The Tropical Fruit Forum

Maybe "X" is an abbreviation for cross? or a placeholder for a number?

I'm planning to buy a tree here in SoCal so I can tell you first hand how the Miyazaki mango tastes compared to all the other favorites of growers here.

I've had them when I visited Japan, it's a trash mango, worse than the supermarket mangoes in America.

I would recommend any of the vigorous newer polyembryonic ones for Socal, just plant a seed of P-22, Sweet Tart, O-2, Gift Horse, Giselle, OS, E4, or whichever you prefer the flavor of. Flavors are subjective, but insipid qualities like low acid coupled with low brix are more quantifiable, and my judgement of Irwin reflects that.

Looks like Tulsi to me.

I'm not sure what supermarket you're finding CAC at, but there are some more pressing issues. It's OK to put compost on top of the soil when you plant the trees, but not recommended to add to the soil when planting the trees. Lowering the pH is strongly encouraged, and sulfur is an excellent option for doing so. It's also a good idea to get seed of any of the polyembryonic varieties you seek and starting from there to capitalize on the immature years to build a solid structure for the tree before they begin fruiting and putting all their energy into flowering instead of flushing new leaves.

Kent from the southern hemisphere should be arriving soon, but they're always inferior to the peak ones, but next year you should be able to get some.

There's a lot of mislabeled trees out there that are labelled as Maha when they are in fact something else. Maha has a a base note parsnip flavor similar to others related to ZINC (often described as floral or indochinese), and it has a flavor on the riper side that is pungent and similar to durian. I love them, and they are not difficult to pick at the right time.

Often when mangoes are at the market they are sold in the boxes they were shipped in which can include information like the origin, processing method and importantly the cultivar. For Tommys the indicator can be "TA, Tommy, or Atkins" they are somewhat round, commonly with red blush and are sold as "red mangoes." The stem end is often slightly pointed as opposed to the flat-topped Kents, and the Oblong-compressed-cleft Keitts.

If you smell the sap emanating from the stem-end of the fruit, you may be able to compare the aroma to that released when you crush the foliage from a fresh flush, or from a pea-sized mango when thinning. Mangoes aren't always positively identifiable this way, but it's a characteristic which should be considered in addition to the appearance and eating quality of the fruit which could indicate the likely cultivar.

Since you are in California, I would also note that "nubbin" fruit will occur commonly, and in these there will be an empty seed husk and the fruit itself will be superior to the representative fruit (higher brix, more intense flavor), and these will far exceed the quality of store-bought fruit.

If you add sulfur, you won't have to worry about lowering the pH

Pink blush should be on the outside, not the inside of the fruit. Seed cavity should be small, and seeds should be moderately soft. The fruit should be fragrant and the flesh dense and creamy. Baseball to softball sized.

I’ve never had Zill 33-8 before today.  I see it’s polyembryonic.

This news makes it even more likely that as I have suggested before, Carrie is probably poly.
The theory goes that Carrie was one of the parents of Gary. Gary is poly, and pettigrew is mono.
Zinc is mono, and the thought is that 33-8 is pollinated by Carrie.

All evidence is pointing to Carrie being the pollen parent in both cases and they are both seedlings of mono cultivars, with poly offspring. If the scientific literature is correct, and the parentages are correct, then Carrie is poly.

Are there really “two types” of Maha or is it just a rumor? Some I had beginning of the year were amazing and quickly became one of my top fav mangoes but others later in the season weren’t all that great. I get the flavor can vary due to many reasons but I just want to make sure if I plan a tree I don’t need to find the “right one”.

It's a result of nursery mislabeling.

If its differences on the same tree, it's most likely due to weather fluctuations. Often rain will "wash out" the flavors.

Maha actual when on the underripe side is more tart and parsnip forward, when it's overripe it's very durio pungent. I prefer it in between, but all stages are excellent.

Sorry John, I can't see any other potential male parent for OS due to the similarity to other Gary progeny like O2, that said OS is even better than that due to the creaminess and coconut flavor.

Maha is so excellent, lucky you!

I just tasted Honey Kiss, M4, and Cotton Candy side by side
They allegedly have the same parents, but after this tasting, I formed my own contrary opinion on one of them.

The honey kiss was picked too early, it was mild and a little watery, the M4 was the best I've had to date. The "coconut" of the M4 was very toned down, milder than a California grown Valencia pride (though the same cocoroma), and with less acid, but a syrupy sweetness that was creamy. It was good, but it really could do with more intense aroma, it really was generic mango. The Cotton Candy was excellent in comparison, a similar creaminess with some acid, it lacked the cocoroma, but had the same citrusy flavor you get from Lemon Zest, I'm inclined to think that PPK might have been the father.

If it wasn't for the copious fiber, it would have been the best of the bunch.

They spread in the sun and stretch in the shade.