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Messages - Cookie Monster

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51
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Top 3 mango varieties poll
« on: July 27, 2023, 01:57:43 PM »
Good point. Venus is one of my favorites: great indochinese flavor, consistent production, smaller / easy to control tree, good disease resistance, and late season. I was just telling my wife that we need to plant another one in the grove.

Quote from: Greater Good on July 27, 2023, 01:12:34 PM
Interesting that Venus didn't make the list in the poll.

52
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Top 3 mango varieties poll
« on: July 27, 2023, 11:03:13 AM »
Yes, far too many variables involved. For example, Nam Doc Mai, when eaten at the right stage is a top tier mango, with an excellent subacid and sweet combo and great complexity of flavor. Eaten at the wrong stage, it's not appealing at all.

Same with growing experiences. Lots of variability even within the south florida area.

Quote from: roblack on July 26, 2023, 06:45:52 PM
All polls are tricky regarding validity.

There is a wide degree of variability in availability of the listed mangoes, so most will have never tried all mangoes, and many will have only been sampled by a small percentage of respondents. The only way to truly Fruit Fight is in a fruit-to-fruit face off taste test.

Doing another Sweet Tart Ceci Love battle. Will let OS jump in there too. Whatever happens, I win.

53
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Top 3 mango varieties poll
« on: July 27, 2023, 10:58:20 AM »
I think it's location and care specific. I have 3 lemon zest trees, in ground for an average of 10 years each (I bought the first batch to be released to the public), and I don't have much of a problem with MBBS. LZ has very similar MBBS incidence to the other 35 or so cultivars I grow (with the exception of Keitt which is an MBBS magnet).

I know it's been said that orange sherbet has better MBBS resistance. But my experience is that MBBS incidence on OS is roughly equivalent to LZ (perhaps due to the fact that it matures later season than LZ). I had a fruiting OS tree before it was ever released to the public and have been growing it a number of years.

Quote from: yoski on July 24, 2023, 10:37:39 AM
Lemon Zest tastes great, but is extremely susceptible to MBBS. I got rid of mine for that reason alone.

54
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Nam Doc Mai seedling question
« on: July 26, 2023, 10:55:58 AM »
You can generally get an idea of whether the seedling will be a clone early on by comparing the leaves and sap smell to the mother tree.

From what I understand, Gary Zill used that strategy in reverse to select orange sherbet and lemon zest. Similar sap smell but different leaf style from mother tree.

55
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: NDM vs NDM#4
« on: July 26, 2023, 10:52:35 AM »
Here in FL, there were 2 main clones of nam doc mai being sold. Previous to about 2010, the clone found in most nurseries was a large tree and took many years to begin regular production. After around 2010, the #4 clone came into popularity due to its generally smaller size and better precocity. However, it does seem to have a problem with splitting, and the tree can become stunted.

Unfortunately, I don't know what the non #4 clone is called (perhaps it's the 'Mun'?). Alex at Tropical Acres Farms will likely know.

My neighbor planted the seed of a #4 mango, and it has characteristics more closely resembling the regular / non #4 cultivar.

56
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 2023 Mango Season
« on: July 12, 2023, 09:47:06 AM »
It's an amazing mango. Even with the washed out mango flavor year we've had so far, I had an LZ mango last night that measured 29 degree of brix.

Quote from: Oolie on July 11, 2023, 07:00:33 PM
Lemon Zest's popularity is well deserved.

57
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Achachiru tree
« on: July 12, 2023, 09:44:34 AM »
You may already know this -- wait till they are darker orange to eat. Still very sour at the color shown in the photo.

58
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Seeking technical info on judging mango maturity on the tree
« on: July 11, 2023, 12:50:48 PM »
Interesting video. Selective harvesting is probably the most labor intensive part of the mango cultivation process.

59
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Question: Silas Woods Sapodilla
« on: July 05, 2023, 01:44:14 PM »
That's typical of both makok and silas woods (I believe the latter is offspring of the former). I think alano may also be in the same family.

Silas woods has the added problem of brittle branches. So very common to lose a portion of the crop to branch breakage. Raccoons climbing the tree doesn't help.

But the good thing about silas is that the tree stays small. Small is a good thing once you've been growing tropicals long enough. And year round production is great. Also highly precocious. Same with offspring generally (plant a seed of a silas or makok and it seems to have tendency to be precocious).

