The Tropical Fruit Forum

I have a few in pots and 2 in the ground.  They are challenging.  This year was tough on them because the rainy season started in the middle of August when it normally starts middle of May.  The hot temps with low humidity could not be compensated by irrigation.  I should have increased the shade.  The trees only grow new leaves a couple times a year so it is hard to gage their nutrient needs. This year growth happened in February,  May, both during low humidity causing wilting and small leaf size, and November just before being hit with the artic blast down to 47F causing wind burns on the immature growth, some new leaves dropped.  The trees shrank this year.

Shade, protect from wind, water daily before the start of the rainy season, keep humidity up around 70%, mulch and fertilize light but often.

Expect it to take a decade or two to fruit from seed. One of my potted trees flowered but the flowered dropped without setting fruit. A grafted tree may fruit quicker but tend to grow slower.

B) Yes, when applied with sulfur, MAP, or some other acidifying agent. These can create small, localized areas of lower pH soil.  At a pH below 6, Mn is very available. Any granular Mn that is in a area of lower pH will potentially become available. If the Mn binds with organic matter, the bound Mn will be released when the organic matter decomposes.  The Helena Mn was a quarter the price of the Lowe's. HD used to sell 20lbs bags of the same Mn Lowe's has for a reasonable price but still twice the price of Helena.   

A) My mango area was not deficient in phosphorus.  I haven't munched my mangos yet but plan to do so. I think the benefits outweigh the potential issues. We are so humid and have such strong fungal issues that I feel a healthy tree will produce better fruit. I have never shied away from using a nitrogen fertilizer and have also applied 8-10-10 when I was mildly phosphorus deficient. I used MAP this year in the section I have garcinia, mamey, and longan. I am stingy with fertilizer so maybe that is why I haven't had issues.
B) When I first tested my soil and put it on the forum,  I interpreted the responses that I got that I wouldn't be able to do much about my manganese deficiency.  But my applications of 8-2-12 are increasing it. This year I made the decision the common wisdom is wrong. Lowe's sells a 16% granular, which I applied at the beginning of the year. When I placed my order with Helena in April of this year, they had a 31% granular. I applied that at a rate of 1 cup per 225 square feet, 125lbs per acre. I will apply another 1/2 cup per 225 sqft in November with my sulfur application.  I think it has had an affect on my canistel and white sapote fruiting.
C) I apply almost everything with a broadcast spreader. I only apply around fruit trees, under the canopy and a few feet beyond.  The only times I use a cup or sprayer are with low application rate fertilizer like granular manganese.  I try to spread as broadly as possible so roots do not concentrate in higher fertility areas.

Much of what you might be looking for is probably already there. Have you connected with the local resources? Jardin Enaidas, Montoso Gardens, panoramic fruit, other growers in Las Marias, TARS, Govardhan Gardens, etc.

1) The recommendations I give are the things I do. I am an amateur and only have the experience I have gained managing my own yard. 

• Apply granular sulfur, Rocket 90, 400lbs per acre per application. Apply every 6 months
• Based on the results and the recommendations, calculate the difference between what you have and the bottom of the good range. Plan your fert schedule and add the ppms to see where you will end up. I just do simple addition and do not worry about leaching or uptake or anything else to keep things simple. Fill the gaps with additional broad or element specific ferts. To convert from pounds of fertilizer to parts per million, I use the formula: pounds multiplied by the percent of the element divided by 2 divided by the number of acres.  As an example, ppms for potassium for 200 lbs of 8-2-12 applied to 0.5 acres is 200 * 0.12 / 2 / 0.5 = 24ppm of potassium. Phosphorus for the same example would be 200 * 0.02 / 2 / 0.5 = 4ppm
• Increase organic matter with landscaper/arborist wood chips. This will also have mild addition of potassium and phosphorus and some minors. I don't bother calculating these additions as the amounts are small
• Test your soil again to see how things are progressing, or not progressing
• For severe deficiencies, consider foliar applications. Foliar applications do not replace soil applications, especially for immobile elements. Sulfur, microbes, and other acids will release the things that get bound up
• MAP, monoammonium phosphate, is a good way to add phosphorus because it is also acidic and will help lower pH. It is high in phosphorus so it goes pretty far. Try to find complimentary additives.

