UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

March 23, 2005

Feature Article - for release the week of March 27, 2005

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent

BLoomin’ MANGOS

During a recent home visit, a local homeowner showed off his Mango trees in full bloom.  It brought back memories of my old Florida Yard in West Palm Beach with two fifty foot tall Hayden Mango trees. When we moved north to this area, I considered planting a Mango, but decided against it because the chance of a freeze was too great.

In the meantime, many of my neighbors have added Mangos to their Florida Yards.  They are now producing fruit three to five years after planting. With intensive lobbying from my family, I finally decided to plant a mango tree.  With a little help from University of Florida Extension Specialist Jon Crane, here is some basic information to help you enjoy this taste of the tropics.

Mangos originated in India and Southeastern Asia, having been grown there for thousands of years. They were introduced into Florida in the early 1800's. When living in West Palm Beach, I learned that a Captain Hayden took some mangos from the Elbridge Gale homestead one block from my old house, threw the pits in a compost pile in Miami, where David Fairchild later discovered the attributes of the delicious Hayden variety of Mango. (The full story is available upon request.)

Despite the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, some commercial Mango production in southern Florida remains.  Homeowners have found the Mango easy to grow as a dooryard tree. A noticeable draw back that must be mentioned about the mango:  it is related to poison ivy, and some people get the same kind of skin rashes from mangos. The irritating oils are in the fruit’s skin, but if someone else peels the fruit, a rash-sensitive person can still enjoy this queen fruit of the tropics.

Mango trees could reach 100 feet tall, but it’s doubtful that they will exceed 30 feet where subjected to periodic freezes. Give them plenty of room to grow, at least 30 feet from other trees, and place them in areas that offer the greatest protection from cold northwestern exposures. Their evergreen foliage is quite attractive, with spear-tip shaped leaves growing to lengths from 6 to 12 inches long, and new leaves appearing pink to red in color.

Flowers form on the ends of the branches in the late fall, and erupt into yellow to pink clusters from December to April. Because of the timing of flowering, tender young mangos have been known to freeze, eliminating that year’s crop.  Insects pollinate the flowers, and fruit will mature between May and September, depending on the variety. 

Mango Varieties

Mango fruit vary in shape (from nearly round to oval), size (from few ounces to more than five pounds) and color (green, yellow, red, orange, or purple) depending upon the variety. The smooth leathery skin surrounds the pale-yellow to deep-orange edible flesh of the fruit. They have a single seed that is enclosed in a woody husk. 

There are two main types of mango, the Indian and the Indochinese. Indian types are often highly colored fruit, but are susceptible to a fungus disease called anthracnose. This disease can blacken the mango’s skin and cause the inside of the fruit to break down. Most commercial Florida varieties are Indian types.

Indochinese types often lack attractive coloration, but they are relatively resistant to anthracnose. Florida varieties of this group are not grown commercially, but they are appreciated in home plantings.  There are other mangos which do not fit in either of these types. For example, the 'Turpentine' mango, so-named for its difficult taste, is often used as the rootstock for our grafted mango trees.

Use of grafted trees is important. Seedling trees may have desirable traits, but are you willing to wait for seven years to find out?  Grafted trees are clones of desirable varieties, grown on the roots of other mangos that can handle our local conditions.  

In the nursery, look for the tell-tale "dog-leg" graft union 3 to 4 inches above the ground.  Local nurseries and garden centers have limited numbers of grafted mango trees available.  Check carefully to see if the variety is named.  A recent check revealed a price range of $35 to $75 for grafted trees in three to seven gallon containers.   

Local homeowners prefer disease resistant mangos with good fruit production. Most would prefer colorful fruit.  Variety choices that meet these criteria would include Florigon, Saigon , Van Dyke, Tommy Atkins, or Keitt. The UF/IFAS Bookstore offers a really nice Mango poster showing 25 different  varieties.

