Mango is an exotic plant , native to India, which adapts well to all hot latitudes and which can also be grown in pots, starting from its seed. Planting the mango seed in a pot is a very simple operation that allows you to enjoy a piece of Tropics even on the balcony of your home.
Let’s talk about the plant, because for the fruits the speech is a little different. In nature the mango grows rapidly to become a tree up to 25 meters high, which is able to produce thirst-quenching and vitaminic fruits in quantity. In captivity this is not possible, or rather it is only possible under certain conditions: space and graft. But let’s proceed step by step. When to Plant Mango Seed
Perplant the mango seed the recommended season is late spring or, better yet, early summer. This foresight will allow the seedling to be born during the hot season and to enjoy a greater number of hours of solar irradiation. In any case, even when the plant has grown and taken root well, it will be necessary to protect it from temperature excursions using the same precautions used to protect lemon plants (eg covering with non-woven fabric). In winter, just remember to bring the mango plant indoors, as we do with other indoor plants. How to sprout a mango seed
Germinationof the mango seed, before its grounding, allows to sufficiently strengthen the young roots that will have a greater chance of taking root and making our seedling grow. A plastic bag or a food container is sufficient as an ‘incubator’. Here’s how to proceed:
- We extract the mango seed from the shell : a delicate operation during which care must be taken to clean the seed extracted from the cuticles, but above all not to damage it.
- We create the artificial housing for the seed: we wet a sheet of kitchen paper and put the mango seed inside it without suffocating it or squeezing it too tightly. At this point we place it in the food container, or in the transparent plastic bag: everything is fine, as long as it can be closed to keep the humidity level high.
- Let’s take care of the sprouted mango seed: the sheets of paper must be replaced at least once a week and must always remain moist (for this purpose we can use a nebulizer for plants). It takes a few days for the mango seed to take root and about two weeks for it to start sprouting. When the sprout is about 4 centimeters high and ready to be planted in the earth.
Mango seed: how to plant it
The root is strong and the sprout is vigorous: the time has come to plant the mango seed. We choose a not too large pot of about 10 cm in diameter, sufficient to accommodate the seedling and make it grow in the first phase of its life. We can later transfer it to a larger pot. As a soil it is advisable to use universal soil, easily available in supermarkets and garden shops , which we can enrich with homemade compost. Practical advice: the seed must be planted cut, ie with the root down and the sprout up. How to do when the root and seeds enveloped near the sprout
No problem, when we have put themango seed in the pot , the root will descend naturally. The fundamental warning is that the sprout remains out of the ground. Mango seed: how to grow it when it becomes a plant
When the seedling has strengthened we will have to cut the stem at the height of the first node. This operation will serve to strengthen it and give impetus to its growth. We place the pot with the plant in such a way that it has a lot of light, but not excessive direct irradiation especially during the hottest hours of the torrid summer days. We can check the state of health from the leaves, whose color must be bright and the appearance long and relaxed. The mango plant grows quickly, but a healthy and robust plant is not enough to get the fruit. To make the mango plant fruitful you need a graft and it is therefore advisable to contact a specialized nursery, alternatively it is possible to choose the seed of a local mango variety such as those grown organically in Southern Italy and Sicily.
