I am thinking too much water.... I cut back during the winter for the tropicals... and maybe lack of humidity in the house?

Mangos prefer to be a bit dry. I have 6 in containers that are doing very well. I use coconut husk chips, pine bark, peat moss and aged horse manure for all of them.

Mine dropped a few older leaves in the past few weeks, are now flowering and growing new foliage. Some leaf drop in spring is normal, but the trees should still look lush, not scraggly.

I have killed lots of plants in MG potting soil. It has lousy drainage and compacts down. Your tree probably has some root rot. I would repot using lots of chunky ingredients such as pine bark, aliflor, peat moss. Coconut husk chips are the best, but they can be hard to find.

Check out how the roots look (pull the tree gently out of the pot). If the soil falls away from them and is not completely encased in roots, it is most likely your soil mix at fault.

Lisa

I stay away from anything labeled Miracle Grow... sheez, I think it is one reason for the American propensity to over fertilize...

thanks for al your advice. i had been keeping it on the dry side, but was afraid i'd let it get too dry b/c the leaf drop was still happening. i may have overwatered in compensation.

i will never buy the mg stuff again- i think it has killed several of my vines. i resisted forever, but i was desperate- it's getting harder and harder to find soil without fertilizer added. irony is i typically underfertilize- mostly out of laziness, frankly. i water the house stuff with my fishtank water and that's what they get yr round, with an occasional bit more(like 2x a yr). the outdoor stuff gets espoma planttone or gardentone- an organic fertilizer that's low and gentle in all the nutrients.

i will take it out and ck the roots. it is indeed beginning to look scraggly- though the leaves that are left are nice and green- not burnt looking. i do have a decent amount of humidity in my house, so that's probably not the problem. 1, we have gas heat, which isn't as drying as electric. 2, i have a ton of houseplants, most of which sit on humidity trays. and 3, i have 3 fishtanks. this yr has been very warm, and the heat's been running very little- my feet & hands aren't drying out at all. i have athsma, so i can't deal with it getting too dry or too humid either one.

do you think coffee hulls would be ok to add some drainage, or too acidic? i could always add some lime. that's what i have on hand that would add some drainage fast. well, and some orchid mix. i realize with you being in florida, you probably have yours out in the sun, but when you do bring them in, if you do, do you keep them warm or coolish?

thanks for all your advice. tammy

Tammy, orchid mix would be an excellent choice to add drainage to your mango's soil. I don't know about coffee hulls(?) or lime helping drainage, how would they help?

I have my Mangos outside year-round. They can take Florida cold (ha!) with no problems.

I've never grown them inside. I wish I could be of more help, but I think your tree will be fine once you get it in a fast draining, chunky soil.

Lisa

thanks, lisa for all the help you've given. i did repot it that afternoon- i had enough orchid mix left to do the job. the roots weren't working into the new stuff yet, but nothing was sopping wet or smelled bad, either, which i take as a hopeful sign. the soil really wasn't compacted down yet- it had only been in that pot for a couple mos. also, thank goodness i had put a good layer of packing peanuts in the bottom so they weren't sitting in water. there wasn't any water in the saucer when i took it out, either. it's sitting fairly high in the pot now to assure good drainage in addition to the orchid mix.

the coffee hulls are sort of loose chaffy stuff, so it probably would have worked, but i do know they're pretty acidic so i didn't want to take the chance. i would have added lime to buffer the acidity if i'd used them. i got them in a trade this yr with the intention of using them in compost or as mulch & hadn't done it yet. anyhow, i think the orchid mix will be better because of the really rough texture and added bonus of charcoal. hopefully it'll perk up.

i'm so jealous- wish i could leave mine out yr round! how big are your potted ones? and how many fruit do they get? do you hand pollinate? i doubt mine will bloom this yr, but will cross my fingers for next. i was assured that this one is self fertile.

thanks again! tammy