advice we let the first mango sit an extra day after it started to give and it started having whiffs of coconut... This is when we got really excited! We sliced into the mango and it was extremely juicy. First bite was a little classic flavor but much sweeter like a Kathy or Beverly, further down the slice was coconut heaven!! Not the artificial coconut flavor of Coconut Cream but more like the flavor you find in M-4.
  The next Lil' Gem we pushed another day after it started giving, (very impatiently of course!!) This Mango had me chomping at the bit... I was out in our lanai sniffing it every hour on the hour, pleading with it to be ready. :P
  Finally when we couldn't take it anymore we sliced it up and it was even better than the first! Way stronger coconut flavor throughout,
and oh sooo juicy!
  We have decided we need to add Lil' Gem to our yard ASAP as it quickly skyrocketed up our favorites chart, thanks Tony!!






fliptop

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #9 on: September 03, 2020, 04:47:50 PM »
We too were able to try a Little Gem courtesy of TonyinCC and appreciate his generosity! My girlfriend was taken by the beauty of the fruit, but we both detected Carrie-like undertones in it, and we aren't fans of that flavor profile. Still, we are grateful for having had the opportunity to have sampled yet another of the many mangos that exist in the mangosphere (mangoverse?).

bovine421

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2020, 07:12:26 PM »
Well! You fellows sold me on Little Gem.I just picked up a 15 gallon from Chris at Truly Tropical

« Last Edit: October 17, 2020, 07:17:22 PM by bovine421 »
Tete Nene Julie Juliet Carrie Ice Cream Coconut Cream Little Gem  Dot  Mallika PPK  OS  Pina Colada Cotton Candy Buxton Spice Karen Michelle M-4 Beverly Marc Anthony White Pirie Lychee Cherilata Plantain Barbados Cherry

TonyinCC

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Re: Just had a perfect Little Gem mango
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2020, 08:05:03 AM »
The last fruit held on the tree until September 10th this year. In an area of 9B that is zone pushing for mango, its season might be extended a few weeks later. One other plus for that zone and frost is that it is one of the last trees to start blooming in the Spring.(at least in my zone 10B yard) It still had 3 distinct bloom flushes this strange season that lasted about a month in total. Probably one of the easier trees to cover and protect from frost since it is very compact.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2020, 08:25:49 AM by TonyinCC »