Author Topic: Potassium nitrate worked! (Read 16121 times)

happyisland · « **on:** March 09, 2013, 05:10:56 PM »

I have had an inexplicably difficult time getting my mango trees to fruit. So I started the potassium nitrate spraying regimen (from another thread on this forum). Last week was the last of the 4 weeks of spraying, and guess what? Today I found the first blooms on my biggest two trees!

So excited!

The VP, so you can see how big it is. How is it possible this thing has never flowered before?

A representative flower. Weirdly, the whole bottom six feet or so has flowers, with nothing on higher branches (yet?)

Here's the only flower (so far!) on the Edward. I know this is pretty lame for you guys who are constantly inundated with fruit, but I've waited a LONG time for this! Woo hoo!

Tropicalgrower89 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 09, 2013, 05:38:36 PM »

Congrats!

mario · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2013, 11:25:20 PM »

Thats awsome. Congrats , what did u use and how many times? I need to do this too

fruitlovers · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2013, 11:33:48 PM »

Great to hear it. Please tell us exactly what concentration you used and how you sprayed it. I think i need to try this here to increase the pathetic fruit production.

MangoFang · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2013, 01:42:35 AM »

ah.....happy times on the happy island!

Congrats and now let's see if the fruit holds on the tree -
do keep us posted!

Fang

ofdsurfer · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2013, 07:45:32 AM »

Does anyone know why this isn't supposed to work outside the tropics? Is it related to day lenght like a lot of tropical veggies? I know that tropical veggies, chayote, winged bean, can be fooled into flowering early by only allowing a certain amount of sunlight then covering them. I don't have any container mangoes but it would be a good experiment for somebody to try. Limiting day light and spraying with potassium nitrate. Winter Pickering mangoes from a mid summer bloom would be nice.

happyisland · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2013, 08:37:48 AM »

Here's all I did:

Around 2 tablespoons of potassium nitrate powder per gallon of water, sprayed thoroughly over all leaves. I did this once a week for four weeks, and magically on the fifth week I had some flowers!

Caveat: I have ten other trees that are still flower-less.

So now I'm wondering if I should continue weekly applications on the unproductive trees, or if there's some reason that 4 weeks are what is recommended in the commercial agriculture method.

puglvr1 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2013, 09:04:17 AM »

Awesome

!! Congrats...I'm very happy for you. Its so exciting to see blooms for sure...Good luck!!

murahilin · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2013, 09:18:58 AM »

You should do an experiment next time, only spraying half of each tree for the 4 weeks to see if you can get half of the tree to flower and then in a few weeks you start spraying the other side to see if the other half will flower and you can get a staggered crop.

zands · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2013, 10:26:07 AM »

Glad you succeeded!

Caveat: I have ten other trees that are still flower-less.

I take it those were also sprayed with the KNO3?
Someone in FL or California should see if it works here, even though they say it doesn't. My guess is it works, but not as dramatically and maybe you have to dose the tree a few more weeks than in the tropics

If I had some on hand I would give it a try next year--- 2lbs for $12 on eBay.

[PDF] Potassium nitrate and urea sprays showed an impact on flowering ...upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-01142005.../07chapter7.pdfFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
by TB Yeshitela - 2005
CHAPTER 7. POTASSIUM NITRATE AND UREA SPRAYS AFFECTED FLOWERING. AND YIELDS OF 'TOMMY ATKINS' MANGO IN ETHIOPIA. 7.1 ABSTRACT ...

mario · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2013, 10:29:37 AM »

What brand did u use?

puglvr1 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2013, 10:52:44 AM »

Question? Is Potassium nitrate the same as Plant Doctor aka Phyto Fos?

http://organiclabs.com/Images/LabelImages/Phyto%20Fos%200-0-18.pdf

happyisland · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2013, 11:57:43 AM »

The potassium nitrate (KNO3) I used was repackaged by the local garden center. It's a white powder that they sell (cheaply) in little plastic tubs.

Now that I know that it works I'm definitely going to experiment in the future along the lines Sheehan recommended above. How great would it be to have a single tree fruiting for many months?

