Protection of Mango Trees

[Aliciaann]

Hi Community 

So we have 2 Mango trees out the front of our place here southwest wa. 

I have a couple of things happening with them. 

1 - the bloody birds whilst awesome to have in our yard keep eating all the budding  fruit. We were going to put bird netting up but I am afraid that a bird will get entangled and hurt. Does anyone have any ideas? We work shift work and away for long periods so not able to monitor netting and need something robust for strong easterly winds. 

2 - growth seems to have stalled. It's like they have gotten to this height (2mtrs) and don't want to get any bigger. 

Any tips would be appreciated. 

[Jason]

Hi again @Aliciaann,

I'm sure many Workshop members are jealous of you having mango trees! But it's certainly a tricky problem keeping birds away while also ensuring that they don't get harmed. 

Let me tag some very helpful and experienced members in @Adam_W, @Noelle and @robchin who might have some suggestions for you to help ensure your trees flourish and you get to enjoy most of the fruit.

Jason

[Noelle]

Hi @Aliciaann 

Bird netting - clearly identified as such and available at Bunnings - has to be of a certain mesh (reasonably fine) so birds do not become entangled in it.  Provided you buy correctly labelled netting, it should be fine to cover your trees.  The other option would be to tie individual netting bags around each developing fruit, which you could do on small trees like yours but this will become impractical as the trees grow!

Regarding the trees stalling - they've probably had their major growth spurt for this season so don't expect too much more until next spring. They're putting their energy into flowering and fruiting now, not growth.

I personally don't like seeing the bricks/pavers around the trunks - these restrict water absorption, soil oxygenation and will transfer heat to the soil which could be 'baking' the roots. By all means have a grass-free ring around the trees but get rid of the bricks.