Author Topic: Help me pick my next mango variety  (Read 6359 times)

chad6159

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Help me pick my next mango variety
« on: April 02, 2019, 04:44:31 PM »
A little background. I have a pretty good sized mango tree in my yard, probably around 25 feet high and 10 to 15 feet wide. This will be the second time it has flowered in the past 5 years, which I think only happened because I pruned it very heavily the prior year(this will be the second year if it holds onto its fruit) Last year the fruit was not very good tasting and they all had jelly seed throughout the whole fruit. This tree also gets anthracnose really bad which seems to be impossible to get rid of on this tree. My haden mango that is right next to it never has these problems. This year it flowered probably only on 1/8 to 1/6 of the tree. Most of the little mangos have anthracnose on them and are falling off so we will see if I get any mangos from it this year.

So my thought is if it does not give good mangos or does not give any mangos at all I will be getting out the chainsaw and cutting this thing down to somewhere around waist to chest high and grafting something better onto it next year/later this year if possible.

I am trying to figure out which variety I want and with all of them out there it is a hard choice. I would like to get one that is earlier in the season if possible since I have two other trees that are mid season varieties. But from what I have seen there are not too many great tasting early mangos. So being early is optional.

The two main criteria are highly disease resistant and a heavy/good producer. One that I have been looking into is Rosigold for an early variety but I cant seem to find much about taste, other than it is better than other early varieties. Currently I have a Haden (already in place when I bought the house) a PPK and this unknown mystery mango which is the topic of this conversation.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 04:48:55 PM by chad6159 »

Jungle Yard

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2019, 05:06:47 PM »
Here is a great source on MANY Mango varieties and will answer many of your questions. I found these the most comprehensive descriptions out on the web.

https://tropicalacresfarms.com/mango-descriptions-a-j
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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2019, 05:25:49 PM »
Are there branches low on the tree, if so consider taking the tree down in thirds.
Take the first third now and graft on to regrowth, take the next third late in the season about harvest time and take the last third next year.  Or just take a third each year.  I have found out in my experience that grafts on a tree done this way grow faster than those on a tree cut to a stump.
I don't know if others have experienced this.
For me, future topwork will happen in increments.
 

chad6159

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2019, 06:28:12 PM »
Are there branches low on the tree, if so consider taking the tree down in thirds.
Take the first third now and graft on to regrowth, take the next third late in the season about harvest time and take the last third next year.  Or just take a third each year.  I have found out in my experience that grafts on a tree done this way grow faster than those on a tree cut to a stump.
I don't know if others have experienced this.
For me, future topwork will happen in increments.

Alright I found a couple low branches and cut them back some, hopefully they grow new growth from here.
The reason I wanted to cut it down so far was so I can start the branching closer to the ground. But we will see what happens. This way I can graft onto it this year instead of having to wait until next year most likely.

chad6159

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2019, 06:28:38 PM »
Here is a great source on MANY Mango varieties and will answer many of your questions. I found these the most comprehensive descriptions out on the web.

https://tropicalacresfarms.com/mango-descriptions-a-j

Thank you for the link, I’ll check it out!

johnb51

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2019, 07:02:52 PM »
Here is a great source on MANY Mango varieties and will answer many of your questions. I found these the most comprehensive descriptions out on the web.

https://tropicalacresfarms.com/mango-descriptions-a-j
Wow! They did a phenomenal job, describing and evaluating so many varieties, especially all the newest ones.  VERY IMPRESSIVE (AND THANK YOU, ALEX)!!!
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 09:07:18 PM by johnb51 »
John

chad6159

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2019, 09:03:47 AM »
After reading through those descriptions I will admit they are very helpful, however I think I am more confused than ever of what I want haha.

What are some people growing in my area that their trees never have anthracnose, powdery mildew or any other kind of disease issues, that also are consistant and good to heavy producers?

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2019, 05:32:13 PM »
Have you considered grafting 3 or 4 different varieties to it? I would jut try and keep the growth habits in line with each other more so than season. 

