Author Topic: I Nominate Neelam (for Worst)  (Read 7962 times)

johnb51

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I Nominate Neelam (for Worst)
« on: July 26, 2015, 04:39:48 PM »
I nominate Neelam for the worst-tasting mango.  I've heard its off-flavor described as "carrot."  I'd call it "just plain nasty."  This was another mango where I fell for the Richard Campbell hype without tasting it.  Maybe if you had 50 mango trees, you could include Neelam, but if you only have four trees like me, you definitely don't want Neelam.  I don't care that it's a late-season mango--I'm chopping mine down!
« Last Edit: July 31, 2015, 04:17:53 PM by johnb51 »
John

bsbullie

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2015, 05:03:05 PM »
I nominate Neelam for the worst-tasting mango.  I've heard its off-flavor described as "carrot."  I'd call it "just plain nasty."  This was another mango where I fell for the Richard Campbell hype without tasting it.  Maybe if you had 50 mango trees, you could include Neelam, but if you only have four trees like me, you definitely don't want Neelam.  I don't care that it's a late-season mango--I'm chopping mine down!

top work it instead of chopping down.
- Rob

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2015, 05:04:57 PM »
I've never tasted carrot it in. More like smooth, light, spicy sweet with a lil bit of tang. But hey, to each their own :).
For other reasons it quickly fell out of favor with me (small fruit, large seed, seed germinating in ripening mangoes on the tree!!!!) despite being very disease resistant, precocious and bears in bunches. But your right. If I had space for only 4 mangoes, Neelam won't be one of the four :D. What are you gonna replace it with? I'm planting a Coconut Cream in its place.
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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2015, 05:18:59 PM »
My experience with Neelam tasting is that it's great some years and poor in others. So, it could very well be that the neelams are really good next year.
Jeff  :-)

johnb51

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2015, 06:49:08 PM »
My experience with Neelam tasting is that it's great some years and poor in others. So, it could very well be that the neelams are really good next year.
 

But I still think it's gonna have that off-flavor.  Even Richard Campbell mentions that some people don't like it.  I'm definitely one of them.
John

johnb51

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2015, 06:51:39 PM »
I've never tasted carrot it in. More like smooth, light, spicy sweet with a lil bit of tang. But hey, to each their own :).
For other reasons it quickly fell out of favor with me (small fruit, large seed, seed germinating in ripening mangoes on the tree!!!!) despite being very disease resistant, precocious and bears in bunches. But your right. If I had space for only 4 mangoes, Neelam won't be one of the four :D. What are you gonna replace it with? I'm planting a Coconut Cream in its place.
 
I'm looking for something late-season.  I've tasted Venus, but I wasn't extremely impressed.  It IS better than Neelam.
John

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2015, 08:23:00 PM »
I've never tasted carrot it in. More like smooth, light, spicy sweet with a lil bit of tang. But hey, to each their own :).
For other reasons it quickly fell out of favor with me (small fruit, large seed, seed germinating in ripening mangoes on the tree!!!!) despite being very disease resistant, precocious and bears in bunches. But your right. If I had space for only 4 mangoes, Neelam won't be one of the four :D. What are you gonna replace it with? I'm planting a Coconut Cream in its place.
 
I'm looking for something late-season.  I've tasted Venus, but I wasn't extremely impressed.  It IS better than Neelam.

do you like beverly? 
~Jeff

"Say you just can't live that negative way, if you know what I mean. Make way for the positive day." - Positive Vibration

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2015, 08:26:13 PM »
lol.  This is how I felt about mallika...Just nasty--don't even want to try another one--just not for me.

The neelam had what I describe as a vegetably taste....I almost said I liked them...then the aftertaste hit me, and I took neelam of the list.  I have been called crazy, but I also detect this aftertaste in cushman.  To each his own, but tasting is so important....especially with trees RC has recommended ::)
~Jeff

"Say you just can't live that negative way, if you know what I mean. Make way for the positive day." - Positive Vibration

bsbullie

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2015, 09:00:19 PM »
I've never tasted carrot it in. More like smooth, light, spicy sweet with a lil bit of tang. But hey, to each their own :).
For other reasons it quickly fell out of favor with me (small fruit, large seed, seed germinating in ripening mangoes on the tree!!!!) despite being very disease resistant, precocious and bears in bunches. But your right. If I had space for only 4 mangoes, Neelam won't be one of the four :D. What are you gonna replace it with? I'm planting a Coconut Cream in its place.
 
I'm looking for something late-season.  I've tasted Venus, but I wasn't extremely impressed.  It IS better than Neelam.

do you like beverly?

As good as Beverly is I would not recommend top working with it...it is very difficult for young grafts to take and when they do, they usually struggle mightily. 
- Rob

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2015, 09:47:29 PM »
Neelam has been disappointing me for years.

