How to grow mango from seed at home

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A step-by-step instruction for those who dream of a real tree.

1. Buy a mango

Try to pick a ripe fruit. It is fragrant and slightly soft and leaves a slight dent on it with light pressure.

The color of the peel can be different, it all depends on the variety. The main thing is that there are small dark specks on it. This is another sign of ripeness.

If the skin falls under the finger, the mango is overripe. It is just right for planting, but it does not taste very good. And the smell is sour.

If all the fruits are tough to the touch, it's okay. Buy any of them, put them in a loosely closed paper bag, and leave them for a day or two. Adjoining apples or bananas will speed up the process thanks to the ethylene they release.

Instead of a bag, a container with regular raw rice is also suitable. Put the mango in it, cover with a lid and take out the ripe fruit a day later.

2. Prepare the bone for planting

Peel the ripe fruit and separate the pulp. Wash the bone under running water and inspect. If the shell is already broken, open it all the way. If not, it's okay. Just carefully cut it with a kitchen knife.

Remove the seed, being careful not to damage it.

Before planting, soak the seed in a saturated pink potassium permanganate solution for 10 minutes, and then rinse with water. This treatment will protect against fungal infections. Instead of potassium permanganate, you can use fungicides, which are sold in stores with indoor plants.

If the seed has already begun to grow inside the shell, you do not need to germinate it additionally.

Do not over tighten with the planting of the bone that was removed from the shell. After a few days, it will simply dry out and you can not wait for seedlings.

3. Germinate the seed

Wrap the seed in gauze, a small towel or soft cloth, well dampened with water, and then in a bag. Place in a plastic container with a lid and store in a warm and dark place. For example, under a battery if you plant it during the heating season.

Moisten the bag daily to keep the moisture constant and the seed does not dry out.

When the seed begins to sprout (usually within 5-14 days), plant it in the ground.

4. Choose a suitable pot

Take a pot with a diameter of 8-10 cm, preferably high, so that the roots have room to grow. Necessarily with drainage holes at the bottom. It will be enough for the first year.

Do not plant in too large a container at once. The soil in it will dry out and sour for a long time, so that the roots will lose air access and begin to rot.

5. Choose a suitable land

For planting seeds and growing an adult plant, a mixture of universal neutral soil (pH = 7) or peat with coarse sand in a 2: 1 ratio is suitable.

Place a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot so that it takes up about a quarter of the space. In addition to flower expanded clay, which is sold in stores, you can use crushed stone, gravel, broken brick and even foam, crushed into pieces of 4-5 cm.

6. Plant the seed

Punch a hole in the middle of the soil and stick the mango seed in with the root side down. It should be buried no more than ¾.

7. Water and provide moisture

Water the soil to keep it moderately moist. Excess water will not benefit the seedling, it will rot.

For watering seeds, and then plants, use only filtered or settled water at room temperature.

Cover the pot with a bag or cling film. Instead of a film, a plastic bottle with a cut-off bottom, always transparent, is also suitable. Its diameter should be slightly less than the diameter of the pot so that it can be easily inserted. So there will be constant humidity inside.

8. Place the pot in a bright and warm place

For example, on a windowsill or shelf near the window. If this is not possible, use additional lighting for indoor plants.

In warm seasons, take the pot out to the balcony, but protect it from direct sunlight.

9. Properly care for the seedlings

Water moderately once every 2-3 days so that the ground does not become waterlogged, but does not have time to dry out completely.

Lift the film every couple of days, water the pit and air the pot for 10-15 minutes to avoid rotting. The bottle dome is even easier: to allow air to enter, unscrew the cap for the same time.

After 10-15 days, and possibly even earlier, a sprout will appear. There can be several of them from one bone.

When the mango sprouts, do not rush to remove the protective greenhouse. A sudden change in humidity can be detrimental to a plant that has not yet matured.

If the pot was covered with a bag or plastic wrap, make some small holes for ventilation. Increase their size daily, and after a couple of days, finally remove the protective dome.

If the seedlings are covered with a cut bottle, open it daily for 40-50 minutes, and after a few days remove the structure completely.

10. Create conditions for the growth of mango

Water the plant regularly, at least once every 3 days. If the soil dries out faster in summer, shorten the watering interval.

Spray the mango with a spray bottle every 2-3 days, or wipe the leaves with a damp cloth every week.

In the summer, take the plant out to the balcony or outdoors.

When the mango is one year old, start feeding it 2-3 times each month in the spring and summer. Use a regular houseplant fertilizer in the recommended proportion.

11. Repot the mango and shape its crown

Transplant the mango after about six months, when it is already strong enough. Take a pot with a diameter several centimeters larger, always high and with drainage holes. To avoid damaging the root system, move the mango along with the earthy ball and add the right amount of soil.

Repot the plant next time when it becomes cramped in the previous container. It's about time - if the roots are completely entwined with an earthen ball, filled almost the entire internal space and are visible through the drainage holes. Another sign is a slowdown in the rate of development even with regular fertilizing.

If the mango is too long, pinch the top of the mango to stimulate the growth of the side branches. When the tree is more than a meter tall, prune regularly to maintain the shape of the crown.

Mango will bloom after 6-10 years. True, the harvest is unlikely.