Growing a Mango Tree

Mangos are sweet and juicy tropical fruits that pack a lot of vitamins. As trees, they grow tall and leafy providing your backyard with some good shade. It even gives off a sweet aroma when it's flowering or if the fruits are beginning to ripen. In any case, if you want to grow your own mango tree in your yard, here are some steps on how to grow one from a mango pit.

Growing a Seedling
Prepare a bed of potting soil. Place the pit flat on the top and push it straight down. Keep the pit damp and place it where it can have sustained warmth. Mango pits usually grow the roots first and eventually sprout a seedling. This process usually takes about a month.

Preparing Your Backyard
All you have to do is to dig a hole that will be big enough to accommodate the seedling with the ball of potting material. Remember to keep the excavated soil for refilling afterward.

Planting
Carefully set the seedling into the hole. Cover it and gaps with soil. It's said that it's best to do this on the onset of rain.

Watering, Plant Food, and Care
Keep the seedling well irrigated at least to keep the soil from drying out. The young seedling needs much care during its first few months. Newly planted seedlings (year-old ones) may benefit from a small dose of pure fertilizer (around 300 grams). Weeds can also affect seedling growth.

Waiting for Your Tree to Grow
Well, the next step is practically keeping an eye on it for pests and parasites. Eventually, your young seedling will grow to be a young tree and eventually, start to bear fruits. But you have to be patient since it takes years for you to have a healthy, fruit-bearing mango tree. Good luck.

A caution about Mangos! It is possible to be very allergic to them and the juice from the skin is the worst part. It will manifest itself with blisters similar to a case of poison oak.

It appears that there are two varieties that are called "Apple Mango", one from the Philippines and one from Japan. But the care should be the same as any other mango tree. Kathleen's advice looks good to me.

I wouldn't put anything with the name of "tree" next to the houses foundation. I have seen many that have regretted it.

Yes, It will take 3 years for you for get fruit.

Hardiness Zone: 10a

By Katherine from Beverly Hills, CA

Answers:

Growing a Mango Tree

I know for sure that most of these fruit can be taken down when a fairly big size and eaten as raw mangoes.
You don't need to pluck any mangoes off. (07/14/2010)

By vidya dixit

Growing a Mango Tree

I used a damp paper towel to root some mango pits and even some avocado stones.
(08/21/2010)

By Sharon

I have two tropical fruit trees a Mango and a Guava. They are still in pots. I have not planted them in the ground yet. I am waiting for at least 60 degrees at night.

I put them outside in daylight and bring into garage at night. I've wrapped the roots in black plastic to protect from a cold snap. Because it still goes down to 40 degrees at night here I use a plant light at night. I may have put too much Miracle Gro on them. The leaves are dying even though the stem is still green.

Hardiness Zone: 9a

By Sally Sablan from Manteca, CA

I grew a mango sapling from a seed. However, I didn't bring it in last night and we had our first hard frost. I immediately brought it in this morning, but the leaves began to curl and the trunk started turning brown. Once again, this happened when I brought it in.

Can I salvage the tree?

Hardiness Zone: 8a

By Janet from Kennesaw, GA

Answers:

Growing a Mango Tree

Maybe it was the change in climate (from the outside to the inside) or just a delayed reaction to being exposed to frost. (12/08/2009)

By Jackie

I am planning to grow a Mango tree in Athens, Greece. I have carefully read the instructions that you gave to other people regarding planting the seed. I would like to ask you two questions:

1. If I eat the mango fruit, take the seed and plant it after 5-7 days is it OK? or should I plant right after consuming it?

2. In Greece we have a relatively warm climate. Sometimes during winter maybe for one month is relatively cold below 10 degrees Celsius. I would like to ask you. Do you think is a good idea to plant it in a big pot and keep it there until next spring so that might be strong enough and to replant it to my garden?

Konstantina

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