Stuart, I won't let my husband see this one - he loves mangos but we don't have a greenhouse, or room for one.

There may not be any close relatives of mango in Australia, but they're in the same family with North America's dreaded poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans.

Some people who rash up when they touch poison ivy also get the symptoms from handling the outside of a mango. But they can eat the inside if someone else does the peeling. Weird isn't it?

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Neat, I'm going to try it, thanks for showing us how. I wouldn't have ever came up with prying apart the pip on my own!

I've been told that the best place to eat a mango is in the bath. Strange that such a delicious fruit can give off such a horrible 'gassy' smell.

Hi Stuart! Greetings from sunny Bognor Regis, England, UK. I've successfully grown two mangos in the past which shot up to 12-18" in in hight; both were in pots, and grown in a 'potting' type soil, and were in a conservatory; but both died off after showing new shoots, and I don't know why. (Incidentally, I successfully grew a pineapple tree which produced a beautiful and edible fruit.) Any advice on type of soil to use, an'or how often to water?

Hi, This sounds like a great idea, I am going to try it. However, I live in Lakeland, FL and it gets a little cold in the winter. Do you think I will ever be able to plant the tree in my backyard?..Thanks

I have two trees started myself and I am so excited just watching them grow. I love to try and make my own trees grow from seeds. I also have two lemon trees that I started from my own seeds; one in which I have had for 10 yrs.

Hi, I planted my own 3 mango seed about a month ago after seeking some advice on the web. I came up with 3 different ways of how to plant a mango pit. The first one I planted as you directed in Step 2, but instead of planting the pit in a pot, I just planted it like that in the ground with a plastic bottel over the top. The second one I planted in a pot and the third one I didn't the shell or whatever you wish to call it, off. I just made a little hole in it and have put it in the water, changing the water every day for 2weeks. Well, out of all 3 that i have planted the first one was to start growing first which I saw today. i am very happy, but my husband is a bit upset, because he doesn't want to wait 5 years for the fruits. I told him he can go buy more so that i can have more seeds to plant!!

I planted my seed two weeks ago and having grown impatient at the lack of progress it had made, I decided to dig it out. Horror! I heard a tear and realised that i'd ripped the root that had started to grow right out..doh!

Will my seed still be ok? I've replanted it in a slightly larger pot now but I'm worried I may have damaged the seed. Can someone please reassure me it'll be ok.

So you can get fruit from a mango tree planted in a pot? I've heard of other fruit trees that you just can't get big enough in a pot to get fruit from.

I might have to try this as I don't have a yard and I love mangoes! Just don't do what I did the first time I ate one. Get the whole peel off and don't try to eat it out of the peel. It tastes like Pine Sol :P

Try cutting the mango close to the pit, rest it in a plate or small bowl and eat it with a spoon. You will have to use your other hand or a form to keep it stable or it will slide all over the plate.

I loved your article on growing a mango tree. It is very easy to understand and I have looked at about 3 before this one. Do you have any articles on growing pistachio trees?

My husband died very suddenly recently. He lived in kenya and for a long time in Australia. He wanted his ashes put under a mango tree. Is this a better way to grow one than buying a tree that's been grafted? ( I've seen one on the web) I really want to do this for him and I'm not at all green fingered, have no geenhouse or conservatory.

I've been looking online for a good description on how to grow a mango tree, and this is the best one. Thanks!

What do I use as fertilizer for my mango tree? Edges of my leaves are turning crispy brown.

When living in Hawaii we swiped green mangos from the tree by the ag building. Wash the outside and eat the skin and flesh as an apple, or slice skin and meat. Tasty when green rather than soft like most folks like to eat them.

hello, ive GROWN a mango tree, its still very little but it has 13 leaves and ive had it for almost two years, i am so happy with it
the only problem is recently the leaves have started to brown on the edges slightly, does anybody know if this is because the plant has a continuos growing season and the leaves need to fall of? or if it means its dying and im doing something terribly wrong? x

Hely it's not a good sign and could spell disaster for your mango tree. The symptoms could be from a myriad of problems but the two most common reasons are an increase in salinity in your soil or over-fertilising. If the tree is in a pot you may have a better chance of success but the most important thing, whether it be grown in a container or directly in soil, is to flush the soil with fresh water to disperse the contaminants.

Just keep the water on the plant for a good part of the day until the soil has been fully leached. Then mulch around the tree and keep watering well for the next week or so. You should see some improvement within 7 -10 days.

If your mango tree survives then ensure that the only thing your fertilise with is organic products and steer clear of fish emulsions. But, I wouldn't rush in to fertilise it too soon.

I just planted my first mango seed today, in a pot. We'll see what happens.

