It’s mango season and we are in for some new taste treats this summer. It’s been 10 years since mangos were featured in this column. Since then many new varieties have arrived in Kona. Some have fruited and are available at local markets. We’ll review a few of them with growing tips to encourage you to add some new mango trees to your garden or orchard.
Mangos are in the Anacardiaceae or cashew family. The original species Mangifera indica has been grown in India for about 4,000 years with over 1,000 cultivars currently being grown there and throughout the tropics. Mangos first arrived in Hawaii from the Philippines in 1824. By 1899, grafted trees began arriving here from India and other locations. Today, mangos are the most widely cultivated tropical fruit in the world. For good reasons. They are fairly easy to grow in dry tropical climate and they produce lots of delicious fruit from attractive trees that add food as well as beauty to a landscape.
Some of the varieties that are newly available in our local market have distinguishing qualities.
“Lancitilla” is a late season mango that produces large fruit averaging around 2 pounds each, some as large as 5 pounds. The skin color is red and the flesh is lemon yellow and fiberless with a very sweet flavor. Though usually large trees, they can be kept at a compact height of around 10 feet with consistent pruning.
“Valencia Pride” was selected Curator’s Choice at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Mango Festival, in 2009. The fruit is long and slender, with a rounded base and weighs between 1-2 pounds at maturity. The skin is yellow with a brilliant crimson blush. The yellow flesh is nearly fiberless, is firm and juicy and has a sweet flavor and aroma. Fruit production is consistent and the fast growing trees are moderately fungus resistant. It is a late season cultivar.
“Tebow” mangos are a hybrid of “Kent” and “Edward” that were originally named “Young.” They are currently being marketed as Tebow named for a well-known former University of Florida quarterback. The fruit has a round shape similar to the Kent that averages about 1 pound in weight. The skin is golden yellow with an orange blush, similar to its parent Edward. The flesh is pale yellow, fiberless and has a very mild flavor. ‘Tebow’ has good fungus resistance and the trees are dependably productive. It is considered a late season crop.
“R2E2” is a smooth-skinned, oblong golden fruit with a red blush and a small seed. The trees regularly bear a heavy crop of fruits that weigh between 1-2 pounds. The fruit is fiberless with a rich, spicy, melt-in-your-mouth flavor. These trees do best in relatively dry areas.
“Golden Glow” is a delicious cultivar from Maui that bears regularly early in the season. The flavorful fruit often weighs about 1 1/2 pounds, has very little fiber and a thin seed. It grows into a medium sized tee that grows best in dryer locations.
“Florigon” is a large, vigorous grower with yellow fruits of excellent flavor. The yellow melting flesh is juicy and fibreless. It bears fruit that is just under 1 pound from May through July. It is anthracnose resistant.
“Julie” is native to North Africa and considered a dwarf variety. Its small size has made it popular locally, though mango tasters prefer other varieties. The tree is small and slow growing bearing fruit that is just under a pound. The skin is yellow with a red blush. It produces a mid-summer fruit that is fibreless, smooth and delicious. It grows best in dry locations.
Some report that “Rapoza” is the juiciest mango we grow. This tree puts out a lot of fruit at the expense of vegetative growth, which means it can be kept low with regular pruning. Rapoza, “Fairchild” and “Keitt” have been in the Kona market for a while. All three are anthracnose resistant varieties that can be grown in relatively humid areas. For more mango varieties that grow in Hawaii check out Ken Love’s mango poster at https://www.hawaiifruit.net/mangodraft6tp.pdf
Most mangoes grow best in hot, dry locations with less than 60 inches of rainfall a year. In particularly dry areas additional irrigation may help increase yields. Mangos need rich, deep soil that drains well and does not hold excess moisture. The trees will usually produce fruit within five years of planting. Fruit production is best when the weather is dry during flowering to avoid wind or rain damage to the flowers. In humid or rainy locations, anthracnose can cause damage to flowers and fruits.
Though mangos can be grown from seed, the results are not always predictable. Most of the new varieties are best purchased as grafted trees. Ken Love, executive director of Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers has made some of these mango varieties available and will be grafting more as needed. Members of HTFG can get a 50 percent discount on trees. Ken can be reached at ken@mycoffee.net for information on availability and prices.
You can apply fertility to young trees a few weeks after transplanting when they have recovered from transplant shock. Fertilizing three or four times a year with a 10-20-20 fertilizer will encourage healthy growth and good fruit production.
Withholding water for a few months before flowering, in late winter and early spring can lower disease pressure and encourage healthy flowering. Fruit should mature within five months of flowering, usually in mid to late summer. Mangos may have a range of skin color when ripe depending on the variety. Once the flesh inside has turned yellow, the fruit is ripe.
Pick your mangos just before they are fully ripe to keep them from getting overripe, softening and falling off the tree. The fruit will continue to ripen once picked and kept at room temperature. Fully ripe mangos can be stored in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.
Though several mango diseases exist in Hawaii, anthracnose is definitely the most common and can affect both flowers and fruit. A UH CTAHR publication has information on the disease and its prevention at https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-48.pdf. Most of the other CTAHR publications on mangos are from 1993. One you might want to check out is ‘Origin and Classification on Mango Varieties in Hawaii’ at
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/HITAHR_04-06-93_28-33.pdf. Do know that most of the new varieties mentioned here were not available in Hawaii in 1993.
In Hawai’i, mangos can be grown successfully from sea level to 1500’ elevation. In ideal growing conditions the trees can get very large. Pruning can help restrict tree size for small yards and make harvesting easier. Dwarf varieties, including ‘Julie’, are a good choice if you have limited space. Mangos make lovely specimen trees and are especially beautiful when laden with delicious fruit.
Mangos will be featured from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Sunday, July 9 at the ninth annual Mango Festival at Hale Halawai in downtown Kailua-Kona. Talks on mango grafting and the latest varieties will run from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. Mango recipe reviews and tastings will begin at 1 p.m. Do get down there to learn more about growing mangos in Hawaii.
Brian Lievens and Ken Love from Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers offered information on mango varieties. Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living in a dryland forest north of Kailua-Kona
Gardening Events
Saturday: “Work Day at Amy Greenwell Garden” from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at the Garden Visitor Center across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Volunteers will be able to help with garden maintenance and are invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Water and snacks provided. Call Peter at 323-3318 for more information.
Farmer Direct Markets
Wednesday: “Sunset Farmers Market” 2 to 6 p.m. in the HPM parking lot at 74-5511 Luhia Street in Kailua-Kona (across from Target)
Wednesday &Friday: “Hooulu Farmers Market” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sheraton Kona Resort &Spa at Keauhou Bay
Friday: “Pure Kona Market” 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook
Saturday: “Keauhou Farmers Market” 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center
“Kamuela Farmer’s Market” from 7 a.m. to noon at Pukalani Stables
Sunday: “Pure Kona Green Market” 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook
Tuesday–Saturday: “U-Pick greens and produce” 10a.m. to 4p.m. Tropical Edibles Nursery, Captain Cook.
Plant Advice Lines
Anytime: konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu Tuesdays &Thursdays: 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES in Kainaliu – 322-4892
Mon., Tues. &Fri: 9 a.m. to noon at UH CES at Komohana in Hilo 981-5199 or himga@hawaii.edu
