I am topping my 5 Orange Essence trees

[weiss613]

Came back from a trip August 12th and cleaned off my 5 OE trees of about 25 fruit. Not a single one has ripened properly and have tasted like crap. When I think about the experience my friends are having/had that I gave some to it literally sickens me. Tomorrow I will top them all at around 4-5 feet. Only thing else I can say is I probably picked them way too late and the very hot sun cooked them. They were all clean and green and never changed colors. I’d rather wait 3 more years after I graft to get good fruit than be embarrassed by a fruit again.

[johnb51]

Are you topworking them, or just topping them?

[weiss613]

When shoots develop I will graft another variety on. Probably Orange Sherbet.

[roblack]

OE is a wonderful mango. Maybe the trees are too young to fairly judge them, or you did something to throw them off.

[zands]

This is rather abrupt.  Others with fewer trees do not have the luxury of issuing edicts of, off with their heads. I would at least keep one or two OE as they are.

[roblack]

This is rather abrupt.  Others with fewer trees do not have the luxury of issuing edicts of, off with their heads. I would at least keep one or two OE as they are.

Exactly. If my wife had the same attitude, would've been a goner long ago.

[FlMikey]

For whatever it's worth, I think OE is susceptible to becoming washed out from the rains.  I had several this year when it was raining a lot, and they all tasted watered down.  However, I had 1 that was superb (probably got it between the rains).  Other varieties like Sweet Tart don't seem to suffer from the same fate & they both ripen during the peak of rainy season.  I still quite like OE and have it grafted, and if I had multiple trees, I would keep 1 just in case there isn't a heavy rainy season.

[bovine421]

Is this a total top work project or a 50/50 70/30 ratio. I'm all for make-work projects for retired people. I'm actually practicing myself and have been known to plant a tree and three days later dig it up and move it 6 in. I back your plan 100%. I cannot say that one variety is better than the other. I like them both very much

[pineislander]

Maybe the crowding of trees has something to do with it?

[weiss613]

Here’s the thing and I’ve noticed it a lot this year for the first time. Yes because Zi have ultra ultra high density plantings this year there were many fruit in big time shade that stayed on the trees 3-5 weeks longer than they should have because they were hidden in dense foliage and I couldn’t pick them cause they were hidden many weeks earlier. So in almost every one of those fruit that should have been pickled and eaten 4 weeks earlier they all ducked and there was no comparison to the same varieties picked way earlier. But OE stays green and has no color changes when it was supposed to be picked so you really can’t tell when the best time to pick it is. Also they are green so they hide from you in the tree. So for me it’s a bit too complicated to keep. Yes you catch one at the right time it’s a good mango.
But let’s take another variety that stays totally green like Sugarloaf. You can pick a SL and it can sit on the counter for 3 weeks and no matter what it knocks your socks off. It has a huge window of greatness. Does this make any sense?
Look I topped and converted Tête Nene (DH) because it’s season was too long which made it take too much of my time. It is a great loaded with flavors mango but a big pain in the butt.  I love love dogs but have no patients fir raising a puppy. Just me.

[dwfl]

You might have a mislabled OE. They have some color to them, not full green. Orange essence is one of my favorite mangos... this year was no different. Should have planted more.

[sapote]

When shoots develop I will graft another variety on. Probably Orange Sherbet.

Why wait for the tiny shoots? I would do the Zill's veneer graft on the 1.5" dia branches, or the easier Coffin-Grave graft now.

[zands]

Look at it this way. King Henry VIII had his headsman decapitate her. This was his queen Anne Boleyn. This did King Henry no good. It haunted him afterwards.They say her ghost haunts The Tower of London where she met her fate

This inspired a well known English music hall song, and last year a TV series
With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQErY55m8vo

Anne Boleyn’s ghost has been seen on numerous occasions at the Tower of London.  It is said her ghost haunts the place of her death, beheaded within the Tower of London on the 19thMay 1536.

[weiss613]

That’s a very witty analogy. I appreciate the depth of that unique comment. After watching that Gary Zill video I now know why my Orange Essence tasted like crap. Because I left them on the trees tooooo long.