The forgotten, dissed and waylaid Edward Mango . . .

[MangoFang]

I just thought this proud papa would post his Edward mango in full magnificent bloom
in anticipation of a reputation-breaking season ahead!  It's in an excellent southern
near-the-house location where it gets extra winter heat, though the curse is that it will
get too much in another couple months, wherein I will have to cover it with 40 - 50 %
shade cloth till all the fruits mature...

It's always, now, my first ripened mango of the season . . .

 

Gary

[Cookie Monster]

My neighbor's Edward sets heavy and consistent crops on par with my Glenn without any care. I regret having listened to the advice of the masses and not planting this in my yard.

[Barnacle1982]

Delicious mango. The common person that has this mango in there yard, when you tell them it is a shy producer are absolutely clueless about what you are talking about. I also regret not planting one.

[ClayMango]

Glad I pulled the  trigger!

[Cookie Monster]

Yep. Dot is another one that is supposed to be a "shy producer." Yet, in my yard it's been one of my best producing trees. Glad I went ahead and planted that one despite advice to the contrary.

The fundamental problem that we have is one or two highly regarded individuals who have negative experiences with a tree, and then the news spreads like wildfire through the fruit tree enthusiast community.

However, I've found that experiences are unique to one's particular soil and micro-climate. So, the best bet is to take advice with a grain of salt and try things for yourself.

[TnTrobbie]

Well, , 3 years of production in it (Dot) is one of the poorest fruit set to maturity trees in my yard. It also is the only tree to have a bad habbit of tennis ball sized to mature fruits literally drying up, shriveling up on the tree before maturing to ripen. I get more mangoes from my similarly aged Cushman :O . I may just give this Edward a try

[bsbullie]

I dont see Dot as a shy bearer but it has its other problems.  Powdery mildew,  fruit splitting/"exploding " and production of nubbin fruits all plague the Dot.

[wslau]

I just thought this proud papa would post his Edward mango in full magnificent bloom
in anticipation of a reputation-breaking season ahead!  It's in an excellent southern
near-the-house location where it gets extra winter heat, though the curse is that it will
get too much in another couple months, wherein I will have to cover it with 40 - 50 %
shade cloth till all the fruits mature...

It's always, now, my first ripened mango of the season . . .

 

Gary

Great blooms Gary!  Hopefully we won't get too many heat waves early in the year like we did last year.  Good luck and hang in there!
I failed to propagate Edwards last year...but will definitely try again this year.

[JF]

Gary

your Eddy is going to town! My 2 n 1 hole Edward/Duncan has put out some nice blooms. If you love Edward you will like Duncan even better definitely top tier mangos, good luck this season!

Can you tell by the inflos?

[FrankDrebinOfFruits]

You guys are killing me. I just passed up a Edward at the nursery on Saturday due to the shy bearing rumors...

Going back....

[fruitlovers]

Yep. Dot is another one that is supposed to be a "shy producer." Yet, in my yard it's been one of my best producing trees. Glad I went ahead and planted that one despite advice to the contrary.

The fundamental problem that we have is one or two highly regarded individuals who have negative experiences with a tree, and then the news spreads like wildfire through the fruit tree enthusiast community.

However, I've found that experiences are unique to one's particular soil and micro-climate. So, the best bet is to take advice with a grain of salt and try things for yourself.

It's not just soil and micro climate that play a role, but also particular tree's health, sun exposure, and who knows what else? For example, i have 4 Florigon trees, planted side by side in a row, in same type of soil. They are right now fruiting and they are all acting quite differently: different amounts of fruits, slightly different stages in fruiting. To get a really good idea of how a particular cultivar acts you need to have many trees, not just one or two. I'm afraid that even experts are guilty of generalizing from very very small pool sample. I admit i do it myself all the time.

[bangkok]

Do they also give certificates of that mangocourse? I would like to see one 

[naturelover]

Edward is beyond delicious - I look forward to Squams crop

[bangkok]

Fang i have no idea how hot it can be in your area but upcountry in Thailand it also reaches 40+ celcius in summer and they grow mango's there no problem.

Did you try watering the tree more or twice a day?

And psst, Osteen is also a great mango........maybe not in Florida but in Spain it grows very well.

[mangomanic12]

"If you love Edward you will like Duncan even better definitely top tier mangos, good luck this season"

I respectfully disagree with JF on this statement because i do not like Duncan at all maybe i am in the minority here but i just can't get over that taste near the skin. I don't like the fact the Duncans can get soft pretty quickly . Other than that it seems to be a very productive tree . If there is nothing else i would still eat it because i love mangoes but that taste near the skin ... i can't deal with. These fruit i tasted are from the Duncan's i had over the last 2-3 years purchased at Squams place. If am wrong please correct.

