2024 FL Mango Season

[roblack]

That's a beautiful mango fliptop!

Had a delicious Joe Ellen (sp?) this morning. Pretty sour, sweet, juicy, a total delight. Way better than candy.

Cambodianas have been really good too. Sweet and sour, with a little something else. Ginger?

Glenns have been very nice. Did some slices in the freeze dryer. Way better than dehydrated mango.

[bulldawg305]

had a boatload of lemon zest's and several others get blown off the tree after a violent storm a couple weeks ago. Because it had been so dry, the ones that ripened properly were amazing. Had a few Carrie's that were the best I can ever recall and having a coconut flavor. However, i tried one after it rained a couple times and it was washed out 

Also looking forward to trying a Gary seedling i have that has an oblong (maha/nam doc) shape to it. Very surprised by this shape. I know Gary is poly but don't recall checking the seed at the time.

[Oolie]

had a boatload of lemon zest's and several others get blown off the tree after a violent storm a couple weeks ago. Because it had been so dry, the ones that ripened properly were amazing. Had a few Carrie's that were the best I can ever recall and having a coconut flavor. However, i tried one after it rained a couple times and it was washed out 

Also looking forward to trying a Gary seedling i have that has an oblong (maha/nam doc) shape to it. Very surprised by this shape. I know Gary is poly but don't recall checking the seed at the time.

Crush a leaf and smell the sap? Does it smell like Gary?

[Future]

Future, I wrote about this 2018 tree in simon_grow's seedling mango thread. I'm not good at describing things so much. We got three mangos off the tree last year (first year holding fruit, second year flowering). Last year I would have classified them as Indian/Alphonso, this year Indian/West Indian. My girlfriend prefers them a little underripe for the tartness that stage provides. I like it more ripe. We both detect coconut undertones. This is the first year with a good crop, so I'm hoping it continues producing well moving forward (and no hurricanes or freezes, thanks) in order to fine tune when to pick and when to eat. I've only got a few fruit left and am having a couple other people try them/evaluate them this upcoming weekend. You won't be in Punta Gorda or West Palm this weekend, will you? I'd like to get your opinion of them.

Ah. Glad I caught up on that one. Sounds special. I will PM you.

[bulldawg305]

had a boatload of lemon zest's and several others get blown off the tree after a violent storm a couple weeks ago. Because it had been so dry, the ones that ripened properly were amazing. Had a few Carrie's that were the best I can ever recall and having a coconut flavor. However, i tried one after it rained a couple times and it was washed out 

Also looking forward to trying a Gary seedling i have that has an oblong (maha/nam doc) shape to it. Very surprised by this shape. I know Gary is poly but don't recall checking the seed at the time.

Crush a leaf and smell the sap? Does it smell like Gary?

Unfortunately, I don't have a Gary tree to compare it

[fliptop]

I'm still trying to perfect when to pick and consume the Gift Horse mangos. The one I had this morning was at my favorite stage so far. The fruit itself had a blush and was ripe to the point of the skin starting to wrinkle. The fruit was on the softer side in hand, and the flesh was deeper orange. The flesh is fiberless and melting. The flesh/seed ratio has not been great.

The flavor is a little subtle, so it might not initially knock one off their feet the way a "flavor bomb" might, but the fruit is complex and the flavors are great and they stay with you afterwards. I like it as the last mango of the day. Hoping for more opportunities to experiment with picking/ripening.

Here are pics of this morning's fruit (my girlfriend likes them less ripe/more tart).

[skhan]

Devastated CAC tree.







Left to go to work this morning and I saw the one of the major branches on the floor.
I lost around 120lbs of near mature mangos.

I had this coming, this was a V branch structure which is notoriously weak. I didn't have the heart to trim it since it's was my main vertical on a highly productive tree.

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

Hey Skhan,

Sorry for your tree loss especially so close to harvest.

Detailed photos of the failed branch might help others face what lies ahead in similar situations. "V" branches are at high risk of breaking with high loads of fruit. It's better to have a strong central later branch with three branches 4-5 feet above the ground to distribute the load.

Johnny

[ben mango]

That’s a major bummer. That tree was loaded

[fliptop]

Ughhhh, that's horrible, skhan☹️

I agree with Johnny Eat Fruit, if you could provide detailed pics, that would be helpful. I have a feeling this same fate may befall some of my trees . . .

[fliptop]

Any idea what variety of Mango this is?

(If you guessed Pickering, you'd be correct!)

[Calusa]

Hey Skhan,

Detailed photos of the failed branch might help others face what lies ahead in similar situations. "V" branches are at high risk of breaking with high loads of fruit. It's better to have a strong central later branch with three branches 4-5 feet above the ground to distribute the load.

