Mango Pests, Diseases, and Nutritional Problems

[Jagmanjoe]

Not sure how it compares to Pristine but I have had some great success on my mango trees with Monterey LG3374 Complete Concentrate Fungicide & Bactericide which is available through Amazon in small quantities.  Wish I had some scientific analysis knowledge to compare for you.  Perhaps someone else has more knowledge for comparison and can chime in.

Active Ingredient:Bacillus amyloliquefaciensstrain D747* ..............................  98.85%

I can vouch for the effectiveness of Pristine having used it for 15 years.  Texas Agrilife has some incredible fruit and grape scientists and updates their fungicide list often.

The label also recommends rotating it with other chemical classes, a practice all growers should practice whether the back yard gardener with 10 mango trees or commercial doing 1,000.  3X per year max is what's recommended I believe.  Kicker is it's so damn expensive.

Probably the cheapest fungicide/bactericide for you Florida growers is a local Fl. product called Magnabon CS2005.  It's also OMRI certified in case you roll that way.  Use at a rate of 2 tsp/gallon and don't forget to add NIS, a non ionic surfactant, to your spray or you're wasting your time.  It will be rainfast as soon as it dries for an hour or two.  1 tsp./gallon for most NIS strengths.  Scale up for large volume mixes.

Thanks so much for your post and suggestion relative to Magnabon CS2005, Mark.  I will look into purchasing some of it and adding it to my fungicide rotation.

[Mark in Texas]

Thanks so much for your post and suggestion relative to Magnabon CS2005, Mark.  I will look into purchasing some of it and adding it to my fungicide rotation.

Owner is Frank Miele.   Don't forget the surfactant.

[mangoba]

Har and Mark,

I appreciate all your help and the free golden tips that you give here!

I have been trying to grow mangoes in my Mediterranean climate for a few years now. The story is always the same, seeds germinate, start very happy for 3 months or so and 2 years later succumb and die. Before they die, they get stuck and cannot put any more growth for many months no matter how warm the weather gets...

I have spent thousands on fertilizer and I have seen all kinds of deficiencies/surprises and nutrient blockages after abusing one or an other, but I'm not giving up   And this time I will use your help from the start. So here is my soil test, obviously from the areas outside of where I have been butchering seedlings.



As you can notice already, I have one of the toughest conditions to grow really anything, let alone those tasty sensitive fruits. But savoring a lovely LZ makes me think again that everything is possible.

I'm not worried about cold here, it does get chilly during winter but below 40 would probably be a once in a century event.

Besides Sulphur for reducing pH and chelated micros, when you look at my soil test, what would be the standard fertilizer that I should be relying on as the resources inside the seed get depleted and roots start to look for nutrients... Is the soil too poor in everything that I should be looking at 20-20-20 for example?

Please keep in mind that this is a very tricky condition, P does mess up with calcium and Potassium is scarce but may also mess up with other elements when over applied?

Would you think of a different NPK formula that should work better in my conditions please? Maybe less P, more K? I don't wanna make this post even longer, we can discuss Mg/Ca later. (Apparently despite the abundance of Ca in the soil, mango roots are very finicky and don't like it? Or I could have just abused giving P)

[Guanabanus]

Magnesium is low.

[mangoba]

Sulphur as well right? But Har with magnesium being mobile, would you expect a seedling to halt any new growth (Just buds not able to develop) without showing an Mg deficiency on older leaves?

[Guanabanus]

It seems that one should separately rate skin and pulp in their resistance to Mango Bacterial Black Spot.

With Keitt, neither the skin nor the pulp is resistant;  even what look like minor surface spots of the disease will have deep lines of visible infection to  the seed and then laterally along the seed.  Even while the fruit is still green, it can all be ruined already.

With Lemon Zest, each fruit will have one infection on the shoulder, and it penetrates to the seed;  however, most of that same fruit ripens properly and is absolutely prime.

