fertilizer for container mango??

13 years ago

So i have read and read and read this forum and have become somewhat obsessed with it! Yesterday read everything there is to know about Al's gritty mix and i got all ingredients today and repotted my mango. know iv been reading up on fertilizers but havnt found much on spacifically container mangos with gritty mix. i have a young tree about a year-and-a-half years old.

My question is, what fertilizer should i use? and should i start using it now even though winter is about to start?

i know fish emulsion is good but not really sure what else.

thanks everyone!

Sean,

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slane15
Original Author

13 years ago

Awesome! I really appreciate the info!! thanks.

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puglvr1
13 years ago
Hi Sean, I've used Dynamite slow release. I've used the red, green,purple or yellow(Citrus and Palm) although the Citrus one is not as easy to find. Lowe's has it with their private label and is made by the same company that makes Dynamite(Florikan). BTW,my Lowe's right now has it for half price(Citrus private label) , I think they are discontinuing it? I mixed it in my gritty mix when I potted it up and supplement with Foliage pro at 1/2 strength about once a week or so during the growing season. Right now I am not fertilizing because December and January is the time they are suppose to bloom and I don't want to encourage a growth flush instead of blooms...but my mango tree is 4 years old and is mature enough to hold fruit. I have another potted mango that is less than a year old, so I do fertilize that one when our weather is warm and its growing. If your tree is only a year and a half its probably too young and not mature enough to let it fruit so I would continue to fertilize it if its growing...but don't over fertilize it...1/2 or less the recommended would be best...so you don't burn the sensitive roots, that's why a lot of people recommend fish emulsion for Mango trees, they are pretty mild. Since you live in zone 10(Miami area?) your growing season is much longer that most of us. I would concentrate letting your Mango tree grow and mature a little more then maybe next year you can let it fruit. Good luck!

Below is the Dynamite fertilizers I use...you can also use Osmocote (very similar) also a slow release and won't burn the roots.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dynamite Fertilizer
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You're welcome Alicia and thanks for the nice comments. I used the Alaska brand and used to buy it at WM and Lowe's till they quit carrying it. Now I have to buy it at Ace or a local feed store...more expensive unfortunately! But you can buy any brand, I know there's another good one called "Neptune" I think? I'm hoping WM will start carrying it again this coming Spring? I've used kelp and have had very good results too and it certainly can't hurt...just don't overdo with the fertilizer especially the ones in pots. As long as you use 1/2 or less the recommended dosage while its growing should work out great...mangoes are a little more prone to root/leaf burn than some of the others, so its best to fertilize "weakly". Oh, I also found out that Nutricote and Florikote are the same as Dynamite and they supposedly sell it in larger bags. The company that makes them is "florikan" Below is the link with an #800 number. Good luck and Enjoy your new trees! If I lived a couple more hours south I think I would have at least 20 different kinds of Mangoes,lol...I just hate covering/heating so many trees during freeze! Here is a link that might be useful: Florikan Fertilizers
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Funny thing abut worm castings..... One day I got a small hand digger and dug down about 8-12 inches into the soil of my container grown trees to check the moisture level. I was really shocked to find a whole lot of earth worms crawling around in the soil on almost all of the trees!! I had to wonder what efforts it had to have taken for those worms to get into these pots. Some of pots are sitting on the grass in the yard which would make sense, but some of them are placed onto a concrete patio that the worms would have had to cross just to find an opening to crawl into--kinda crazy! Either way I am happy for the help from these worms as my trees are liking the free worm fertilizer!
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Thank you for the replys. I was able to lift both trees out of their containers to check to see where the water was. I haven't watered in just under 24 hours, and it is pretty clear that I have been over watering. The soil is damp to within 1 1/2" of the top of the container, and the botom 3" are considerably more saturated. If I had to guess I would say that the PWT is right about at that 3" mark. The soil seems to be very compacted as well. I was able to lift the trees out of their containers without leaving any of the soil in the container. When I transplanted the trees, the roots had begun to circle the original container. I loosened them up some when I repotted them, but nothing drastic. It is possible that they were root bound in their original containers, and never recovered, but the roots have not reached the container walls yet. I will take your advice and move them to a spot were they will have shade for the hot part of the day, and cut down on the watering to see how they do. Our weather is funny in the summer. We will have several weeks of low to Mid 90s followed by a week or 2 of 70-75* highs. We normally get a streach in August of 100*+ but it depends on the year. No matter what though we have relativly low humidity. I have spent the last week trying to read all of Al's container threads. There must be 10 container soil threads as well as some on root pruning and trees in containers. I am going to start trying to put together the ingredients for the gritty mix. I think I have tracked down everything but the pine bark, and some kind of micro nutirent mix. The greenhouses around here seem to have a very poor selection of fertalizers. If it doesn't say Miricle Grow or Peter's All Purpose on it they don't have it. When I do repot the trees I would like to get rid of as much of the nursury potting mix as possible before I put it in the gritty mix. I was reading through Al's root pruning thread today, and it gave me some ideas about how I want to repot. My original intent with these trees was to slowly graduate them up to 30+ gallon containers, and dolly them in and out of the house depending on the weather. You mentioned in another thread that your Glen Mango is in a 20" pot and that you intend to keep it there. How is a container that size to handle? If I knew that I could repot the trees without damaging them, I would do it tomorrow, but I worry that with them growing new leaves and branches, and blooming that if I try to repot them now I may hurt them. I wonder if the risk of root damage from standing water in the container outweighs the risk of harming them by repotting them at the wrong time. So much to learn. Thank you for your advice, and I will keep you up to date on how they do.
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meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
Pug..

You are definitely the one to ask for advice about Mango, judging by the beauty and fruit of yours..

By the way, I am so glad you didn't encourage anyone to use a bloom booster to get the results you did..

I can tell you have done some research..:-)))

Thank you for that awesome tip about cutting back on the fertilizer

Mike
puglvr1
13 years ago
You're welcome Sean and Mike!

Thanks for the nice comments on my Mango tree Mike, you need to put Mango tree for next Spring's wish list,lol...
S
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
puglvr1,

I have been reading for an hour or so now and still feel pretty clueless. This is my first time planting ANYTHING and now I have 2 mango trees and 2 avocado trees I grew from seed. They are about 2 months old and I am looking into fertilizer for them. I saw the link you posted for the recommended fertilizer but it said the page is no longer available.

Could you offer this beginner some advice on this subject?! I am in California so I don't know if that makes a difference. I appreciate any suggestions!

Just noticed this is from 10 years ago. lol

Best Regards,

S
Vinita Jairath
2 years ago
I live in Toronto and have a small potted mango plant I grew from seed last spring. What fertilizer should I use. I bring it outside during spring and summer months.

fertilizer for container mango??

slane15
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puglvr1

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fertilizer for container mango??

slane15Original Author

Comments (6)

puglvr1

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meyermike_1micha

puglvr1

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slane15
Original Author