I planted a mango seed right after eating it, and totally forgot about and less then a year it was five feet tall, and this year it has many flowers on it, sort of like grapes, but then most has fallen off, all but two and they grew to be the size of lemons and then we had a tropical storm here in Galveston, Texas and they blew off, now the leaves are starting to grow again, and the plant is about six feet tall.

Hope it continues to do well.

Interesting insights about mango tree growth from seed...let me ask, we have a mango tree about 18' high, healthy and well-leaved but it not producing blossoms or fruit...any ideas?? Thanks!

Interesting insights about mango tree growth from seed...let me ask, in central Florida, we have a mango tree about 18' high, healthy and well-leaved but it is not producing blossoms or fruit...any ideas?? Thanks!

where in the back yard do you recommend planting a mango tree? my concern is the root system.

5yrs ago started mango from seed in corpus christi, tx. it was started by putting the seed lengthwise in soil, with blossom end pointed down. since have moved to central tx and have a beautiful 6' tree.new leaves are a pretty mahagony colour and turn bright green with age.

Hey, could you tell me what soil is best use to grow mangoes in?

Stuart,
Thanks for starting the mango blog. Magnos are ok.
Some are much better than others.
My wife is of east Indian decent and she is from Fiji.
In Fiji is some of the best mangos I ever tasted, and many trees, everywhere and several varieties. Some bright yellow and smaller in size, and others that are very large
and are more long than they are round. These large ones, in my opinion are the best ever tasting, green or ripe.
When in Fiji, I would just throw a stick in the family yard or as they call it the compound, and hit a mango out of the tree and try to catch it.
Most Indians like the mango green, and eat it with salt and dry chili powder. Actually very nice like that.
I showed them all something I created from a sweet very ripe mango. You squeeze the mango in the skin then poke a straw in it and drink it, now that is good stuff.
If you like alcohol, then when about half remains, pour in rum, Fiji rum mate.
Then down the hatch.

We now live in southern California, USA. I recently spotted a mango in a local grocery store that looked exactly like the Fiji large variety, so I bought one. It was colorful, but hard, and we ate it green.
I got the inside of the pit out of the mango, and it looks like a little fetus. I can see what appears like green leaf
starting, but I can tell which side is up for planting.
The small side with what appears to be green leaf, or the Large side which looks like a big lump.
Please advise which side of the Pit goes down and which side points up, thanks.
If I had to guess, i would either plant it on its side, which also has a little bump on one side and not on the other, or put the lump side down and hope the green leaf unwinds and grows up.
I wanted to start it like an avacodo pit, with tooth picks and water to get the root to start, and stalk to grow up. Not sure if this will work or not.
I read other articles, it seems that grafting is what is done of commercially grown mangos and it is said that usually the pit grown tree from a grafted plant will not produce similar fruit from which the pit originated, but rather something jungle and stringy inside.
let me know your advices.
Jeeem

I identified the specie of mango that I describe the pit in the above post, it is a Keitt. Fiji is full of Keitt and other types, the Keitt is large and really tasty. I purchased a couple more and noticed the small sticker which identified where it was grown and by what lab. primuslabs.com
and this mango is a product of mexico, distributed by a company named Sisters.
I decided to put the pit in a wet paper towel and place it a plastic container with a loose lid and shallow layer of water to see which way the bud unwinds, and especially which way the root or stalk grow, not sure how to tell the difference.
One of my Fiji family members said, just put it in the wet dirt container with loose dirt on top, in any direction, it will grow upward on its own.

Once I purchased a couple of goats to butcher for Christmas, and I remember when we cleaned the stomachs, both the goats had many mango pits in their stomachs, and some of the pits were germinating with sprouts.
Maybe I should have planted one of those with good luck..

I am growing a Mango tree in a pot. I planted it from a seed. It is about 18" tall after two years now. What type of soil should I have it in? We live in Washinton state, and keep it in the house . During the winter should I mist it? Or have a light on it? We have forced air heat and it gets pretty dry in the house.When should you repot it? It seems to lose alot of leaves during this time. Any help you can give me will help. Thanks Darlene

Hi Stuart!

I live in Honolulu, HI. I have 3 mango trees in my backyard. They at rather large I can hug all three and my arms can't touch. I do not know how old they are. They only produce like five to six mangos at a time. I have seen other neighbors with same size tree produce ten times that. I dont know what I am doing wrong. How should I care for it?

If anyone knows please email me and let me know.

hftws@yahoo.com

i dont think its worth all the hassle and work & time doing it by seed. its better to just spend the $30 and buy a 3 gallon pot (around 4 feet tall) then waiting all those years to get that tall. but then again it is nice to start from seed so that in many years from now you can tell your grandchildren.. "hey, i started that from seed."

I have 2 very large Mango trees in my back yard, 20 feet or large. very healthy looking leafs, green. about 5 years old or older. No fruit yet? why.

i have planted recently a mango tree but i dont know what ingrients to give it to grow

How cold can a 2 year old tree handle?

