The Tropical Fruit Forum

I get that it’s bigger but taste wise you really think it’s much different ? I would be surprised if it was really something that special.

They are super sensitive. Have been a pain for me to grow from seed and I’m in the tropics. I think yours will die, only a matter of time until then. Don’t beat yourself up just try something easier next time, a citrus, guava or maybe a Surinam cherry

Quote from: MasOlas on February 16, 2025, 07:17:39 PM

No as in no fertilizer? Palm/cactus mix from the big box store doesn’t have much in the way of nutrients.

I know, there are people that say no fertilizer (and even no watering!) for mangoes, including experts. That is sort of correct in my view. For juvenile mango trees that have are not large enough to bear fruit, I want to encourage quick vegetative growth to get them large enough to fruit. So I do give fertilizer with nitrogen, along with grass clippings and wood chip mulch. Something like 8-3-9 with micronutrients should do the trick for your young tree, even the standard fruit tree fertilizer from Home Depot works well enough if you want an easy option. Your local nursery should have the specialist fertilizers like slow-release Nutricote or Osmocote. The 6 month slow-release is a good choice if you can find it. Water heavily for fast growth as well.

Once your 3 foot mango tree gets to 6 feet tall with a thicker trunk, then you can adjust your routine to the fruit production stage, to limit the nitrogen and limit the water during bloom/fruit time.

Hi coconut. Can you go into why some people say to not fertilize or water trees? I’ve been told by my mango mentor to water especially in early stages , and during the dry season, but curious as why people would advocate against that? I’ve noticed young trees (around 2 years old) planted in ground, non-irrigated can grow just fine when receiving only rain water but I never considered extra water would be a bad thing, especially in the early stages.

I wondered if they are spraying something to force flower them to get pineapples this early in the season. I think this is how larger operations do it, with mango as well for year round production. Anyone with knowledge on this im generally curious. When I worked with pineapple at Frankie’s we  would get a few fruits in the winter time but the main  season came in the summer months unless you are spraying to get an early crop, which really does make sense from an economical standpoint because the local market gets flooded with whites in the summer.

There are cacao trees in a greenhouse at Longwood gardens in Pennsylvania that set and hold fruit. They also have Jaboticaba and citrus trees, both of which fruit. Guava seems to do pretty good, and relatively easy to fruit in colder climates given you have some kind heated greenhouse.

No, dulcis is not that common in Sabah or Sarawak, graveolens, kutenjsis and oxyleanus are more
Common than dulcis. I met this guy , Naga in Miri who lives there and he said he only saw dulcis once every few years. Miri is a hot spot for durian and there are some nice hybrids to be found in that area

Jacks can vary a lot in looks, texture . Eaten many cempe and never had what I would call a crunchy or firm type. Only seen that in jacks

If you live on the windward side I would be more worried about the rain and wind effecting the flowers/ fruit set than if it’s going to get cold enough. Leeward is better than windward for mangoes.

Man, you’re making me crave dabai

Hi would you guys prune this tree so there will only be one leader? Mahalo

I think it’s possible there are different types of pedalai which show different leaf structure. It looks pretty similar to artocarpus elasticus based off these pics

Do not buy one unless you physically cannot open your own. I do not like the idea of using a power tool for opening coconuts. If you feel strong enough , learn with a sharp machete, a dull machete can actually be more dangerous as they aren’t as effective at making the cut you want, place your hand on top/ on the opposite side that you are cutting (to insure you are nowhere near your hand that is holding the coconut) and remember to cut downward (toward the tip of the nut) as that is the way the husk wants to come off, I’m sure there are YouTube videos on it.

I’m considering buying a husker for brown coconuts to make milk with, they are about $150, but honestly not all that well made. The design also comes from India