Author Topic: first time mango owner, need help  (Read 2522 times)

TheFlyingFarmer

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first time mango owner, need help
« on: July 17, 2020, 10:35:47 AM »
hello everyone, recently just bought my first mango tree and need alittle help. its a grafted valencia pride and was about 3 to 3.5 feet tall when i first got it, it was alittle skinny for my liking so i did research and i decided to "pug"(?) it, basically i cut the top off. recently its developed brown edges to the leaves and im confused because it is giving alot of new growth. any info or help would be much appreciated.

also included a picture of one of my recent pineapples for your viewing pleasure.









skhan

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2020, 10:52:49 AM »
What type of soil are you using, from the pictures it almost looks like beach sand

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2020, 11:44:32 AM »
its a 50/50 mix of sand and regular potting soil, i know it isnt kosher to use potting soil as it tends to retain water but the mix seems to drain pretty easily and i always let the top 3 to 4 inches dry completely before giving it more water, its been pretty hot here lately 95 plus degrees so i usually water it once a week.

Oncorhynchus

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2020, 12:10:41 PM »
I have my seedling mangoes is regular potting mix and water daily with no problems. Adult trees may be different but VP isn’t a good choice for container culture, I’d try and get it in the ground sooner than later.

skhan

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2020, 12:15:09 PM »
I use potting soil too. no problems with mangos.
Don't think your mix is an issue unless your using salty beach sand.

What do you fertilizer with and whens the last time you applied it?

If its sprouting out new leaves and they come out fine I wouldn't really worry though

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2020, 12:15:44 PM »
yeah, i figured that out like a week after i bought the plant, the lady at the nursery told me it could be kept in a pot.... HA what a joke, currently its in a rather large pot, im gonna try and keep it there for about 6 monthes until it gets alittle stronger. but im currently looking at getting some container friendly mangos, probably 3 or 4, any suggestions? been looking at pickering, cogshall, carrie and icecream, though ive heard icecream can have fungus problems.

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2020, 12:18:49 PM »
no salty beach sand, i have just regular sand i bought at home depot in the gardening section. i used citrus gain 8-3-9 but removed it once the leaves started turning brown, replaced the top 4 inches of soil and gave it a good flush with water.

saltyreefer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2020, 05:46:59 PM »
Why don't you put it in the ground? It would probably do much better.

Honest Abe

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2020, 08:52:29 PM »
In 100 percent Miracle grow Potting soil and 15 gal pots. my “Pickering” did great in a pot. Many forum members recommend “Pickering” for the best container mango and one of the best mangoes overall in general.  On the contrary My “nom doc mai” grew too fast and I opted to put it in ground after 14 months because it’s size and it’s  taproot found its way out of the bottom of the pot into a crack In my patio(elevate your potted mangoes on CBS bricks or something of that nature for this reason). Good luck.

Oolie

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2020, 10:37:43 PM »
That's a pretty unusual leaf condition to see. In the typical reference books (usually in reference to citrus) the most similar looking deficiency is in phosphorous. Very unusual, but could be attributed to unusual pH. It's also possible to lock-up phosphorous depending on the applied fertilizer. Still it's not common to see this one.

FRUITBOXHERO

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2020, 11:18:28 PM »
If you plant that VP in the ground make sure it's in a place it has A LOT of room to grow, maybe the most vigorous mango trees out there, if you think you can prune it to keep it small and still get fruit, you'll be like the 1000's before you and fail! it truly is a beast of a tree

                 Good Luck
Joe

Orkine

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2020, 09:40:45 AM »
VP in the right environment can grow 6 to 10 feet a year. http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=3868ce9baf4e99a42365e89f3d67e6fe&topic=29346.msg331640#msg331640

If you are willing to do the work, it appears the size can be managed for some time. https://www.tropicalacresfarms.com/product-page/valencia-pride

I don't have this variety so my information is from research, I just got a little more space and may take the leap.  I am just not there yet.

weiss613

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2020, 02:11:20 PM »
TFF
You have no other problem except you needed to water that tree way more than you did. Up until a few weeks ago we were in a drought. The brown edges occurred when your tree was very thirsty. As a beginner you need to be a lot more conscious of your soil’s water saturation especially a potted tree. I had a few in pots during that time period and went out almost every day to water them. And here’s another tip. When mango leaves turn yellow it usually means it got too much water.
 When you are going to put this tree in the ground of course you’ll need to put it in a decent distance from your house because it’s a VP. When you dig the hole for the tree make sure you make it pretty deep and pretty wide (2.5’ X 2.5-3’) and you’re gonna need a pic to break through the rock because in Miami when you go down maybe six or 8 inches 10 inches under the topsoil it’s rock so it’s gonna be a lot of work. Throw that earth in your green trash can and only use the homemade perfect 6.6 ph soil they put together at Galloway Farms Nursery on SW 87th Ave across from Norman Brothers. You’ll need 4-5 bags at $3.99 each. Remember that after you put each bag of soil either on the bottom of the hole or when filling the area around the soil surrounding the tree from the pot to wet and stand on the new soil to compress it down or else you’ll have major problems like  the soil will dry out super fast cause it won’t hold water if not compressed or your tree might get blown away. Never step on that soil from the pot. Good luck. PS I spent way more money on the super special soil the last 10 years than what I paid for my trees. And it was way worth the $. If you come by here you will know it’s the truth when you see mango tree perfection!

roblack

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2020, 03:04:50 PM »
Plant your mango tree with a mound around the rootball. Elevated is better than down low. When it rains hard and/or floods a bit, you want your tree to stay as dry as possible.

