I thought I would finally post some photos of a few of my mango trees after good 2020 growth. All but the Lemon Zest were grafted to Manila mango seedling. The LZ was grafted to a small Ataulfo mango seeding from seed. The trees below were grafted in late summer 2016 to late 2018. None of the Zill trees are seedlings. Only the rootstocks are seedling mango trees. I have no Turpentine rootstock trees in the ground.
Simon has been a big help over the years and first got me started grafting mangos in 2016. Thanks, Simon. Since I live in coastal So Cal (4-5 miles from the ocean) we do not receive as much heat and our growth is slower than the more inland areas with higher summer temperatures.
My coconut Cream mango tree required extensive shaping and trimming this year to keep more of the growth vertical. New growth has a strong tendency to grow sideways and downward. I cut these off to force up new vertical shoots.
The last two photos are of my young Brewster Lychee tree I just planted in July 2020 and the Molix Sapodilla planted in 2018.
Coconut Cream Grafted in 2016.
Mallika-Nam Doc Mai. Grafted 2016-2018
Nam Doc Mai Grafted in 2016
Lemon Zest Grafted in late 2017
Sweet Tart Grafted in Late 2016
Brewster Lychee Tree
Molix Sapodilla Tree Planted in 2018
Beautiful trees. What are you currently fertilizing them with? My Alano sapodilla was about a 1.5' grafted tree when I bought it two years ago. It's grown about 6" in that time.
I've grown fond of it even though I realize it will just be an ornamental shrub and I will need to buy another larger tree to start with.
John B, if your Alano Sapodilla only grew several inches in two years, you’re probably not fertilizing or watering it enough. I got an Alano About 1.5 years ago and it was just a whip about two feet tall with side branches just starting to grow. It has consistently put on growth and although it is not a vigorous grower, it has gotten significantly larger. It’s probably around 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide now. It started out about two feet tall and maybe 6 inches wide with the new side branches when I got it.
Mass wise, it’s probably 10-15 times larger than when I got it. Although Sapodillas are drought tolerant once established, they like water for growth assuming you have decent draining soil.
I believe my tree grew decently because I fertilized heavily. Sapodillas are pretty salt tolerant.
If you fertilize mangos in a greenhouse, be sure you don’t get too much salt buildup in the bottom of the pot or else you can get nutrient lock.
If you grow organically, beware of fungus gnats when using organic fertilizers.
If you have a small greenhouse or tent, beware that too much fertilizer can push your tree to get too tall and it may hit the roof before the weather gets warm enough to transition to the outside.
Simon