I've found that harvesting the fruit a tad green produces a smoother flavor.

60
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 2023 Mango Season
« on: July 05, 2023, 01:38:00 PM »
haha welcome to the club. Despite growing on calcareous soil, I still have a major problem with uneven ripening of OS. Though when picked early, they should ripen normally.

I'm sure there is a way to mitigate the soft nose / jelly seed issue, but I haven't quite found it yet.

Soil water retention might be a factor (ie, high rain plus poorly draining soil might exacerbate the condition).

Quote from: Julie on July 05, 2023, 09:32:11 AM
Can anyone help with this?  My orange sherbet mangoes are not ripening properly.  No matter what they have a huge jelly seed.  I've tried picking them earlier and not leaving them on the tree to ripen, and opening them earlier, and still the jelly seed.  This is the first year the tree produced a lot of fruit.  Last year I got a few fruit and I don't remember them having this problem.

61
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 2023 Mango Season
« on: July 05, 2023, 01:32:23 PM »
Yes, OS has the same "slimy" texture. It's prone to softnose and jelly seed in my experience. PPK can develop jelly seed as well but seems less prone than OS. LZ normally ripens very evenly.

Quote from: roblack on July 04, 2023, 09:29:46 AM
Quote from: johnb51 on July 03, 2023, 04:15:35 PM
Quote from: roblack on June 29, 2023, 10:58:02 AM
Quote from: CowboyFig on June 28, 2023, 05:14:00 PM
I know LZ and OS have different textures, but do you notice a big difference in taste? I’ve had PPK and LZ, but not an OS yet.

LZ has been more complex than OS in the past, with a bit more acid as well. Both quite good, but usually LZ is preferred by those who like more complexity. OS is more simple mango and orange flavor, with less acidity. Juicy.
PPK, as great as the flavor is, has a sort of sliminess to the pulp.  I don't recall this with LZ, but I've only eaten a few.  Is OS similar to PPK in this regard?

Re OS:

OS beats PPK in my experiences, and LZ usually beats OS.

OS can get kind of jelly-ish when overripe, perhaps some slime. At proper ripeness, texture of OS is medium firm with a bit of juice. A joy to eat, never noticed a slime problem, but will look for slime next time =)

62
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Carrie Mango tree can it be maintained 10' H x 10' W
« on: June 30, 2023, 05:11:01 PM »
It is mildly vigorous but can be maintained smaller with pruning and withholding nitrogen.

63
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Papaya Fruit Fly Question
« on: June 29, 2023, 02:16:54 PM »
I'm not sure about the original question asked. But I've found that there is a period of the year where papaya fruit flies don't bother the fruit and they can be harvested and eaten without worms, generally the dry season. Key is to discard of infected fruit. My wife tosses them in the canal, and that seems to work. TLDR it's possible to harvest clean fruit without going through the trouble of bagging.

64
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Carrie Mango tree can it be maintained 10' H x 10' W
« on: June 28, 2023, 06:20:38 PM »
I would say yes it can be maintained at that size. As for "will it bloom," there are a few factors:

  • Size of limbs cut / magnitude of the cut back
  • How much cold we get next winter
  • How well mineralized the tree is

A mild prune on a healthy tree, especially in zone 9 would likely not hinder harvest much.

65
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 2023 Mango Season
« on: June 28, 2023, 06:13:05 PM »
In south florida -- we had a lot of rain early, which washed out the flavor. That said, gypsum and potassium helps, just be sure not to overdo the potassium as it competes with calcium.

Quote from: mangomandan on June 26, 2023, 09:19:24 AM
I realize this is a naive question, but is mango flavor affected by the care the tree has received?
My trees, which include some very well regarded varieties, received no fertilizer or other care for the last 2.5 years (I was away).
So far this year not a single tree has given me really good, full-flavored fruit.
I'm guessing that getting lots of rain has not helped, but I haven't heard anyone complain that 2023 crop is a washout.

66
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 2023 Mango Season
« on: June 25, 2023, 12:00:38 PM »
One nice thing about PPK is that it hangs on the tree past maturity. So if you don't get out there regularly to pick mangoes, it won't send them to the ground before you get a chance to pick.

