Has anyone ever started a Mango pit???

I have this Mango pit on my kitchen counter. Been sitting there about a month. Have any of youz ever started a mango tree from a pit? If so please let me know the process. I so appreciate all the combined knowledge of so many thousands of dear DG members. BTW I live in zone 9, Hemet, CA.
Thanks for any and all help in advance,
Sylvia

I went through about fifty mangos before I got two trees sprouted . I started with fresh seeds and found the overripe ones started better . They had already swelled and started to put out a tiny root . I would like to help you further but can't because I'm not that successful , except that I did use a reptile heat pad on the bottom and of course took the outside shell off as recommended , carefully as not to damage the kernel . Picture follows

I will put them in the ground this fall in zone 9-b/10-a Just pray it doesn't freeze , last year was the coldest ever in south Tex , got to 25 three nights in a row. These are two different varieties bought in grocery store and are 2 1/2 years old

Mangos outdoors in Georgia? I doooooooooooooon't think so! Just too darn cold. A seedling may or may not produce fruit of good quality. Mangos are grafted with the budwood of the selected cultivar. They do not come true from seeds.

For all the information you need regarding Mangos, see this link:

http://www.fairchildgarden.org/livingcollections/tropicalfruitprogram/jackfruit/Growing-a-Mango-Tree/

Amy girl , you missread my post . They are going in the ground in TEXAS. Not looking for fruit ,just the tropical greenery. It's iffy even there in zone9-b/10-a. I wouldn't put an expensive grafted mango there .

Oops, I'm sorry. I love the fruit, but since Mango is in the poison ivy family, I am very allergic to the leaves/sap, etc. Enjoy it in Texas!!

I live in 9b and I just repotted some mango seeds. After I took them out of the hull I started them using a paper towel and baggie method til a root appeared. I took a pot of soil and made a hole for the root and layed the seed on top and covered with the paper towel, set it in the shade, and kept moist. After the seedlings were about 4" tall, I covered the seed with soil.

I know a person here that started a yellow variety from seed, that was loaded with fruit. So there is a chance.

Dane

This message was edited Sep 25, 2010 12:14 AM

dmtom

Your post is very encouraging. Thank you for your very specific instructions. Definitely worth a try. Hope to be pleasantly surprised.

amygirl

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

Thanks everyone for your helpful input.

Sylvia

The one on the far right is an avacodo, the rest are mango 4 diffrent varities.

dane

Dane , are you sure Harlingen is 9-b ? I thought it was 10-a or 10-b . I'm at Rockport , north of you, and the nursery says we are border 9-b 10 -a

It's just a refrence because of sub-climates. Cities are warmer than subburbs. Cold settles in low lying areas, bodies of water, ect. You are probably near rhe coast line where the ocean keeps you warmer.

The diffrence in latatude makes for longer days but not so much effect on high or low temps. I just don't take it serious, and you can always stretch it.

Dane

This message was edited Sep 25, 2010 5:18 PM

I streached it last year and everything froze to the ground . Some things put back out but lost plumeria , crotons . Oh well, thereis always another year . LOL I am going to get more Loquat tho , they liked the 25degree weather and stayed beautiful.

I started two loquats this year. I cut my plumerias off and put them in a garbage can in the garage. It freezes every three years here. How about there?

dane

It barely hits 32degrees the last few years . We had a snow a few years back but melted off fast .Last year was unusual and just got the farmers almanac report , supposed to be cold again this winter . We'll be there around the first of Nov and won't leave til first of April I'm from Tex and used to live in McAllen in the 70's. He's from Georgia , we divide our time back and forth the last 8-9 years . NOT winter Texans . LOL
I see you just joined D G . Isn't this a great place to be ?

