MIni Yard Update (OK, maybe not so mini anymore)........1/19/2013 & 1/26/2013

[HMHausman]

Canistel var. Bruce........not much appreciated at my house.  Attractive fruit and tree when the bugs aren't demolishing the leaves.




Maha Chanok mangoes......tree #3.  Fruiting much heavier than the other trees for some reason.




Mainly a stand of carambola that was a selection from Possum Trot Nursery.  Bell is the scrawny tree on the far right.





Black Sapote.



More coming....there'll be a brief time out for familial obligations.

[murahilin]

Harry,
Please refresh our memories, how much pesticides and fungicides do you usually spray? How detrimental to you fruiting are those few leaf bites and occasional spots of sooty mold? Based on some of the things I've been reading on this forum, you possibly could not be getting any fruit set with a few leaf bites or bugs on your trees. Those mangos will all fall off and die to fungus as well, so you must be spraying gallons of copper and imidacloprid over your entire acreage.

[bsbullie]

Harry,
Please refresh our memories, how much pesticides and fungicides do you usually spray? How detrimental to you fruiting are those few leaf bites and occasional spots of sooty mold? Based on some of the things I've been reading on this forum, you possibly could not be getting any fruit set with a few leaf bites or bugs on your trees. Those mangos will all fall off and die to fungus as well, so you must be spraying gallons of copper and imidacloprid over your entire acreage.

I think we know from his past postings that he said that last year his mango production was lower, significantly or not only Harry would be able to elaborate on that, by his lack of treatment of anthracnose and powdery mildew on their affected pannicles.

As you have seen, his lychees, canistel and possibly others have been a feeding grounds for the root weevil.  Did it kill the  trees, not that I know of,  Did it effect blooms and fruit production, I cant answer that...but I can say I had a significant sized lychee destroyed by root weevils.  Without treatments, it when down to where only about 1/4 of the branches were living and its flushes were very weak and got instantly attacked by weevils.  So, can they decimate and destroy a tree, YES.

[bsbullie]

Harry - is the winter time still a nesting ground for those Orb Spiders?  I know your lychees and canistel were food suppliers for the weevils but just curious, have you ever seen the weevils captured in their webs?

[ScottR]

WOW Harry, I can't believe I hadn't posted here. Your pics of your specimen trees and variety is amazing.Thanks for sharing, I envy your collection who have your hands full beutiful!   

[Dangermouse01]

Harry - is the winter time still a nesting ground for those Orb Spiders?  I know your lychees and canistel were food suppliers for the weevils but just curious, have you ever seen the weevils captured in their webs?

I have thrown a white weevil into the web of the spiny orb weaver spider once, the spider hustled down to see what was in the web and promptly cut the weevil out and let it drop to the ground.

The spiny orb weavers are smaller than the golden silk orb weaver (we called them banana spiders), not sure if size relation between predator and prey caused the spiny orb to let the weevil go or not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteracantha_cancriformis
Hadn't had any luck getting the lizards, anoles or frogs to show any interest in the weevils either.

DM

[JF]

I took a bunch of pictures today.  I'm going to post them here, but I am running our of steam for the night......so to be continued tomorrow.  In the meantime: 


A few young Graham mangoes in juvenile stage against the back drop of a gorgeous blue Florida sky.  Good night.

Harry this pic is crazy! Is Graham one of your most productive mango trees?

[Cookie Monster]

Thanks for the pics, Harry. Looks awesome.

Rob, what does the root weevil look like? I wonder if that's what killed the 25 year old lychee tree that used to be in our front yard many years ago.

[phantomcrab]

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/diaprepes_root_weevil.htm

[bsbullie]

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/diaprepes_root_weevil.htm

Wrong root weevil Richard, that is not the menace that is attacking the lychees, mangoes, canistel, mamey, etc.  The menace is the Sri Lankan root weevil.  The larvae feed on root...and while it is not proven, some, or many, feel the larvae do in fact feed on the roots or lychee, mamey and mango.

http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/UsefulLawnandGardenResources/SriLankaWeevilupdate2008.pdf

[bsbullie]

Harry - is the winter time still a nesting ground for those Orb Spiders?  I know your lychees and canistel were food suppliers for the weevils but just curious, have you ever seen the weevils captured in their webs?

I have thrown a white weevil into the web of the spiny orb weaver spider once, the spider hustled down to see what was in the web and promptly cut the weevil out and let it drop to the ground.

The spiny orb weavers are smaller than the golden silk orb weaver (we called them banana spiders), not sure if size relation between predator and prey caused the spiny orb to let the weevil go or not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteracantha_cancriformis
Hadn't had any luck getting the lizards, anoles or frogs to show any interest in the weevils either.

DM

sorry, let me clarify, I meant most specifically the Golden Silk Orb as they are far more aggressive when it comes to attacking prey.  The spiny orb are harmless, I have no problem walking right through their webs (they are not aggressive and if they do bite, i have never been bitten that I know of and if I have been bitten it is harmless...the golden silk orb on the other hand, if bitten by, will put a hurting on you).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver

[HMHausman]

Early Large Red Lychee in the foreground, with hak Ip #2 in the rear left.......dormant sugar apple in between.