Question for everyone: on both my Edward and VP, the only blooms so far are on the lowest branches. Does anyone know if this is typical?

zands · « **Reply #13 on:** March 10, 2013, 01:49:33 PM »

Quote from: puglvr1 on March 10, 2013, 10:52:44 AM

Question? Is Potassium nitrate the same as Plant Doctor aka Phyto Fos?

http://organiclabs.com/Images/LabelImages/Phyto%20Fos%200-0-18.pdf

not the same

Tropicalgrower89 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2013, 01:56:52 PM »

Quote from: zands on March 10, 2013, 10:26:07 AM

Glad you succeeded!

Caveat: I have ten other trees that are still flower-less.

I take it those were also sprayed with the KNO3?
Someone in FL or California should see if it works here, even though they say it doesn't. My guess is it works, but not as dramatically and maybe you have to dose the tree a few more weeks than in the tropics

If I had some on hand I would give it a try next year--- 2lbs for $12 on eBay.

[PDF] Potassium nitrate and urea sprays showed an impact on flowering ...upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-01142005.../07chapter7.pdfFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
by TB Yeshitela - 2005
CHAPTER 7. POTASSIUM NITRATE AND UREA SPRAYS AFFECTED FLOWERING. AND YIELDS OF 'TOMMY ATKINS' MANGO IN ETHIOPIA. 7.1 ABSTRACT ...

Do you know the proper application rate/measurements of KNO3? I'm thinking about using it on my lemon zest.

bobbyjo · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2013, 02:01:23 PM »

Quote from: zands on March 10, 2013, 01:49:33 PM

Quote from: puglvr1 on March 10, 2013, 10:52:44 AM
Question? Is Potassium nitrate the same as Plant Doctor aka Phyto Fos?

http://organiclabs.com/Images/LabelImages/Phyto%20Fos%200-0-18.pdf

not the same

Agree with Zands - they are not the same. Potassium nitrate is KNO3, Plant Doctor aka Phyto Fos is made up of K2O and potassium phosphite (K3PO3).

puglvr1 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 10, 2013, 02:42:09 PM »

Thanks Zands and Bobbyjo!

fruitnursery · « **Reply #17 on:** March 10, 2013, 08:31:17 PM »

Quote from: happyisland on March 10, 2013, 11:57:43 AM

The potassium nitrate (KNO3) I used was repackaged by the local garden center. It's a white powder that they sell (cheaply) in little plastic tubs.

Now that I know that it works I'm definitely going to experiment in the future along the lines Sheehan recommended above. How great would it be to have a single tree fruiting for many months?

Question for everyone: on both my Edward and VP, the only blooms so far are on the lowest branches. Does anyone know if this is typical?

Hi,

The best time to spray Potassium Nitrate is when the leaves of the mango tree are already mature. To know if it's already mature is when the leaves are very green and have a crunchiness in it when you shred it.

So it is possible that the leaves of the upper branches haven't matured yet. Or probably the Potassium nitrate you have used is not that effective or potent depends on your climate though. If you area is very humid, you must have a higher concentration of Pottasium Nitrate. The drier the area the less concentration can be used.

Another factor is the brand of the Potassium Nitrate. Sometimes there are better Potassium Nitrate brands being used commercially for mango producing countries. The best brand is Haifa from Israel. The reason is that in Israel, they also use KNO3 for there mango production and they have added a surfactant in there Haifa Brand. Potassium Nitrate with surfactants are more effective because they stick in the leaves and do not leach in the ground.

Just wanna commend your effort on trying to flower induce an Edwards and VP mango.

This makes my experiment more easy on the edwards mango.

fruitnursery · « **Reply #18 on:** March 10, 2013, 08:44:06 PM »

Hi,

You can also use calcium nitrate as an alternative as flower inducer for mango trees. Though Potassium Nitrate is more potent, calcium nitrate can also be effective as KNO3 is used properly in dosages. By the way, not every mango tree variety can be flower induced. Mango varieties that are shy bearer or biennial fruiting are more effective in flower inducing using Potassium Nitrate.

bangkok · « **Reply #19 on:** March 10, 2013, 10:54:56 PM »

I 've got a kilo of 13-0-46 here from the brand Pro(R)-mango and it is a turqoise fine crystal-powder.