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2019, 06:22:05 PM »
Here is a great source on MANY Mango varieties and will answer many of your questions. I found these the most comprehensive descriptions out on the web.

https://tropicalacresfarms.com/mango-descriptions-a-j
Wow! They did a phenomenal job, describing and evaluating so many varieties, especially all the newest ones.  VERY IMPRESSIVE (AND THANK YOU, ALEX)!!!

Thank you for the kind comments.

We are about to post an updated version of the website which will give each mango it’s own page.

chad6159

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2019, 06:52:01 PM »
Here is a great source on MANY Mango varieties and will answer many of your questions. I found these the most comprehensive descriptions out on the web.

https://tropicalacresfarms.com/mango-descriptions-a-j
Wow! They did a phenomenal job, describing and evaluating so many varieties, especially all the newest ones.  VERY IMPRESSIVE (AND THANK YOU, ALEX)!!!

Thank you for the kind comments.

We are about to post an updated version of the website which will give each mango it’s own page.

That would be awesome! Your page is very helpful. I think I am just looking for the perfect mango which doesn’t exist haha.
I am leaning towards rosigold. It seems like all of the mid to top tier mangos have either production or disease issues or both.
Anyone here have a rosigold?

chad6159

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2019, 06:54:22 PM »
Have you considered grafting 3 or 4 different varieties to it? I would jut try and keep the growth habits in line with each other more so than season.
I have thought about it but I don’t know which have growth habits that are alike. Plus if it is only a quarter of the tree and then that variety has production issues on top of that, you could end up with not very many mangos.
I believe I just saw a thread about that very topic. I’ll have to read through it.

EDIT: here it is:
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=30916.0
« Last Edit: April 03, 2019, 07:07:53 PM by chad6159 »

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2019, 07:28:55 PM »
Wow - thanks Alex for posting such a great list - I'll be looking it over for a while! Really great to have info on growth habits, disease trends and flavor all in one spot!

Chad, I highly recommend spending this season tasting all the mangos you think you might want to help you narrow it down! When I was deciding what varieties to graft to a tree I topworked I ordered multi-variety boxes from Alex with one or two of each variety I thought I might like. I chose what to order based on growth habit (I'm a zone pusher, so only smaller trees). Then the taste testing really helped me pick which to try grafting. Also, even if you plan to keep the tree as a single variety, I recommend grafting a couple varieties to see what takes. I'm kind of a novice grafter (I've top worked 2 trees) and have found that some varieties are easier to get to "take" than others. I've had two tries at grafting honeykiss and both times, all grafts failed. But other varieties like fairchild "took" easily. So I partly let the grafting lottery determine what variety my tree is now=)


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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2019, 08:52:33 PM »
Chad, you didn't say how your PPK is doing?  Any issues?  Any fruit yet?
John

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2019, 08:54:27 PM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2019, 09:00:53 PM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

be ready to lose more than a few.

chad6159

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #15 on: April 03, 2019, 10:01:17 PM »
Chad, you didn't say how your PPK is doing?  Any issues?  Any fruit yet?

I just planted the ppk earlier this year. It was only a small 3 gallon tree so going to be a while before I get fruit. The thing hasn’t even pushed new growth since I bought it, which has me worried.

It replaced a mango that was in my yard that was having serious issues which was here before I bought my house.

chad6159

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #16 on: April 03, 2019, 10:02:24 PM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

be ready to lose more than a few.

Seems to be pretty hard to find a mango that doesn’t have disease issues and also produces good consistently every year.

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #17 on: April 03, 2019, 10:08:07 PM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

be ready to lose more than a few.

Seems to be pretty hard to find a mango that doesn’t have disease issues and also produces good consistently every year.

Pickering and Duncan are some good options

simon_grow

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #18 on: April 03, 2019, 10:31:34 PM »
I would recommend Sweet Tart if you like flavor bombs. Venus and Kathy are great also but of the three, I like Sweet Tart the best. To my palate, they all have a similar IndoChinese flavor profile so i would only pick one of the three if you decide to go that route.

Honey Kiss is another great variety that produces well.

