Author Topic: Little Gem Mango  (Read 2675 times)

bovine421

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Little Gem Mango
« on: March 04, 2021, 08:30:17 AM »
I just read this on the internet. Is it true what they're saying about the size of the tree. I always thought Little Gem I was referring to the size of the fruit.


Mango ‘Little Gem’ (Mangifera indica hybrid)
True to its name, ‘Little Gem’ has 3” round fruit with a small seed in the middle. It’s extremely sweet with very little fiber so it’s delicious for fresh eating, making into juice or drying into a healthy snack that you can enjoy throughout the year. The fruit ripens in mid-summer to a pastel yellow. ‘Little Gem’ is a prolific fruiter and it makes an ideal fruiting plant for the home garden since the tree only reaches about 10’ tall when planted in the ground in southern zones, or 4-6’ tall in a large container. It has a full and spreading growth habit. ‘Little Gem’ is a new release from the Zill’s mango breeding program. It was selected for its fruit quality and dwarf size for home gardeners. This is a grafted plant that blooms and fruits sooner.
Tete Nene Julie Juliet Carrie Ice Cream Coconut Cream Little Gem  Dot  Mallika PPK  OS  Pina Colada Cotton Candy Buxton Spice Karen Michelle M-4 Beverly Marc Anthony White Pirie Lychee Cherilata Plantain Barbados Cherry

mangokothiyan

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2021, 08:38:34 AM »


It is not a "dwarf" tree. Grows slower compared to many varieties but faster than a Pickering or a Honey Kiss. Four years in the ground, my tree is  about 8ft  high and 6ft wide. And pushing new growth.

Productive variety and the fruit has great flavor when picked ripe. 

johnb51

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2021, 09:19:34 AM »
You can't believe everything you read on the internet!
John

bovine421

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2021, 09:24:32 AM »
Is it too soon to know if it's going to be a medium tree like a Glenn. I was hoping for a Sophie Frey type of growth habit
« Last Edit: March 04, 2021, 09:32:03 AM by bovine421 »
Tete Nene Julie Juliet Carrie Ice Cream Coconut Cream Little Gem  Dot  Mallika PPK  OS  Pina Colada Cotton Candy Buxton Spice Karen Michelle M-4 Beverly Marc Anthony White Pirie Lychee Cherilata Plantain Barbados Cherry

bovine421

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2021, 09:36:24 AM »


It is not a "dwarf" tree. Grows slower compared to many varieties but faster than a Pickering or a Honey Kiss. Four years in the ground, my tree is  about 8ft  high and 6ft wide. And pushing new growth.

Productive variety and the fruit has great flavor when picked ripe.
4 years in the ground you should have a abundant Harvest this season :). Mine has been in for one season 15 gallon tree. I am quite impressive with the amount of bloom.
Tete Nene Julie Juliet Carrie Ice Cream Coconut Cream Little Gem  Dot  Mallika PPK  OS  Pina Colada Cotton Candy Buxton Spice Karen Michelle M-4 Beverly Marc Anthony White Pirie Lychee Cherilata Plantain Barbados Cherry

TonyinCC

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2021, 11:40:55 PM »
Little Gem is a tree with a pleasing shape. Mine is growing a little slower than my Pickering. A tree that is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide 4 years after being transplanted IS relatively dwarfish for a mango. Mine is about that size too.
 Just don't give it any nitrogen other than what it gets from mulch once it gets to that size. Pickering and Little Gem are both relatively late bloomers for me. Both are just at or slightly past full bloom now with Pickering a couple days ahead.
If you thin Little Gem to one fruit per panicle they will be over a pound. They will ripen a higher poundage of fruit if you just leave them alone though.
 My tree had no ill effects from being allowed to mature all the fruit it set when it was younger. The seed is very small so thinning is less important than if they had big ones. Still a good amount of flesh even on the smallest fruits. If you had one of each tree, you could start picking Little Gem soon after you eat the last Pickering. Little Gem can go a relatively long time after picking without developing bad flavors compared to other mangos that taste like "mango death" if they go a day or so too long. Pickering and Little Gem both stay good and you might even like them better at the stage where the skin begins to shrivel and dry a bit. The both even fare well in the fridge if you have too many all at once, unlike most other varieties. I think both are nearly ideal for home growers.
 My first Pickering last year was at the end of May and done by July 15th. Aside from a few earlier drops, I start picking Little Gem July 15th and finish a few days off the tree before eating. The last Little Gem came off the tree about the 10th of September. That is a pretty long season covered by only two varieties.
« Last Edit: March 04, 2021, 11:57:28 PM by TonyinCC »

