Is planting a “Keitt” Mango tree a thing of the past in Florida?

[johnb51]

I also saw a tree in Tamarac recently that looked healthy and the fruit was clean and MASSIVE! Some of the biggest mangos I've ever seen.  I wouldn't write off that particular tree.

[weiss613]

I have 4 Keitt trees in Miami and I live near the turnpike. The trees are 15 to 20 years old. I usually pick the fruit around Aug 16th every year. This insane year they were picked starting 3 weeks ago around the 2nd week of June. They took 2-3 weeks to soften up. Of course no color changes just softening up is the signal its ready to eat. Never had Mango bacterial black spot only a slight propensity to get mango scale which hasn’t been bad enough to mess up the fruits beautiful green skin. Keitt is not close to a Sweet Tart or a Lemon Zest in flavor and texture but it is sweet and a bit tart. Fiber is minor and never gets in the way of enjoyment. We sent about 25 up to my son in law’s mom in Brooklyn and she keeps calling and begging for more. And they are very big mangoes. 2 years ago I went to visit my son in Israel and put 33 Keitts in my suitcase cushioned with lots of bubble bags. When they ripened the kids went crazy on the Keitts. They loved them and the supermarkets in Israel were full of Keitts but almost half the size of my Miami ones. But if BBS will ruin your crop that’s another story. But Keitt is a great mango in its own right. If you want to take a chance on a Keitt tree it’s probably a good idea not to buy one from an area that has BBS. Right behind my daughter’s house in Miami Beach is a Keitt tree that must be at least 50 years old and right now it has a zillion giant 2.6-4 lb perfectly clean fruit. Everything that was over the fence we already took and ate and they were great!

[nullzero]

Since Keitt is a old variety, I believe genetic drift might be possible with certain grafting stock.

[Honest Abe]

I have a mature keitt and it producing a massive crop of +1lb mangos.

Clean crop with no copper or fungicide. I had to cut back nearby trees to increase airflow though.

That’s a beautiful tree, promising for me! Thanks for that, how far is that tree from the coast?

[Honest Abe]

I have 4 Keitt trees in Miami and I live near the turnpike. The trees are 15 to 20 years old. I usually pick the fruit around Aug 16th every year. This insane year they were picked starting 3 weeks ago around the 2nd week of June. They took 2-3 weeks to soften up. Of course no color changes just softening up is the signal its ready to eat. Never had Mango bacterial black spot only a slight propensity to get mango scale which hasn’t been bad enough to mess up the fruits beautiful green skin. Keitt is not close to a Sweet Tart or a Lemon Zest in flavor and texture but it is sweet and a bit tart. Fiber is minor and never gets in the way of enjoyment. We sent about 25 up to my son in law’s mom in Brooklyn and she keeps calling and begging for more. And they are very big mangoes. 2 years ago I went to visit my son in Israel and put 33 Keitts in my suitcase cushioned with lots of bubble bags. When they ripened the kids went crazy on the Keitts. They loved them and the supermarkets in Israel were full of Keitts but almost half the size of my Miami ones. But if BBS will ruin your crop that’s another story. But Keitt is a great mango in its own right. If you want to take a chance on a Keitt tree it’s probably a good idea not to buy one from an area that has BBS. Right behind my daughter’s house in Miami Beach is a Keitt tree that must be at least 50 years old and right now it has a zillion giant 2.6-4 lb perfectly clean fruit. Everything that was over the fence we already took and ate and they were great!

Wow that’s great to hear! Thanks for the education! I was born and raised in Miami Beach now my home is in Biscayne park about 4 miles from ocean 2 miles from the Bay so maybe I’ll be ok, but my neighbors Haden had gorgeous clean fruit but the foliage is infested with MBBS.  Thanks for the promising info

[JulianoGS]

Keitt is a good tasting mango, huge and is a very late type.  I heard that the bacterial issues are only common with young trees, once they mature they stay clean.

[nullzero]

I have a mature keitt and it producing a massive crop of +1lb mangos.

Clean crop with no copper or fungicide. I had to cut back nearby trees to increase airflow though.

That’s a beautiful tree, promising for me! Thanks for that, how far is that tree from the coast?

5mi from intercoastal

[bsbullie]

Keitt is a good tasting mango, huge and is a very late type.  I heard that the bacterial issues are only common with young trees, once they mature they stay clean.

Nope...go visit Walter Zill and see his Keitts planted in the 1950s.  He loses a lot of fruit every year due to disease.

[JulianoGS]

Keitt is a good tasting mango, huge and is a very late type.  I heard that the bacterial issues are only common with young trees, once they mature they stay clean.

Nope...go visit Walter Zill and see his Keitts planted in the 1950s.  He loses a lot of fruit every year due to disease.

Just visited someone with a very nice Keitt tree, no issues at all, super clean fruit and huge in size.

[bsbullie]

Keitt is a good tasting mango, huge and is a very late type.  I heard that the bacterial issues are only common with young trees, once they mature they stay clean.

Nope...go visit Walter Zill and see his Keitts planted in the 1950s.  He loses a lot of fruit every year due to disease.

Just visited someone with a very nice Keitt tree, no issues at all, super clean fruit and huge in size.

MBBS is like Covid-19...give it time and it will spread and increase in all areas.

[JulianoGS]

Keitt is a good tasting mango, huge and is a very late type.  I heard that the bacterial issues are only common with young trees, once they mature they stay clean.

Nope...go visit Walter Zill and see his Keitts planted in the 1950s.  He loses a lot of fruit every year due to disease.

