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mullenium

My Mango Trees

mullenium
13 years ago

On the left we have Nam Doc Mai, and the right we have the Glenn..

The Glenn is flowering big time now.. the Nam Doc flowered in the midst of winter and one single mango made it thru unscathed.. hopefully it grows, but i wouldn't be surprised if it ends up dieing off... also in the background you can see my sleeping Fuji Apple just barely waking up from its winter slumber (only one leaf has popped out so far lol)

Comments (20)

  • mangodog
    13 years ago

    Mulls - looks like the mangos survived great, though they all kind of carry over a certain winter shabiness, dont' they, in our less that perfect mango climate!
    Well...soon enough they will perk up as they grow. My fuji hasn't sprouted even a single leaf yet though the other apples varieties are leafing...maybe its a late bloomer.....

    good lucky with the nam doc mai mango that survived the winter.....you're right, it's probably a long shot to producing sweet juice running down your chin...

    mangomaddog

  • tropicaliste
    13 years ago

    In a few you'll be throwing a post up of huge flowering mangoes like the all the other mango experts!!
    Got to get a mango...

    :)

  • puglvr1
    13 years ago

    Glad they survived the winter! I hope you get to taste the lone Nam doc mai, but great news on your Glenn blooming! Good luck! At least you guys can grow Apple trees! I should look into the low chill varieties, but honestly I have enough work with the Mango and lychee,lol...

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks guys!

    yeah I wish I could grow lychee, i just fear it would be too much work with the sun/heat here and the zone 9a winters.. plus im running out of room =)

    I wish I woulda used less compost when planting these guys a couple years back.. I fear they may try and keep their roots in the compost and not venture out into the native soil surrounding the plant's hole

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    it seems like with each new plant I use less and less compost.. started with these mango trees and used 100% composting mulch from the kelloggs N'Rich brand... my latest plant was is a loquat tree and I only used about 1.5cu ft bag mixed with native soil =)

    pretty soon ill be using 100% native soil lol

  • puglvr1
    13 years ago

    Mullenium...I use compost...but I don't mix it with the native soil when I plant them. What I do is use a bag or two of organic compost and sprinkle in on top of the soil several inches away from the trunk all the way to the drip line...then cover with a layer of Pine Bark Mulch. Organic compost is great for fruit trees. Sometimes I even throw in a handful of Slow release fertilizer before I sprinkle the compost and mulch.

  • mangodog
    13 years ago

    Mangollenium - Pugsley makes one very good point for our climate. Since it's generally hot and dry and the winters are really not that wet, I would make sure you give it compost or something to allow it to retain some moisture - it doesn't have to be as rich like the nitro-humus you are talking about, doesn't necesarily have to feed the roots, but a more neutral humus like peat moss or the pine bark mulch. I didn't do that with many plants when I landscaped my sandy yard - they just seem to dry out soooooo fast.

    At the very least. put a 4-5 inches of something on top of the soil, 4-5 feet around the trunk (but not up to it) to help with water rentention...I don't think you'll be sorry you did that - you have a lot of gravel near your plants, and it just looks like a HOT spot for both the trees and roots that will be closer to the surface. Yeah, there's the other benefit - the cooler roots, so they don't cook.

    You might even find the plants "perk up" a bit when you lay down a ground cover - especially come our summer roasting time....

    my humble opinion anyway.....I wish we had more desert mango growers here on the forum.....

    MangoScotty

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    so you guys think i should rake back a couple feet from the edge of each hole and add a top layer? because the mangos are already planted in 100% composting mulch.. so the trunk is already touching the stuff.. how bout if i rake the gravel back a couple feet, and add a nice layer of mulched bark instead of compost?

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    i always worry that adding too much top layer mulch or compost will suffocate the roots.. is that not true?

  • mangodog
    13 years ago

    Mullsie - yes, I like the pine bark over the compost IF those two trees are already planted in 100% nitro-humus - I completely forgot you said that that is what those 2 were planted in.....

    I wouldn't worry at all about the roots diving in to native soil - they eventually will, and I wouldn't worry either about suffocating the roots - I never heard of that happening except when they are planted in like 100% clay and standing in water where they truly can't breathe.....you've still go a lot of sand around the root ball/planted area that allows air to move, I would think....