[gunnar429]

"If you love Edward you will like Duncan even better definitely top tier mangos, good luck this season"

I respectfully disagree with JF on this statement because i do not like Duncan at all maybe i am in the minority here but i just can't get over that taste near the skin. I don't like the fact the Duncans can get soft pretty quickly . Other than that it seems to be a very productive tree . If there is nothing else i would still eat it because i love mangoes but that taste near the skin ... i can't deal with. These fruit i tasted are from the Duncan's i had over the last 2-3 years purchased at Squams place. If am wrong please correct.

I don't mind the Duncans I had from Walter Zills, but not in the same league as Edward. 

[Cookie Monster]

Yep. Rootstock compatibility also.

Yep. Dot is another one that is supposed to be a "shy producer." Yet, in my yard it's been one of my best producing trees. Glad I went ahead and planted that one despite advice to the contrary.

The fundamental problem that we have is one or two highly regarded individuals who have negative experiences with a tree, and then the news spreads like wildfire through the fruit tree enthusiast community.

However, I've found that experiences are unique to one's particular soil and micro-climate. So, the best bet is to take advice with a grain of salt and try things for yourself.

It's not just soil and micro climate that play a role, but also particular tree's health, sun exposure, and who knows what else? For example, i have 4 Florigon trees, planted side by side in a row, in same type of soil. They are right now fruiting and they are all acting quite differently: different amounts of fruits, slightly different stages in fruiting. To get a really good idea of how a particular cultivar acts you need to have many trees, not just one or two. I'm afraid that even experts are guilty of generalizing from very very small pool sample. I admit i do it myself all the time.

[Cookie Monster]

Agree. The first half of the crop also tends to be bland. Even when at their prime, duncan is no match for an edward.

"If you love Edward you will like Duncan even better definitely top tier mangos, good luck this season"

I respectfully disagree with JF on this statement because i do not like Duncan at all maybe i am in the minority here but i just can't get over that taste near the skin. I don't like the fact the Duncans can get soft pretty quickly . Other than that it seems to be a very productive tree . If there is nothing else i would still eat it because i love mangoes but that taste near the skin ... i can't deal with. These fruit i tasted are from the Duncan's i had over the last 2-3 years purchased at Squams place. If am wrong please correct.

I don't mind the Duncans I had from Walter Zills, but not in the same league as Edward.

[bsbullie]

Agree. The first half of the crop also tends to be bland. Even when at their prime, duncan is no match for an edward.

"If you love Edward you will like Duncan even better definitely top tier mangos, good luck this season"

I respectfully disagree with JF on this statement because i do not like Duncan at all maybe i am in the minority here but i just can't get over that taste near the skin. I don't like the fact the Duncans can get soft pretty quickly . Other than that it seems to be a very productive tree . If there is nothing else i would still eat it because i love mangoes but that taste near the skin ... i can't deal with. These fruit i tasted are from the Duncan's i had over the last 2-3 years purchased at Squams place. If am wrong please correct.

I don't mind the Duncans I had from Walter Zills, but not in the same league as Edward.

Ahhh but the late season ("second crop") Duncan are excellent and will rival most Edward.

[Squam256]

I think the term "shy producer" is being conflated with "terrible producer".

Shy producer is probably an appropriate historical description for the Edward in Florida. Left to its own devices it just doesn't generally produce as well as most other cultivars, and thus is on the lower end of the spectrum if production is relative. That there are anecdotal examples of Edward trees producing well doesn't erase decades of evidence to the contrary either.

It specifically appears to possibly have issues with self-and cross incompatibility. What pollinates Edward can have a tremendous influence on its production habits. Its disease resistance is only average at best and it has a tendency to respond to locales it doesn't like by producing an excessive amount of staminate flowers.

It does appear to perform better in drier climates, such as in Peru or California, and seems to respond well to commercial micro-nutrient and fungicide programs.

This is my opinion based on discussions with other people growing it commercially overseas, experts within Florida, and my own experience growing and harvesting Edward in multiple locations and observing trees throughout the state.

That said, if you're a backyard grower, you may just say "so what if its a shy bearer?" You may get enough fruit from it to justify having it and that's what counts.

[Squam256]

Duncan's flavor does indeed improve tremendously from the beginning to the latter part of its season. As a result in the early part of the season it tends to get over-looked but by the end of the season its in high demand by a lot of customers.

From what I can tell Duncan also appears to be more sensitive than other cultivars to the amount of sun exposure it receives in terms of how it influences the eating quality and overall sweetness.