If you want a rich but not so overpowering mango, Edward is great. It is pretty disease resistant, at least in my yard and it is a reliable bearer although I hear it can be a shy bearer in some locations. Eunice messner has a tree that produced tons of fruit.

If you want a Coconut flavored mango, you may want to consider Coconut Cream. There’s are other Coconut flavored Mangos out there but they are fairly new to the scene and production and disease resistance lacks data. Gary is a much smaller mango that also has a Coconut flavor.

For an early season variety that produces well, you may consider Dwarf Hawaiian although I don’t recall if it’s disease resistant or not. Chris from Truly Tropical on YouTube has some great videos.

Simon

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #19 on: April 04, 2019, 10:30:32 AM »
I have selected 18 varieties based on reviews, most of what Simon posted above. Some smaller 3 gallons died this winter and I currently have 14 varieties of mangoes; however, I haven’t tasted a single fruit other than whatever is available in the markets. My next plan is to visit Truly Tropical, Fairchild etc. and personally taste the mangos before I select my next variety.

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #20 on: April 04, 2019, 11:37:57 AM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

be ready to lose more than a few.


Every year, i lose more than a few due to heavy wind. There is at least one such day every year as well. Fingers crossed that I won't lose a lot to BBS this year.

On to another topic: This year, I see mangoes that earlier to used to be virtually blemishless - NDM #4, Kesar and Val Carrie for example - have dirty black patches on the skin. Anthracnose or something else?  Florigon, Edgar,Maha Chanok, Taralay and Juicy Peach do not seem to be affected. Any thoughts?


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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #21 on: April 04, 2019, 12:19:23 PM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

be ready to lose more than a few.


Every year, i lose more than a few due to heavy wind. There is at least one such day every year as well. Fingers crossed that I won't lose a lot to BBS this year.

On to another topic: This year, I see mangoes that earlier to used to be virtually blemishless - NDM #4, Kesar and Val Carrie for example - have dirty black patches on the skin. Anthracnose or something else?  Florigon, Edgar,Maha Chanok, Taralay and Juicy Peach do not seem to be affected. Any thoughts?

Scarring from anthracnose during early fruit development

mangokothiyan

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #22 on: April 04, 2019, 12:23:12 PM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

be ready to lose more than a few.


Every year, i lose more than a few due to heavy wind. There is at least one such day every year as well. Fingers crossed that I won't lose a lot to BBS this year.

On to another topic: This year, I see mangoes that earlier to used to be virtually blemishless - NDM #4, Kesar and Val Carrie for example - have dirty black patches on the skin. Anthracnose or something else?  Florigon, Edgar,Maha Chanok, Taralay and Juicy Peach do not seem to be affected. Any thoughts?

Scarring from anthracnose during early fruit development


Hmmm.. I did spray copper. Kocide 3000 and Southern AG liquid copper.  Should i spray something else instead next year?

Squam256

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #23 on: April 04, 2019, 12:51:22 PM »


My PPK is a real  workhorse, producing heavily every year. Last year, I noticed that it can be affected by bacterial black spot. Lost a few mangoes to BBS, but the tree produces enough not to be worried by the loss of a few mangoes.

be ready to lose more than a few.


Every year, i lose more than a few due to heavy wind. There is at least one such day every year as well. Fingers crossed that I won't lose a lot to BBS this year.

On to another topic: This year, I see mangoes that earlier to used to be virtually blemishless - NDM #4, Kesar and Val Carrie for example - have dirty black patches on the skin. Anthracnose or something else?  Florigon, Edgar,Maha Chanok, Taralay and Juicy Peach do not seem to be affected. Any thoughts?

Scarring from anthracnose during early fruit development


Hmmm.. I did spray copper. Kocide 3000 and Southern AG liquid copper.  Should i spray something else instead next year?

Using two copper products is relatively pointless. Better to rotate one with a non-copper based fungicide

pineislander

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Re: Help me pick my next mango variety
« Reply #24 on: April 04, 2019, 01:25:20 PM »
Anyone here have a rosigold?
Yes, one tree. I should have some fruit to try as they ripen.