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Topics - rainking430

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I guess I'm still kind of new to this whole thing, going by different advice I've gotten over the years but it hurts when you learn what doesn't actually work because you have to wait a whole year to benefit from the lesson. Anyway:

Going by advice I received long ago, after fruit set I applied some 0-0-50 (and a little gypsum) around the drip lines, and then sprayed with Keyplex 350DP (with some adjuvant). Within just a couple of days all the fruit dropped off. You have no idea how disheartened I was to see that. And now a couple of weeks later I am seeing a ton of new vegetative growth. Was my fertilizing to blame or just coincidence?

Thanks

2
I'm hoping you all might have some insights for me on this. I am attempting to train a young sweet tart I got a few months back so it stays reasonably compact, following the pruning strategy described in the video "How to prune - Canopy management for mango" (https://youtu.be/zh1AnvNa6mc?t=520).

I already did the heading cut at about hip height, it produced five new branches, and those new branches are starting to form their first nodes; so I am now planning the next pruning step. The video says to choose "3 or 4" branches using two criteria: 1) health and strength of the new shoots, and 2) that they are evenly spaced around the trunk (i.e. if looking from the top: equal triangles for 3 branches or right angles for 4 branches).

The thing is, the new branches that grew on this tree after the heading cut are now extremely lopsided, with 3 very strong branches right next to each other on one side of the tree and 2 puny ones growing out from the opposite side. So my problem is if I choose more than 2 branches evenly spaced, at least one branch will be really weak. I do see that 2 of the strongest branches are pretty much straight across from each other on the trunk, but is there some reason the video doesn't mention choosing only 2? It should be ok to just go with those 2 branches and remove the rest, right?

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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Anyone try neem oil on mango trees?
« on: September 07, 2021, 03:30:32 PM »
I know it needs to be sprayed at a time when it won't burn the leaves, but other than that in my limited research it looks like it may take care of a whole host of things, including powdery mildew, anthracnose, and MBBS. Anyone here able to confirm or have experience using it?

4
This is my first time grafting and I'm realizing that parafilm is not the same as buddy tape, correct? I bought parafilm since it is marketed as grafting tape and figured it must be the same as the buddy tape they use on Truly Tropical's cleft grafting videos. Then I see how thick it is. After watching those videos again for like the millionth time I realized buddy tape must be much thinner, because they wrap the whole budwood in it and it seems the thinness allows the buds to break through the tape over time; there is no way that could happen with the parafilm I bought. So I went out and removed all the parafilm I wrapped around the tips where the buds would form. Hopefully my grafts will still be ok.

I am now trying to shop around for buddy tape and I can't seem to find it anywhere. There are some cheap Chinese ones on Amazon (see here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=buddy+tape&i=lawngarden&ref=nb_sb_noss) but not sure I feel like taking another chance on some weird Chinese off brand.

I also read some recommendations on using lab parafilm since it too is thinner and stretchier than grafting parafilm and allows the buds to break through over time.

So thought I'd throw this out to you all and see what you might like to share from your own experience regarding the tapes you use and where you got them. And whatever other tips you might want to share regarding grafting. Thanks!

5
Someone I know said they had good success with using composted manure, but I'm a bit skeptical. The bags I've seen say .05-.05-.05 so if anything I might add some 0-0-50 potash. I did search this site for posts about it but couldn't really find anything definitive. Any thoughts?

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Here is a pic of my new sweet tart. A couple of questions:

1. Should I do any pruning to it right now? I'm not sure I like the main branch being so dominant while there are two smaller branches at that growth ring. I kind of want to do something about it to make sure the tree grows balanced but not sure what.

2. Any need to fertilize or prepare the soil around the hole when I plant?

Thanks!



7
So a good friend of mine was so thoughtful to gift me a sweet tart, and now I'm trying to find a good spot for it on my small plot. I'm pretty limited with what areas I have left, but there is a spot I might be able to plant it if I clear out the saw palmetto. Before I do that though, does anyone know how it might do if it gets a little extra water? I have two otherwise ideal spots but one spot does flood a few inches at times (though historically it drains off in a few days) and the other it would get hit with sprinklers a few times a week.

One of my favorite Truly Tropical videos is a tour of Marlys Zill's place out in Loxahatchee which has a similar clime to my area in Jupiter Farms, and in one spot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIkT8JH7gE&t=258s) they talk about how well mangos do in standing water, and in another (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIkT8JH7gE&t=1261s) how the sweet tart "does well in just about any location". So I'm kind of optimistic? I don't mind a little hit in the yield as long as the fruit would still taste as it should.

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Unfortunately I have some mango trees that are pretty susceptible to anthracnose, especially the kent and southern blush. I want to give them a good head start this year if I can and they are starting to bud where the panicles will be. The instructions say to spray during the blossom period, but does anyone know if there is any benefit or harm to start spraying them now? I emailed the company several days ago and haven't heard back. Thanks!

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I live in Jupiter Farms, FL (zip code 33478), and I'm new to cultivating mango trees. I have tried to get fruit from our three trees for the past couple of years with no success. I am hoping someone could review what I am doing below and let me know what I need to adjust.

I have 3 trees:

 - Southern blush: About 5 years old, about 12-15 ft high. Flowers a lot but only a few fruit make it to golf ball size. The rest get eaten up with anthracnose. This tree generally just seems to get eaten alive with anthracnose once it starts blooming.

 - Pickering: About 2 years old, stands about 4 feet. Has hardly fruited.

 - Kent: About 2 years old, stands about 7 feet. Fruited well the first year we planted it but all fruit fell off when they got about softball size.

Here is my fertilizing regimen, following recommendations by the mango farm I bought the trees from: Sprinkle 0-0-50 potash around dripline (I use a powdered form), and spray Keyplex 350 DP. Do this around January (before bloom), around April or May (at time of fruit set), and around September (right after fruit harvest).

Here is my fungicide regimen, again following recommendations by the mango farm I bought the trees from: Copper fungicide, sprayed weekly when the trees begin to bloom. Of course all seems to be undone by one rain. Would systemic fungicide yield better results? If so what kind? I can only get from retail sources. I have looked at Plant Doctor Organocide, but can’t find much else that is systemic in nature.

I also prune by continuously tipping any new branches longer than 12-18” to encourage more branching. The southern blush gets tipped once all fruit are gone, to improve air circulation and maintain height.

Thanks for the help!

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