Very nice pics Ethan and Cuban007! I want to thank all three of you for a very enjoyable afternoon. I received a call from Eunice today thanking us for the Cuban sandwich. I discuss with her the possibility of propagating her carnival mango with La Verne Nursery. She said some years ago a representative from La Verne visit her orchard and express some interest but ended up taking budwood from her elixir cherimoya and NDM mango which they soon after propagated. I will be visiting her again in a few week to evaluate her carnival mango in the meantime I would like to hear a review from each of you fellas. I tried to dip up some of her articles from the Fruit Gardener Magazine were she was a contributing editor for many years but for some reason all the archive were erased. Here is an article she email me from 2003 for our local.
Requested short talk on a favorite fruit for the October 2003 Orange County chapter.meeting.
Eunice Messner
MANGOS REFLECT MORE FEMININE TRAITS THAN THOSE OF A MALE
YOU COULD SAY MANGOS ARE ‘JUST LIKE A WOMAN’.
SHE HAS TO BE--- ‘IN THE MOOD’
AND SHE ISN’T IN THE MOOD UNLESS THE TEMPERATURES RANGE IS 77–86deg.
DURING FLOWERING AND FRUIT DEVELOPMENT TIME.
AFTER THAT, MANGOS LIKE IT MODERATELY HOT FOR FRUIT DEVELOPMENT.
HOW CAN WE KEEP THE ROMANCE GOING UNDER OUR CONDITIONS?
JANUARY TEASINGLY PROMISES A GREAT TIME–LOTS OF WARM DAYS AND FLOWERS START TO DEVELOP, BUT THEN–ALONG COMES THE COLD AND OUR WINTER RAINS AND THE FEMALES IN THE INFLORESCENCE SAY “No, Way”.
BLOSSOMS CONTAIN SOME FEMALE, SOME MALE AND SOME PERFECT FLOWERS
THE BEST POLLINATION IS ASSISTED BY FLIES, WASPS, BEETLES, BUTTERFLIES
AND ANTS.
BEES DON’T FIND THE FLOWER THAT ATTRACTIVE— BUT THEN INSECTS DON’T LIKE THIS WEATHER EITHER. IT DOES HELP TO HAVE OTHER MANGO TREES NEARBY.
BUT, IT’S NOT HOPELESS, IT’S JUST A CASE OF FINDING A TREE (OR A PARTNER) THAT WILL PUT UP WITH YOUR CONDITIONS.
MOST MATURE MANGO TREES ARE ALTERNATE BEARERS, BUT I HAVE ONE MANGO THAT ALWAYS FRUITS—THOMSON.
I DON’T KNOW IF IT HAS MORE FEMALE FLOWERS
MORE PERFECT FLOWERS THAN OTHERS–
OR, IF IT JUST TOLERATES LOWER TEMPERATURES.
MANGOS ARE JUST TEMPERMENTAL. Period.
NAM DOC MAI IS IN THE MOOD ALL THE TIME, BUT SOME CONDITION IS MISSING TO MAKE IT HOLD IT FRUIT. (At least for me.)
MANGOS OFTEN FLOWER A SECOND TIME IF THERE IS NO FRUIT SET IN THE FIRST BLOSSOM PERIOD.
Dr. FALKENSTEIN IN ARIZONA WAITS UNTIL ABOUT 10% OF THE FIRST BLOSSOMS HAVE SET AND THEN HE CUTS THEM OFF AND LETS THEM BLOOM AGAIN. BY THEN THE WEATHER IS STARTING TO GET A BIT WARMER.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH 2 to 3 YR. OLD GRAFTED MANGO TREES WHO WANT THEIR TREE WELL ESTABLISHED BEFORE IT FRUITS; DON’T CUT OFF THE BLOSSOMS UNTIL A FEW VERY TINY FRUIT HAVE SET OR, THE TREE WILL BLOOM AGAIN AND AGAIN AND BLOOM ITSELF TO DEATH.
ANOTHER PROBLEM, OUR COLD WET WINTERS PROMOTE MILDEW WHICH IS DETRIMENTAL TO BLOSSOM SET
BEFORE MILDEW APPEARS FOLIAR SPRAY WITH WETTABLE SULFUR , COPPER, OR EVEN MILK.
IF MILDEW OCCURS, A BLAST OF WATER MAY HELP TO CONTROL IT.
LAST OF ALL, IF YOU WANT MANGOS, KEEP YOUR FINGERS—not your legs--- KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED
