Citrus Mango Survey Shootout

[nighthawk0911@yahoo.com]

Gary Zill just keeps cranking them out.  Lemon Zest though very good wasn't included as it's apparently not recommended for growing in humid climates - Like most of Florida.  PLEASE DON'T VOTE UNLESS YOU'VE ACTUALLY SAMPLED ALL 3.   THANKS!!   

[Cookie Monster]

I grow all 3 plus Lemon Zest. My favorite of the 4 is LZ. 

I would not give up on LZ just because it gets MBBS... unless you live in Loxahatchee or a similarly ridiculously humid part of south florida (yes some parts are more humid than others), in which case, the mango cultivars you can grow without an extremely dedicated fungal program can probably be counted on one hand.

I have 3 established / mature LZ trees. I do get a couple of fruits per year with MBBS, but the loss is negligible. I frankly lose more fruits to animals and high wind. Moreover, LZ is just one of many cultivars in my orchard that get MBBS.

If you're wanting to only plant trees that never present problem nor require attention, your list is going to be pretty small. And, since you're selecting for "extreme disease resistance" as a genetic trait, you have to budge on some of the other selection criteria (eg, flavor, production, etc).

A perfect mango that's top tier in flavor, MBBS resistant, anthracnose resistant, powdery mildew resistant, that produces prodigious crops and that stays manageable -- is frankly a unicorn mango that only exists in fairy tales. That's probably why commercial growers stick to the more hardy (and flavor deficient) cultivars like Tommy Atkins :-).

PS -- Orange Essence is a completely different flavor class from PPK, OS, LZ.

[nighthawk0911@yahoo.com]

I grow all 3 plus Lemon Zest. My favorite of the 4 is LZ. 

I would not give up on LZ just because it gets MBBS... unless you live in Loxahatchee or a similarly ridiculously humid part of south florida (yes some parts are more humid than others), in which case, the mango cultivars you can grow without an extremely dedicated fungal program can probably be counted on one hand.

I have 3 established / mature LZ trees. I do get a couple of fruits per year with MBBS, but the loss is negligible. I frankly lose more fruits to animals and high wind. Moreover, LZ is just one of many cultivars in my orchard that get MBBS.

If you're wanting to only plant trees that never present problem nor require attention, your list is going to be pretty small. And, since you're selecting for "extreme disease resistance" as a genetic trait, you have to budge on some of the other selection criteria (eg, flavor, production, etc).

A perfect mango that's top tier in flavor, MBBS resistant, anthracnose resistant, powdery mildew resistant, that produces prodigious crops and that stays manageable -- is frankly a unicorn mango that only exists in fairy tales. That's probably why commercial growers stick to the more hardy (and flavor deficient) cultivars like Tommy Atkins :-).

PS -- Orange Essence is a completely different flavor class from PPK, OS, LZ.



Thanks for a very detailed answer.....I know your passion for LZ and respect it.  With that in mind between PPK and OS which do you favor for flavor and performance?  Thanks.

[Cookie Monster]

I'm not sure it's a passion towards LZ; I just feel like you're cutting yourself short by assuming that a do-not-grow list is universally applicable / gospel. LZ is one of many cultivars I grow which are on the Tropical Acres do-not-plant list -- all or most of which do quite well in my particular circumstances.

As an example (one of many) -- years ago, the party line was that Dot was a really disease-prone mango cultivar. Most growers would (and do) advise against growing Dot, and most novices would simply parrot off the same advice -- it turns into a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy as herd mentality amplifies the recommendations of a small group of "field experts."

Humorously, Dot is one of my better / more disease resistant trees. My angie, which was a recommendation of Dr Richard Campbell (another "field expert") for disease resistance, looks absolutely terrible -- covered with scab and anthracnose -- while the Dot, which is 15 feet away, is squeaky clean. Both get the same treatment.

Over the years, I've learned that what is true for one grower or one growing area is not true for all of south Florida. There are numerous micro-climates here, with varying degrees of humidity and completely different soil types.

Moreover, growing trees for the dooryard is not the same as growing them to sell. The reason why most of us grow fruit trees in our backyards is because commercial growers stay away from more disease prone cultivars and peddle only those fruits whose main selection criteria are disease resistance and production (not flavor!). Alas, they're main goal is to turn a profit.

With that said -- I would lean towards PPK for the following reasons:

• PPK isn't as beastly of a grower as OS (OS is my most vigorous tree -- of 30+ cultivars I grow)
• PPK is early season. Combined with LZ (which is mid to mid late), I can get good Lemon-X coverage from late May through early August. Also, most early season mangoes tend to be bland. PPK is one of the few I can enjoy in May.
• PPK is more resistant to powdery mildew than OS (on my property). OS is very susceptible to powdery mildew.
• PPK seems to flower more freely than OS.

The major advantage of OS is the size. It's larger than PPK, which is a small mango.

Thanks for a very detailed answer.....I know your passion for LZ and respect it.  With that in mind between PPK and OS which do you favor for flavor and performance?  Thanks.

[behlgarden]

I will change the note here, but wonder why Peach Cobbler was not on the list. that has more citrus flavor than most "labeled orange" mangoes.

[MarvelMango]

I will change the note here, but wonder why Peach Cobbler was not on the list. that has more citrus flavor than most "labeled orange" mangoes.

I agree with you. PC is my fav for citrus flavor. Taste like tangerine to me.
But I also have not tried orange sherbet or orange essence yet.

[nighthawk0911@yahoo.com]

I will change the note here, but wonder why Peach Cobbler was not on the list. that has more citrus flavor than most "labeled orange" mangoes.

Noted & revised.  I wasn't aware that Peach Cobbler has a citrus profile.  Heard it had a peach flavor profile tho I've never had it,  

[strkpr00]

woo hoo waiting for PC first fruit to ripen.

I tasted it and it was off the chart. PC is a great mango

[beefyboy]

I have all of them but sold my orange essence so now have 3.  To me, OS rules by a long shot. LZ is great however and glad I have it but can't match that heavenly OS flavor.  My Peach Cobbler is 12 ft tall and loaded with fruit for it's second season of bearing. When I tasted them last year, I was gauging when they were ready slightly wrong at first. They are the most tricky mango to gauge for ripeness IMO. I had one last year that was incredible however and it beat LZ handily. Now I will see where it ranks this year in the next month or so.