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Messages - Chicken Vindaloo

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1
I started grafting within the past two years, so not a seasoned veteran here. What I can tell you is what I would do differently. When I first started, I had read that it's best to graft onto actively growing green shoots, so I grafted onto new peripheral branches. The problem with that, is now I have these branches growing at the periphery of the tree which may make pruning tricky. In my last round of grafting, I grafted onto new shoots which were growing around the area where I had taken off a major limb. These new shoots were vigorous, and not only did the grafts take immediately, but they're growing almost from the trunk of the tree. A much better situation.
You can certainly graft onto fruiting trees. I just did that. I've grafted onto vertical and horizontal branches (cleft graft). I haven't noticed one being more successful than another. I recommend Truly Tropical's many grafting videos. They're very informative.
Good luck!



I am new to this forum and trying to learn. I guess my first question is whether I should add on to this question or start a similar, related question thread.

I too don't have room for more trees but have room in my tree for more varieties. I have a Lil Gem that I don't really love and plan to sacrifice some of the limbs for additional varieties. I'm a little impatient though and wondering if it's okay to graft to branches that are currently fruiting and then cut off the rest of the branch after I pick the fruit and the graft is growing.

Also are there any threads or recommendations for how to pick branches, vertical or horizontal, to start new varieties? 

Thanks in advance for any help.

2
I am not a mango disease expert by any stretch, but this doesn't look like either anthracnose (black spots) or powdery mildew (looks like someone sprinkled talcum powder on the tree). I'm wondering if this is some kind of boring insect or scale on the underside of the leaves. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in to suggest other possibilities.

3
I'll jump in here, since I have PPK. I had gone to Truly Tropical years ago to buy a Sweet Tart tree. While there, Chris was going on about how people loved PPK, and she always sold out of it. So even though I didn't have room for it, I bought both trees. Boy, am I glad I did! They're 2 of my 3 favorite mangos (of the ones I have), and taste totally different. PPKs are sweet and citrusy. They kind of don't even taste like a mango, but I don't mean that in any negative way. My only criticism is that its production is quite variable for me. This year I got zero PPKs! That said, my tree is still pretty young. Still, I would never be without a PPK tree.

In no particular order:
Pickering
Orange Sherbet
M-4
Sugar Loaf
Fruit punch
Edward
Super Alphonso
Karen Michelle
Malika
Lemon Zest
When it comes to productivity, reliability and disease resistance the list narrows to:
Pickering, Edward, M-4, Orange Sherbet
Lemon Zest is a particularly troublesome tree, I wouldn't plant it again. Malika is a light and unreliable producer.
Amrapali might be a good substitute for Mallika.  Also, how do you feel about PPK?


4
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Mango trees that are biennial?
« on: April 03, 2022, 03:50:18 PM »
Hello all, which mango tree fruits every other year?

I know about Valencia Pride, noticed that Lemon merengue is as well.
No flowers or nothing on this one particular tree.  :(

Timely post. I had just said to my wife that apparently we're not getting any PPKs this year. Interestingly, there are no pannicles on my Sweet Tart either. I know it's a later tree, but there should be something by now. Both of these are young trees in my yard, but both produced well last year.

5
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Oro Negro vs. Sir Prize Avocado
« on: April 03, 2022, 03:40:59 PM »
Here's my 2 cents: I had bought an Oro Negro at least 15 years ago from Pine Island Nursery at our annual (Melbourne) Tropical Fruit Club sale. The tree has done great, BUT, I have gotten a total of 3 avocados to date. For years now, the tree has set a lot of fruit, but it almost never makes it to maturity. I have since heard that it's not a productive variety. I tried topworking it last summer (my first attempt at grafting) without success. I spoke to Alex at Tropical Acres Farm and learned that mid summer wasn't the time to attempt that, so I'll try again this fall/winter. Right now, I have a lot of tiny fruit on the tree, but I know how this story goes...
So my advice would be neither of the above choices. Someone with more experience would have to suggest a variety.

6
Interestingly, I've had an Oro Negro for at least 15 years, and have gotten a total of 3 avocados from it. Just never held fruit. I had contemplated axing it, but after years of procrastination, I jumped into grafting not only the avocado, but some of my mangos as well. I started with mangos and have some successes (a few), some failures (at least 8), and many yet to be determined. After every grafting session, I seem to find a new video that makes me wish I had done something differently. I put 15 grafts on the Oro Negro, so even assuming an abysmal take percentage, I should have at least some additional chances at fruit someday.
Hopefully, we'll both have some good luck!

7
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.

