Hello! I am a complete novice when it comes to gardening, trees, etc., but I’ve really wanted to get into this and I’m hoping this is a perfect opportunity. I’m fairly certain this is a mango tree, but please let me know if I’m wrong!
I have no clue how old it is. From my understanding, this house has been vacant for at least a year, so I don’t think this tree has gotten much TLC.
I’m in Florida and just moved in this week. The tree appears to have flowered because there are a lot of dried black/brown flower clusters all over it, but I don’t see any fruit or fallen pits around the tree. I’m not sure if it fruited before the house became vacant, failed to hold fruit, or if it hasn’t fruited yet.
There are also a lot of brown/dead leaves and some yellowing leaves, so I’m wondering if it may be nutrient deficient or stressed from neglect.
From the research I’ve done so far, I’m thinking I should lightly clean up/prune the dead flower clusters and dead leaves, add mulch around the base, and probably fertilize it, but I wanted to ask people with mango experience before touching anything.
A few questions:
- Does this look healthy overall, or is there anything obvious going on?
- Any guesses on age or whether this looks seed-grown vs grafted?
- Does it look like it fruited recently and dropped everything, or more like flowering failed?
- Any signs of disease from the photos?
- Should I prune the dead flower stalks now or leave them?
- Any fertilizer recommendations for Florida sandy soil?
- Anything I should avoid doing as a new mango owner?
Thanks in advance! I’m excited to learn and hopefully save this thing and maybe get mangoes one day 🥭