2) Helena has an 8-2-12 fert that has a "high" amount of boron, at least for a fertilizer. This is how I was able to correct my boron deficiency. The person I spoke to at Helena called it the "University of Florida" mix.
3) Probably.  I am using 0-0-22 for my potassium deficiency but this is also high in magnesium. If your magnesium is not high, 0-0-22 may be a good choice. If you are going to use 8-2-12 and your deficiency is small enough, you may not need to increase your 0-0-50 schedule.
4) If it fits your new fert schedule, sure
5) Add organic matter. I am using landscaper/arborist wood chips. The price is right but it does take a lot of labor to spread around the yard and it can be dusty. It also starts getting moldy fast so it may be best to hire help spreading it.  Apply in a donut shape 2 - 6 inches deep, keep away from the trunk and extend out past the drip line. A truckload covers around 20 - 25 trees at 2-3 inches.
6) Avoid adding anything with calcium. The granular sulfur application will likely convert some of the existing soil calcium molecules to gypsum, helping plant uptake.


FieldLark appears to be geared to selling foliar sprays. These are generally more expensive than granular but sometime more effective. I think it is better to invest in the soil and do the hard work to correct the soil for longer term results, while also using foliars to solve immediate issues.

Brian, I don't think clay specifically is an issue. Puerto Rico farms we visit have clay soils and the mangosteen grow great.

I have a tough time with nutrient deficiency issues with garcinia.  I have a group of a species of trees that all get the same treatment and some will look good and others will have interveinal chlorosis.  Also, I have grafted trees that are grafted at around 12-16 inches will push beautifully below the graft,  crazy large dark green leafs, and new growth above the graft at the same time is weak and chlorotic. With the last push, I tried weekly foliar sprays and it didn't help.

Many of my potted garcinia require staking. Established trees in the ground do not.

Thanks for the update. Awesome stuff you have going on there!

My trees suffered through similar dry, high temp, extreme UV weather this spring and summer, well into August, and trees died. Irrigation is a very poor replacement for humidity. Next year, I will be ready with shade and wind breaks and maybe some misting systems.  Now, the situation has reversed with humidity staying mostly above 80 excepted for a few hours mid-day if it is not raining during that time.  If there is a break in the high humidity, my trees wilt and a few have dumped leaves. They quickly become addicted and lazy.

I have a mound that has killed 2 durian trees and is working on killing a third. I direct sowed a bunch of durian seeds hoping they will adapt or they will die quicker. I haven't decided which yet.

Female flowers do not produce pollen and generally do not develop into fruit without pollination. 

Here is a picture of a female flower


Here is a picture of a male flower. Male flowers visually appear to be hermaphrodites but do not set fruit. The orange stamen, which look like a smaller set of petals around the central red pistil, are the indicator.   

1) shovel works fine. This year, I bought a stainless steel soil probe to speed up the sample collection.
2) I used Ziploc sandwich sized bags
3) 6 - 8

I use Spectrum Analytic, the S3 test, based on forum recommendation from Cookie Monster who got the name from Har. They are kind of old-school, but it works.  You can request a price list. The S3 test costs around $15.  They will mail your results, but the results are also available on the website. They invoice after.

https://spectrumanalytic.com/services/analysis/agsoil.html


These are screen captures of my results from this year.


For each sample area, you can select a crop and they will align the results with the specific needs. Some areas I select a generic "Fruit Orchard". They have mango and lychee and some other tropical fruit crops.

I agree with Seanny and think you have a male. I have gotten males from purchased Red Lady seeds which stated 33% female/66% hermaphrodite as the expected yield on the packaging.

Nice article. Seeing Ian opening durian in the video triggered a pavlovian response to step up and grab a piece.  I hope we get to do it again next year!

Awesome! 

Finally got a fruit of my Madruno, it took 7 years.
I like it a lot better than the charichuelo. Most of the flesh melted off the fruit, just a thin layer clung to the see. I put this in the same league as Achaha