How to deal with mangoes in my backyard?

Question

I have a very large and old mango tree in my backyard and the limbs cover most of my 1/4 acre yard. Right now they have been falling every day, we have hundreds of them, and almost immediately they rot in the sun. Right now we are quickly raking them up and leaving them at the base of the tree, since its directly in the middle of our yard and we don’t want to upset our neighbors by keeping them closer to our fence since the smell isn’t very lovely. Should I just leave the mangoes until they rot back into the soil or should we dispose of them completely? What about the ones at the base of our tree? Where/whats the best way of disposing of them in general? Should I just compost them in a hidden corner of our yard until mango season is over? Help! We are new home owners in Florida and new to mango tree care =)

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Answer 1

That appears to be a very old tree! I would suspect that this is why it is falling apart now. It may be necessary to have a certified tree professional to cut some of the branches back quite a bit. This will put fruiting off for a few years, as well as let the tree regenerate in a more healthy compact way.

As for dealing with the fruit... Composting would not be a bad idea at all, but if it produces too many, then you may have to dispose of them as you would your household trash.