..so, here i am with a newly aquired hectare+ of mango, in the southern Philippine uplands. I am a European farmer of some 20 years so you are allowed to get technical..

..okk, the mango is caribou type, a vigourous grower, and altho sprayed has had very little other intervention. Currently the yields are rubbish, ( damn things have gone biennial), the pest problem severe, and the tree size, if it was an apple i'd say 'frank'..

..ok, so to return to good production i think i should, in this order:

..1/ root prune- so reducing vegetative growth..

..2/ wood prune (chainsaw)- to open up the centers and reduce height. This will increase veg growth but 1/ will reduce it..and will expose inner and lower branches so reducing pest problems..

..3/ at next bud burst, smudge

..4/ pannicle prune, quite hard, to break the biennial habit

..5/following harvest, seriously tip-prune, to reduce lateral size..

..6/ feed, kilos of compost plus wood ash, then repeat above as necessary..

..in short, if i understand the carabou mango, i should torture it within two inches of it's life, a little less than a fig but more than an apple..

..any and all comments welcome ..