Several pests affect mango trees and can damage your harvest if you ignore them. The most common troublemakers include scale insects, mealybugs, spider mites, and fruit flies. Anthracnose disease also hits mango trees hard and ruins fruit before it ripens.
Scale insects look like small brown or tan bumps on stems and leaves. They suck plant sap and weaken your tree over time. Mealybugs appear as white cottony masses in leaf joints and branch crotches. Spider mites cause tiny yellow dots on leaves that spread into bronze or brown patches. Fruit flies lay eggs in ripening mangoes. The larvae tunnel through the flesh and make fruit mushy and rotten.
I battled a bad mealybug problem on my patio mango last summer. White fuzz covered the new growth and sticky honeydew dripped on everything below. Ants farmed the bugs and spread them to nearby plants. Three weeks of neem oil sprays knocked them back. Now I check my tree weekly so I catch problems early.
Mango tree diseases cause as much trouble as insects in humid climates. Anthracnose tops the list as the most damaging fungal problem. This disease shows up as black spots on flowers, leaves, and fruit. Tropical Permaculture ranks it as the top concern for mango growers. Wet weather spreads the fungus fast during bloom time. One bad rainy week can wipe out your whole fruit crop.
Tropical fruit trees attract these pests because of their soft growth and sweet sap. Warm humid conditions favor both insects and fungal diseases. The disease triangle explains why problems flare up. You need a host plant, a pathogen, and the right weather conditions all at once. Remove any one of these factors and the disease cannot take hold.
Good mango pest control starts with organic sprays and smart garden habits. Neem oil treats most insect pests when you apply it every 7-14 days during outbreaks. Insecticidal soap kills soft-bodied bugs on contact. Copper fungicide helps prevent anthracnose when sprayed before flowers open. Always spray early morning or evening to avoid leaf burn in hot sun.
Smart garden habits prevent many problems before they start. Space your trees to let air flow through the canopy. Prune out crossing branches and dead wood each year. Remove fallen leaves and fruit from under your tree. These steps cut humidity and get rid of hiding spots for pests. Call a pro if you see rapid leaf drop, oozing bark, or large dead sections. Some problems need stronger treatments than home remedies can provide.
Read the full article: Growing a Mango Tree From Seed in 5 Steps