8
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Potentially Huge News for Citrus
« on: July 11, 2020, 04:46:29 PM »
Wow, I hope it's as good as it sounds!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Best late season mango
« on: July 11, 2020, 03:28:49 PM »
Just to give you my own perspective on this, I gave the ax to my Neelam and Lancetilla, and am about to do the same to my Malika. The family consensus in all cases was poor flavor quality, especially the Neelam. Was it a result of poor timing as to ripening (especially the Malika)? Maybe, but if so, I don't want to have to be that fastidious about when I have to pick mangoes. I did pick the Malikas mature green. The Lancetilla was also too vigorous a tree for me.
Anyway, I too am on a quest for the "perfect" late season mango. I'm leaning towards Honey Kiss, but keeping an open mind. I'll be heading to Excalibur next Saturday, so will make my decision by then.

10
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Biiigggg Hasya sapodilla (picture)
« on: May 31, 2020, 02:42:02 PM »
I planted a very small Hasya a few years ago (from Zill's). The tree has grown well and currently has many flowers. It hasn't ever produced fruit yet. Any idea when I can expect it to bear? FWIW, I have a very prolific Silas Woods located about 50' away from the Hasya.
Thanks!

11
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Pace vs Excalibur Mamey
« on: May 16, 2020, 01:07:56 PM »
Hi Guys,
If you're thinking "didn't this guy just post a mamey question", you're right. And the answers I got were very helpful. I'm 95% set on adding a Pace to my broken, but recovering Pantin. If you can bear with one last(?) question... Is there any reason to consider an Excalibur instead? I mainly ask because years ago Rob had written that it's the best flavored mamey. If not, I'm very happy with everything I read about Pace.
Thanks, I'll do my best to make this my last post on this topic. Obsession is a terrible thing!

12
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Updated Mamey Info please
« on: May 13, 2020, 10:28:30 AM »
Personally I prefer the taste and smaller size of Green Sapote to Mamey and I have had better luck growing them in west Broward county. In Broward my Pace Mameys leaves seemed to be the favorite food of the local beetles so I was constantly fighting them off and then dealing with a sick looking tree. The Green Sapote grew much better and seemed to thrive in my yard. Unfortunately I moved before it fruited.     

Actually, I had green sapote on my list of fruit trees that sounded interesting, but I don't recall tasting it. Is the timing any better as far as interval from planting to obtaining fruit?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Updated Mamey Info please
« on: May 12, 2020, 09:45:37 AM »
I don’t have much experience but I’ll give my input. I am growing Pace, Lorito, and Viejo out of the options you listed but I’ve only tried Pace and Magaña as named cultivars. For me, Pace would be the easy choice. It’s a delicious fruit and known to be one of the more precocious cultivars, but more importantly, it ripens earlier than Pantin and meets your requirement for an extended Mamey season. When I was at Lara farms, Julian spoke very highly of Lorito but it is similar season to Pantin so that’s why I didn’t recommend it (but his face when he spoke of how good it was is all I needed to get a tree - and he is high on Pace as well so I feel we have similar pallets.

That's very helpful. I was really very interested in Pace. My main hesitation was it's reputation of being killed by too much or too little water. Have you had any problem with that?

14
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Updated Mamey Info please
« on: May 12, 2020, 09:39:09 AM »
Out of curiosity, what do you all do with mamey?  I've only had it once.  Don't know the cultivar.  It was a sort of carrot / sweet potato taste.  Main thing I could think to do with it was make a sort of banana bread / carrot cake sort of dish.

Most commonly, at least in south Florida, it's used to make milkshakes "batido de mamey". Personally, I just eat it sliced like a mango. It's really delicious!

15
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Updated Mamey Info please
« on: May 12, 2020, 09:35:06 AM »
Inland Broward and California are different from Merritt Island. Pantin or Pace grown somewhere else are not going to taste the same or fruit at the same time as the ones you would grow. Any advice people would give would not apply to your area.
[/quote]

California for sure is different. I'm on a narrow strip of land between the intracoastal and Banana river, so my microclimate varies by a few degrees from Broward, but really not that drastically most of the time. I have zone 10B-11 palms that are perfectly happy all winter.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Updated Mamey Info please
« on: May 11, 2020, 04:43:34 PM »
Since no one seems to want to offer any guidance, I guess I will. What I want to avoid is buying a tree, wait a couple of years for it to fruit, wait a couple of more years for the fruit to ripen, and then decide I don't like it. But it also sounds like I won't go too far wrong with any of the varieties I asked about. I'm just puzzled that there was a robust discussion about this a few years ago with nothing since, and seemingly no interest now. I love mangoes, and understand that they command most of the discussion, but to me, mamey comes in a close second.