Just visited someone with a very nice Keitt tree, no issues at all, super clean fruit and huge in size.

MBBS is like Covid-19...give it time and it will spread and increase in all areas.

His tree is not young, and there are other mango trees in the vicinity not affected. He is doing something right I tell'ya.

[bsbullie]

Keitt is a good tasting mango, huge and is a very late type.  I heard that the bacterial issues are only common with young trees, once they mature they stay clean.

Nope...go visit Walter Zill and see his Keitts planted in the 1950s.  He loses a lot of fruit every year due to disease.

Just visited someone with a very nice Keitt tree, no issues at all, super clean fruit and huge in size.

MBBS is like Covid-19...give it time and it will spread and increase in all areas.

His tree is not young, and there are other mango trees in the vicinity not affected. He is doing something right I tell'ya.

I am not sure if you are understanding.  MBBS is for real.  Its not taken over every square inch but its in Miami-Dade, Broward,  Palm Beach and Martin Counties to name a few.  Its an airborne disease (in addituon to apread by humans) with no way of stopping where it goes.

MBBS on LZ from a tree in Martin County, just east of the ocean and North of the Lox River.

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If you want to see how devastating it can be, take a visit to Walter Zill's  (and you wont be able to see the three 40' Lemon Zest trees, which wwre once highly productive of spotless delicious fruit, that have been cut down due to the disease).

[weiss613]

Rob I have a question. Last time I drove past W Zill’s I remember hid trees were big and old. I also noticed his foliage was pretty dense. Is it at all possible that if you keep your trees very short without caring how many mangoes the tree will produce so say the trees are pruned down to 6’ after harvest and the centers completely opened up for sunlight and circulation of air is it possible that the sunshine and air might kill the bacteria and hence minimal bbs disturbances if at all?

[bsbullie]

Rob I have a question. Last time I drove past W Zill’s I remember hid trees were big and old. I also noticed his foliage was pretty dense. Is it at all possible that if you keep your trees very short without caring how many mangoes the tree will produce so say the trees are pruned down to 6’ after harvest and the centers completely opened up for sunlight and circulation of air is it possible that the sunshine and air might kill the bacteria and hence minimal bbs disturbances if at all?

The majority of Walter's trees are from an original Kent/Keitt grove planted in the 1950s.  Some are still Keitt, a number have been too worked over to newer varieties and many have been that way for a decade or two.  There is no way to cut them back to 6' (in any case, you should never remove more than 1/3 of the tree in one pruning).  Production is a big component of his trees as the sale of fruit is the main source of their annual income.

As to your question, would cutting trees back be enough to rid or protect from the disease...not likely.   Once the tree is affected, its thwre.  Just cutting back in itself may delay the return but fruit would also be delayed while the tree recovers.  The disease would ultimately come back.  You could try and treat the crap out of the trees and it may knock it down but totally eliminating, not likely.

Walter's (I say Walter but his wife Verna should be included as she plays a key role) trees may have been one of the first affected in Florida and has since set itself in on his property.  He does not spray chemicals on his trees and prides in not doing so.  The quality of the fruit usually speak for themselves.  Walter and Verna have been a mainstay in Florida for selling some of the best specimens of mangoes picked at ther peak perfection.

[johnb51]

So sunlight and air circulation has no effect on stopping MBBS?

[Honest Abe]

So sunlight and air circulation has no effect on stopping MBBS?

John,  Ghana, Africa is probably 1800 miles south of us. The southwest corner is more consistently hot and humid than south Florida. I’ve seen many videos of commercial Mango Farmers there battling MBBS. Some have been very successful in keeping it at bay just by doing what you said. If the disease is infact airborne I would theorize it’s likely  it was carried on the trade winds from Africa. The last 5 years we have had consistently  stronger E/SE trade winds than ever. Back to the topic, many of the Ghana mango Farmers keep trees small, 12x12ft max. They prune the canopies In a circle and leave the centers exposed like a donut. They claim have much less loss from MBBS and anthracnose and more production per acre by keeping the trees in this shape and size.
This is only what I’ve witnessed and read, so I did a small experiment in my yard with my young Baileys Marvel Tree. It was suffering from MBBS son the foliage. I can’t speak for any of the many variables like a very dry, dry season we had BUT I can say In 12 months the tree is completely clean, with no chemicals Or spray at all. I removed the infected leaves individually as best I could. I cleared out a “donut hole” and left it for a year with supplemental watering in dry season. I understand not all mango trees grow a symmetrical canopy but seemed to work for mine because it’s the nature of the cultivar.

contrary to my experiment Har and Alex (squam) who I respect very highly both agree dry weather has little affect on MBBS. So maybe I just got lucky!





Remember I’m Just a fisherman with a kooky mango obsession.

[bsbullie]

Again, cutting the trees back may be able to delay, or slow it down but it will not "here and" the disease. There are also the disease that affects the leaves, and the disease that affects the fruit. Obviously, the one that affects the fruit is more detrimental.

 I would not recommend plucking all leaves that are affected off of the tree. I have seen trees that are really hit hard and if you remove too many leaves the tree will not be able to function physiologically. A tree needs leaves to sustain its life properly. Without it, not only will the growth of the tree be affected, but the fruit production will also be

[Chicken Vindaloo]

How's the production of Fairchild, it’s a good tasting little mango.

Bruce

Fairchild is a good producer.  Some complain about the flesh ratio but I feel its flavor quality makes up for that.

To me, Fairchild is an under rated mango. I've had a great yield this year, and it's not done yet (but almost). Last year's yield was very good too.