Manila Mango So Cal

[kdean]

I have a manila Mango tree that has been in the ground about five years. Zone 10a.  I’ve had a small crop for three years and last year there was a lot but they were very small and super sweet. This year they seem to be super large almost commercial size and still not ripe.  I’m trying to figure out if the weather here made the difference or if it was something I did. Just wondering if anybody else had an unusual crop this year. In Rowland Heights specifically.

[palingkecil]

My manila mango is about 6 ft tall and been in ground for 2 years. It was a grafted and about 2 years old when I bought it. Last year I got a very small crop, but very sweet. This year all the fruitlets drop. The tree looks healthy except for a few leaves with sunburn. I cannot figure out why it dropped all the fruitlets this year.
I am in Glendale,Ca( zone 10A ?)

[kdean]

Pics

[simon_grow]

Manilla type Mangos in SoCal often have smaller nubbin fruit the first couple years of fruiting before they start producing full sized fruit. The nubbins usually have incomplete pollination and have either no seed or a very small seed. The flesh from nubbins is very sweet because the fruit is very small so more minerals and photosynthates can be put towards that fruit.

The larger fruit is a good thing although they will likely be less sweet. I’ve found the Manilla type Mangos to be relatively mediocre in quality when you compare it to some of the varieties we often talk about on this forum. I used to love manilla Mangos until I had Lemon Zest, Sweet Tart, Coconut Cream, Peach Cobbler, Pineapple Pleasure, Kesar, Fruit Punch, E4, M4 and many others.

If you love the fruit, that’s all that matters but I would recommend trying your hand at top working a few branches with Sweet Tart, Venus or Kathy for example.

Simon

[kdean]

Thank you for the information Simon.  I was anticipating that super sweet taste on the larger mangos but at least I know the probability and won’t be as surprised.  We do have a cogshall that we purchased from an enthusiast in Long Beach and a small ice cream variety with both having a couple fruits this year.  So just starting to get into the mango growing and will definitely like to graduate to the grafting!  Will stay on the board for advice and coaching!   

[palingkecil]

Manilla type Mangos in SoCal often have smaller nubbin fruit the first couple years of fruiting before they start producing full sized fruit. The nubbins usually have incomplete pollination and have either no seed or a very small seed. The flesh from nubbins is very sweet because the fruit is very small so more minerals and photosynthates can be put towards that fruit.

The larger fruit is a good thing although they will likely be less sweet. I’ve found the Manilla type Mangos to be relatively mediocre in quality when you compare it to some of the varieties we often talk about on this forum. I used to love manilla Mangos until I had Lemon Zest, Sweet Tart, Coconut Cream, Peach Cobbler, Pineapple Pleasure, Kesar, Fruit Punch, E4, M4 and many others.

If you love the fruit, that’s all that matters but I would recommend trying your hand at top working a few branches with Sweet Tart, Venus or Kathy for example.

Simon

Thank you for sharing this, Simon. Appreciate it. How productive is the manila mango here in So-Cal? If it is productive, I will keep it just to distract the fruit thief from my other tropical fruits.

[simon_grow]

Manilla Mango is has decent crops but it’s a bit of a gamble depending on your seedling. If you got a LaVern Manilla Mango, it will fruit heavily in good years but it can be an alternate bearer, especially after a bumper crop year. On bumper crop years, the panicles will hold so much fruit that it can snap branches. I don’t know about the production of grafted Manilla Mangos in SoCal.

Because many of the Manilla Mangos are grown from seed, you could end up with a seedling that bears very poorly. Some strains get Powdery Mildew very bad but still seem to be able to hold fruit to maturity.

LaVern Manilla makes a great rootstock.

Simon