Kent Mango Grow Guide

Kent Mango, a classic mango cultivar that was first planted close to a hundred years ago, is popular among other old-school commercial varieties like Haden, Keitt, and Brooks.

However, many people still to this day associate Kent Mango’s flavor with Florida summertime 🙂

With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Kent Mango.

Table of Contents

• Kent Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
• Kent Mango Flavor Profile
• Kent Mango Season (And When To Pick)
• Kent Mango Disease Resistance
• Kent Mango History
• Kent Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
• Conclusion

Kent Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production

The Kent Mango is considered a large-sized mango tree.

Kent Mango Trees have a vigorous & upright growth habit that produces a compact canopy. As a result, Kent can realistically be kept between 20 – 25 feet tall with annual pruning. With that being said, Kent would not do well long-term in containers and would not be considered a “condo” mango.

Despite its size, Kent is a very attractive tree that produces an abundance of dense, dark-green foliage, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a shade tree.

Furthermore, Kent’s fruit production consistently ranges from good to heavy. The mangos themselves are medium-sized fruits that typically weigh between 1 – 2 lbs.

Kent Mango Flavor Profile

Kent Mangos are considered a Classic Flavored Mango.

Kent has greenish-yellow skin with a red blush that can either stay localized to just the fruit’s top and/or cover the majority of the fruit (depends on the individual fruit’s sun exposure). Furthermore, I have noticed that Kent’s classic mango aroma is more pronounced on freshly harvested fruit vs store bought fruit.

With that being said, slicing into the fruit will reveal a yellow flesh with a smooth and firm texture. While the fruit’s flesh does contain minimal amounts of fiber (remember – it is a commercial variety), it is not objectionable by any means. Despite the ones that I have had not being juicy, they are still quite enjoyable when slightly chilled! 😊

From a flavor perspective, Kent Mangos have a very mild and classic flavor. The fruit has a medium-sweetness with a little bit of mango spiciness to it. Depending on when the fruit was picked, the flavor can range from rich and sweet with hints of peach to an average tasting mango with a watery taste containing chalky, sour & tangy notes.

More often then not, the better tasting Kents that I have had were freshly picked and perfectly ripened. With that being said, if you are going to buy Kent from the store, even if they look and feel ripe, it’s best to give them an extra 2-3 days on the counter. This can make the difference between a bland and washed-out flavor to a good tasting and enjoyable fruit.

Overall, Kent Mango has an overall good (but not great) classic mango flavor. To be honest, if I wanted a classic flavored mango, I would opt for a smaller tree with much more pronounced flavors such as Glenn or Pickering.

From a commercial perspective, I would rank Kent and Keitt above both Madame Francis and Tommy Atkins in terms of flavor. However, it’s important to remember that taste is subjective 🙂

Finally, it’s worth noting that Kent Mangos produce monoembryonic seeds, which means that planting a seed from a Kent Mango won’t yield another Kent Mango Tree.

Kent Mango Season (And When To Pick)

Kent Mangos are considered a late season mango (July – Sept).

That being said, the best time to pick Kent 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. Kent is perfectly ripe when the majority of the fruit transitions to a yellow color.

Speaking of color, Kent also commonly develops a dark crimson blush, which can appear on 25% to 75% of the fruit’s surface. However, it’s important to remember that the red blush has nothing to do with the fruit’s ripeness. A rule of thumb to remember is that More Sun = More Red, Less Sun = Less Red.

As a result, we should not pick Kent based on the red blush alone; in fact it is very common for immature (dark green) Kents to have a dark red blush. What I find interesting is that with a lot of sun exposure, Kent can look more like a weirdly-shaped apple rather than a mango 😄

Aside from color, here are some additional tips to knowing when a Kent Mango is ready to pick:

• Brown/dried stems
• Fullness of the fruit
  • As the season progresses, they will go from a flat-looking fruit to a much fuller-looking fruit, particularly towards the shoulders (top) of the fruit
• Have a slight give when they are gently squeezed
• Lenticels (small dots on the fruit) becoming more prominently displayed

Finally, it should be noted that Kent has two very weird quirks. More specifically, if a Kent Mango Tree is experiencing exceptionally wet conditions:

• The fruit have a greater likelihood of experiencing internal breakdown
• The seed can begin to germinate while still inside the fruit

Kent Mango Disease Resistance

The biggest problem with Kent Mango is its poor disease resistance, specifically, its fruit and flowers are highly susceptible to Anthracnose and Bacterial Black Spot.

Kent Mango History

Kent Mango is named after Leith Kent, who planted the first Kent Mango Tree in Coconut Grove, Florida, in 1933.

Around the mid-1940s, Kent Mango began to be heavily planted as a commercial crop due to its productivity, ideal season, classic flavor, and mild amount of fiber.

Kent is a seedling of Brooks Mango. Kent’s pollinating parent is Haden Mango.

Kent is a sibling of Keitt, Cogshall, Edward, Valencia Pride, Spirit of 76, Glenn, Bailey’s Marvel, Van Dyke, Florigon, and Cushman.

Kent is also the parent to some well-known newer cultivars including Peach Cobbler, Jakarta, Orange Essence, Gold Nugget, and Young. Finally, Kent is a grandparent to Super Alphonso.

Kent Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)

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Conclusion

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Thank you for reading! 🙂

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