Image courtesy Ian Maguire on Pine Island Nursery Website	'Saigon m13269' mango. Photo © Ian Maguire/UF TREC	Image courtesy Ian Maguire on Pine Island Nursery Website
Image courtesy Ian Maguire on Pine Island Nursery Website	Mango Poster is available for $10 from the UF/IFAS Bookstore	Image courtesy Ian Maguire on Pine Island Nursery Website

My delicious old-time favorite, the Hayden, doesn’t make the list because it is too susceptible to disease and bears erratically from one year to the next.  If you want to extend your picking season, you can plant more than one tree of different varieties, and have mangos from May through September. 

Growing Mango Trees

Pruning of young trees is usually not necessary.  Staking will be helpful, especially if storms have pushed young trees over.  Irrigation of newly planted trees and during dry periods when fruit is developing will greatly benefit mango trees.  

Young trees should start out receiving one quarter pound of fertilizer every two months during the first year, and gradually increase the amount to one pound.  For mature trees, apply no more than 20 to 35 pounds per tree, split into two to four applications per year.  Fertilizer mixtures containing 6-6-6 , 8-8-8 , 10-10-10 , and 8-3-9 are appropriate.  Mango trees grown in sandy soils should also receive micronutrients for the first five years. 

Mangos are relatively pest free, but dooryard growers should be on the lookout for some common pests. The most important insect pests on Florida mangos are mites, scale insects and thrips. These pests seldom limit fruit production. 

Common mango diseases include anthracnose, powdery mildew, alga spot, and verticillium wilt.  Anthracnose is the one to worry about. Rather than put up with premature fruit drop, black rotting spots on fruit, and rapid decay of picked fruit, choose mango varieties with resistance to this disease. The alternative is to keep a coating of approved fungicides sprayed from the beginning of flowering until the fruit are about half size. Are you willing to keep his up with this spray program for two to three months? 

Although mangos will ripen on the tree, commercial fruit is considered mature when the shoulder of the fruit fills out and color has begun to change from green to yellow. Some people pick and enjoy the fruit while still green, using it in chutneys or even dousing it with hot sauce. Mangos are picked by hand or by using a long picking pole.  Mature fruits ripen three to eight days after harvest. The best temperatures for ripening mangos are from 70 to 75 degrees F. In Florida, minimum yields of 4 bushels (220 lbs) are common from mature trees.

Our office can supply you with copies of UF bulletins on Mangos and they can be found on the UF Extension publications website.  If you want to know how to use your bumper crop of mangos, you can ask Family & Consumer Science Agent Debbie Clements for assistance.

I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on Mangos, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners on Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 5 PM.  

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean Last update: 03/24/2005 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert 

                                                                                   UF/IFAS MANGO references

Crane, J.  and  Campbell, C.W.  The Mango. Fact Sheet HS-2. Gainesville: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, April 1994. 

Culbert, D.F. MANGOS FOR INDIAN RIVER DOORYARDS .  Vero Beach: Press Journal, May 19, 2002. 

Maguire, I.  Mango Tropical Fruit Photo Archive. Homestead:  UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center, 2002.

Pena, J. and Johnson F. Insect Management in Mango ENY-413  Gainesville: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, 2003. 

Pernezny K and Marlatt, R. B.  Some Common Diseases of Mango in Florida PP-23. Gainesville: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, December  1993. 

Other Mangos Websites

London Fruit, Inc.   All About Mangos  http://www.freshmangos.com/aboutmangos/index.html 

California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.   Mango Fruit Facts.  http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/mango.html 

Morton, J. 1987. Mango. p. 221–239. In: Fruits of warm climates. Miami: Julia Morton, 1987.

Rieger, M.  Mango - Mangifera indica   Athens, Georgia: Mark's Fruit Crops Encyclopedia (web page), 2005.  http://www.uga.edu/fruit/mango.htm 

Chia, C. L. et. al. and Wanitprapha, K., et. al.  Manoa: University of Hawaii, Crop Knowledge Master ( web page), 2005  http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/crops/i_mango.htm