How to Germinate a Mango...!

Discussion in 'Tropical Gardening' started by Marley Farley, Dec 3, 2011.

  1. Marley Farley

    Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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    I have just been looking for something on my hard drive & I found these instructions.. I had mine for about 6 yrs before the weather got to them last winter.. Just a bit too chilly in the corner they were in.. :cry3: So I shall be starting another one next year... :thumbsup:



    :sunny: If you would like to grow one this is how I did it.. Enjoy your fresh Mango, after you have finished the mango take the seed and run it under some luke warm water and try and get the fleshy sticky string pieces of the seed.. let the seed dry for a couple of hours..


    you will need the following..

    pair of cutters or secetuers

    and a knife

    cut around the outer edge of the outer casing of the seed ( husk) carefully you don't want to cut or pierce the seed inside, after you have cut (clipped) the outer casing on one side. take a knife and run it down the centre of the husk and apply a sawing motion..
    [​IMG]



    [​IMG] [​IMG] it is still a big seed inside the husk..! As you can see by the lighter... [​IMG]
    [​IMG] leave to soak over-night in a bowl of water..


    After the mango seed ( kernel) has been submerged in a dish of water for 24 hours
    I experimented with 2 methods of germinating the seed.. Paper towel and put in a plastic bag, carefully take it out and wrap kitchen paper around the whole seed and spray water over it, make sure its really moist, insert the kernel inside a plastic bag & soil method in a plastic bag layed flat in soil on the side of the windowsill

    the seed needs light to germinate so leaving it next to a window sill or in a greenhouse ( if you have one) check everyday make sure the paper towel does not dry out,, keep misting it with water



    7 to 10 days later & I had this.. You can see the root developing..

    [​IMG]


    as you can see two growth patterns.. The root will find its way down and the first shoot then goes upwards ( as you can see)

    the hump part of the seed goes up. when you plant out you can leave the seed on its side it will sort it self out..


    [​IMG] [​IMG]


    A closer look at the hump of the seed, you can see the shoots reaching for the sky.. I then potted them up into clay pots..
    [​IMG]..[​IMG] [​IMG]



    The paper method and the soil method were both successful.. I started 6 mango seeds

    3 in each medium and all 6 sprouted around the same time frame.. They are now in terracotta pots outside in the garden.. They will not mature in our climate at all, but they make interesting indoor tropical plants. You can over winter them in a heated greenhouse but it must be above 10c minimum.. Or a heated conservatory.. :sunny:
     
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    • Bilbo675

      Bilbo675 Total Gardener

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      Good stuff Marley, I've grown them myself, its great growing stuff from supermarkets :D, I've currently got a lovely little Lychee tree, Passion Fruit, Date Palm and a Pineapple, also had some ginger growing but that's died back now; not sure if that will re-shoot in the spring, I checked the rhizome and it's firm with no signs of rot so fingers crossed :D
       
    • longk

      longk Total Gardener

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      Thanks for this!
      My neighbour has just bought me some fresh "honey" mango back from India and have wondered about this.
       
    • Marley Farley

      Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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      Ooh longk that sounds a must to try & germinate... :sunny: Those are the small really sweet & lovely fruits if I remember rightly.. Yes..? Not really imported & sold much in shops as they are so special, i think anyway... :D
       
    • longk

      longk Total Gardener

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      That's the ones! Golden in colour. They have a sublime taste! :yummy:
       
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      • Marley Farley

        Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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        :D Ooh enjoy eating them & then seeing if you can get a tree or two.. :sunny: Let us know how you get on...
         
      • sal73

        sal73 Total Gardener

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        my 2 mango plants died last week , every year i manage to germinate them with no problem at all , but for the 3rd year on the raw they die ....
        they where indoor on the window cill , start to belive that maybe is the light or it just me .....das anyone have a dicent size mango tree?
        ps I can easily get indian honey mangos , they are smaller but the most sweet fruit you will ever try.
        can anyone post a picture of an old mango tree ?
         
      • longk

        longk Total Gardener

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        Had no luck trying to germinate then last year, but turned over the compost today and found this.....................

        DSC_3119.jpg

        Honey mango that I chucked in there a month ago! My thinking at the time was the heat from the heap may work. I had forgot about it! Even when I saw the shoot my first reaction was it was another spud peeling shooting.
         
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        • Phil A

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          Nice one Lonk, I take it you're potting him up & building a small Palm House now then?
           
        • longk

          longk Total Gardener

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          Potted up and palm house will be done tomorrow!!!!
           
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          • Phil A

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          • longk

            longk Total Gardener

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          • longk

            longk Total Gardener

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            I have since found out that this is polyembryonic, as it has now produced three shoots with separate root systems from the one seed. Also, four more have germinated in the compost heap!
             
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            • Marley Farley

              Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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              :heehee: Great stuff Longk.. I also found the compost heap is pretty good at germinating advocados too... :heehee:

              Now we will have to see if you can get the honey mangoe through the winter... ;)
               
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              • sal73

                sal73 Total Gardener

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                I`ve tryed pakistani honey mango this year and let`s see what happen .
                and tryed a pakistani papaya as well considering the bad spring we had .
                [​IMG]
                and sometime I just through throw seeds in the greenhouse soil .
                [​IMG]
                 
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