Regarding the comment about "A potting soil made from pine bark, peat, perlite ... works OK for a year and then shows strong nutritional (disease?) problems (general chlorosis) ... I'm still baffled." What is the pH and composition of mineral salts in the irrigation water. This type of problem is common in soilless mixes after they are watered for a while with groundwater that is relatively high in pH and high in disolved lime (Calcium carbonate). It's a very common problem in my potted, acid-loving plants like citrus, camellias, gardenias, etc. My groundwater is very hard and very high in lime -- it crusts over shower doors, coffee pots, etc in just a few days. Aside from using a water softener, 'Lime-Away' brand lime remover is a constant in the household, because the water softener doesn't remove it all no matter where it's set. The untreated groundwater is even worse -- even a single, hour or two session of watering with a sprinkler can leave everything coated with lime scale. For the potted plants, I find it necessary to remove them from their pots about every other year, wash all of the potting mix from their roots, and repot in fresh soilless mix. I also use acidifying fertilizers and trace element supplements in between. I wonder if you have a similiar problem. Initially, the orginic compounds in the soilless mix can absorb and neutralize the calcium, but eventually, the amount of lime from the water just overwhelms the ability of the soilless mix to act as a calcium sink, and the pH rises rapidly, resulting in the chlorosis symptoms you describe. There is realistically next to nothing you can do to purge all of this lime out of the soil at this point that wouldn't also fry the plant, so it's time to replace the soil.

I bought a 15 gallon (Kona) Sharwil from Atkins Nursery in Fallbrook (CA), They now have two 15 gallon and a number of 5 gallon Sharwils left. They said they do not ship 5/15 gallon trees because of the weight and the Avocado is too sensitive to do bare root shipments. They seemed to be nice people to deal with and they give a 1-year warranty on their trees. I do have one concern. Most of the other 15 gallon Avocados were bearing fruit while the Sharwils were not. The Sharwils have flowers that had dried up and are crumbling. Does anyone know anything about that? I would like to know if that indicates that there will be a problem with the flowers in the future; I would like to know the answer to that before I plant the tree. I want to do a little more investigating of Mangos before deciding which one I want and going to visit Ong Nursery. Thanks for letting me know about Ong.

Had the pleasure of a guest from this forum to my house today. Lycheeluva and I did an extensive walk thru the yard checking for new developments.....especially on the lychee front. It looks like the rest of the mangoes that have not bloomed, are almost all beginning to push their annual buds. Yes, even the miraculous Chou Anon is going to now bloom. There's no point in deliniating any further between the next to bloom. The late varieties such as Keitt, Neelum, Kent and even Valencia Pride haven't begun pushing bloom as of yet, but they will be shortly. I am also awaiting bloom on a couple of mango seedlings that I have never had fruit from. Mangoes survived the freeze very well here and we should have a very heavy crop (barring any more ridiculous Arctic oscillations). As trees set their crops I'll post pictures.

Gee.....it's been so long since I had any mangoes that would be considered "extra" that I forget what I do with them. No, seriously, I have had bumper crops over the years. I have lots of people (family and friends) to feed; I have a small, honor system fruit stand in front of my house; there are many local customers that come by and buy in quantity and I do lots of dehydration of the extra fruit to last for when there are no mangoes. I was intending to start doing some shipping last season to folks on the Forum, but Mother Nature saw to it that that didn't happen. I would consider sending out fruits this year again, if there are any to send.....but I have come to realize that it is a pretty big pain in the butt to have to do all that packing and shipping.....just based on my limited shipping of fruit this past year. I do still invite anyone in the area to stop by to sample mangoes or lychees available and to buy what they wish based on what is available. I had started a list last year of those interested in perhaps getting mangoes shipped. I still have the list somewhere and I'll be happy to add anyone interested to that list in case I do have fruit available and the time for shipping it. BTW, mangoes usually begin ripening in early May......Rosigold, possibly in March or April....but the bulk of the crop really doesn't start until end of May/ early June and runs through end of August or early Spetember. There are fruits available into October but you have to fight the damned critters for the late season mangoes as they really focus on the few trees that still have fruit on them. Harry