Mango Trees With No Fruit

[Andrew]

I live in Leilani Estates at about the 800 foot elevation (or so I've been told that that was the elevation). I have three good sized mango trees that haven't borne any fruit. My wife and I have been living here for the past 16 months. The trees themselves are about 30-40 feet tall and full of healthy green leaves.

I tried a fruit tree fertilizer once or twice. Anybody have any ideas or knowledge about how we can get some mangos from our trees.

TIA
Andrew

[Rob Tucker]

I am not an expert on Mango trees but the ones I have had in the past fruited every other year. In my case that meant no mangos one year and 10,000 mangos the next (one tree). It may be that you are about to be in Mangoville.

We had so many come in so fast we were using mangos for mulch.

Chairman, Punaweb Committee, MSPA

[Andrew]

Hi Rob:

Thanks for the info. I hope I can post a thread one day here titled: "FREE MANGOS - BRING TRUCK".

By the way I love mangos and can easily eat 5 or 6 at a sitting.

All the best,
Andrew

[jdirgo]

I've heard (and I hope someone can either verify or dispute this) that the amount of rainfall while the tree is flowering really affects the amount of fruit. So some years, depending on the rainfall while flowering, you can have tons of fruit and other years, basically none. What I've heard is that a lot of rainfall while its flowering messes up the pollination necessary for fruiting, but again, this is just speculation. Where's a Master Gardener when you need one?

John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
RE/MAX Properties
808-987-9243 cell

[Kapohocat]

My friend, Anthony, out in Honomu, is a master gardener and his take on it is that that John is very close to correct. Lots of wind as the flowers/fruit is setting will also cause a poor crop.

PS He and his mom, Sonia Martinez, who writes for the HIJ are the force behind the Big Island Freecycling project!

[allensylves]

Rain during flowering may directly reduce pollination, for example, by washing off pollen or reducing pollinator activity. It also favors diseases that attack the flowers or young fruit and reduce or eliminate fruiting. Mangos fruit much better where there is a dry season during flowering and for a while after. That is why a lot of the Hawaiian mangos are grown on Maui.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[mella l]

So would helping the pollination say with a fine haired paint brush help the production and if so is this feasible?

mella l

[Andrew]

Thanks to all for their kind input. I had heard of the rain theory before and that seems to ring true and is confirmed by a few on this thread.

I wonder if it would be practical to cover a portion of the tree with tarps during the flower season. Kapohocat is there any chance you could ask your master gardener friend if that might work?

Again thanks to all,
Andrew

[macuu222]

I live on 5th street in HPP and have had a mango tree (Haden) on our property for over 15 years. Its about 30 feet tall now with lots of green leaves but in the entire time since I planted it 15 years ago, it has only fruited "once".... and that was year number 5. Since then it has produced white flowers every year or two....but it has never produced fruit. I believe the rain theory is correct. It seems to flower in February when we have lots of rain and wind and the flowers are then washed or blown away. But the fruit we obtained 10 years ago from the tree was very sweet and delicous.

[Andrew]

macuu222

Do you recall if year 5 as you mentioned in your post was a year with little rain or wind?

Andrew

quote:

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I live on 5th street in HPP and have had a mango tree (Haden) on our property for over 15 years. Its about 30 feet tall now with lots of green leaves but in the entire time since I planted it 15 years ago, it has only fruited "once".... and that was year number 5. Since then it has produced white flowers every year or two....but it has never produced fruit. I believe the rain theory is correct. It seems to flower in February when we have lots of rain and wind and the flowers are then washed or blown away. But the fruit we obtained 10 years ago from the tree was very sweet and delicous.

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