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Originally released in 2017, M-4 Mango has quickly made a name for itself.
Joining the ranks of other top-tier ‘coconut-flavor’ mangos such as Sugarloaf and Coconut Cream, M-4 Mango offers the opportunity to enjoy an exceptionally delicious mango later in the season.
With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about M-4 Mango:
Table of Contents
- M-4 Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
- M-4 Mango Flavor Profile
- M-4 Mango Season (And When To Pick)
- M-4 Mango Disease Resistance
- M-4 Mango History
- M-4 Mango Tree For Sale
- Conclusion
M-4 Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
The M-4 Mango is considered a medium-sized mango tree.
M-4 Mango Trees have a moderately vigorous & spreading growth habit that produces an open canopy. As a result, M-4 can realistically be kept between 10 – 15 feet tall with annual pruning. With that being said, M-4 would not do well long-term in containers and would not be considered a “condo” mango.
Even from an early age, M-4’s fruit production consistently ranges from good to heavy. The mangos themselves are small to medium-sized fruits that typically weigh between 0.6 – 1.3 lbs.
M-4 Mango Flavor Profile
M-4 Mangos are considered a Coconut Flavored Mango. As a result, M-4’s flavor is most similar to other ‘Coconut Mangos’ including but not limited to:
- Gary (Parent)
- Coconut Cream
- Pina Colada
- Sugarloaf
- Pettigrew (Grandparent)
The fruit boasts a sweet aroma with subtle citrus notes. Additionally, its light-yellow, fiberless flesh has an enjoyable texture that is both smooth and creamy. While the flesh is somewhat firm (likely a characteristic inherited from Keitt), it will still melt in your mouth.
From a flavor perspective, M-4 Mangos have a sweet, rich, and complex taste. They exhibit a subtle sub-acid citrus component that creates a pleasant balance of sweetness and tartness. What’s interesting is that, depending on the fruit, the coconut flavor may sometimes be dominant, while other times it can be more noticeable in the aftertaste. However, this variation can also be due to not harvesting the fruit at the optimal time.
Relative to other mangos in its flavor class, M-4 seems to have a more prominent coconut flavor than the popular Coconut Cream. The overall flavor is actually more consistent with Sugarloaf (which probably explains why I love it so much). Overall, M-4 Mango is a very delicious fruit and would be a great choice for those looking to plant a late-season mango with a very tropical taste.
Side Note: If you enjoy both coconut AND Indian flavored mangos, you should definitely check out Little Gem 🙂
Finally, it’s worth noting that M-4 Mangos produce polyembryonic seeds, which means that planting a seed from a M-4 Mango can yield another M-4 Mango Tree.
M-4 Mango Season (And When To Pick)
M-4 Mangos are considered a true late-season mango (July – August).
In fact, they can sometimes be harvested and enjoyed as late as September. If a crop does extend into September, this can potentially give the tree less time to go dormant and ‘recover’ before the next season, which might result in the tree producing fewer fruits in the upcoming season.
With that being said, the best time to pick M-4 Mangos are when they are mature and beginning to ripen on the tree. Unfortunately, color is not the most reliable indicator for knowing when M-4 is ready to pick. This is because M-4 develops little to no color, however the fruit will occasionally develop a pink/yellow blush towards the top of the fruit when grown closer to the coast.
With that being said, here are some additional tips to knowing when a M-4 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?
While M-4 may not boast the vibrant colors of other mangos, I see this as an advantage. If you have limited yard space, you can reserve the more visually attractive mango varieties for your backyard and opt for planting M-4 in the front yard. The greener fruit of M-4 can serve as a deterrent to potential ‘two-legged’ thieves 🙂
However, this will not help in deterring any “four-legged” thieves 🙂
M-4 Mango Disease Resistance
M-4 is somewhat prone to Bacterial Black Spot (BBS). However, this should come as no surprise, as one of its parents, Keitt, is highly susceptible to BBS
M-4 Mango History
The M-4 Mango was first propagated in Boynton Beach, Florida by Gary Zill.
This name was derived from the grid location (think of a battleship grid… except for mangos) of where the original M-4 Mango Tree was propagated in Gary’s mango breeding program.
While the M-4 Mango was officially released in 2017, there were allegedly reservations about making it available to the public due to concerns that the original tree exhibited ‘alternate bearer’ behavior, likely a result of heavy crop production late in the season. However, its exceptional taste ultimately justified its release.
M-4 is a seedling of Keitt Mango. It’s pollinating parent is believed to be Gary.
M-4 is also a sibling of Coconut Cream, Pineapple Pleasure, Cotton Candy, Pina Colada, and Honey Kiss.
M-4 Mango Tree For Sale
Because of its exceptional taste and status as a relatively new variety, the M-4 Mango is considered a specialty mango and is not commonly found at typical garden nurseries. After calling several nurseries in my area, I couldn’t find a single one that offered the tree; in fact, most had never even heard of it.
I eventually purchased mine at a local Botanical Festival 🙂
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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