Some fruits get many spots of the disease, which stay right near the skin in the pulp, and the rest is good to eat.

A few varieties hardly get the disease at all, and when a spot gets started, it piles above the skin, as a cosmetic blemish, and stays out of the pulp entirely.

Hi Har!

This is great and very informational!

May I ask, other than Keitt, what are some other varieties where MBBS makes the fruit inedible?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, what are some varieties that are MBBS resistant or the fruit is still edible despite a little MBBS?

How do your other "supremely delicious" mangos, other than Lemon Zest, rate with MBBS (Fruit Punch, Jakarta, Kathy, M-4, Orange Essence, Pram Kai Meu, Carrie)?

When Mango Bacterial Black Spot first arrived, 'Kent' were the most affected for several years, but lately, the five trees that I pick have been clean and really nice.  Did they develop resistance on their own?  Were they lucky not to be exposed the last couple of seasons?  Were my proprietary nutritional sprays and nutritional drenches really that effective on Kent, but not on Keitt?

All the above mentioned supremely delicious mangos continue to be largely resistant to MBBS in the grove that I pick.

[Seanny]

Are there any trees there are immune to MBBS planted next to Kent?

[Guanabanus]

I don't know of any immune varieties, anywhere.

[INaba]

Har,
Is this mango malformation? On this tree.



Also, please what wrong with this pineapple pleasure seed

[Guanabanus]

I see all those extra activated buds at the twig bases, but so far it doesn't look typical of mango malformation.

Alternating sprays of a Potassium Phosphite-containing product, with a penetrating Copper product, could combat Fusarium in the veins, if there is actually some there.

That seed you got at the Leprosarium?  Warts?  Cancer?  Seriously, I don't know!  Might just be a Boron deficiency.  The root and shoot actually look healthy.

[INaba]

Yes, right looks like it horrible sick.
From horror movie. Actually it was amazing pineapple pleasure mango.
Thank you for your expertise, helpful always.

[rainking430]

Hi Har, I want to plan a spraying methodology for next year's crop. I am determined to get something off my cursed Southern Blush especially and it's been fun experimenting with different sprays. What's your guidance on the best regime for combatting the big three (powdery mildew, anthracnose, MBBS)? Keep in mind I'm just a home owner with a few trees so I need to be able to buy chemicals in smaller retail size quantities.

[palingkecil]

This year my unknown mango tree has some yellow patch in the middle.
It only shows on old leaves, the new young leaves look normal. This tree is about 3 years old, 2nd year in the ground. About 6 ft tall.
Is it lack of nitrogen? Or too much water?
Other Zill varieties grafted are doing well.
They all get the same fertilizer and same watering schedule.

Thanks everyone!

[Guanabanus]

I do not recognize that yellow pattern.  I suspect that it was caused by pests.

Normally, one should take photos of both the topside and the underside of affected leaves.

[rainking430]

Hi Har, I have been having this ongoing problem with a Pickering. You can see in this photo where new leaves start off healthy and dark green but are beginning to fade. In time they will get really pale between the veins. Iron deficiency? I have been spraying it once a month with an old bottle of Keyplex 350 someone gave me years ago, at a rate of 1oz per gallon, but it doesn't seem to help. (link to product info: https://www.keyplex.com/product/keyplex-350/) Any idea what could be causing it, and recommendations? And it didn't bear fruit this season, could this be why?

[Guanabanus]

Many correctives mostly affect the next flush of new growth.  Old leaves can be improved some, but only if you are using a penetrating adjuvant.

[tiendadefruta]

How old are your Zill Mango trees? Mine are around 40 years and are starting to have the same disease you show on the photos

I'm planning to prune them after the harvest season to see if I can refresh them and recover

[rainking430]

Many correctives mostly affect the next flush of new growth.  Old leaves can be improved some, but only if you are using a penetrating adjuvant.