    And doesn't Fuji need a pollinator? Or is it self-pollinating???? I really can't remember....if it does, maybe you should get some sort of compatable apple tree planted near it....

    Let us know how the 100 percent compost planted trees fair this year....I'd thought of doing that, making a very rich moist potting mix for the "tropical" mango trees, but never did. As we now know, they don't like to have their roots too wet, not that that will ever be a problem for you....keep us posted.....

    mangosniffer

  • puglvr1
    13 years ago

    I agree with Mangodog...a nice layer of Pine Bark Mulch should do great on top...again, making sure its a few inches away from the trunk. The rocks on top will probably keep the soil too hot in your already hot summer months. I've always mulched my mango and lychee trees and have never had any problems with suffocating the roots.

    On a side note...next winter you can rake back the Pine Bark Mulch (you can save it for next Spring) since the mulch holds the moisture in and keeps the soil from getting too hot...the mulch will keep your soil from getting warmth from the sun...so in winter I would rake it off so it can absorb as much heat in the winter months...just my two cents.

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    great ideas guys.. yeah thanks for the photo pug..

    i bought some shredded cedar mulch from walmart and spread them around all of my plants in the back.. figured i might as well help out everything, plus it makes the yard look nice! they had the bark style but i figured the shredded might be better for my conditions?

    one thing though is my glenn is planted a few inches lower than the native soil line. since he was the first tree ive ever planted i didnt do enough research on planting depth.. i should have planted it higher but its too late now, so its almost like a small crater around its trunk coming out towards the mulch.. will this affect anything?

    ill take some more photos tomorrow morning to show you guys the new look =)

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here's an updated shot with the shredded cedar

  • puglvr1
    13 years ago

    Looks GREAT...I think they will appreciate the mulch especially come summer!

  • marinfla
    13 years ago

    And the nice decorative look is a bonus! Very Nice

  • mangodog
    13 years ago

    Mullsy - something has been bothering me for a couple days now - that GLENN tree (on the right in your first photo) seems to have the leaves folded almost completely down towards the trunk, and that could be signifying some stress on the tree. Usually, and i'm just a-guessin' hear,
    my understanding of that sympton is its either too much water or not enough...

    I wonder if you would want to dig your finger down aways into the soil (or perhaps carefully with a trowel) and see if it is either REALLY DRY or REALLY WET......

    It's just been niggling at me - the way the tree looks.....and I could be totally wrong here...and others may have a totally innocent take or lack of concern on its appearance..... and/or perhaps you want to do nothing at all....

    that's all......mangobowwow

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    ahhh dont say that! =P

    i always have a nagging thought on the glenn as well, thinking that i didnt create the hole wide enough and planting it too deep, plus being in 100% composting mulch maybe its retaining too much water?

    ill check the soil tonight and let you know.. last week i had my drippers on for a scheduled 2 hour run.. but after i got home from work they never shut off for some reason! so it must have been 9-10hours of watering at 4GPH per tree.. lol thats 40 gallons, backyard was flooded everywhere...

    i was planning on not running my drip irrigation for a few weeks since that happened.. but thats not the reason the leaves folded down, theyve been folded down all winter, maybe it was the cold temps? the leaves might have been trying to protect its trunk from damage? they do seem sorta brittle-ish.. the nam doc mai's leaves are much more pliable

  • mullenium
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    this photo here shoes the Glenn a bit closer

  • puglvr1
    13 years ago

    I'm not sure about the folded leaves...so I won't give you any advise. But, if you want to check for moisture on your soil...try getting a Wood dowel about the width of a pencil and stick it down in the soil near the root zone very carefully and see how wet or dry the stick is when you pull it out. This might be better than digging it? Just a thought.

    Also "if" it turns out the soil is very wet...you might want to rake the Mulch off for a few days so the soil underneath will dry faster?

    Good luck Mull!

  • mangodog
    13 years ago

    Sorry mulls :(

    It may be nothing - you're saving grace is the fast draining sand all around the compost pit, and if the leaves were folded like that all winter, then perhaps it was nothing or even a bit dry perhaps - EASILY rectified....

    PUgslie's method with the dowel (or any piece of thin wood) is a good one....

    Geez - hope I didn't mess with your peace of mind......Those trees can be pretty tough and flexible with their conditions, so be of good cheer!

    MangoPettable

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