Valencia Pride Mango

Valencia Pride is a well-known mango variety from south Florida, USA. The fruit is large, with yellow skin mostly covered in a crimson blush, and firm, juicy yellow flesh that is sweet, fragrant and almost fibreless. This is a young plant that grows on and fruits in your garden.

Why Valencia Pride?

• Large fruit of roughly 350–450 g each, with attractive colour and almost no fibre.
• A late-season variety, so it stretches the mango season in your garden.
• A vigorous tree with consistent, good crops and moderate resistance to fungal disease.
• Self-fruitful – it doesn't need a second tree for pollination.

Where to plant it

A sunny spot in the garden, at least 5 m from walls and buildings, because it's a vigorous grower. You can prune it every year to keep it around 3–4 m tall so the fruit is easy to pick.

Care in the Saudi climate

• Light: full, direct sun for the best growth and fruit.
• Water: water regularly until established, then weekly through the hot months for the first three years. A mature tree needs little water, and overwatering harms both fruit and roots.
• Soil: adapts to sandy soil as long as it drains well. In the alkaline soil common in Saudi, leaves can yellow from iron deficiency – give chelated iron (Fe-EDDHA) two or three times a year.
• Cold: young trees are damaged by frost, so cover them on cold winter nights in Riyadh and inland areas.
• Pruning: prune straight after harvest to control the size.
• Feeding: feed a young tree every 2–3 months in its first year; once it fruits, use less nitrogen and more potash.

Sizes

• 40–60 cm: a young plant that grows fast in place.