Thanks Har. But that's the thing, this is the new growth. The old growth was even worse, and I want to stop new growth from becoming the same. I cut the plant back quite a bit back in June I think (once the last of its blooms dropped off) to get rid of much of the old nearly white leaves. I've been spraying it monthly for about a year but the new growth keeps doing the same thing. It wouldn't be the rocky soil would it?

And by "using a penetrating adjuvant" would you have a specific one in mind? Not really sure what that means but would that be why the Keyplex stuff says to add "Urea or Potassium nitrate" to increase leaf absorption? Maybe there is a better micronutrient spray you would recommend?

How old are your Zill Mango trees? Mine are around 40 years and are starting to have the same disease you show on the photos

I'm planning to prune them after the harvest season to see if I can refresh them and recover

This one is young actually, only planted it maybe 4 years ago.

[mangoba]

Many correctives mostly affect the next flush of new growth.  Old leaves can be improved some, but only if you are using a penetrating adjuvant.

Thanks Har. But that's the thing, this is the new growth. The old growth was even worse, and I want to stop new growth from becoming the same. I cut the plant back quite a bit back in June I think (once the last of its blooms dropped off) to get rid of much of the old nearly white leaves. I've been spraying it monthly for about a year but the new growth keeps doing the same thing. It wouldn't be the rocky soil would it?

And by "using a penetrating adjuvant" would you have a specific one in mind? Not really sure what that means but would that be why the Keyplex stuff says to add "Urea or Potassium nitrate" to increase leaf absorption? Maybe there is a better micronutrient spray you would recommend?

How old are your Zill Mango trees? Mine are around 40 years and are starting to have the same disease you show on the photos

I'm planning to prune them after the harvest season to see if I can refresh them and recover

This one is young actually, only planted it maybe 4 years ago.

Strange, how are you feeding it and do you have an idea about your soil analysis.

[Guanabanus]

Fertilizers such as Urea and Potassium Nitrate, do improve penetration of micro-nutrients;  however, I was speaking of adjuvants.

Kinetic is a good wetter-spreader-penetrant.  So is Pentra-Bark.  There are many others that I have not tried.  Be sure that the product is allowed on food plants.  Availability of products varies per state, and per in-trade credentials or per consumer retail.

[rainking430]

Strange, how are you feeding it and do you have an idea about your soil analysis.

3 times a year (around Jan, May, and Sep), I sprinkle a little 0-0-50 around the drip line and then water it in. I also spray with Keyplex 350 monthly. it also has cypress mulch around it. This is same as my other trees which are doing fine, including one just a few steps from it in the same type of soil I think. I have not done a soil analysis unfortunately.

Fertilizers such as Urea and Potassium Nitrate, do improve penetration of micro-nutrients;  however, I was speaking of adjuvants.

Kinetic is a good wetter-spreader-penetrant.  So is Pentra-Bark.  There are many others that I have not tried.  Be sure that the product is allowed on food plants.  Availability of products varies per state, and per in-trade credentials or per consumer retail.

Thanks for the info Har I will check those out.

[mangoba]

Strange, how are you feeding it and do you have an idea about your soil analysis.

3 times a year (around Jan, May, and Sep), I sprinkle a little 0-0-50 around the drip line and then water it in. I also spray with Keyplex 350 monthly. it also has cypress mulch around it. This is same as my other trees which are doing fine, including one just a few steps from it in the same type of soil I think. I have not done a soil analysis unfortunately.

I'm guessing it's a magnesium deficiency. Try to give it some Magnesium Sulfate.

[rainking430]

I'm guessing it's a magnesium deficiency. Try to give it some Magnesium Sulfate.

Maybe so but my monthly spray includes magnesium. Thanks for the suggestion though. I may have to try what Har is suggesting with including an additive in the spray to get it to absorb better into the leaves.

[mattyboydesigns]

Any guesses as to what's going on with my sweet tart and how to treat.

[Seanny]

Bird’s poop that spattered onto the stem?