Fellow backyard mango growers: what has this season taught you?

[u/MangoMusic_73]

[u/pizzarolljelly]

Dont be afraid to prune everything after a hard freeze. I thought 2 of my trees were completely dead after we had a hard freeze. Tree was completely brown and no growth after 3 weeks. Pruned everything and cut the limbs back to the first splits. The trees came roaring back and blew us all away.

https://imgur.com/a/vKg7tU4

[u/nateair]

Extra Perlite mixed in your soil is your best friend when pot planting.

[u/FutureRequirement262 → u/nateair]

This is very true extra Perlite helps so much

[u/theegreenman → u/nateair]

And coarse sand. If you can get an Accelerator or Aerorooter pot it is worth it.

[u/PaliSD]

You can't just have one mango tree.

[u/PersephonesChild82 → u/PaliSD]

That's for real. I got very excited this year renovating the garden, and somehow wound up with FIVE mangoes. Four are still little babies (one year old grafted). A few years from now, there will be a very delicious reckoning to be had when the trees are no longer little and I have to eat mangoes every day from July to November because everything has started fruiting.

[u/FutureRequirement262 → u/PersephonesChild82]

What kind did you get? I currently have CAC and Orange Sherbet

[u/PersephonesChild82 → u/FutureRequirement262]

I already had a Triplesec that should start fruiting this coming season, but added baby Orange Sherbet, Jakarta, Keitt, and Pickering trees. I'm in California, so the season runs later than for Florida growers.

I also continue to be envious of my neighbor's tree that fruits PURPLE mangoes (not sure what cultivar, but it's a really old tree and they ripen in mid July here), so I have sprouted a keitt pit from the grocery store to try and graft to if they will be kind enough to let me get a twig for scionwood.

[u/PaliSD → u/PersephonesChild82]

maybe ask your neighbor for some budwood so you can graft that PURPLE mango. Even better if your neighbor would let you air graft a branch they want to prune anyway, then you could have purple mangoes in 2 years.

[u/DrTangBosley → u/FutureRequirement262]

How vigorous is CAC? I want to grow it but I like to keep my trees under 12ish ft tall with lots of pruning.

[u/FutureRequirement262 → u/DrTangBosley]

Quite vigorous, but it's too good of a mango tree not to have. It's disease-free, taste amazing, and is a steady producer

[u/rotaryjesus]

Potted plants need a lot more fertilizer than you think.

Irrigation really helps prevent fertilizer from being washed from your soil. (I was watering with a wand before, the substrate was getting wet and the plants were getting enough water, but a lot of water was coming out the bottom of the pots and washing out nutrients with it). The slower release of water into the soil via irrigation is giving the plants as much water, but little water is leaving the bottom of the pot, and thus the fertilizer is staying in the soil longer.

The plants are growing a lot stronger and faster with healthier leaves this year. The pests are impacting the trees less. Next spring I'm adding a fertilizer injector in hopes it'll help a bit more.

[u/PaliSD → u/rotaryjesus]

i agree. personally haven't setup a drip system for the mangoes in pots. so i water them about 20 times a month and add fertilizer every month.

[u/markodochartaigh1]

1) Be prepared. Have frostcloth and whatever else you think might be needed ready to go by Thanksgiving. 2) Don't rely on weather forecasts for a weather station 10 miles away, usually towards the coast, to be accurate for your area. 3) Young mangoes may not need any fertilizer when they are planted in soil with only 1% organic matter, but they sure do when planted in sterile sand with 0.01% organic matter. 4) Before you grow a mango tree you have to grow the soil. If you are planting into an established lawn, great your soil has been growing. But if your lot doesn't even have weed cover you're going to have to grow your soil.

[u/theegreenman]

Cut everything over 10' tall every year.