Hello Bo,
I am very happy for your new purchase! Good luck on your new mangoes, and I hope your blessed with an abundance of fruit.
Andrew

i have a Zebda as well. i was curious as to what an Egyptian mango would taste like. seems like they would have a high standard for fruit.

i hear its a vigorous grower. if the consistency lives up to its translation "butter" i will be happy

Nice looking tree. How much was it after being 75% off? Seems like an odd time of the year to have such a huge sale on tropicals? I would think you would see sales like that in the fall instead of the spring. You might as well go get that avocado and lychee. You know you are going to break down sooner or later anyway. Just give in...

Thanks Andrew! I can't wait til it fruits and send you some! ( :

mango-kush I hope it's not too vigorous of a grower! HOnestly, I don't know how I'll winter this bad boy...LOL

jsvand5 - After 75% off, it was $31.25. I'll probably go back and get the avocado or lychee...hopefully, it's still there.
I think they're trying to get rid of their tropical fruits and making room for other plants. Lucky me!

Cheers,

Bo

there is little information on it, this is Fairchilds description:

Curators choice
'Zebda' is an important Egyptian cultivar, rounded to oblong in shape, smooth skinned and of 11.5 oz (325 g). The color is emerald green, lightening to chartreuse upon extreme ripeness. The flesh is Indian to burnt orange and there is no fiber. The flavor is a sultry, sweet combination of melon and vanilla. The tree is slow-growing and highly tolerant or even resistant to anthracnose and malformation diseases. The production is heavy and consistent, coming during the middle part of the mango season. 'Zebda' is a quality mango destined for greater things, once you accept green as a color.

so according to Fairchild I was mistaken, its not vigorous although no mention of mature size.

i have a mango book by Richard E. Litz, available online. which is nice being its $250

what kind of worries me is he describes it as "acceptable quality" even though Fairchild had it as curators choice.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Mango: otany, Production and uses 2nd addition

You have to watch the "Curator's Choice" designation. There have been fluctuations over the years between a mango being touted and being overlooked. There was one called Torbert or Torbet, which was given very medoicre ratings by the Fairchild mango book. Then, miraculously, it shows up about 10 years later as a curator's choice. I haven't ever tasted Zebda but when I first heard about it from Pine Island, the had three Egyptian cultivars for sale. The one they said was the best was Eweis....so I bought it. I have tasted it and it is good, not great....a smaller mango with some Neelum like characteristics in flavor. Maybe Zebda is better......let's see who can fruit it first.

Bo:

You are moving into the big time as a tropical fruit tree addict. Happy to have you joining the gang. Best of luck with your trees. Was this tree a repacement for the one that wasn't doing so well?

Harry

LOL.... Thanks Harry! It feels good to be part of the gang. I hadn't planned on purchasing any tropical fruit trees but the Sale was just too good for me to pass up! I am really nervous about repotting the Zeba and Graham replacement (considering what happened to my first Graham). But, I have learned a few things and will use a mix that has better drainage. Do you think I can hold off repotting the Zeba until September? But, if I repot does this mean there won't be any fruit this summer?

Bo

Bo:

Hard to tell from the picture if repotting should be done now or later. The answer would depend on how the roots look. If the pot has fully rooted out, it may be time to re-pot now and waiting until Sept. would not be a good thing. If the roots have not fully filled the existing pot then waiting will not be a problem. Either way, if the tree is going to bloom, it will bloom....with fruit either setting or not and either holding on or not. I don't think the repotting will affect it one way or the other if the roots are not disturbed (as in broken). Mangoes re-pot very easily. Again, not being familiar with Zebda, I am not sure if you are going to get fruit this summer anyway if you have not already seen bloom.

Harry

I spoke to one of the women at Zill that knew about it a month or two ago. She wasn't too enthused about Zebda, I was basically talked out of buying it. Nevertheless, it's rare and unusual. They should be having available some of their newer varieties in the next year or two.

Gary

Congrats on your new Mango tree Bo! What a deal! I see you are becoming addicted just like the rest of us...you're in good company here. Although I've never heard of this variety...and there are many that I've never heard of before, new varieties are coming out almost every week. I'm sure you will pleased with the tree and fruit...after all its a Mango!

At least you found out its not a vigorous grower...I'm sure you're happy to hear that since you have to winter it inside.

Good luck with your new trees, and may you have great success!

Harry, what should I look for when deciding to repot or not? There are tiny root hair forming on top. Does this mean repotting is necessary?

dghays, I really would have preferred a Nam Doc Mai or Ice Cream. But with my location and the fantastic price, I can't complain. As a matter of fact, I am thrilled to just have a mango tree! ( :

puglvr1, Thanks! And you're right, I am fast becoming addicted to tropical fruit trees! Besides, I couldn't ignore the whopper of a deal at my nursery. I got very lucky! So, for a tropical fruit enthusiast, it was too great of a deal to walk away from.

Cheers!

Bo

Bo, one way I check to see if it needs repotting is to gently lift the whole tree out of the nursery pot and take a look at the roots(This should slide off pretty easily)...just do it gently and don't pull on the trunk or you could rip out some of the roots attached to it. Two people will be much easier.
Check to see if the tree is root bound(Full of roots) and hardly any soil. If you still have a lot of soil and you can't see too many roots it should be fine for several months...unless you just want to put it in a different but same size pot. Most people don't like the black nursery pot, and others don't mind it. Just remember that black pots absorb more heat than light colored pots, so keep that in mind. Just my opinion...maybe others have other ideas?

Hello Bo,
I am very excited and happy for you....I think that middle picture is the beginning of a flower spike! Do the other branches have any of them? You will find out very soon. Mango flower spikes grow pretty fast. Just make sure yo don't let too many fruit develop. You want the trees energy to go into growing larger and having it fruit too much will slow growth down.
Andrew

Hi Andrew, all the other branches have them. This is good news! I wouldn't mind it growing slow. But what are the other negative effects of having too many fruits?
Bo

Hello Bo,
As far as I know the tree will only support the fruit it can handle. The tree could stress but you have the advantage of not getting the tree thru mail order and because you didn't plant it in the ground, the tree wont have to go thru adjusting itself in the ground. I would say that if you keep it well watered you should be good. I wouldn't fertilize with the fruit on the tree. I have heard that if you fertilize now, the fertilizer can effect the flavor of the fruit negatively but I may be wrong on this. I am far from being a mango expert. Harry can anwer that one better than I can.
Andrew