Looking Ahead to Mango Season

It is a “mixed bag” of a prediction for the upcoming 2023 mango season. Looking at the lone mango tree in my backyard, the tree is bursting with small white petals filling the air with a mild sweet aroma. If all goes well, its branches will be weighed down with delicious mangos ready for harvest by mid-June.

Around the neighborhood I’ve also noticed other mango varieties coming into different phases of bloom. The buds are setting well with lots of insect activity. Depending on the variety, it takes about four months for the mangos to mature on the tree.

Post Hurricane Ian, many of my friends and neighbors are not so lucky. Their mangos suffered stress and extensive leaf loss and defoliation due to the storm surge and salt. The longer the plants stayed in salt water during inundation, the greater the damage to the tropical fruits and vegetation. According to experts from UF/IFAS, salt is readily soluble and will leach out of the soil with the rain. And though Southwest Florida’s porous and fast draining soil will eventually leach the salt, that process will take time.

I reached out to Matt Herrman, Tropical Fruit Specialist from the Naples Botanical Garden, for some answers on defoliated fruit trees post Hurricane Ian. Matt coordinates tropical fruit and edible plant acquisitions propagation and planting.

According to Matt, “if a mango tree hasn’t flushed out any new growth by this point, the tree is probably dead and should be removed. For the trees that survived the hurricane, it could be an excellent mango season.”

On Marco, it looks like there will be less mangos to share from our favorite neighbors this summer. According to Sue Keller, “mangos ripened on the trees have the best flavor.” I asked her which is her favorite, and she replied, “it is like asking which one of my kids is my favorite.” She has over five varieties of mangos in her backyard and each variety is unique. Some mango fruit trees taste different each year depending on the spring and summer weather. Unfortunately, Sue’s mangos are not showing signs of quick recovery.

Herrman also has these recommendations: “if possible, homeowners should taste different varieties of mango during mango season to see which ones they like. There are hundreds of different mango varieties and everyone’s taste is different, so it’s good to find a mango you like and grow that one.” 

And for those who lost their favorite mango tree, the Valencia Pride is a good option. This variety is a vigorous grower and bears large fruit with a classic mango flavor. These are commonly available at local nurseries, according to Herrman. For homeowners with less space, he recommends the following mango varieties with tips on how to prune and maintain them as a smaller tree.

A Pickering Mango tree has a dwarf habit, good disease resistance and a great flavor with notes of coconut.

The Rosigold Mango tree is another with a dwarf habit. It produces an early crop, sometimes starting March to April (potentially a good choice for seasonal residents).

Glenn Mango trees have a smallish growth habit and are a good producer with classic mango flavor.

Hermann said, “with proper pruning, these three varieties can be maintained as compact, easily maintained trees, about eight to 10 feet tall and wide. A tree of this size will be easier to pick fruit, treat for any pests/diseases and is less likely to be damaged by wind or toppled in a hurricane.”

There are many self-help YouTube videos available on “Mango Pruning-Tipping” and “Pruning Young Mango Trees” by Dr. Richard Campbell, former curator of Tropical Fruit at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden. These will be helpful in trying to shape and maintain smaller mango trees.  

Visiting the website of Fruitscapes on Pine Island is a good general resource on mangos varieties. Though Fruitscapes has lost about 50% of its crops from Hurricane Ian and don’t have the fruits for sale, they have the mango trees for sale.

As gardeners and backyard growers of tropical fruit trees we will re-plant trying different cultivars and in a couple of years, the new variety will reward us with delicious fruits and mango-inspired fruit smoothies.