Growing a mango is best suited to tropical and subtropical hardiness zones where temperatures don’t fall below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it are often tricky to grow, a mango can make a stimulating specimen when grown during a large pot outdoors or indoors. within the right conditions, this tree forms a dense canopy of long oblong green leaves and rewards you with flowers in December through March; the fruit comes three to 5 months later. Mango trees planted within the garden are more likely to fruit than potted trees, but small varieties suitable for containers, like a dwarf spotted mango, are capable of fruiting if they receive enough sunlight.

You can start a mango by planting a seed faraway from a fruit, but if you would like the tree in touch fruit, buy a grafted tree instead. The mango fruit you purchase during a grocery is probably going produced from a hybrid, and its seed would produce a sterile tree that can’t bear fruit.

Many dwarf sorts of mango produce a manageable size of mature tree. against this , varieties suitable for an outside landscape can often reach 60 to 100 feet tall. Planted from seed, a mango requires five to eight years before it’ll bear fruit; a potted nursery sapling should produce fruit in about four years. The tree itself is fairly fast-growing and may grow from seed to alittle tree in as little as four years.

Be forewarned, though, that it’s difficult to stay an inside mango alive for quite a couple of years, and it’d never mature enough in touch fruit. Mango trees grown during a garden or potted on an outside deck or patio usually fare somewhat better. Saplings should be planted in spring; within the garden, it’s important to plant during a cool season.

How to Plant a mango

A mango would require many light and heat to stay it happy. This tree reacts very badly to temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and can drop fruit if it gets too cold. Indoors, it are often hard to supply the plant with enough light to thrive.

Even dwarf mango trees will grow quite tall, so consider mature size when selecting a location for it. Dwarf mangos are most frequently grown in large pots, either indoors or on an outside deck or patio. The container must have good drainage crammed with loose, rich, well-draining potting soil. Don’t expect your mango to blossom until it’s four years old or older. During the second year of flowering, let it set fruit, but make certain to stake the tree so it’ll have enough support because the fruit develops.

Light

Young mango seedlings require bright light but not direct sunlight. Once the tree starts to grow and mature, it requires the maximum amount sunlight as possible, which can mean a potted tree must move outdoors. The mango needs a minimum of six hours of sun per day and preferably eight to 10 hours. It’s best if you’ll place it during a south-facing area. within the winter, you would possibly got to use a grow light.

Soil

A rich, peat-based potting soil with excellent drainage is right for potted trees. If you’re planting your mango within the garden, confirm it’s planted in soil that dries out slightly between waterings.

Water

Water regularly, several times every week in dry weather, but don’t let the tree sit with wet feet in soggy soil. The mango, like many tropical fruit trees, thrives in periods of alternating wet and dry.

Temperature and Humidity

Mango trees prefer humidity above 50 percent; mist an inside tree daily if the air is dry. Keep your tree as warm as possible and always above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Mango trees cannot tolerate freezing, and even at 40 degrees, flowers and fruit will drop. A mango are often grown outdoors during a garden in very warm climates where the typical temperature is 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If your summers are warm enough, you’ll move your indoor mango outdoors for the season.

Fertilizer

Feed with a weak liquid fertilizer throughout the season. Reduce fertilizing to once a month approximately within the winter. During the blooming season, use a fertilizer that’s lower in nitrogen and better in potassium and phosphorus.

Mango Toxic?

The pollen, tree sap, and depart the mango fruit contain urushiol, an equivalent allergen found in poison ivy, although not all humans are sensitive to mango.1 If you develop a blistering rash after handling your mango plant, wear gloves within the future and be very careful about eating the fruit until you understand your sensitivity level. The pulp of the fruit doesn’t contain urushiol. Never burn the wood, because the toxic oil is going to be present within the smoke and may produce a severe reaction in sensitive individuals.2

Mango Varieties

If you’re growing a tree from collected seed, don’t expect the fruit to be faithful the parent plant, it’s also possible that the propagated tree are going to be sterile and won’t bear fruit in the least , so it’s generally best to shop for a grafted dwarf mango variety if you would like fruit. Some good choices include:

• ‘Pickering’ develops into a bushy tree. you’ll expect it to flower in late winter and in touch fruit within the summer.
• ‘Ice Cream’ makes an honest plant for the patio, because it grows to six feet tall. When ripe, the fruit is yellow-green instead of red.
• ‘Cogshall’ is taken into account a superb choice for growing during a container and is claimed to supply fruit consistently.
  

Harvesting

The mango fruit takes three to 5 months to ripen after the tree has flowered. the color of the ripe fruit depends on the variability. a method to check for readiness is to select a fruit and sniff to ascertain if it’s a sweet scent. If you choose unripe fruit, you’ll place it during a sack to ripen it further over several days. Immature fruit is usually wont to make pickled mango.

Propagating

Professional growers typically graft mango trees onto rootstock, while backyard growers often use an air-layering method to propagate.

To germinate mango seeds, very carefully remove the outer hairy husk to reveal the inner seed. Polyembryonic plants, like the mango , have seeds with several smaller seeds inside, while other plants will have only one seed. This seed are often suspended over water, like an avocado seed, so as to develop roots; or it are often planted with the bulging side up during a pot of seedling soil. It should sprout within fortnight . Keep the seed in temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and provides it many water.

Wait to plant the sprouted seed into a bigger container until the start of the second season . Mango trees will grow into small trees fairly quickly (about four or five years) and might require repotting once they become root-bound or become top-heavy for the pot.

Common Pests and Diseases

Mango may suffer from some common insect pests, including mealybugs, aphids, and mites.3 Signs of infestation include tiny webs on plants, clumps of white powdery residue, and visual insects. Treat infestations as soon as possible to stop them from spreading to the remainder of your collection. As always, start with the smallest amount toxic treatment option first, getting to more serious chemicals as long as your initial efforts fail.

Mango plants are vulnerable to anthracnose, a fungal disease causing black lesions that gently spread.4 Seriously infected trees stop producing fruit. the simplest precautions is to plant a resistant variety fully sun where moisture will quickly evaporate. Extreme humidity fosters anthracnose and other fungal diseases. Copper-based fungicides can sometimes be effective against anthracnose on mango trees but they ought to not be used within 14 days of planned fruit harvest.

How to Grow Mango Trees in Pots

Most dwarf mango trees typically grow 4 to eight feet tall, making them ideal for a patio or deck. the simplest time to plant them in containers is within the spring. Mango trees require good draining, so choose an outsized container, a minimum of 20 inches tall and 20 inches wide, with large drainage holes. Because the pot is going to be heavy, it’s an honest idea to put it on plant caddie with rolling casters.

Side-dress the soil around the trunk with about 2 inches of organic mulch. Fertilize in early spring and water frequently but don’t make the soil soggy. within the first year, nip the flower buds to stimulate growth. Prune the tree in late winter or early spring to take care of it at size in proportion with the pot.