[MangoFang]

As always Squam, thank you for your succinct analysis of the habits of the Edward mango.
I just find it amazing that I seem to have some other mango trees that only want to grow
and not flower - just so strange that they wouldn't behave somewhat similarly - like my nam
doc mai seedling, Bombaby and rosigold mango.  They all get treated equally in my mango society but
some just want to do there own thing at there own pace.

But they are still only 2-4 years old so maybe patience will do the reveal....my ChocAnon is completely
weird and only flowers in the off-season (summer to fall).....


Gary

[Cookie Monster]

Very articulate and informative explanation.

The "generally" aspect is what I'm aiming at. In the case of the commercial grower whose goal is maximum return on investment, one would want to pay close attention to generalities. However, in the case of the backyard grower, it makes sense to take chances to see if perchance one's particular soil / microclimate produces one of those "anectodal" trees :-).

I'm just a little annoyed that the Edward that I planted in my neighbor's yard has been producing glenn-sized crops for the past 3 years with no disease issues, despite nearby trees succumbing to heavy powdery mildew infection.

Isn't the Edward the tree that Blind Island Nursery rates as 1 star for production?

I think the term "shy producer" is being conflated with "terrible producer".

Shy producer is probably an appropriate historical description for the Edward in Florida. Left to its own devices it just doesn't generally produce as well as most other cultivars, and thus is on the lower end of the spectrum if production is relative. That there are anecdotal examples of Edward trees producing well doesn't erase decades of evidence to the contrary either.

It specifically appears to possibly have issues with self-and cross incompatibility. What pollinates Edward can have a tremendous influence on its production habits. Its disease resistance is only average at best and it has a tendency to respond to locales it doesn't like by producing an excessive amount of staminate flowers.

It does appear to perform better in drier climates, such as in Peru or California, and seems to respond well to commercial micro-nutrient and fungicide programs.

This is my opinion based on discussions with other people growing it commercially overseas, experts within Florida, and my own experience growing and harvesting Edward in multiple locations and observing trees throughout the state.

That said, if you're a backyard grower, you may just say "so what if its a shy bearer?" You may get enough fruit from it to justify having it and that's what counts.

[Squam256]

Very articulate and informative explanation.

The "generally" aspect is what I'm aiming at. In the case of the commercial grower whose goal is maximum return on investment, one would want to pay close attention to generalities. However, in the case of the backyard grower, it makes sense to take chances to see if perchance one's particular soil / microclimate produces one of those "anectodal" trees :-).

I'm just a little annoyed that the Edward that I planted in my neighbor's yard has been producing glenn-sized crops for the past 3 years with no disease issues, despite nearby trees succumbing to heavy powdery mildew infection.

Isn't the Edward the tree that Blind Island Nursery rates as 1 star for production?

I think the term "shy producer" is being conflated with "terrible producer".

Shy producer is probably an appropriate historical description for the Edward in Florida. Left to its own devices it just doesn't generally produce as well as most other cultivars, and thus is on the lower end of the spectrum if production is relative. That there are anecdotal examples of Edward trees producing well doesn't erase decades of evidence to the contrary either.

It specifically appears to possibly have issues with self-and cross incompatibility. What pollinates Edward can have a tremendous influence on its production habits. Its disease resistance is only average at best and it has a tendency to respond to locales it doesn't like by producing an excessive amount of staminate flowers.

It does appear to perform better in drier climates, such as in Peru or California, and seems to respond well to commercial micro-nutrient and fungicide programs.

This is my opinion based on discussions with other people growing it commercially overseas, experts within Florida, and my own experience growing and harvesting Edward in multiple locations and observing trees throughout the state.

That said, if you're a backyard grower, you may just say "so what if its a shy bearer?" You may get enough fruit from it to justify having it and that's what counts.

Absolutely.

As far as PIN's rating, if it were a scale of 1-5, Edward isn't that low...that's territory reserved for precious few mangos. Mulgoba and Gary would probably be in that category. It certainly produces better than that.

[Sleepdoc]

Jeff - I'm glad you mentioned rootstock influence. 

I have always wondered a bit about how the rootstock may influence the grafted variety.  How consistent are the rootstocks anyway?  And how much do/can they affect fruit quality, production, growth habit, etc?


I have a 3 year old Coconut Cream planted directly adjacent to a young/tebow which I topworked with wood from the coconut cream just after planting.  Both trees receive the same sun/water/soil/nutritionals, etc. Both trees are the same size.   The trees are overall very similar, with one differing (at this point) characteristic- the topworked tree has a much stronger fruit set.  I wonder if the grafted CC is somehow affected by the intergrafted Young.  I am quite curious about how the end product will differ- if at all.