17
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Updated Mamey Info please
« on: May 10, 2020, 10:12:03 AM »
My Pantin was doing great with no special care before the trauma. I'm really just trying to decide on the best variety for a second tree. I'm surprised no one has any suggestions, as there seemed to be a fair amount of discussion a few years ago. Is there a standout among the cultivars I had listed, or should I just decide based on the other factors in my original post?
Thanks!

18
In my experience, what they really hate (when small) is wind. I killed two or three until I built a wind break for my young Mauritius. Now, at around 12' tall, it tolerates wind fine. I'm in Merritt Island, FL. Actually, I think cold winters (within reason) are good for fruit production.

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Updated Mamey Info please
« on: May 09, 2020, 10:34:22 AM »


Hi Gang,
A few years ago, I had researched mamey cultivars on this forum and decided on the Pantin posted above. It had reached about 5' in ground when an FPL truck snapped it off about 5" above the graft during a power line pole replacement. They said that they'll pay for a replacement. I decided to leave the now pugged Pantin in place, since it's recovering, and just get a second mamey. Most of the descriptions I've found on this forum are from 2012 and 2017. I'd appreciate some updated input. I'm mainly considering Lorito, Pace (concerned about water requirements), Lara, Viejo, Mamey Colorado, and Excalibur. I know, I didn't narrow it down too well. Anyway, I would prefer ripening before May/June or after July, since I'll be gorging on mangoes during that period LOL. I'm in Merritt Island, FL (east-central), but in a microclimate where cold shouldn't be an issue. I know taste is subjective, but my priorities are flavor quality, precocity, and smaller tree size, in that order. All  opinions appreciated!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Sapodilla choice
« on: April 20, 2018, 12:04:04 PM »
:-) ewww

I ended up yanking my 13 year old makok.

Bahahahahhahahahhahaa!!!!!!! Careful, I heard that leads to vision problems and hairy palms. I thought you were a little bit older than that! Sorry, I couldn't pass that one up.  ;D
LMAO!!! I'm glad you didn't! Exactly my type of (admittedly juvenile) humor. I don't want to hijack this thread, but this brings up something I've been wondering. I've read that sapodillas don't ripen off the tree. But when I try to wait till they're ripe, the raccoons/squirrels have already raided the tree (Silas Woods), and I never get any. What's your criteria for harvesting? I tried enclosing the fruit in plastic clamshell type boxes that supermarket fruit come in, but the raccoons rip them open. Parenthetically, I also have a small Hasya for about a year. Looks like it's about to flower. Thanks for the help and the laughs.

21
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Mango Talk in Melbourne, FL 2/28
« on: February 27, 2018, 12:31:46 PM »
Yeah, that was very disappointing! BTW, howdy from another Eric in Brevard (Merritt Island).
I'm greatly looking forward to Alex's talk.

22
I too was fooled by the Pine Island viewer. It didn't help that Fairchild had it listed as well.

We have really good information here on many of the mango varieties, way better than what is out on the internet.
It would be helpful to a lot of people if we can put together a more accurate list on its own webpage. If possible, part of this website but not necessarily on the forum.

I wouldn't mind scrubbing some information from the forum and putting something together. I'd just need help confirming the info is accurate (at least in South Florida)

Excuse me for resurrecting an old thread, but this hit home for me. My Lancetilla succumbed to the axe last year. I had bought it based on PIN & Fairchild reviews too. I started lurking on this forum about a year ago and I regret not having found it sooner. I have had ten mango trees for over fifteen years, but have removed and replaced a number of them- RIP Lancetilla, Neelam, NDM (out of control growth, premature fruit drop, splitting) In fact, three of my current trees have been in the ground for less than three months (Sweet Tart, PPK, and Mallika). But better late than never. Thanks for accurate information and informed opinions everyone. I've learned a lot from this forum!

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: venus mango
« on: June 22, 2017, 08:16:52 AM »
Great, on top of everything else, now I have leaf envy!  :P

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« on: May 23, 2017, 05:32:42 PM »
This guy wasn't in my fruit trees, he preferred mangroves. My wife shot about fifty pictures. He was totally non-aggressive and hung around for a couple of hours. Never saw him (or her) again since that day. What a beautiful, albeit poisonous, snake.


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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Advice for one last mango tree
« on: May 22, 2017, 12:06:48 PM »
Thanks beefyboy. Here is the end result of my obsessing. The larger tree is the Sweet Tart, the smaller, PPK. And now, I wait. Not patiently though, especially since all my other mango trees seem to be taking a break this year.  :P






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