Hi stuart ive had a grafted mango planted in my garden for around 4 years, it gets to the stage of flowering but the flowers end up falling off so its never fruited I appreciate any tips where I might be going wrong.

Ive had a grafted Mango Tree for 4 years and never fruited. it flowers well then the flowers fall off it also has a black spot on the leaves please help.

please give me the correct agronomic practises of growing mangos.

the description of a mango is the best ever known. Keep up for the good job

All this sounds great and very involved. I think that mangoes are about the best fruit out there and have been wanting to grow a plant for some time now. I recently set out to start a plant. It was quite easy actually. I of course ate the mango then I took the seed and scraped off most of the excess fibre from it. OK Now here's where it gets tricky. I then took the seed and stuck it in a pot of soil Theat has been sitting on my porch for about a year with nothing growing in it. I just stuck the seed in there with no thought as to which direction it should be facing. Watered it threw cut up banana peels and used coffee grounds and in about two weeks it sprouted. My thought behind this process was that mango trees grow in the wild without any help from humans. The fruit falls from the tree and rots which exposes the seed. Then by some miracle of nature the seed knows what to do. It's not rocket science. It's nature.

Hi Stuart

I have managed to grow 3 mango trees in my backyard. All of them are bearing fruit and its seems like they have stopped getting bigger. The color has not changed so I think its time to pick the fruit. Could you give me any tips on when and how to pick the mangos off the tree?

i thing you are right in fiji the mangos are so sweet i am from fiji and east indian too now i moved in edmonton albeta it is cold but will it survive in doors

When placing the pip vertically into a pot, does it matter which part of the pip is top and which is bottom? Also, there is a very thin skin that has partially peeled, should that be peeled entirely before planting?

how about growing a mango tree in the back yard that too close to the building?
that is my concern is whether the root system will affect my building?

ummm selvin i can solve your problem i live in fiji and we plant A TON OF THINGS

email me at nilesh.101@hotmail.com and if any one else has a hard question email me.

I have only one mango tree about 6 ft high and last season several baby mangoes appeared and all dropped off except 3 mangoes and they eventually dropped off before maturity. We live on the Gold Coast of Qld, in tropical conditions, should I water the tree at any time or leave it fend for itself?

Hi, I am living in Mcallen, texas, I plant a Tommy Atikins mango tree bought from a local store, It gives few fruits next year and the tree is about six feet tall. Now i am plan to grow a farm. Your advice please.

I have a mango seed that has germinated and is ready for planting. Please could you help and advise on how it should be positioned in the pot.

I have two 8 inch mango trees that I started from seed. I'm really excited that I made this thing grow and didn't kill it. I actually got this idea from your site, so thanks!

Don't plant mango seeds.
All quality mango fruit come from grafted trees. It is about impossible for any mango seed to produce worthwhile fruit. All mango trees grown from seeds are correctly called "Wild Mango" and their fruit is always inferior, usually small, fibrous and pine flavored.
The bottom line is you will grow a tree from seed, but you'll never get any worthwhile or edible fruit from it.

Manny, it's true that all commercial mangoes come from grafted trees but I think you've taken that a little too far with your statement that "All quality mango fruit come from grafted trees". All? I don't think so. Firstly, you need to explain quality because if it's just related to size and appearance then you're probably correct. But if you're trying to compare commercial mangoes taste with a so-called "wild mango" then I think the quality is sadly missing.

hi, I am munsif ali from pakistan. I live in sindh province of pakistan, and its district named mirpurkhas is famous because of mango farms. I am 40 years and throughout of my life i have lived in pakistan, but i did not have idea what is the correct procedure of growing a mango seed. i read following paragraph , but could not understand it properly,

With a sharp knife open the pip as you would a mussel or an oyster taking care not to cut too deep into the flesh. Prise the casing open and you will find a white, fleshy pip inside that resembles an oversized lima bean.

I think the mango seed is to be cut from the corner, so as not to damage the white seed inside.

i have learned that mixican have developed amango plant which can grow in five yars to produce mangos.

kindly send me pictorial information on growing mango seed on munsif_44@yahoo.co.uk

munsif li from pakistan

Mango is my new favorite fruit. I live in Oklahoma. It gets very warm here in the summer but also very cold in the winter. I guess I'm right that a mango tree would never survive our climate. That is too bad because I just planted a pip in my flower bed outside. What do you think will become of the pip now that it is under two inches of warm fertile ground? Amanda

Do you think that the mango trees will like the summer weather?

Will mango seedlings like the summer weather?

Thanks.

Dear Sir,

I have planted about 2000 mango saplings. Their age is 2yrs – 6yrs.

Additional 1000 saplings will be planted this year.

Drip system for sufficient water supply has been provided.

Normal chemical fertilizers such as potash, uria, sulphate is given to
these saplings.

