by 
The Carrie Mango is a popular backyard mango variety that has been around for 80+ years. It’s sustained popularity stems from the superior traits that both the tree and it’s fruit exhibit. This includes but is not limited to:
- Fruit Size & Flavor
- Disease Resistance
- Growth Habit
The Carrie Mango is so delicious that I have personally planted 4 trees at my house 🙂
With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Carrie Mango:
Table of Contents
- Carrie Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
- Carrie Mango Flavor Profile
- Carrie Mango Season (And When To Pick)
- Carrie Mango Disease Resistance
- Carrie Mango History
- Carrie Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
- Conclusion
Carrie Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
The Carrie Mango is considered a medium-sized mango tree.Â
Carrie Mangos have a low vigor & spreading growth habit that produces a very dense and compact canopy. As a result, Carrie can realistically be kept between 10 – 12 feet tall with annual pruning. With that being said, Carrie would not do well long-term in containers and would not be considered a “condo” mango. I personally like to keep my Carrie Mango Trees closer to 8-10 feet tall in order to harvest the majority of the fruit without a ladder.
While Carrie exhibits low vigor and a compact growth habit, it is not classified as a true dwarf tree like Julie, Pickering or Dwarf Hawaiian. Instead, Carrie can be best described as a semi-dwarf tree, sharing a size and growth habit more akin to Little Gem.
However, just because Carrie a semi-dwarf variety doesn’t mean that we should neglect pruning the tree. My neighbor planted a Carrie Mango Tree in 1992, never pruned the tree, and is now 30+ feet tall.
Carrie Mango’s fruit production consistently ranges from average to good. The mangos themselves are small-sized fruits that typically weigh between 0.75 – 1 lb. In 2023 I harvested 38 individual fruits from one tree that averaged 12.7 ounces or 0.8 lbs. Here are some additional statistics from a Carrie Mango Tree that was three years old:
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| Smallest Carrie Weight | 0.33 lbs or 5.3 oz |
| Largest Carrie Weight | 1.1 lbs or 17.6 oz |
| Average Carrie Weight | 0.8 lbs or 12.7 oz |
Carrie Mango Flavor Profile
Carrie Mangos are considered an Indian Flavored Mango.
When perfectly ripe and mature, slicing into the fruit will reveal an orange, completely fiberless flesh with a creamy sorbet-like texture that can be eaten with a spoon as if it were ice cream:
Carrie Mangos offer a unique flavor profile characterized by a robust, spicy, and resinous taste. The fruit is naturally sweet and bursting with flavor. However, as the mango ripens further, the piney, resinous notes can become overpowering for some palates. On the flip side, when the fruit is slightly underripe, it exhibits less of the resinous spiciness and more of a delightful, tangy tartness that is sure to make your mouth water.
Carries have a distinct flavor that tends to be either loved or disliked by those who try them, and personally, they are my favorite mango variety. Notably, they are favored by people from the Caribbean and India, which is not surprising given that the Carrie is a descendant of the Julie Mango, a beloved variety in the Caribbean.
Side Note: For a similar taste but more toned down resinous flavors, you should check out Angie 🙂
Finally, it’s worth noting that Carrie Mangos produce monoembryonic seeds, which means that planting a seed from a Carrie Mango won’t yield another Carrie Mango Tree.
Carrie Mango Season (And When To Pick)
Carrie Mangos are considered a mid-season mango (June – July).
With that being said, the best time to pick Carrie Mangos are when they are mature and beginning to ripen on the tree. From a color perspective, this is when the fruit is beginning to show signs of yellow color break. Carrie is perfectly ripe when the majority of the fruit transitions to a greenish-yellow to yellow color.
It is only in the days leading up to them being ready when they begin exhibiting a yellow hue. However, color is only one factor when determining whether a Carrie Mango is mature and ready to pick.
With that being said, here are some additional tips to knowing when a Carrie Mango is ready to pick:
- Don’t just go off sight; is the fruit beginning to soften?
- How does the stem look? It’s it drying up near where it connects to the fruit?
- Are there beads of sap present on the fruit?
- Look for yellow on all sides of the fruit (color comes in unevenly)
If you start noticing hints of yellow, in addition to the other ripeness indicators mentioned earlier, the fruit will likely drop soon. It’s advisable to pick the fruit a bit early and let it finish ripening on your kitchen counter. This is because Carries are known for their soft flesh. If they fall from the tree, even from low heights, they can easily bruise.
Speaking from my own experience, if you suspect your mango is approaching perfect ripeness, I’d suggest keeping a close eye on it, checking 1-2 times a day. There have been countless mornings when I’ve inspected a prospective mango, seen nothing promising, only to come back later in the evening to find that the fruit has dropped. If I would have not showed back up, the squirrels and/or sand hill cranes would have beaten me to it!
Carrie Mango Disease Resistance
Carrie Mangos are fairly resistant to diseases such as Bacterial Black Spot (BBS) & Powdery Mildew. However, Carrie Mangos are somewhat susceptible to Anthracnose.
As a result, I would refrain from planting Carrie Mango in very humid areas (such as the Florida Interior).Â
That said, I’ve observed a higher occurrence of BBS in years with above-average rainfall. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because rain plays a significant role in the spread of BBS.
Carrie Mango History
The first Carrie Mango was propagated in Boynton Beach, Florida by Lawrence Zill.
Below is an excerpt on the history of Carrie Mango from Walter Zill’s autobiography:
The history of this variety involves the early beginnings of Dad’s nursery. At one time he was using seeds from the variety they called “Sophia”, named for his grandmother Sophia Frey (1857-1939), who had obtained some mango varieties in 1915 introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture. Among them was the Julie from Trinidad.
…
It was from a Julie seed that the tree grew which they called Sophia, it being very prolific with small fruit that the family enjoyed eating. The seeds were used to provide rootstock on which Haden was budded. Among those rootstocks, at first grown directly in the ground as field grown to be transplanted later, were some whose buds did not live.
…
One of them grew on and fruited. It was much preferred over the Sophia due to increased fruit size and a flavor better liked. It was named “Carrie” in honor of one of Sophia’s daughters, Carrie (1891-1961), Laurence’s mother.
Time has proven that variety to be very resistant to disease, a reliable fruit producer for home consumption, and having a flavor that I have heard described to me by someone who knew nothing of its history, or my knowledge of it, as being”to die for”.…
It was the only variety that my mother, Dorothy, would use when a batch of hand churned ice cream was made. The fruit is valued for its lack of fiber, special flavor, cleanliness, & reliable adequate production. My faults with it concern the difficulty of seeing when it needs to be picked before falling, and when it falls it bruises severely.
Walter Zill
Carrie is a seedling of Sophia Frey which is a seedling of Julie.
Carrie is also the parent of Val Carrie, Angie, Ugly Betty, and Cecilove.
Carrie Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
Tropical Tree Guide has proudly partnered with Montura Gardens, a family-owned nursery in Clewiston, Florida, to bring you premium, grafted tropical fruit trees—delivered FREE to your doorstep! With Montura Gardens’ exceptional quality and service, we’re making it easier than ever to grow flourishing tropical trees right in your backyard.
For more information, please check out our Tropical Fruit Trees For Sale Page.
Conclusion
If you found this grow guide helpful, please consider sharing. It helps support the website 🙂
If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this grow guide, please comment them below! This way, others can also benefit from the answer to the same question. For any other questions or growing tips that you think may be helpful, feel free to use the contact form and drop me a line.
Thank you for reading! 🙂
_