Quote from: johnb51 on June 23, 2023, 02:33:38 PM
Oh boy, I finally got my hands on some PPK/LM today.  Mango candy!  ;D

67
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Diagnosis needed for my mango neighbor
« on: June 22, 2023, 09:20:43 PM »
I've settled on Nordox 75. One tablespoon per gallon, applied with a blower / mister. I tend to prefer dusk application to prevent burn, cause I usually mix it with other stuff.

The drawback is that Nordox 75 does stain the fruit.

Nordox (also Brandt) 30/30 (copper zinc) is great and doesn't stain. However, I haven't been able to find a supplier in many years.

There usually talk about copper toxicity, but I've typically struggled with copper deficiency, so it's served as a micro nutrient. And I've sprayed about 20 pounds of the stuff over a 1/2 acre orchard through the years.

68
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: What is your favorite mango variety and why?
« on: June 22, 2023, 09:05:53 PM »
haha oh boy, the perennial question.

If I could only grow one, I'd say Maha Chanok.

Many years ago, a guy by the name of Harry Haussman -- owner of a multi-acre, multi-decade old mango orchard with somewhere north of 100 cultivars -- proclaimed Maha Chanok as the best all around mango. I was a skeptic but planted out a tree grafted from scions taken from his Maha Chanok for trialing. I've been growing it for about 10 years now, and I think I have to agree with old Harry.

Flavor is consistently very good to excellent, production fairly strong and consistent, and very resistant to anthracnose and probably MBBS as well. The tree also isn't particularly vigorous. But it does take a few years to come into production.

69
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Diagnosis needed for my mango neighbor
« on: June 22, 2023, 09:21:04 AM »
Mango Bacterial Black Spot aka MBBS. Keitt are especially prone due to the fact that they hang fruit throughout the rainy season.

As for treatment, I've found that a religious fortnightly spray of copper works during the rainy season. If not controlled from the get go, it can multiply and get to the point where 90% of crop is destroyed every year. Once under control, copper spraying regimen can be scaled back.

I've also heard that pruning and discarding of infected fruits keeps MBBS from spreading.

70
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Orange Essence vs. Orange Sherbet Mango
« on: June 21, 2023, 02:14:54 PM »
:-) Thanks!

Quote from: skhan on June 21, 2023, 10:03:24 AM
Quote from: Cookie Monster on June 20, 2023, 08:31:54 PM
In terms of flavor, I'd say Orange Essence.

Alex has a really nice variety viewer:

https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/product-page/orange-essence
https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/product-page/orange-sherbet

Welcome back, hope all is well

71
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 2023 Mango Season
« on: June 21, 2023, 02:13:35 PM »
Correct. MBBS should be decimating the harvest right now, but only a half a dozen or so affected fruits despite the insane rain and humidity. And I haven't even sprayed since bloom.

Quote from: roblack on June 21, 2023, 09:02:59 AM
Not sure, but think MBBS is fueled by high humidity, and Cookie was remarking upon it being remarkable that there was no bad issue with MBBS, with all the rain we've had.

72
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Okrung Mango tree and seedlings of Okrung.
« on: June 21, 2023, 02:11:20 PM »
Aha, I didn't remember where it came from. The PSM gave us thousands of fruits and is pretty consistent though very vigorous. Our johny appleseed adventure paid off on that one, as we eventually bought the property that it's on.

In general it was probably the best harvest we've ever had, all thanks to that great extended cold snap back in Dec or Jan.

73
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Okrung Mango tree and seedlings of Okrung.
« on: June 20, 2023, 08:52:42 PM »
Yah, mine also took like 6 years to start production, from a grafted 15 gallon sized tree. One of my favorite mangoes though, flavorwise.

74
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: 2023 Mango Season
« on: June 20, 2023, 08:48:58 PM »
The rainy season kicked in a couple of months early this year. Some of the mangoes have been slightly lower in brix. Fortunately MBBS hasn't been a problem.

75
Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Orange Essence vs. Orange Sherbet Mango
« on: June 20, 2023, 08:31:54 PM »
In terms of flavor, I'd say Orange Essence.

Alex has a really nice variety viewer:

https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/product-page/orange-essence
https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/product-page/orange-sherbet

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