Mango

I’ve germinated a mango seed and have a little half inch two pronged sprout growing more nodes quite well. I have it in about two gallons of miracle grow potting soil and it seems to be doing well, I had to use the soap treatment on some whiteflys, but otherwise it’s fine. Does anyone have any tips or experience with tropical fruit trees? I worried the soil may not be the best suited as tropical soil I assume has more sand content. The soil has been moist for a while, is that a bad thing? I assume at this seedling point all the moisture it can get is good.

Offered by Aron.

Sand is present in the desert sub-tropics, not the tropics, and the mango doesn't 'like' sand, actually. It's a relatively hardy tree though, surprisingly, so that if it encounters sand after it's about six to twelve months old - that doesn't harm it, but it's not advisable to have sandy soil in it's initial growth. It's a much more delicate tree than, say, the fig or the palm. Constant moisture in the soil is also what the tropics are all about (the mango actually hails from India, where it's wet much of the time) - but don't overdo it, you don't want to 'drown' the sapling. Make sure to give it some fertilizer, your dealer should know the kind and the amounts.

If it's a 'normal' mango (not a 'miniature' hybrid one) - you can expect it to grow to a height of about 15-18 ft, and quite wide as well. It's not a bad shade tree, actually. If you have it growing in an apartment - you'll have to transplant it outside, with its soil, into an hole with some fertilizer, and make sure you water it at least once a day. If you live in the actual city itself and have a back-yard or something, remember also that 'delicate' tropical trees can get various kind of leaf-diseases just from the city grime and smog, especially tropical trees with wide leaves like the mango, papaya and avocado. Sprinkle the tree from above often in periods of no rain, and get treatments for the leaf diseases

Offered by Sol.

Though I don't live in California, I am a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers. It has a wealth of information. Plus, the articles in the magazine make it worth subscribing to.

Offered by Steve.

I soaked it for some days in water with B1 mix (plant starter/rooting hormone/wetting agent - comes in a bottle) the dicots split and started growth on each side. I'm assuming it was the magic bottle of potion that got the seedling started. I'm in a top floor apartment with lots of windows, my mom suggested the south side was best, better than the west facing side. It’s in one of those clear water containers with the spout on the bottom, so as soon as I see roots hitting the side I’ll move it, but I figure I have about a year before that happens as it’s only about two months old.

This was just your standard mango from the supermarket, so I think every one would have access to this possibility. I removed the seed from its shell, took off the layer of skin between and soaked the dicot in water with hormone for about five days. I think I’ve got lucky intuition, as I’d buried it a bit deep but after a few weeks got curious so I dug down and found the sprout struggling and white with the outer edges of the growth browning. As soon as I exposed it the brown parts dried black and the sprout turned green with the light. It’s now growing more little nodes at its intersecting points. I only hope I can keep it alive after the shift with artificial light, which I will test as soon as the plant is established and has real leaves.

Offered by Aron.