It's unfortunate because the trees are nice, dwarfish, precocious and productive even in the interior, and very late season too.

johnb51

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #10 on: July 26, 2015, 11:19:42 PM »
Yeah, I want to try Beverly.  I hope I get a chance to before the season is over. There are already 3 young Keitt trees in my neighborhood (less than 2 years old) so I don't want to go with Keitt although I've found it to be a pretty good tasting mango.
John

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2015, 11:26:16 PM »
I would go with Venus and/or Honey Kiss.
- Rob

johnb51

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #12 on: July 26, 2015, 11:33:18 PM »
I would go with Venus and/or Honey Kiss.

Is Venus still available (the fruit)?  I got a few from the wholesale nursery (you know the one) about a month ago.
John

zands

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2015, 12:01:49 AM »
Just saying but Venus seems to be 4-5 weeks earlier than Neelam. From my limited experience Neelam and Keitt come in at the same time but Keitt season goes on longer. One year the last fruit was taken off the tree on October 10th.

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #14 on: July 27, 2015, 12:25:24 AM »
Keitt is a decent late season mango.  good disease resistance,and productive , not the prettiest of trees, has that leggy sideways growth.  but as late varieties go, its a solid mango.  no coconut, pepsi, or lemon flavors just mango.
William
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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2015, 11:23:30 AM »
The late season mangoes can be tough. They have 2 enemies: fungus and wildlife.
Jeff  :-)

bsbullie

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2015, 12:16:00 PM »
Keitt is a decent late season mango.  good disease resistance,and productive , not the prettiest of trees, has that leggy sideways growth.  but as late varieties go, its a solid mango.  no coconut, pepsi, or lemon flavors just mango.

Keitt is a large vigorous grower here.  I would also not consider it disease resistant either.
- Rob

johnb51

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2015, 12:56:10 PM »
Most of the Keitt trees I've encountered have been healthy, but I live less than a mile from the ocean.  It's still the favorite late mango, evidenced by the fact that there are four (I'm revising that from 3) trees in the neighborhood planted in the front yards of three houses in the past three years.  I'm sure that none of these neighbors have ever heard of Tropical Fruit Forum or of Sweet Tart, Lemon Zest, Mahachanok, Fruit Punch, Edgar, etc.  One guy has a Haden, a Julie, a Glenn, and 2 Keitts, all in his front yard.
John

zands

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #18 on: July 29, 2015, 06:27:38 AM »
Just had this years first Neelam off my tree. Tasted perfectly good and normal. It had a light and unique taste w no carrot taste or other vegetable type taste.

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #19 on: July 29, 2015, 08:32:58 AM »
I'd back what Zands said: Neelams off my tree have been pretty good (except for the ones I pulled too early). One downside: anthracnose, perhaps because of high humidity and plentiful rain. Should have sprayed more often ...

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Re: I Nominate Neelam
« Reply #20 on: July 29, 2015, 08:42:15 AM »
Had 2 tree ripened neelams yesterday. Bland, watery and not sweet. Tasted like V8 golden goodness drink. Never encountered this in it's 3 yrs of production :/ .
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Re: I Nominate Neelam (for Worst)
« Reply #21 on: September 04, 2015, 06:52:35 PM »
I picked first ever (and only) fruit of my Neelam tree three days back, it had turned yellow at the bottom on the tree. I just ate it, even though it was ripened unevenly - bottom portion was overripe and top part was under ripe, it was quite good and we all liked it. It wasn't affected by Anthracnose either, even though my Kents gets decimated with Anthracnose.


- AJ

Felipe

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Re: I Nominate Neelam (for Worst)
« Reply #22 on: September 20, 2015, 07:47:44 AM »
This week I tasted Neelam for the first time from two different trees in different locations. Three other persons and I where very pleased with this mango. It was very tasty with a hint of coconut flavour.

Maybe our dry climate and soil ist better suited for this mango? :)



Mark in Texas

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Re: I Nominate Neelam (for Worst)
« Reply #23 on: September 20, 2015, 08:09:30 AM »
This week I tasted Neelam for the first time from two different trees in different locations. Three other persons and I where very pleased with this mango. It was very tasty with a hint of coconut flavour.

Maybe our dry climate and soil ist better suited for this mango? :)



As with many fruit, grapes and nuts, certain varieties excel in certain climates and fail in others.  For example, in Spain and central Texas (west of I-35) vinifera grapes (merlot, garnacha, syrah) excel and have few disease pressures because of the lower RH. They would fail in Florida.  I think in Texas and most of California we benefit because we can grow about anything either in or outside of a greenhouse depending on where you are.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2015, 10:13:14 AM by Mark in Texas »

johnb51

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Re: I Nominate Neelam (for Worst)
« Reply #24 on: September 20, 2015, 08:13:15 AM »
This week I tasted Neelam for the first time from two different trees in different locations. Three other persons and I where very pleased with this mango. It was very tasty with a hint of coconut flavour.

Maybe our dry climate and soil ist better suited for this mango? :)



Glad to hear that, Felipe.  You have a healthy-looking tree, and you can't beat Neelam for small, compact size.
John