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While I have tried mango varieties like ST Maui and Ugly Betty that have subtle guava-like undertones, I’ve never tasted a mango where the guava flavor dominates.
However, everything changed when I tried Guava Mango. If you’re a fan of guavas but avoid growing them due to concerns about the Caribbean fruit fly, you might want to consider growing this mango variety. That is because, as the name implies, the fruit can effortlessly satisfy both mango and guava cravings alike 😋
With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Guava Mango:
Table of Contents
- Guava Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
- Guava Mango Flavor Profile
- Guava Mango Season (And When To Pick)
- Guava Mango Disease Resistance
- Guava Mango History
- Guava Mango Tree For Sale
- Conclusion
Guava Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
The Guava Mango is considered a medium-sized mango tree.
Guava Mangos have a moderately vigorous & spreading growth habit that produces an open canopy with long leaf internodes, resulting in a loosely dense canopy.
As a result, Guava Mangos can realistically be kept between 10 – 15 feet tall with annual pruning. Due to the tree’s natural vigor & spreading limbs, Guava Mango would not do well long-term in containers and would not be considered a “condo” mango.
Guava’s fruit production consistently ranges from average to good. The mangos themselves are medium-sized fruits that typically weigh between 1 – 1.5 lbs. They are similar to Glenn in this regard but have a slightly smaller fruit yield when compared to Glenn.
Guava Mango Flavor Profile
Guava Mangos are considered an Indian Flavored Mango.
When perfectly ripe & mature, Guava’s smooth skin emits a strong aroma reminiscent of ripe guavas. Cutting into the fruit reveals yellow, fiberless flesh with a firm, juicy texture.
From a flavor perspective, Guava Mango offers a sweet and complex flavor with a combination of Indochinese and Indian influences. It delivers an intense mango and guava-like taste, with a subtle sub-acid element that adds complexity. Hints of resinous elements are also present and become more pronounced when eaten closer to the skin.
It offers a truly unique flavor profile, combining the strong floral notes reminiscent of Indochinese mangos, with a prominent emphasis on guava flavors. This distinct taste is balanced with just the right amount of resin, reminiscent of Indian mangos. It may sound unusual, but the combination works remarkably well 😋
Guava Mangos are an excellent choice for those who enjoy an intense guava flavor and don’t mind a touch of complexity and a modest amount of resin.
However, I’ve noticed that the guava flavors become less pronounced as the fruit ripens. When the mango turns a full marigold yellow, it takes on a more classic mango flavor with a hint of resin. For the full guava-like taste experience, it’s best to try them when the fruit is more of a greenish-yellow color.
Finally, what’s peculiar about Guava Mangos is their ability to produce both polyembryonic and monoembryonic seeds. This means that when you plant the seed, it may sometimes result in a mango tree that is ‘true to seed’ and other times one that is ‘not true to seed’.
To my knowledge, no other mango cultivar behaves this way 🤯
Guava Mango Season (And When To Pick)
Guava Mangos are considered an early-season mango (May – June).
The best time to pick Guava 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. Guava Mango is perfectly ripe when the entire fruit turns a greenish-yellow to marigold yellow color.
Aside from color, here are some additional tips to knowing when Guava Mango is ready to pick:
- Is the fruit beginning to soften ever so slightly?
- Is the fruit beginning to emit a sweet, fruity aroma?
- Is the fruit full-sized and has a plump appearance?
- How does the stem look? It’s it drying up near where it connects to the fruit?
Finally, Guava Mangos have thin skin and are prone to bruising easily. To prevent bruising, it’s best to harvest the fruit at the first signs of ripening in order to avoid any drops that may lead to damage.
Guava Mango Disease Resistance
Guava Mango has good resistance to common diseases like Bacterial Black Spot, Anthracnose, and Powdery Mildew. This is a major selling point because there are not many mango cultivars that come even close to the level of disease resistance that Guava has 😄
Guava Mango History
Guava Mango, also known as Sein Ta Lone, originates from Myanmar.
However, this correlation is a recent discovery, credited to Alex from Tropical Acres Farms and Walter Zill, who determined that the two mangos (Sein Ta Lone & Guava) are, in fact, the same cultivar.
Prior to this discovery, this mango cultivar was always known in Florida as ‘Guava.’ Below is an excerpt on the history of Guava Mango from Walter Zill’s autobiography:
This recently propagated variety has a story that illustrates the value of propagation knowledge. A man, whose name I do not remember, phoned me with a request difficult to ignore. He knew a certain mango tree growing in the road right-of-way near his residence was doomed for destruction because of a soon to begin bridge replacement project. He knew also that a twig from that tree could carry its characteristics onto another rootstock thereby saving the variety. He called me requesting that that variety be saved because the fruit from it were exceptionally good. His neighbors called it the “Peach Mango”. When I heard that variety name a stack of questions came tumbling into my thoughts.
..
The mango I knew by that name was not a variety anyone desired to keep. I began asking questions about size of fruit, amount of fiber, and production habit.Obviously, what he wanted saved was not the Peach mango I knew; furthermore, his description did not describe any variety with which I was familiar. I regretted that the season for available fruit had passed, but under the rush to save it I decided to fulfill his request. He wanted grafts from it put on his Tommy Atkins tree. I also took a scion home to learn if the variety was worth saving.
..
The graft onto a seedling in my grove grew a few years then bloomed and set fruit. That was when I realized why the man valued the variety so highly. From my tree I cut a couple twigs and grafted them into a tree beside my house. From it, in time I top-worked a larger tree. Glad I did that because the tree I first grafted in my grove got dug up and moved by an unknown person to an unknown location. So many things can happen to a single new variety that can lead to losing it. Therefore, the need to propagate those really good ones as insurance against extinction.
Walter Zill, Maturing With Mangoes
Its fruit are firm, clean, richly flavored (a subjective opinion of mine), and reasonably abundant, ripening very early with uniform round fruit weighing about ¾ pound from a tree that grows strongly upright, its limbs often extending at close to 90 degrees from the trunk which makes for easier climbing. Just wish the threat of hurricanes did not require cutting the tree down to picker pole length for easy fruit picking.
The parentage of Guava Mango is currently unknown.
Guava Mango Tree For Sale
Finding a Guava Mango Tree for sale can range from uncommon to rare. It’s uncertain whether this scarcity is due to limited production or high demand. Based on my experience with the fruit, I believe it’s the latter 😁
With that being said, if you are unable to find one at a local nursery, your next best option is checking out Tropical Acres Farms (not sponsored). They are the only legit place online (from my experience) that you are getting exactly what you are paying for.
They have over 300 varieties of mangos available. You can either order budwood to graft yourself or submit a grafting request to have a grafted tree created for you. They do ship!
Conclusion
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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! 🙂
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