Last weekend, I bought a 3-gallon Orange Sherbet tree. I was wondering if it is too late in the year to plant it, as I lost 4 3-gallon mango trees from the freeze earlier this year; they were planted around September/October last year.
I am in zone 10a, and last year we had a couple of days where temperature dropped to 29F. Only my 25-gallon mango tree survived but suffered quite a bit.
TIA
I felt compelled to post as zone 10a average minimal temperature is 30 to 35F.
https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/resources/usda-hardiness-zones/I know average gets an average from points above and below the listed average number range.
Life is a risk.... So yes, you might suffer defeat to a freeze.... I was told not to plant mango trees on my property 25 yrs ago by a nursery as they said it's too cold in Palm City. I planted 3 (3 gallon size trees) and all survived & many others since then.
Postives to planting in Sept... 1. Cooler and easier to work than summer months 2. Highest rainfall is in the month of Sept. so little watering is needed. 3. Less sun exposure on young plants leads to less sun burnt leaves.
In conclusion, Sept. is one of my favorite months to plant mangos trees in my area of zone 10a.
Larger diameter trunk, limbs, etc. will decrease odds of freeze damage as previously mentioned. There are many other additional ways to help decrease your odds of freeze damage on many other threads.