Welcome Reb - I'll recomend that you get one of the small cultivars which will be a lot easier to care for either planted in a pot or in the ground with protection.

From those you list Pickering is the smallest one, you should be able to keep it about 6 feet tall, although they do get bushy. I would not recommend a Tebow tree for you, its a vigorous large sized tree. Also my Tebow tree seems more cold sensitive then my other mango trees and I'm all the way down south here in zone 10B. I also recommend you consider a Fairchild tree, it's another dwarf size tree that has a very intense deep green color and an outstanding fruit.

Anyway, good luck with whichever one you decide and welcome.

Welcome. you sound like you have nice property, I hope the oil hasnt affected you.

In your situation I would stick with containers as most of the best newer cultivars i would recommend you can grow long term in 25 gallon containers. If you want to give winterizing a try maybe dedicate one tree to in the ground planting but still nurse it in a container for the first few years.

Im not encouraging you to plant it in ground as I can feel the frustration with people trying to grow them on the zone 10/9 border. Being on the Gulf definitely helps your microclimate though. Do you notice fungal problems on any other plants you may grow, especially tropicals?

so if i were to put the condos in order you should grow I would say

Pickering
Mallika
Nam Doc Mai
Carrie

Pickering is a Florida cultivar with a texture probably similar to the store bought mangos you are used to with x100 its flavor, lol. Its a dwarf. Mallika is an Indian mango so may need copper fungicide applications. Its flesh when ripened off the tree is pastey, i would say almost like a boiled carrot in consistency, with lavish flavors. Carrie is a Florida cultivar that has an almost similar texture to Indian types like Mallika and also lavish flavors. Its a medium tree. It has better fungus resistance than Indian types. Nam Doc Mai is an Asian mango, every collection needs an Asian mango. NMD is lemony tart and sweet with a distinct indo chinese mango flavor. Its a little more vigorous then the other two but can easily be pruned (all mangos can be pruned hard that arent large and vigorous trees, some are just more naturally dwarf).
so to me those three or four would be a pretty well rounded collection you could haul into a heated shed or into a back room even if you have two doors that open you can even handtruck containers larger than 25 gallon through easily.

Ice Cream and Alampur Baneshan are both different then the other types of mango. They arent initially sweet and refreshing like other types, they have lighter flesh and more of a muted sour taste initially and then have an intense aftertaste that can include many resinous flavors. these are sometimes dubbed "connoisseur mangos" because they are not often widely appreciated. I grow both in my dooryard here and they are both dwarfs

Hi Ray - Welcome to the Tropical Fruit Forum. This is a very addictive habit and soon you'll have at least half a dozen (if not more) tropical fruit trees.

Bryan - Your must-have condo list is exactly what I plan on purchasing this spring.

I really like the pickering because of its compact size and according to Pine Island can be maintained at 6'. Pine also listed the Mallika as having 'unparalled disease resistance'. Carrie 'have little to no problem with fungus or disease'. Nam Doc Mai - 'The fruit is firm, sweet, aromatic and completely fiberless'.

Good luck with your mango trees Ray!

-Bo

Hi Ray, welcome to the forum! Its a very hard decision for you to make, I know. Great advise was given here, so good luck making your very hard choices and the best of luck growing them!

Nam Doc Mai#4 is a no brainer as far as Indochinese mangoes. PI has those so I hear. You might want to splurge and get one 7 gallon mango so you will get fruit sooner. The IndoChinese mangoes can do better where you have wet springs

On the India/Pakistani side mangoes Alphonso has not been mentioned. You can read about it on the PI website. Also Valencia Pride produced well this year in Broward despite a wettish spring that hurt many backyard mango trees. Many of the green mangoes that turn yellow when ripe....You will see them at Pine Island website...they taste better than the red ones you see in supermarkets. So don't necessarily buy the nice looking red ones.

If you are prepared to protect against frost you should do OK because you get enough hours of sun there. Plus older trees get more cold proof or lose a few branches. For me mangoes are the ultimate southern fruit so good luck. There is nothing like a ripe backyard mango, it is worth the effort

Ray:

You just received a nice warm welcome here and that was very nice of everyone..

It must be because the weather is cooperating and I must say very nice of many here I do not know and of those I do..

Have a good night everyone..I will be watching this thread carefully..It is a very good one to start with..I too plan on ordering my first Mango come the spring with the help of many here.. Good luck

Mike

Hi Ray I just found this place and I am so impressed by how much help you can get here. So many people willing to help! I am also planning to get my first tree. Well... now already decided that will be trees! :) You have great people here answering you that are also helping me.
I am curious to find out what you will decide.
Have fun!

Hi Ray, and welcome to the Forum. Not sure if you have done any searching of the archives but there have been numerous threads addressing the buring issue of what mango tree(s) to buy. One of the first ones I ever posted on is provided for you below. I have all of the culitvars you mention on your short list and quite frankly, all of them rate excellent and are well worth growing. That's how I got started. Since I am in Florida and I was fortunate to have a good sized yard, I just kept buying mango trees everytime I encountered one I, or anyone else thought was excellent. Ninety-two varieties later, I'm still aquiring new trees. Be careful.....this hobby can be very addictive Happy selecting and good growing!

Harry

Here is a link that might be useful: What mango tree to buy

And yet one more Welcome, Ray, from the SouthWest desert contingent! Freakily enough I have every tree you mentioned in your list except the Tebow, which I would get if I could get it locally, here in So California.....

I can't really add any more sage spice to this dish you are creating as I, like tropicalia and mike meyer(s) - sorry meyer mike - are relatively new here and soak up like a sponge what I read from the replies of those who have been addicted longer than I!

Yep.....it's a Mangos Anonymous 12 step meeting you've actually entered......so welcome again.....

and my name's MangoDog and I'm a Mangoholic!!!!!!!

LOL....

Mangodog, I think you need to change your moniker to mangodrunk LOL. How is the rain storms in Palm Springs? I think I'm a little rain-drunk down here in La Habra.... we are up to 3" in rain so far and no relief in sight until thursday.

jf - not a sprinkle today...well a couple....and a few yesterday - yeah i hear you guys nearer L.A. are getting really socked! It's supposed to be coming tomorrow some time and stay on through Tuesday.....

are we still on for Thursday at this point? The sun is supposed to warming our bones by then.....

TheMangoDingo

MD-

we are still on for thursday unless these torrential rains wash away East LA.

Thanks Everyone for the warm welcome. Sorry it took so long to reply back been busy with a birthday party and a family Christmas party. I am most certainly going to research some of the tree's that you all listed, before I make my final decission. Here is a list of dragon fruit plants that I am considering, Purple Haze,Physical Graffiti,Yellow Dragon,and a David Bowie. I'm trying to stay with plants that are self pollinating. So is there dragon fruit experts out there with any advice?

I'm growing all of these. Haven't tasted David Bowie as of yet. But the others are all very good and worth growing......except for the Yellow. Unless I am missing something, these fruits tend to be very interesting in growth habit but miniscule in size. They are good tasting, but watch out not to gorge yourself on the two teaspoons of edible flesh in each fruit. I, however, would add Amercian Beauty to your list. It is excellent.

Harry

Thanks Harry I will check out the American Beauty. I was really just getting the Yellow Dragon to have one of each color.

Reb1136, I have yellow and can send you a few cuttings in the spring, I also have pink delight and can send you a few cuttings. get two different varieties and we can swap in the spring.

Hey Kush thats sounds great. I think I will go with the David Bowie and Purple Haze and we can swap some cuttings.