How to establish a Mango Tree

Q: I received my mango tree from you on Monday and it looked beautiful. I followed the instructions and kept it out of direct sun. I watered it a little each day when the potting mix was dry to the touch. But the leaves are turning yellow and brown then falling off. Should I have removed the tree from the soil it was packed in?

A: Leaf drop and dry/yellow leaves are normal symptoms of shipping stress. Your mango tree looks healthy overall. Considering you have high humidity now in Louisiana, the plant should recover soon under proper care. These are important tips:

- Keep the plant in bright shade, away from direct sun - at least for a week, then you may start moving it gradually to semi-shade, then to full sun within a few days.
- Do not over-water. If the top of the soil is still moist, do not water until it dries a little bit. Mango prefers to stay on a dry side. From this point, over-watering is more dangerous than under-watering. You may skip a watering if in doubt.
- If it rains every day, make sure to keep the pot under the roof to protect from excessive water.
- Do not remove original soil and do not disturb roots.
- You used the right container size and looks like you have a quality soil with good drainage. Keep the plant in this container at least for a few months. You may step it up only when you see a lot of active growth of branches and leaves - this means, the root system is developing fast too.
- do not fertilize until you see new growth. Then use Mango Food Smart release.
- to help the plant recover from stress, you may use SUNSHINE-E booster and micro-element foliar spray with SUNSHINE-Superfood.

Tabernaemontana africana - a bush or a tree?

Q: I received a Tabernaemontana africana, but it is not the compact cultivar, from the photo, this is definitely the tree version, not the compact version?

A: The plant in your picture is Tabernaemontana africana and it is a shrub version, not a tree. The plants we have in stock are smaller size but very vigorous so they can be trained into standards.
We have this plant in our garden in the ground (3 years old) and by now it bushed out and remains under 4 ft without any pruning. Just keep in mind this plant requires regular applications of micro-elements, because the species is very susceptible to iron deficiency. The supplement we use, in case you notice any leaf yellowing, is Sunshine-Superfood.