I want to try and enhance plant growth so that they can bear fruit earlier.

Soil classification is normal and is also highly fertile land of a 50 ACRE
FARM.

IF THERE IS ANY TECHNIQUE OR TECHNOLOGY OR SPECIAL NUTRIENTS THAT CAN BE
GIVEN FOR ENHANCEMENT OF GROWTH OF THESE PLANTS. I WOULD BE HIGHLY OBLIGED
FOR YOUR ADVICE.

Regards,

Kishore Patel

Well it would seem that the seed comes from the grafted plant and not the host roots so you should get the same fruit. The tree would not be as hardy as a tree that had the 'wild' stronger root system but the fruit would be the same as the fruit you got the seed from.

i know that if you don't have room for a green house and it's too cold outside for the tree considering where you live, how do you keep the mango tree indoors? because will the tree not grow very big, so how do you keep the mango tree down to size if you need to or want to keep the tree in your house?

Hi

Do the roots of the mango tree affect the foundation of buildings ? If so how far away do i have to plant the mango sapling?

Thanks
Kartik

I planted 6 in some pots and 4 have sprouted...YAY!!

one requirs maxmum coperation when growing the crop.

I have a 2 - 3 year old mango tree in my backyard here in South Florida and it is dieing and I need help! We went through 1 fruit season with it, then all the leaves fell off one of the two main trunks and now the branches are getting brittle. In reading your posts, all I can guess is that maybe I over-fertilized it with a Mango fertilizer. What should I do now? Should I cut off the dead (or almost dead) branches? Is there anything I can do to save the rest of it?

thanks for the steps!!

First, thanks to all for your comments and suggestions.

I do no need some advice though. I have a 3 yr old mango tree that I planted in a 16" pot from a seed. It is doing great. In fact, it is out of control. It's 10 feet tall now and it continues to grow and grow. I thought the small pot would have affected its growth. What can I expect now? My plan was never to plant it on the ground and I thought that a larger pot would only promote more growth?

Your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks!
Oz
Houston, TX

>@pedro "I have 2 very large Mango trees in my back yard, 20 feet or large. very healthy looking leafs, green. about 5 years old or older. No fruit yet? why."

May be the two didn't get married yet! :-)

Houstonian. Seedlings can take many years to produce fruit, and they also grow very big. You and Oz could both probably do better by planting a grafted tree. Grafted = smaller tree, more fruit, tastier fruit. Good luck. I have written an article on taking care of mangoes that can be found at the included link.

http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/mango.html

I have a mango tree in my yard, purchased from a nursery. It has been in the ground for two years. This year it procuced abundant fruit, that was very small, but was good flavor, and smooth texture. It was so heavy laden that the tree's main trunk bent way over. Now that the fruit is gone it is straigtening up some but should I prune it, stake it or what? Will the fruit be larger next season or am I doomed to have such small fruit from it. I did cull several pounds of fruit out while it was till green and growing. What is your suggestion for larger fruit and keeping my tree straight up?

I live in Alaska and its kind of challenging to find things to grow in the winter; last year I rooted several Avocado pits. One died at 12" tall; I gave one away at about 24" tall and its 5-6' tall now and I have 2 at home that are both about 4' tall now. 2 days ago I decided to see if I could grow a Mango from the seed.....I hope I have as good of luck with that as the Avocados. Can anyone offer any other ideas that I can grow relatively easily indoors in a container???

I come from Africa- Kenya to be precise and i grow several mango seedlings for sale. When the seedlings are 45cm high, i graft them with scions from various varieties and they come into production within one and a half years!

I have planted three mango saplings and they are now about 3 years old (about 4 feet). I live in North Carolina, and it gets rather cold here, so I bring them in during the winter and bring them back outside during the summer. Eventually, they'll become too big for me to keep them indoors during winter. I'm wondering if they can withstand the weather once I am forced to take them out of the pot?

how close to buildings can you plant mango tree? will their root system damage the buildings if planted to close? I live between sydney & wollongong, will this location shorten the growth of the tree. I planted 2 x mango tree spring time this year & they have had 3 x growth stages. the trees are faceing due north. would appreciate your knowledge as to weather to move the trees from their present location or not so as not to damage the house. thank you for your help.
jason

When I lived in Hawaii, we had a lovely mango tree that grew so tall we had to purchase a mango picker. We had tons of mangoes each year. In fact, we had so many, we had to freeze the extras so they wouldn't go to waste. Our mangoes were rather large and turned red/pink/yellow on the outside, and orange on the inside when ripe. I haven't had such a juicy, delicious mango since we left Hawaii. I wonder if the tree is still alive?

Has anyone grew a mango tree from a seed and got decent fruit yield? Just started two seeds and wondering if its even worth it or if i should just go buy a tree from a store?