Need help with fruit tree placement and planting.

[Jackson]

I am trying to figure out which/how many trees to plant in the front right corner of my lot. The front faces south and the right side faces west.  It is a 60' by 60' area from the south (front) fence to the edge of oak tree canopy and the driveway to the west side fence. The picture was taken facing west.



These are the trees I would like to put in this location.

Jackfruit - Excalibur Red,  Amber

Mango - Pickering, Carrie, Coconut Cream, Mahachanok, Edward, Mallika, Orange Sherbet. I plan on getting a Cac, so would like to keep a spot open for it.

Lychee - Sweetheart, Mauritius, Brewster.

Longan - Biew Kiew, Sri Chompoo.

1)  I know I cannot fit all of the trees in that small area but would like to fit as many as I can ( I plan to keep the trees small) and need help figuring out spacing and which ones to plant towards the front and which towards the back.

2)  I would also like to plant these trees on a mound. Should I use just plain sand or can I amend it with top soil and compost.

3)  Most of the mangoes were bought mid-July'18 as my house was supposed to be ready by the end of that month. Some major issues cropped up and I only moved in recently. So, these trees are still in their original 3 gallon pots. They still look healthy but I have no idea how root bound/messed up the roots are by now. Is there anything I should do before/after? I put them in the ground to ensure survival/success?

Any and all help/suggestions are appreciated. TIA.

[achetadomestica]

If you come in 7 1/2' and plant a tree then do another tree every 15' apart you
would end up with room for 16 trees. Four rows of four all trees 7 1/2 ' from the
edge. You have 15 trees on your list. That is tight since all your trees have the
potential to get large but I have seen people put allot more trees in an area that large.
Unfortunately your trees will be right next to the road and visible to drivers/fruit thieves.
If it was me I would consider only planting 3-4 mangos and increase your diversity? I have
never heard anyone on this forum say they have enough room

[Seanny]

3)
After you gotten plant out of pot, prune any big circling roots.
You can use a stick to pick small circling roots to straighten them as you fill the hole.

I had to cut 1” off bottom to remove most circling roots the last time put an old potted plant in ground.

[kar1ma3]

I would plant all of them and you will be able to remove what you do not like later. Not sure about Coconut cream as it is more difficult to manage and not very productive. Many others are smaller trees. I like Diamond River longan as it produces a lot of fruits every year no matter what you do with the tree (not the biggest fruits) but you can keep the tree on a smaller side. Emperor lychee you can keep dwarf, I have removed Muritius as I do not like it. Brewster is okay, you can keep it smaller, Sweatheart is the best tasting, but I already forgot when it fruited last time (on a list ready for removal). Jackfruit possibly will not fruit well in Tampa. Jackfruit (hates chill hours) or Lychee (needs chill hours), if one is going to fruit well, the other may not. Excalibur Red is not red. I have one super productive Cristela Red (not red) from Excalibur and I'm having too many delicious jacfruits, unless you want to eat jackfruits every day. Pickering, Carrie (if you like sweet tart), Mahachanok, Orange Sherbet, Coc - big yes! Smaller trees must face south. Buy arlo or similar one or two visible cameras and forget about fruit thieves. Yes, when tree is young you can amend it with top soil and compost just do not overdo on mangoes. You can also add 1-3lb/tree of earthworm castings and I would not add synthetic fertilizers. I have visited many Dr. Richard Campbell (mango genius) lectures, went to Fairchild farm not once. My opinion is slightly different, you need to give nutrients to your mango trees, especially when trees are young, trees are more resistant to all diseases then. You can also give synthetic fertilizers, but much much less than you may want. You can save any tree with compost tea from many diseases. Mango trees need your help, but not high N-P-K - those fertilizers are killing and never fish fertilizer for a mango tree.

[pineislander]

For mounds eliminate weeds and perennial grass in a six ft diameter circle around each tree. Place pot on ground and build a mound that slopes out from the upper pot edge out to a 3 feet radius giving about a one foot mound. For mound material you could use sand but would benefit from adding 4 inches compost on top of the mound, and mulch on top of that. Don't use pure compost or mulch as mound material it will decompose and settle out. On a mound you will need more irrigation than you might expect for the first few years till roots go down.
 
I'd suggest some avocado they are valuable and with a few varieties will give you something over a six month season.
If trees fail replace with avocado.

At planting check for circling roots that will eventually girdle the trees as they grow thicker. Make x- cuts on the bottom roots of the tree and vertical cuts around the root ball. If anything is circling clip it off. This shows what can go wrong.
https://www.thedailygarden.us/garden-word-of-the-day/girdling-roots

Especially jackfruit soil may fall off the roots as you unpot, be very gentle with these you may be best to cut off the pot.

