I have a 3 gallon Rapoza mango tree ready to be planted. I've read that it is one of the most sought after varieties in Hawaii. How good does it do in South Florida in terms of production and taste?
If what I hear is correct, the Florida red is the Hawaiian rapoza. That said, when Robert is here unloaded a bunch of Florida reds last late June, my wife thought they were some of the best mangos she's ever tasted. I'd agree that they were a top 5 for me that year. My rapoza is about to fruit this year for the first time. bloomed twice and is a vigorous grower. No disease problems yet.
Wish I could tell you more.
If you compare ratings for Florida Red versus ratings for Rapoza, you will see that Florida Red will get much higher ratings in Florida, even on this forum. Never mind that they are both the same mango.
What does this tell you about influence of preconceived ideas in ratings?
Rapoza does very well here in super rainy east Hawaii. It has great feature of continued flowering until it finally hits a bit of a dry spell, then you get a very good flower set. It has a lot of good qualities going for it: good coloration, good production, good sized, disease resistance, and ofcourse great taste. I'm sure it could be improved upon....but then again what fruit can't? It is a seedling and improved version of Irwin, so if you don't like Irwin you may not like it? I don't know i haven't tried Irwin yet.