bovine421

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2021, 12:58:38 PM »
Little Gem is a tree with a pleasing shape. Mine is growing a little slower than my Pickering. A tree that is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide 4 years after being transplanted IS relatively dwarfish for a mango. Mine is about that size too.
 Just don't give it any nitrogen other than what it gets from mulch once it gets to that size. Pickering and Little Gem are both relatively late bloomers for me. Both are just at or slightly past full bloom now with Pickering a couple days ahead.
If you thin Little Gem to one fruit per panicle they will be over a pound. They will ripen a higher poundage of fruit if you just leave them alone though.
 My tree had no ill effects from being allowed to mature all the fruit it set when it was younger. The seed is very small so thinning is less important than if they had big ones. Still a good amount of flesh even on the smallest fruits. If you had one of each tree, you could start picking Little Gem soon after you eat the last Pickering. Little Gem can go a relatively long time after picking without developing bad flavors compared to other mangos that taste like "mango death" if they go a day or so too long. Pickering and Little Gem both stay good and you might even like them better at the stage where the skin begins to shrivel and dry a bit. The both even fare well in the fridge if you have too many all at once, unlike most other varieties. I think both are nearly ideal for home growers.
 My first Pickering last year was at the end of May and done by July 15th. Aside from a few earlier drops, I start picking Little Gem July 15th and finish a few days off the tree before eating. The last Little Gem came off the tree about the 10th of September. That is a pretty long season covered by only two varieties.
Thanks Tonyincc
Last season I was looking for a 15 gallon Graham. I really like the spice component but all I could find was a 3 gallon. After reading your enthusiastic review of Little Gem. I decided if I could find one in 15 gallon I would purchase it. My thinking is Graham is unique but it is not something that I would want in large quantities. Little Gem sounds like something that I could have once or twice a day. Anyhow I have one now because of your enthusiasm and I plan on grafting three scions of Graham on to it. From what I've read Graham is a medium sized tree so hopefully I can keep the tree in balance with pruning. If it turns out I cannot keep the tree in balance. I will cut it off at the graft Union. I do have a Graham 1 gallon ordered on Piva rootstock as a backup

I gave this tree do my eighty-year-old mother-in-law
After what you wrote I'm going to let it carry three mangoes because it would bring her much joy :)
« Last Edit: March 05, 2021, 01:07:17 PM by bovine421 »
Tete Nene Julie Juliet Carrie Ice Cream Coconut Cream Little Gem  Dot  Mallika PPK  OS  Pina Colada Cotton Candy Buxton Spice Karen Michelle M-4 Beverly Marc Anthony White Pirie Lychee Cherilata Plantain Barbados Cherry

Squam256

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2021, 06:13:33 PM »
Not a dwarf tree, but a very good fruit and productive too.

Should be a great year for Little Gem for us.

mangokothiyan

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2021, 08:32:55 PM »
Not a dwarf tree, but a very good fruit and productive too.

Should be a great year for Little Gem for us.

Looks like a great year for my tree as well. First time flowering heavily and it looks like it is productive. Flowered sparsely last year but got about 10 mangoes. I really like it.

Satya

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2021, 09:51:40 AM »
Really surprised by its productivity. Listening to the good advice of TonyinCC i grafted a scion to my established Carrie tree in August last year(i later purchased a tree as well :)) . This scion gave one flush branch since and then flowered mid January to my surprise. Then i was away for work only to come back home last week to find this surprise. Not even my Carrie has so many fruitlets hanging in one panicle.



bsbullie

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2021, 09:57:11 AM »
Really surprised by its productivity. Listening to the good advice of TonyinCC i grafted a scion to my established Carrie tree in August last year(i later purchased a tree as well :)) . This scion gave one flush branch since and then flowered mid January to my surprise. Then i was away for work only to come back home last week to find this surprise. Not even my Carrie has so many fruitlets hanging in one panicle.



I would remove those fruit to let the newly grafted branch develop and grow.
- Rob

Satya

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2021, 11:11:18 AM »
Really surprised by its productivity. Listening to the good advice of TonyinCC i grafted a scion to my established Carrie tree in August last year(i later purchased a tree as well :)) . This scion gave one flush branch since and then flowered mid January to my surprise. Then i was away for work only to come back home last week to find this surprise. Not even my Carrie has so many fruitlets hanging in one panicle.



I would remove those fruit to let the newly grafted branch develop and grow.

Yes sir, i would do the same. In fact the whole upper branch of Carrie will be removed after Carrie finishes fruiting to let this gem grow.
Edit : My bad, actually i had already cut the Carrie branch over the graft in November.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2021, 01:40:11 PM by Satya »

TonyinCC

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #12 on: March 11, 2021, 09:37:21 PM »
When picked early in the season Little Gem reminded me of Carrie with a strong resin component (one of my least favorite mangoes. Not because of the resin,it was just too mushy)
  Little Gem had the Carrie flavor with a firmer texture.  Later in the season it tastes different,the resin is subdued. I gave some fruit to about 10 forum members last season, one actually thought it had too much of that resin/spice flavor profile that they did not enjoy even fairly late in the season. Everyone else thought it ranged from pretty good to fantastic.
 At various stages of maturity and ripening during its long season, it reminded me at times of Julie and Graham. I like both of those but I think Little Gem is better than those despite some similarities. Little Gem can have a good coconut essence when completely ripe late in the season.(and little or none before that)
 I could pick well before mid July, but to me that is the sweet spot to open its picking window.
Depending on your taste preferences, picking times,and time it is finished off the tree before eating, it can be like having several varieties on one tree. Just eat it at the stage you prefer. If you only have room for one tree this can be an advantage once the tree matures and produces more fruit than you can eat at once by extending your potential harvest period.

bovine421

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2021, 07:32:07 PM »
Wow!

Tete Nene Julie Juliet Carrie Ice Cream Coconut Cream Little Gem  Dot  Mallika PPK  OS  Pina Colada Cotton Candy Buxton Spice Karen Michelle M-4 Beverly Marc Anthony White Pirie Lychee Cherilata Plantain Barbados Cherry

Oolie

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2023, 11:37:27 PM »
Since this thread contains most of the info about this cultivar on these boards, I thought I'd ask the question here.

Anyone ever checked to see if the seed is mono or poly?

Squam256

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #15 on: January 23, 2023, 12:12:18 AM »
Since this thread contains most of the info about this cultivar on these boards, I thought I'd ask the question here.

Anyone ever checked to see if the seed is mono or poly?

They’re monoembryonic and make nice rootstock.

Oolie

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Re: Little Gem Mango
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2023, 12:59:44 AM »
Thank you!