Mango 'Orange Sherbet'
Mangifera indica
Anacardiaceae family
Grafted
This variety is very highly regarded in the U.S. but there are very few trees in Australia.
The fruit is exceptionally sweet with a citrus flavour - definitely reminiscent of its name. It has an oval-oblong shape, turning yellow at maturity with an orange fibreless flesh. Harvest from approximately January to March. So far, our tree is showing a biennial fruiting habit (fruits every two years).
It is a medium vigour Mango tree - not a dwarf variety, but also not too vigorous, so is not too difficult to keep maintained to a pickable height.
Tree Provenance
The Orange Sherbet variety is from the breeding program of Zill High Performance Plants in Florida, U.S. (planting # G-32). Like many of our fruit trees at Lennox Community Gardens, it was grafted by our tropical fruit enthusiast, Grant Jenkins. Grant obtained the scion wood (small branch from a mature tree) from Mike Rule, who had grown an Orange Sherbet Mango from seed sent over from Zill High Performance Plants.
Fruit trees grown from seed are often not true to type - meaning the seedling will have different characteristics than the tree the seed came from. However, the seed from the Orange Sherbet Mango is polyembryonic, which means that one seed will grow several seedlings. One of these seedlings will be a cross between the mother and the father, and therefore will not be true to type. The remaining seedlings will be a clone of the mother plant. Fortunately for us, based on the look of our tree and taste of the fruit, it appears we have a clone of the true Orange Sherbet.
Tree maintenance
Mangifera indica
Anacardiaceae family
Grafted
This variety is very highly regarded in the U.S. but there are very few trees in Australia.
The fruit is exceptionally sweet with a citrus flavour - definitely reminiscent of its name. It has an oval-oblong shape, turning yellow at maturity with an orange fibreless flesh. Harvest from approximately January to March. So far, our tree is showing a biennial fruiting habit (fruits every two years).
It is a medium vigour Mango tree - not a dwarf variety, but also not too vigorous, so is not too difficult to keep maintained to a pickable height.
Tree Provenance
The Orange Sherbet variety is from the breeding program of Zill High Performance Plants in Florida, U.S. (planting # G-32). Like many of our fruit trees at Lennox Community Gardens, it was grafted by our tropical fruit enthusiast, Grant Jenkins. Grant obtained the scion wood (small branch from a mature tree) from Mike Rule, who had grown an Orange Sherbet Mango from seed sent over from Zill High Performance Plants.
Fruit trees grown from seed are often not true to type - meaning the seedling will have different characteristics than the tree the seed came from. However, the seed from the Orange Sherbet Mango is polyembryonic, which means that one seed will grow several seedlings. One of these seedlings will be a cross between the mother and the father, and therefore will not be true to type. The remaining seedlings will be a clone of the mother plant. Fortunately for us, based on the look of our tree and taste of the fruit, it appears we have a clone of the true Orange Sherbet.
Tree maintenance
- When mature prune immediately after harvest to contain the tree size and maintain production. Also remove dead, damaged or diseased branches and open the centre of the tree for air flow.
- Apply Sulphate of Potash to encourage healthy stem and leaf growth, as well as promote flowering and fruiting. Do not apply any nitrogen rich fertilisers to mature mango trees. Apply late summer and late autumn.
- Mangoes will do well with a feed of seaweed solution especially during the warmer months.
- Keep soil well composted and mulched, leaving a gap around the trunk to avoid collar rot.
- When young, keep watered from spring to autumn; as a rule once mature the tree will not require much watering unless it is a particularly dry period, with the following notes: Adequate water is crucial during the early stage of fruit set. Once fruit reach 6-10cm in length this is less critical and minimal water is ideal as fruit approach maturity so they can sweeten up.
- To increase fruit set, spray with wettable sulphur when blooms develop to help keep powdery mildew in check. This should be done as per manufacturer's instructions up until fruit is set.
- Spray with Copper late autumn and after fruit set. Spray both sides of leaves but try to minimise copper dripping onto soil as too much will impact soil microbes. Copper helps reduce Mango Bacterial Black Spot (MBBS) and Anthracnose which mangoes are particularly susceptible to.
- Our Orange Sherbet Mango tree had some trouble with disease when it was younger (black spotting on the leaves - either anthracnose or MBBS), so it is important to keep up the Copper treatment as described above.