Black Gold x Tabouey Jakfruit.  That's a 16' orchard ladder for perspective. Kent mango is intertwined on the left and to the right, dwarfed, is my Tabouey x J-31 very cold sensitive jakfruit which died back to the ground in the cold of several years ago.




Bosworth 3 lychee (Kwai Mai Pink).  Its about 4 feet tall and more than 15 years in the ground.




Goldfinger bananas (FHIA 1)


Sorry for the slow uploading......still more to come.

[Jackfruitwhisperer69]

Keep them coming, Harry...I'm enjoying them all

Thanks for sharing

[Tropicalgrower89]

Nice trees Harry! Looking forward seeing the other pics. 

[Cookie Monster]

arry, how has the production / flowering on your Dot been this year?

The panicles on the ones I have in pots seem like anthracnose magnets. Excellent tasting mango, but will it stand up to the lazy-man's approach to gardening??

[HMHausman]

Bailey's Marvel mango......seems to have a decent crop coming, without spraying, but only at the top of the canopy.



Thai Everbearing mango




Rataul mango




See Chompoo longan, in flower way earlier than in previous years.......but only at the top of the canopy.




Magana mamey sapote.........grows like a dwarf for me.  Its at least 15 or so years old.  And now in flower for the third or fourth time, but never had any fruit set.






Mauritius Lychee




Duncan mango.......small crop, it only bloomed at the top of the tree.


That's it for now.  I have some Sweetheart Lychee shots I'll post in the thread about Sweetheart redemption.

[bsbullie]

arry, how has the production / flowering on your Dot been this year?

The panicles on the ones I have in pots seem like anthracnose magnets. Excellent tasting mango, but will it stand up to the lazy-man's approach to gardening??

not likely...in my opinion, this is one where if you are on the cusp with "should I" or "Shouldn't I" spray, quality of the fruit is well worth the use of copper.  Jefff - maybe you could be a mostly lazy gardener and just spray this one 

[Tropicalgrower89]

Your mamey sapote tree is a freak of nature.    It looks a lot younger than 15 years old and actually looks quite healthy. I wonder if the root stock is a rare mamey dwarf rootstock or one of those inverted root graft trees. 

[FloridaGreenMan]

Harry
Does your Mammea americana have any fruit? 

[HMHausman]

Harry
Does your Mammea americana have any fruit?

Yes.  See bottom of page two of this thread.

[bsbullie]

Your mamey sapote tree is a freak of nature.    It looks a lot younger than 15 years old and actually looks quite healthy. I wonder if the root stock is a rare mamey dwarf rootstock or one of those inverted root graft trees.

I highly doubt its an inverted root graft.  If you double click on the picture, it looks like something odd going on with the base of that tree...that may be the reason for its dwarf nature.  It could also be its environment, specifically the soil type and conditions.  Harry has some other trees that have a similar type of growth habit, see the picture above of his Bosworth 3 lychee.

[Cookie Monster]

HAHAHAHAHA I've been debating that actually. Dot may be worth it :-).

arry, how has the production / flowering on your Dot been this year?

The panicles on the ones I have in pots seem like anthracnose magnets. Excellent tasting mango, but will it stand up to the lazy-man's approach to gardening??

not likely...in my opinion, this is one where if you are on the cusp with "should I" or "Shouldn't I" spray, quality of the fruit is well worth the use of copper.  Jefff - maybe you could be a mostly lazy gardener and just spray this one 

[MangoFang]

Harry thanks for all the shots...seems like your blooming and fruit set
is a little strange this year - lots of stuff on the tops of trees and
much less down low....

Your Maha's look great - hope you get to meet them at the finish line!


Gary

[HMHausman]

Harry,
Please refresh our memories, how much pesticides and fungicides do you usually spray? How detrimental to you fruiting are those few leaf bites and occasional spots of sooty mold? Based on some of the things I've been reading on this forum, you possibly could not be getting any fruit set with a few leaf bites or bugs on your trees. Those mangoes will all fall off and die to fungus as well, so you must be spraying gallons of copper and imidacloprid over your entire acreage.

Your rhetorical question is answered with a resounding.......almost none.  While I have sprayed copper and sulfur and neem oil from time to time in the past, this year there has been no spraying.  The most I have ever sprayed has been a selective tree, here and there, very sporadically, copper 3 times in a season (as in Rosiegold mango). Otherwise, I try to be a minimalist with sprays and chemicals. I have treated for anthracnose and powdery mildew.  I have never treated for the sri lankan gray weevil or the diaprepres root weevil (and I have quite a collection of these beauties). I have treated once or twice for the Cuban May Beetle.

[HMHausman]

Harry (and the others who've tried the angie), what is the level of acidity in the angie? Is it more of a 'sweet' mango or a sweet and tart mango?

Very tough to give an accurate description from memory.  Angie is complex in flavor in my recollection.  So for me that means a blend of sweet and some tart with some other flavors blended all together.  It is not purely sweet like okrung. However, I think it would pass the "Elsy" test.