Mango alternate bearing: why trees fruit every other year
Why mango trees give a heavy crop one year and a poor crop the next, and the orchard care that evens out bearing.
A mango tree that carries a heavy crop uses up its stored food and makes little new growth, so it flowers poorly the next year. Feeding after harvest, timely pruning and steady nutrition help the tree make new shoots every year.
How the cycle works
- Fruit grows on shoots that matured in the season before.
- A heavy crop takes the food that would have built new shoots.
- Few mature shoots means few flowers next year, and the cycle repeats.
What growers can do
- Harvest on time and prune soon after harvest to start new growth.
- Feed the tree after harvest, when it is building next year's shoots.
- Thin very heavy crops on young trees.
- Keep records of each tree's yield to see the pattern.
See the full mango guide and Immunity Mango Special.
Written by Gafar Laiya, founder of Gujarat Bio Organics, working with farmers since 2006. Results differ from farm to farm with soil, weather, crop and management. Farmer experiences on this site are their own reports, not a promise of results.
Questions
Are some mango varieties more prone to alternate bearing?
Yes. Many traditional varieties bear alternately more than some newer ones.
Can alternate bearing be stopped completely?
It can be reduced, not always removed. Good care over several seasons evens out the crop.
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