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Mangosteen Nutrition Management

Written by fruit // May 25, 2006 // 1 Comment

These notes are based on a presentation given by Yan Diczbalis, Senior Horticulturalist, Dept Primary Industries, to Mangosteen Growers in September 2005.

The first recorded introduction of Mangosteens into Australia was in 1854 in NSW. They were successfully introduced to Cairns in 1891. There is a mangosteen in Friend St Edge Hill which is 80 years old. There is an orchard established in Ayton in 1978, with trees now 28 years old.

There are five native Garcinia in north Queensland forests. The edible one is Garcinia warrenii.

There was major industry expansion in the late 1980s to mid 1990s with approximately 15,000 trees from Cape Tribulation to Tully prior to Cyclone Larry in 2006.

To determine mangosteen nutrition management, 12 mangosteen orchards were sampled between 2002 and 2004 with 14 leaf and 6 soil samples per farm.

To manage fertiliser inputs, a combination of methods were recommended – leaf analysis once a year for short term adjustments and soil analysis for longer adjustments.

Mangosteen yields varied with 5-10 tonnes per hectare for mature old trees. The average in the study was 1 tonne per hectare.

The Mangosteen Nutrient Budget
Fruit development analysis showed 12%N, 2.4% P; 26%K; 2.4% Ca; 4% Mg; 2.4% S. When fruit is sold off the farm, these nutrients need to be replaced.

Adjustment Techniques
Adjust your nutrient inputs in conjunction with yearly leaf analysis. Aim to maintain your analysis results around the recommended standard.
Fertilise this year for next year\'s crop. Fertilise 80% between flowering and harvest.

There is no secret fertiliser management technique to getting good yields.