It has 13% N and 46% K2O but nowhere on the bag they write about KNO3. Is this the same product as KNO3?

I can't read the instructions because they are in Thai language. It costed 3us$ by the way.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2013, 01:18:23 AM »

Quote from: bangkok on March 10, 2013, 10:54:56 PM

I 've got a kilo of 13-0-46 here from the brand Pro(R)-mango and it is a turqoise fine crystal-powder.

It has 13% N and 46% K2O but nowhere on the bag they write about KNO3. Is this the same product as KNO3?

I can't read the instructions because they are in Thai language. It costed 3us$ by the way.

No, potassium nitrate is not a fertilizer, so it's not going to come in a fertilizer bag.

bangkok · « **Reply #21 on:** March 11, 2013, 01:37:39 AM »

Quote from: fruitlovers on March 11, 2013, 01:18:23 AM

Quote from: bangkok on March 10, 2013, 10:54:56 PM
I 've got a kilo of 13-0-46 here from the brand Pro(R)-mango and it is a turqoise fine crystal-powder.

It has 13% N and 46% K2O but nowhere on the bag they write about KNO3. Is this the same product as KNO3?

I can't read the instructions because they are in Thai language. It costed 3us$ by the way.

No, potassium nitrate is not a fertilizer, so it's not going to come in a fertilizer bag.

I have no idea what a fertilizer bag is but it is in a plastic bag with a big picture of a mango-flower on it and small pic's of mango's. If i recall well my wife told me to spray this product to induce flowering.
I will ask her again what the description is and how to use this product.

In Thailand they just do something, they don't have any rules to follow about fertilizers or whatever. Unfortunately even the big European brands do not include an instruction guide in English and if you mail them and ask for it you don't get any reply.

A Thai friend of mine sold fertilizers all his life and is retired now, he did not know that grass is grown from seed to give an example. He drove a big German car so i guess he sold a lot in his career.

happyisland · « **Reply #22 on:** March 11, 2013, 07:59:42 AM »

Fruitnursery, I'm glad my experimentation helped.

Thanks for the idea on why I'm getting such a weird fruiting pattern. Now that you mention it I'm sure you're right. The lower branches are more mature and have darker leaves, etc, just like you mentioned.

bangkok · « **Reply #23 on:** March 11, 2013, 09:14:08 AM »

My Promango bag is potassiumnitrate that's what they write in Thai language. Also good to spray on cucumber and cabbage and vegy they write.

Amazing Thailand....

zands · « **Reply #24 on:** March 11, 2013, 09:20:04 AM »

Quote from: Tropicalgrower89 on March 10, 2013, 01:56:52 PM

Quote from: zands on March 10, 2013, 10:26:07 AM
Glad you succeeded!

Caveat: I have ten other trees that are still flower-less.

I take it those were also sprayed with the KNO3?
Someone in FL or California should see if it works here, even though they say it doesn't. My guess is it works, but not as dramatically and maybe you have to dose the tree a few more weeks than in the tropics

If I had some on hand I would give it a try next year--- 2lbs for $12 on eBay.

[PDF] Potassium nitrate and urea sprays showed an impact on flowering ...upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-01142005.../07chapter7.pdfFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
by TB Yeshitela - 2005
CHAPTER 7. POTASSIUM NITRATE AND UREA SPRAYS AFFECTED FLOWERING. AND YIELDS OF 'TOMMY ATKINS' MANGO IN ETHIOPIA. 7.1 ABSTRACT ...

Do you know the proper application rate/measurements of KNO3? I'm thinking about using it on my lemon zest.

happy island said he used>>>>>>Around 2 tablespoons of potassium nitrate powder per gallon of water, sprayed thoroughly over all leaves. I did this once a week for four weeks, and magically on the fifth week I had some flowers!

I might try next year. Prolly too late for this year? Urea and a surfactant will help so it seems. Ebay has many size bags KNO3 being sold with some marked soluble but I would think all are if they are in powder form

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Author Topic: Potassium nitrate worked! (Read 16121 times)