Dr. Jonathan Crane of the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida talks about the research and discoveries of how to best grow mangos. The main website for TREC is: trec.ifas.ufl....
11 yrs ago we started our planting and vigorous "tipping". We found that too much tipping led to a very dense canopy BUT that led to serious fungus issues on several types. Lack of sunlight, air flow and lower interior branches stayed wet too long. Especially on Julie, C.C. & several seedlings. However no issues with Keitt, Angie or Glenn.
I always enjoy your input and devoted interested in tropical fruits thank you for your videos,, my fruit set is almost none from the cold 25 degree freeze damage inland in 2022 in central Florida arcadia area it always gets colder here Mr Crain is a very knowledgeable professor
I design eco-communities, farms, gardens, lakes, pools, landscapes, etc. with our team of about 8-10 people in US & Central America. My family farming in Florida dates back to 1822 (starting north by Tallahassee) and my great-grandparents grew Mangoes in Pine Island, Florida (near Ft. Meyers) in what I believe was called the Pine Island Mango Grove, which was planted in the 1950's by a botanist and they bought the grove around 1970 and then sold in 80's and is now called "The Promised Land Grove". Great Grandfather developed a couple varieties, one I believe is the "Jay Byrd" (their last name and spelling) but also grew Kent, Hayden that I recall and sold on island and roadside stand, I believe it was about 25 acres. They lived there and I visited, many in family also helped work the farm, harvest and sell. This is cool to see the current research and varieties....thanks for sharing.
I’d be interested in his thoughts on whether weeds truly suppress tree growth. Some feel there could be a symbiotic relationship there, and that weeds help nourish the soil with their roots, and especially help break up hard clay soil, an issue I deal with in AZ
Where in nature do trees grow without weeds, yes, there is a symbiotic relationship. Look up root exudates and mycorrhizal fungi. These are well documented, but a lot of Florida tropical fruit growers are beyond ignorant when it comes to how natural processes work, they are dumping fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides, etc all over the place, and still have issues. All you have to do is let the damn weeds grow and many of these issues solve themselves.
@@jackson8085 I’m familiar with the root exudate aspect. That’s why I suspect there could be symbiosis. I think the idea that weeds “steal nutrients” is silly, as if there’s no more soil left if there’s weeds. The only potential competition strategy I could see is if some plants secrete chemicals that deter the growth of others. Black Walnut does this, by secreting a chemical called juglone.
What a wealth of information about growing mango trees! Paul, you did your homework spectacularly. Two comments: I thought you would press him about who it is that sells their mangos in season. He said there's one person, but didn't mention who that person is. Second: Very interesting that he wouldn't comment on best varieties to grow. (I guess he's not a big fan of Pickering, as that's the one that's automatically comes to mind for most people.)
I believe it had something to do with the warm weather that we experienced in December also. I think you may be over the target with the possibility that 5g may be the culprit
I'm a little bit disappointed that they don't keep their own bees for pollination. Adding five or six beehives could increase the fruit production up to 40 to 50%. At least that's what happened with my neighbor's avocados. Bees usually don't visit avocado trees, yet the impact was massive.
Very good interview, Paul. I am still trying to work out which varieties of mango are best in pots. Many people have patios or balconies for backyards so very interested in top worked cocktail trees for pots. Also, Paul… can you PM me with contact info as “Let’s Find Out!” Team is planning a Mango Trip in July. If you are up to it… we could interview the interviewer. Cheers, John