👍

Or if somebody could just draw a picture to explain what Johnny is talking about, that would be helpful.

[skhan]

Here is something I could find to illustrate it
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/articles/page1685634973518

The general idea is that having a tree that looks sort of like the Capital letter Y creates a point of stress right in the center for both branches.
Both branches are essentially pulling in opposite directions at the center and this can easily split the wood.

I believe Truly Tropical has some videos of Har talking about this topic as well

[fliptop]

Oh wow, very helpful, thanks, skhan, and again, sorry about the CAC tree☹️

[Calusa]

I don't know if my Glenn has these V angled branches or not but as you can tell there's a different problem altogether here with all the branches coming out of one central crown at the top of the trunk at about 6'. I suppose some of those will be snapping eventually.

[johnb51]

I don't know if my Glenn has these V angled branches or not but as you can tell there's a different problem altogether here with all the branches coming out of one central crown at the top of the trunk at about 6'. I suppose some of those will be snapping eventually.

Everything will be alright.

[Honest Abe]

Just ate a phenomenal Pickering I picked three days ago…I must say, if you want coconuty notes in your Pickering, eat it AS SOON AS it gives to squeeze. Three years in a row. I wrote that down a few years ago and it held true.




In other mango news:

My Baileys marvel had a poor year, flowers got wrecked by powdery mildew,  maybe a dozen total fruits. 4 or 5 still hanging.

Sugarloaf dropped everything.

My Little m4 got plucked clean by my toddler.

Pickering had a few they were very good.

All my other trees got skunked.

[roblack]

I don't know if my Glenn has these V angled branches or not but as you can tell there's a different problem altogether here with all the branches coming out of one central crown at the top of the trunk at about 6'. I suppose some of those will be snapping eventually.

Everything will be alright.

That's very similar to how our Glenn looked when 1st planted. It has held up well, only lost a branch or 2 during hurricanes.

Have been eating tons of Glenns, as have been the squirrels. Everyone seems content for now. They are the sweetest when super ripe.

Tried 1st m4, it was okay. Ripened up, but not very sweet. Definitely picked too early.

Picked a few Orange Sherbets, don't really know how to judge when OS is ready yet, but hopefully got it right. Sap smelled of sweet citrus.

1st Ceci Love dropped today, as I was shaking the rootstock tree (Glenn), to scare off marauding tree rats. Medium-smallish this year. The sap smelled divine.

Had an Orion the other day; an Alphonso seedling. Perfectly clean fruit. Firm, fiberless, juicy, sweet and spicy. I liked it a lot.

[Calusa]

Maha not far from picking. PM took its toll this season or this tree would be really drooping with a heavy fruit load.

[pineflatwoods]

Sucks to see branch breakage on such a mature tree, I hope some of those Cac can ripen and be decent for you. Looks like we're supposed to have a tropical front move through the peninsula the middle of next week. Whatever isn't harvested by then may be soured for a bit.  for those of us with young trees, it comes as a welcome relief. I can't get any other fruit established besides mango and pineapple, I either have drip irrigation or the tree dies. Frustrating

[fliptop]

Had the lone Pickering Seedling fruit this morning:



Easily the worst mango we've ever had. The beautiful tree shall be no more.

[roblack]

Had the lone Pickering Seedling fruit this morning:



Easily the worst mango we've ever had. The beautiful tree shall be no more.

You know, they say fruits often improve over seasons. What if crappy mangoes get even crappier? Maybe it is worth growing out, and grafting. I can grow one by my fence line, and teach a lesson to mango thieves. Then, they will assume all the other trees are the same.

[pineflatwoods]

I had a Pickering(from another grower) that tasted like aviation fuel mixed with Papaya last year, it was one of the weirdest tasting things I've ever eaten. It was only the one fruit, all the others had that mildly sweet, coconut note flavor.

[fliptop]

Brilliant idea, roblack! I did actually graft a few of these in anticipation of liking the fruit. There was nothing to "improve" on--insipid while simultaneously having a strange aftertaste. Nothing sweet. An improved version of what we had would still be garbage. I wonder if that vegetable Diamond is similar? The tree, while beautiful, isn't structurally sound--we were talking about ultimately removing half due to the aforementioned V-angled branching. Candy Corn is presently parked on a branch. Once I migrate that to a separate rootstock, the whole tree will be replaced by a grafted Gift Horse (we do love *that* seedling, at least 🤩)

[Galatians522]

I actually like a properly ripened Diamond. If you don't pick it right it does have a vegetable component that is not very good. However, it tastes a lot like the dried mango you get from the Philippines if it ripens properly.