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The Lancetilla Mango is renowned for its impressive size.
There are not many mango cultivars capable of consistently producing individual fruits weighing upwards of 4 to 5 pounds! If you are searching for a conversation-starting tree for your yard, look no further than the Lancetilla Mango.
With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Lancetilla Mango:
Table of Contents
- Lancetilla Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
- Lancetilla Mango Flavor Profile
- Lancetilla Mango Season (And When To Pick)
- Lancetilla Mango Disease Resistance
- Lancetilla Mango History
- Lancetilla Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
- Conclusion
Lancetilla Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
The Lancetilla Mango is considered a medium to large-sized mango tree.
Lancetilla Mango Trees have a very vigorous & upright growth habit that produces an open canopy. As a result, Lancetilla can realistically be kept between 10 – 20 feet tall with annual pruning. With that being said, Lancetilla would not do well long-term in containers and would not be considered a “condo” mango.
I realize this might sound repetitive, but I want to emphasize once more that “Lancetilla is not a condo mango.” This reassertion is necessary due to the unfortunate spread of misleading information by many nurseries and growers, falsely asserting that Lancetilla is a compact tree. If you purchase a Lancetilla with the expectation that it’s a small mango, you will be greatly disappointed.
Moving on, I’ve noticed that Lancetilla’s branches naturally tend to be more “leggy” in comparison to more compactly branching mango cultivars like Carrie or Rosigold. Therefore, it’s crucial to regularly trim the branch tips of Lancetilla trees to encourage shorter and more intricate branching, which is essential for boosting overall fruit production.
A family member of mine recently purchased a home with a Lancetilla Mango Tree planted in the ground (pictured in the photos within this section). The tree had never been pruned and had grown to nearly 20 feet in height. I ended up pruning the tree back to a more manageable height, reducing it to around 12 feet.
Pro Tip: When pruning, it’s important not to remove more than 30% of the canopy in a single season. Exceeding this limit can have a detrimental effect on fruit production for the upcoming season.
Lancetilla’s fruit production consistently ranges from poor to fair. The mangos themselves are large to extra large-sized fruits that typically weigh between 3 – 5 lbs.
Let that sink in… a 5 pound mango. That is absolutely unreal.
Like other large-fruit mango cultivar, Lancetilla naturally sheds excess fruit because it can’t support numerous 3 to 5-pound mangos to maturity. This self-thinning reduces as the tree matures and its root system strengthens, but it remains a characteristic, albeit to a lesser degree, as the tree ages.
Side Note: There is no perfect mango cultivar… there are pros and cons to every cultivar 🙂
Lancetilla Mango Flavor Profile
Lancetilla Mangos are considered an Indian Flavored Mango.
A properly ripened Lancetilla Mango will exude a classic mango aroma. The fruit’s yellow flesh is firm and juicy, with minimal amounts of fiber. In terms of flavor, Lancetilla is remarkably sweet, offering a clean and straightforward classic mango taste, with some subtle hints of tartness. The taste is reminiscent of a Keitt Mango.
With that being said, does bigger fruit necessarily mean better fruit?
While that might be the case for a cultivar like Pineapple Pleasure, I don’t believe there’s anything inherently exceptional about Lancetilla. In the mango growing community, Lancetilla is renowned more for its fruit size than its taste profile. Ultimately, if you’re seeking that classic mango flavor, there are much smaller trees to consider, such as Rosigold or Pickering, which can offer a similar taste experience with higher levels of productivity.
Honestly, I view Lancetilla as more of a novelty mango. If I had an unlimited amount of land, I would certainly plant a tree as a conversation starter. However, in my personal opinion, Lancetilla’s flavor doesn’t quite match up to the exceptional flavor profiles of other top-tier mangos like Coconut Cream and Sugarloaf.
That being said, taste is subjective, so it ultimately depends on your preferences!
Finally, it’s worth noting that Lancetilla Mangos produce monoembryonic seeds, which means that planting a seed from a Lancetilla Mango won’t yield another Lancetilla Mango Tree.
Lancetilla Mango Season (And When To Pick)
Lancetilla Mangos are considered a late season mango (July – Aug).
With that being said, the best time to pick Lancetilla 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. Lancetilla is perfectly ripe when the majority of the fruit transitions to a greenish-yellow color.
Lancetilla Mangos often exhibit a crimson red blush on most of their surface. Because the fruit ripens gradually from the top down, this can sometimes pose a challenge in determining the perfect time for harvesting.
By the same token, it’s important to remember the red blush on the top of the mango has nothing to do with the fruit’s ripeness. In fact, the amount of red blush that a fruit will have is dependent on the fruit’s exposure to the sun. More Sun = More Red, Less Sun = Less Red.
That said, here are some additional tips to knowing when a Lancetilla Mango is ready to pick:
- 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?
- Is the top half of the fruit beginning to turn red?
- Is the fruit’s skin beginning to stretch?
Once Lancetilla Mangos mature and ripen, they will readily drop from the tree. Fortunately, due to their thicker skin, they are less prone to bruising.
Nevertheless, due to their larger size, it may take anywhere from 3 to 5 days for Lancetilla Mangos to fully ripen on the counter. It’s worth noting that they don’t have the best shelf life and can experience issues with internal fruit breakdown if they become overripe.
Lancetilla Mango Disease Resistance
Lancetilla Mangos are somewhat susceptible to Powdery Mildew.
Furthermore, Lancetilla also has a significant issue with fruit splitting, which makes them more vulnerable to developing fungal fruit rot problems. This can be quite disappointing when the tree already doesn’t yield a large quantity of fruit to begin with.
Regardless, the most effective way to prevent this from spreading to other fruit on the tree is by promptly removing any infected or split fruit before the fungus has a chance to spread.
Lancetilla Mango History
The Lancetilla Mango was introduced to the United States in 2001 by Dr. Richard Campbell at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s International Mango Festival.
The fruit is named after the town of Lancetilla, located in Honduras.
Lancetilla is believed to be a cross between Saigon and Mulgoba.
Lancetilla Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
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Conclusion
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Thank you for reading! 🙂
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