Mango Tree Care?

[keo]

I bought a small mango tree a couple of weeks ago and planted it in my back garden. Here she is...

Looks great, right?

Well I don't know what I have been doing wrong, but now it looks terrible, all the leaves are drying up and falling off. The small mangoes are going the same way. I have been watering it quite regularly (every other day). I have the feeling this is where I have f@cked up. It gets a good amount of sunlight, and it's not too cold anymore here in CM.

How should I be caring for this thing, and how can I nurse it back to it's former glory?

cheers!

keo

[Slip]

Neo

Although this is my second comment in a mango thread, I know nowt about mango trees.

The enormous mature tree I get with my rented house is also dropping a few leaves and immature fruit at the moment. In any given season I think the drop rate of immature fruit has been pretty high. So maybe you have nothing to worry about.

That actually looks like the same variety as mine- um, it's called Num ToK Mai I think. The way the blossom has fallen away to leave a few fruit looks just like happens on my tree.

Maybe it's a bit under the weather from the stress of fruiting so soon after being transported (or vice-versa), but that droopy look on the leaves is just like mine gets. ( I never water it, but as I say it's a huge mature tree). TBH and remembering I know nothing, maybe your tree is just too young to be able to sustain fruit yet.

Good luck with it anyway.

[GungaDin]

Hi keo.

You haven't mentioned fertiliser, have you fed it yet?

[TBWG]

Hi

Like the rest of you I know b****r all less ten about mango trees but the Boss ladies dad never waters his when they are setting seeds and forming small fruits. He always has a good crop despite all the small ones which drop off. If they all matured then the trees would collapse under the weight!

TBWG

Not sure if this helps at all?

[drtreelove]

The planting or transplanting process can create root loss or drying out that can cause wilting and set the tree back a little, but keep watering and have patience. Depending on how it was transported, handled and planted, (transplanting where all lateral roots are cut is extremely traumatic, planting from container is less so but still a shock for the tree) it may wilt and drop fruit until some new roots start to form and take up water and nutrients again.

You may lose all the fruit this year, maybe not. The tree could wilt slightly and then recover, or if the root loss is severe it may may not be able to put out enough roots, fast enough to get some uptake going again. But don't write it off, even if most of the existing leaves brown out. Don't keep it too soggy now, but water enough to maintain some soil moisture. If it survives you will start to see some new growth appear, that will be a good sign. Don't fertilize until the the first new growth is at full leaf size. Don't expect a good crop this year, but hope for next year.

[JetsetBkk]

...The enormous mature tree I get with my rented house is also dropping a few leaves and immature fruit at the moment...

My enormous mature mango tree shed another branch last night, when it was a bit windy. I heard the crash while watching TV. I knew what it was straight away as this has happened a few times before. Today I took the broken off branch to the bonfire area where all the dead stuff gets burned. Damned termites will kill the tree for sure eventually.

[eddiemonster]

Hi Keo

Good luck with the tree.

I have a mango tree about half the size of the OP and all the leaves have 'browned out'. Is it beyond help?

If anyone can offer some tips on general care for these trees I am sure it would be much appreciated - how much water, sun/shade, fertiliser, soil etc. Then I might be able to take better care of the next one

[drtreelove]

...The enormous mature tree I get with my rented house is also dropping a few leaves and immature fruit at the moment...

My enormous mature mango tree shed another branch last night, when it was a bit windy. I heard the crash while watching TV. I knew what it was straight away as this has happened a few times before. Today I took the broken off branch to the bonfire area where all the dead stuff gets burned. Damned termites will kill the tree for sure eventually.

Structural defects and/or over-weighted limbs can result in breakage. Maybe some weight reduction pruning is in order.

[drtreelove]

I have a mango tree about half the size of the OP and all the leaves have 'browned out'. Is it beyond help?

If anyone can offer some tips on general care for these trees I am sure it would be much appreciated - how much water, sun/shade, fertiliser, soil etc. Then I might be able to take better care of the next one

See previous post about browned out and behond help or not.

Mango trees grow in full sun, although if you have a newly planted tree that is having a difficult start you may consider building a shade cloth cover for the hot/dry season. A thick layer of mulch on the soil in the tree's root zone will help retain soil moisture.

The other conditions that you ask about are best determined with more knowledge about the existing conditions. But for watering, flood the soil under the foliar canopy then let it dry out somewhat before watering again. Dig down a few inches to determine soil moisture. If the soil dries out quickly you will have to water more frequently than if the soil stays wet. An average frequency will be to water a young tree twice a week. More mature trees with extensive root systems can be irrigated about every week or two, with an average of every 10 days. Don't just sprinkle, but flood the soil to try and achieve a 6 inch to 10 inch depth, and don't just water next to the tree trunk, water the entire soil surface under the foliar canopy and a little beyond; this encourages better lateral root development.

Don't pile up soil or mulch against the tree trunk like many locals do; this is a grave mistake that can contribute to root collar disorders and termite infestation of the tree trunk. Keep the root collar clear but mulch the entire lateral root zone

Don't fertilize until a newly planted tree has put out some new growth and the first leaves have grown to full size. Then you have to decide if you are going to go with organic methods of building soil fertility by adding organic matter including manures, or if you will shortcut and use chemical fertilizers. 15-15-15 is a good all around chemical fertilizer that can be applied about every 6 weeks to get the tree started. But building soil fertility will provide the best long term conditions for the tree(s) and may reduce costs.

Pruning is best done by thinning and cleaning of deadwood, broken or crossing branches. Heading cuts (stub cutting) should be avoided as harmful. Heading/topping produces a vigourous response of excessive shoot growth that eventually crowds the tree structure; it also promotes weakened branch structure from the decay that sets in at the site of the large stub cuts.

If you are growing Mango trees for the fruit, then fruit fly will be your major problem, especially if you are in an area with a lot of other mango plantings. Bagging the individual fruits as they start to develop is time consuming, but the most effective form of prevention. If you don't control the fruit fly and the larvae that bore into the fruit, you will lose a major percentage of your crop.

[keo]

thanks everyone for the replies and advice.

here's an update on my tree's well-being...

I had to go to Vientiane for a few days, and by the time I got back, all the leaves had dried up.

When I planted the tree, the whole I dug wasn't that much bigger than the basket holding the roots.

I pulled all the dead leaves off, took the tree out the ground and increased the size of the hole considerably. I filled the hole with a mix of coco husk, new soil and 16-16-16 fertilizer, and replanted the tree.

There is now new growth on a lot of the larger branches, so hopefully it is going to be ok!

I will post a progress picture next month...

cheers!

[JetsetBkk]

...The enormous mature tree I get with my rented house is also dropping a few leaves and immature fruit at the moment...

My enormous mature mango tree shed another branch last night, when it was a bit windy. I heard the crash while watching TV. I knew what it was straight away as this has happened a few times before. Today I took the broken off branch to the bonfire area where all the dead stuff gets burned. Damned termites will kill the tree for sure eventually.

Structural defects and/or over-weighted limbs can result in breakage. Maybe some weight reduction pruning is in order.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but... another branch came crashing down a few days ago during windy weather.

Actually, I didn't hear it "crash" - reminds me of something about a tree falling in a forest, no one to hear it...

[GungaDin]

Hi Keo.

4 months down the road, how's your mango tree doing?