Sometimes when you do something is just as important as what you are actually doing. There are a few things that you need to do with your tropical fruit trees that require good timing as well as being executed correctly.
When to Prune—of all the “whens” this one is likely the most important. If you prune at the wrong time, you can lose your crop for the next season. The answer to when should I prune is an easy one though. You want to prune as soon as you finish harvesting your crop. This will cause the least disruption in the blooming cycle. If you prune too close to the time your tree is set to bloom, you may cut off blooms that are just about to come out.
When to Fertilize—this is a dual answer as you really put out major elements and minor elements differently. Majors, like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium can be applied throughout the year from May to November. Most crops respond well to an 8-3-9. Minor elements should only go out during the rainy season (June-October). If the ground isn’t wet when you put these out, you are basically wasting your fertilizer and your effort.
When to Plant—this answer is twofold. The best-case scenario for planting your trees is at the beginning of the rainy season, which would be late May or early June. The reality of planting fruit trees though is that you really want to get them in the ground as soon as you can. If you acquire a few avocado trees in February, there is no reason to hold on to them until June. You are still going to have to water them, so why not get them in the ground and water them there instead?
When to Water—speaking of watering, the question of when to water often comes up. The answer is that if you have an irrigation system in place, you may be watering too often. Most fruit trees do not need much supplemental irrigation and if they do, it’s when the fruit has just set. The idea is to try and pump up the fruit a little bit. Some crops like mangos and lychee need a drying out period to bloom properly. If these crops are irrigated throughout the year, they will have a poor bloom.
When to Harvest—harvest times differ for every crop, but in most cases, you can harvest before the fruit is fully ripe. The fruit needs to be mature, but does not need to show full color. You want to look for full size fruit with rounded out shoulders. You can usually let mature fruit ripen off of the tree. This helps a lot with pests like squirrels because you can sometimes get to the fruit before they do.
When to Harvest by Fruit
Mango—ready when you see a color break and shoulders are filled out completely, will continue to ripen off of the tree
Avocado—these will not ripen off the tree, so wait until you see one or two drop. Look for full sized fruit.
Carambola—these can be picked when they have some color but are not all the way yellow.
Mamey and Sapodilla—these are tricky as they have brown skin. Nick the fruit with your fingernail and look for red or brown below the surface of the nick. If white latex comes from the nick, the fruit is not ripe.
Canistel—wait until your canistel is bright yellow and fully formed.
Jackfruit—this may be the hardest fruit to determine ripeness, especially since there are different cultivars that ripen differently. You are looking for the spines to separate and flatten along with a change in color to a darker fruit. The sound when you thump the fruit is often hollow as well.
Lychee—these are ready when they are round and red.
Longan—these are ready when they look plump and rounded out.
Sugar Apple—when the segments begin to separate, the fruit is ready to pick.
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