[Jackson]

Acheta - Just to clarify, do you mean 7.5' from the front (south) fence and also 7.5' from the west. Then 15' between trees? How many feet between each row of trees? 15'?  Would it be better to stagger the rows?
I have considered the fact that people might steal fruit close to the fence but I have about 5 feet of land (part of my lot) between my fence and the side walk. I am planning on planting a hedge along the fence on the outside. Maybe some bougainvillea/natal plum ;-)!

Seanny - I was not sure if pruning bigger roots would end up killing the tree. Good to know that it is okay to do.

Kar1ma - Where did you get the Diamond River longan and the Cristela jackfruit?  I have read on this forum that there is some confusion with regards to the color of Excalibur Red. It will be a few years before I get any fruit so I won't know till then.
Any reason that fish fertilizer is not good for mango trees? I was planning on using a seaweed foliar spray on the trees, is that also a no-no?

Pineislander - Thanks. I will use a mix of top soil and compost instead of just sand for the mound. A neighbor has 2 really nice healthy mango trees and she told me to only use sand, so I thought I would ask on here to get more opinions. I would love to have a couple of avocado trees but I already have too many trees and not enough land.  Have 5 varieties of bananas, a bunch of sugar apples and atemoyas, sapodillas, guavas, star fruit, citrus, loquat, etc. in pots that have to go in the ground.  I will keep the avocados in mind as replacements for any of my trees that don't make it.

[kar1ma3]

Cristela Red is from Excalibur I got it 5-6 years ago, Richard, the owner told me that this one should be the best, still not sure if this is grafted or a seedling from his breading program I did not pay much attention until 3 years later this tree started producing 10 and more fruits a year, got it 2ft tall in 1 gallon pot. Not red, yellow-orange, sweet, crispy.
Diamond River also not sure if it is air layered or seedling, came from Thailand as far as I remember he was telling me stories, got it 6-7 years ago in 25 gallon pot. 1 or 2 crops a year every year. I fully agree with Oscar on this forum: "Best thing about DR isit's a very consistent producer, even in the tropics...needs no chill. Also it's very proficic producer. The qualtiy gets knocked in the literature, but i think it's pdg (pretty darned good), all things considered". I like stories about every tree I grow especially those how difficult it was to get it.
Fish fertilizer on mangoes - I believe Dr. Richard Campbell, he was telling not once that in his experience fish is killing mango roots. Good for tomatoes but not for mango trees.
I have attached photos of my Cristela Red as of today.

[achetadomestica]

If the lot is 60' X 60'
then you could put 4 even rows of 4 in if you leave 7 1/2'
on the edges. I like everything to be in lines and even ( it's probably not
healthy)
All your trees would be 15 away from any other tree but the trees on the edge would spill over
the edges if they get more then 15' wide? I have seen mangos and longans that were 25'+ wide.
You will have to prune especially if your neighbor on the edge is not cooperative. Hopefully
they enjoy fruit. Another advantage would be a cluster of larger trees could create a warmer
buffer area on the occasional cold nights.
I have 2 kohala longans and they are fruiting every year also. They have handled 30F and
hurricane Irma. Everyone has a different opinion which type is better and some trees grow
differently in different conditions. The 15 trees you picked will probably not be the 15 trees you
end up with? It's a work in progress and my taste change and evolve. You have plenty of diversity
with the other trees you mentioned.  Hopefully you will provide pictures as you transform your
lot.

[Jackson]

kar1ma - Your Cristela jackfruit tree looks great. I like the fact that it is precocious and can be kept small. I will consider getting one especially, if it is a crunchy variety. I already have 3 logan varieties, if any of them don't work out, I will try the Diamond River.

Acheta -

I like everything to be in lines and even ( it's probably not healthy)

LOL! You and I have the same "disease"!
I have a Kohala longan too but I am going to plant that in the backyard, as I plan to let it get a little larger than the trees in the front yard.  I will try to remember to take pics to keep track of progress/changes.

[JakeFruit]

never fish fertilizer for a mango tree.

Why? I use it on smaller seedlings all the time, I'll also use it on the larger potted trees when we've been having a bunch of rain washing out the nutrients in the pots. Never had an issue with it.

[elouicious]

Shoutout for Neil Logan and his wonderful agroforestry app which is very useful for planning long term projects like this

https://www.agroforestryx.com/

[Buragoya]

Thank you all for the tips! My wife and I have been thinking about this topic for a long time and have decided that we will plant trees in our garden soon, but for now, we need to install a fence and make an open porch. I will make the wall wooden and high enough to protect the garden from all sorts of pests. To me, this is the best option that will look good and last a long time. I also want to add lots of small details that will dilute the overall look of the whole yard. Only after that will I start planting trees and shrubs. Landscaping is a significant part of my garden because I want to enjoy beautiful views when I come home.