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gnappi_gw

My new Glenn

gnappi
12 years ago

I have two mango trees of unknown "heritage". My yard is "planted out" with no room for an in ground tree, so I decided to have some containerized "spares" growing in pots in the event winter or a storm kills something I have in the ground already, and even if none in the ground are killed I still want a number of trees in pots fruiting.

To that end I have several varieties of fruits already in pots doing really well, so on an impulse, today I bought a nice 5'+ Glenn. It's a straight stick, and VERY green.

My Q's are:

Do I prune it at its current height (I like tree branching off the ground and as I like to walk under the canopy) now, or should I wait till spring?

Would a 6'+ branching weaken the tree? or what is an optimal height to prune its height?

What are the growth habits of the Glenn and how soon do they fruit?

Thanks a lot for any advice you folks who have mango in pots can share.

Gary

Comments (7)

  • zands
    12 years ago

    Gnappi --
    I would wack it at 3-4 ft now. Give it a small dose of fertilizer and you will still get some growth in before winter. Who knows, this winter may be warm enough for some mango growth to take place. If it gets too cold you can bring it indoors to protect your new growth.

    To get immediate growth (flush) I have used straight 10-10-10 by the tablespoon. Just one spoon is good for your potted specimen. This is normal quick release nitrogen so can burn. So must be used carefully. OK to add another tbsp or two of the some of the more expensive slow release (with minor elements) fertilizer. Any evidence of how recently the Glenn was fertilized by who you got it from?

    Sooner you pug the better. I have a mango tree I pugged in April 2011 and it responded really great. I should have pugged it in February and it would look even better today, but I waited (procrastinated) because I thought I would get some fruit. But when every panicle failed and dropped, out came the hacksaw.

    BTW--- do you have muscadine and scuppernong recommendations for South Florida? I see a "Florida Fry" at the just fruits and exotics in Crawfordville Florida. I have two Home Depot muscadines planted this year but have no idea what variety they are. Home Depot does not identify them.

    Here is a link that might be useful: muscadines at just fruits and exotics

  • squam256
    12 years ago

    I would definitely prune it back now.

    Glenn trees tend to be moderately vigorous growers but are not 'super vigorous' and aren't difficult to manage. You can probably keep the tree under 15 feet tall with relatively minimal pruning.

    As far as when you can expect fruit, grafted trees often try to flower in the first year, because they are physiologically 'mature'. Whether they'll set and keep the fruit is another story. In the past I have plucked the fruit off a 1 year old tree to encourage growth; letting the tree set fruit will limit its growth, but that may be your aim anyway.

    By its 2nd year the tree should be big enough to hold a couple fruit though.

    I think you will like the Glenn. It is not the most colorful,complex or flavorful mango but it is very productive and has good disease resistance. It falls under the 'work horse' category, imo and is a good 'stand-alone' tree.

  • zands
    12 years ago

    Workhorse-
    Plus Glenn is earliest mango at least for me. 5-23-11 Glenn was my first mango eats the 2011 season

  • gnappi
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Zands,

    I bought my grapes at Lowes and have no idea exactly what thay are, they were just marked Muscadine and Scuppernong. Mine are in the ground nearly a year and have taken off nicely. I hope to have fruit this coming season.

    My grapes I used as a privacy barrier "espalier" fashion on a store bought wire trellis, and I can tell you these things about them.

    The Scuppernong is slower growing initially, and is a LOT more flexible (literally) than the muscadine. If you want to train it, they easily bend without breaking, but take a few months longer to start growing. Once they do, they grow vigorously. The leaves are smaller, and the growth denser than the muscadine.

    I have three Muscadines. The Muscadine is very brittle, but they branch like crazy when they break so trellising them to a dense or typical grape trellis is easy. Mine like growing north and south, the East west vines are MUCH, MUCH thinner. I have one on a corner and its N-S growth is 4x denser than its E-W growth. I have one other growing E-W very thinly, and another N-S and it grows like mad. VERY odd.

    When / if I get grapes, I'll update on this page.

    Gary

  • zands
    12 years ago

    Gnappi ----

    Thanks for all the interesting muscadine information. The vines that run and climb on a North South trellis. Do you think more sunlight is the reason they are doing better than your E-W vines? How could it just be compass directions?

    You should have some grapes this season. Why wouldn't you?

    The Florida Frys look like an ideal large (1.25") disease resistant grape. Anyone in Broward interested in ordering some with me.....email me ....my address is in my garden web profile

  • gnappi
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Zands,

    The very weird thing about the N-S grape vines is that they get LESS direct light, but they get it on BOTH sides of the vine.

    The Scuppernong is doing as well as the N-S "BUT" it's shaded by a large papaya! I have it growing in a 6x6' "U" shaped trellis and it's unbelievable how well it's growing.

    I think South Florida is too much sun for the ones I have and they may be showing it in their growing habits? Dunno, maybe I'm just experiencing an anomaly.

    As far as getting grapes goes, mine are VERY dense and not typical at all of grape vines. My Dad had dozens of vines in several species / cultivars in a vineyard "up north" that he made wine from and by comparison to mine they were anemic looking but very fruitful. We'll have to see.

    If I could take pics that represented how they grew I would but I haven't been able to show how dense they look since I have so much greenery in back of them.

    Gary

  • zands
    12 years ago

    Thanks for your interesting muscadine accounting. I finally got mine planted. On a
    conventional one wire trellis
    I have an Ison Black. This will get optimum sumlight. Then on a trellis up
    against a south facing wall I have a Lowes no name muscadine and a Southland
    muscadine. Both planted in the same large hole. I contacted Pine Island and
    these are the muscadines they have in stock September 20th 2011-- Carlos, Ison
    Black, Granny Val, Late Fry, and Southland. Alison at Pine Island said "All
    of these varieties do well in South Florida". I have been to Pine Island
    Nursery and have no desire to drive all the way down there just to buy two
    muscadines. So I got ahold of Bender's Nursery in Davie. He stocks a lot of Pine
    Island material. Go the Isons and Southland there. I have one more Lowes no-name
    muscadine to plant now next spring

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