You don't really need to dig down much, or worry about limestone. Accept it. You live in Miami.

I dig till I hit limestone (2-4 inches usually), and then add some soil. Water the hole and plant generously.

Then, place the rootball on top. Then, add a mix of yard soil with whatever was available at the time. Usually organic garden soil from HD for me.

Build a mound around the rootball, will be probably 5 - 6 feet in diameter.

Mulch. I use pine bark nuggets from HD. Do not let them touch the trunk.

It will secure itself once established.

Water it daily or every other day for several weeks. If it is high enough, it will drain well.

Do not fertilize for at least a couple of months. I would wait till it felt sturdy when pushing and pulling lightly on the trunk.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2020, 03:11:06 PM by roblack »

StPeteMango

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2020, 10:12:42 PM »
If you HAVE to have a mango tree in a container, I'd say go with Pickering. It's small-ish, and grows slowly. But if you have an okay back yard, stick it in the ground. I see containers as necessary for people who live in cooler climates -- or who went overboard and got more trees than their yards can accommodate. Container trees need more care than ones in the ground.
You will get better input on local soil conditions from people who live in the Miami area, but if the limestone is such a pain, perhaps a raised bed would help.

yeah, i figured that out like a week after i bought the plant, the lady at the nursery told me it could be kept in a pot.... HA what a joke, currently its in a rather large pot, im gonna try and keep it there for about 6 monthes until it gets alittle stronger. but im currently looking at getting some container friendly mangos, probably 3 or 4, any suggestions? been looking at pickering, cogshall, carrie and icecream, though ive heard icecream can have fungus problems.

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #15 on: July 20, 2020, 09:32:36 AM »
@saltyreefer @HonestAbe @Oolie @Fruitboxhero @Orkine @Weiss613

Thankyou all for your advice, unfortunately my yard doesnt have the room to support a VP mango, otherwise id be putting it in the ground. i will be transferring it to my parents backyard so atleast the tree can have a fighting chance, though it might be a curse rather than a gift seeing as how these trees can easily get to 50 feet if left unattended. for now its gonna have to stay in this pot untill i can find time to go dig a hole in their yard. they live in miami as well so after 2 feet its solid rock. does anyone have any recommendations on places to buy some heathly mango trees for a decent price? looking for pickering or cogshall, maybe both. the more i read the more im realizing that mangos arent as low maintenance as ive believed. but im up for the challenge.

as for the new growth,a few of the new leaf buds have turned black, ill post pictures when i get home.

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #16 on: July 20, 2020, 10:44:42 PM »
Update, got home and took a look at the new growth and I noticed the new buds were turning black and the one had brownish spots on it, I suspect it's a fungal infection due to the proximity of it next to a banana plant that had fungus a few weeks ago. But that's just what I'm thinking I could be wrong, either way I cut all the damaged leaves off leaving only 7 healthy ones, and I sprayed it with a copper fungicide. Hopefully the situation improves.








Oolie

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #17 on: July 21, 2020, 01:11:21 AM »
Most fungi are species specific with regards to a host, and while some are capable of affecting species of different genus, it is less common than you might think. Looking at the pattern of the damage, it does appear to be related to nutrients, but that is a guess that would need to be proven with access to the plant to test.

Additionally copper does not treat fungal infection. It can prevent infection, but once infection begins, it will not help, and could potentially cause issues.

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #18 on: July 21, 2020, 12:00:43 PM »
ok duly noted just put the copper as a last ditch attempt,

 the past few days ive been giving it tons of water, so ill see if in a week it improves. still find it odd that the new leaf growth at the top is turning black, almost as if its rotting. im afraid to add any more fertilizer as i dont want to stress the plant out any more than it already is.

might try transplanting it in a few weeks, though i bought it in a 5 gallon container and its currently in a 12 or so gallon container. might also try ditching the sand for just straight potting mix to see if the sand is possibly throwing off the ph balance as suggested by others.

CA Hockey

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #19 on: July 22, 2020, 01:44:25 AM »
Welcome

Your tree is pushing out new growth from multiple buds, but it looks like the branches will be weak. The buds are all erupting from the joint. You may be better off cutting just below that area so that the buds are staggered.

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #20 on: July 22, 2020, 09:53:07 AM »
my only concern is that the remaining leaves are concentrated around that joint, cutting off the joint would mean leaving the tree with 2 or 3 healthy leaves. i have noticed a few buds emerging straight out of the main stem lower down.

TheFlyingFarmer

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #21 on: July 26, 2020, 07:07:52 PM »
New update, went outside today and noticed a new growth on the stem near the graft joint. Should I let it continue or get rid of it, my only concert is if it breaks off later it might kill the tree because of the proximity to the graft.

Also does anyone know what these bugs are?








Nyuu

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #22 on: July 26, 2020, 07:16:30 PM »
It would be better to remove it . Branches so low only promote diseases and other issues

Nyuu

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #23 on: July 26, 2020, 07:31:39 PM »
And I'm about to Bug I'm not sure what variety of bug it is but you try dish soap method . I usually do about one teaspoon per gallon of water then spray the leaves or anywhere else you have bugs . Usually work with any soft body bug

Seanny

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Re: first time mango owner, need help
« Reply #24 on: July 28, 2020, 01:28:24 AM »
Keep that new shoot near graft.
It fatten up the graft union and rootstock, strengthen graft union.
Remove it when it’s 1/2 to 2/3 the size of main.