I'm glad I found it. Have learned alot, alot of info here. I got subscriptions for my kids and mom. Mom really likes it.

dane

Ran across this at PF

Positive WalterT On Apr 25, 2004, WalterT from San Diego, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
The marvelous Mango ! When tree ripened there is nothing better.However, beware! The mango is in the same botanical family as poison oak/ivy. After eating mango be sure to wash your face and hands carefully. If some mango juice stays on your skin and you are sensitive to it, you will break out in an itchy rash in a few days. Here in Southern California mango has been grown for decades in many frost-free areas. Trees grown from seed take about 5 years to begin producing and sometimes the fruit can be delicious. The best mangoes on the market here come from the miles of orchards in Mexico south of Mazatlan on the Pacific coast.
Fruit from South America has to be picked very green (and hard) to stand the long voyage to the U.S. and is rarely as delicious as that from Mexico. The best varieties we get are Hayden, Kent and Keitt with Tommy Atkins a bit fibrous. Try to find fruit that has begun to soften and is fragrant. The seed is shaped like a huge lima bean so slice off the flesh from each side, cup it in one hand and eat it with a spoon. Clean off the seed as much as possible, let it dry for a couple of days and then very carefully open the husk. If the seed has begun to spoil in any way (turning black) don't use it.
Plant it standing edgewise with the round side up and not quite covered with dirt. The root will start to grow from one end of the seed in a few days if kept at around 75 degrees and grow rapidly using the nourishment in the seed. The sprout and the root grow from the same end of the seed. The tap root needs plenty of room to grow so start out with a deep pot. Another way (which I prefer) to start a mango seed is to very carefully remove the seed from the husk and suspend it in water with just the bottom edge submerged. The advantage in this method is that you can examine the seed for any signs of rot and also watch the development of the root and sprout. Since mangos are picked green to be hard enough to stand the trip to the US, be examined by Agriculture and bathed in very hot water to kill any insects and plant diseases, and on through wholesaler and retailer, not to mention refrigeration along the way, the chances for the seed to become spoiled are high. It is very disappointing to plant a seed in it's husk and never see it develop. I make a U-shaped cradle of half inch hardware cloth with "wings" on each side to hold the seed in the top of a glass or plastic jar. Make a notch in the bottom of the cradle at one end for the root and make sure the root which starts to grow first, does not go through the mesh. When the sprout has developed a few leaves transfer the plant to a deep pot or into the ground if your garden is frost free. Do not separate the plant from the seed as it is still used by the plant for nourishment. After about 5 years with any luck it should start producing! WalterT.

I don't understand the appeal of growing from seeds. In order to be sure that you have a delicious mango - it needs to be grafted with budwood of a known variety. Slinking slowly away....never to say this again.....

HA HA Amy , It is'nt so much the fruit altho a good fruit would be wonderful , it's the challenge of getting these beautiful plants from seed in your yard , especially when a grafted tree would break your heart on those years that you would lose it to frost. We do value your input. If I lived in Miami , I'd sure nuff plant grafted .

you can always graft a branch or two.

I have to get a good one to take grafts from .I don't know anyone that has them .I might get a small one from Turners in Corpus .

Digger - are you moving to TX or did you just forget to remove Dahlonega from your ID. I'd rather have Smith House food than mangoes - would you?

If you want fruit, to eat, you will almost certainly wait a long time to be disappointed. Buy a grafted mango tree. When I was a kid in Ft. Lauderdale, we picked seedling mangoes from the neighbor's yard but they were pretty grim -stringy. It would be about 10 or twelve years to get any fruit, but a grafted one can be fruiting in about five years. Get Tommy Atkins variety - the best for Florida.

....Tommy Atkins....there are much tastier varieties IMHO. The link I placed in an earlier post in this thread will lead you to a discussion of several varieties of mangos. Tommy Atkins was used for many years as the local commercially grown variety. Much better ones for home consumption.

No, not moving to Tex . I'm from there and married a man from here ,20 yrs . ago . I divide my time between the two states . Works out pretty good .It's a little cold in Tex where I go for mangos , and I'm not there to care for them in the summer, so my little seedlings won't be a big loss if they don't survive .I would love some good fruit , but the foliage will be nice, as long as it lives .

I'm still on your side. People like challenges and the mango is a nice tree.

In the old days you bought seed then saved it and didn't have to buy any more unless something serious happened. Now days they want you to buy new seed every year, giving business a big boost.

In the real old days Kings took great pride in their mango tress and would often steal cuttings from each other to add to their tree.

Mother Nature thrives on diversity.

My auto machanic has a large mango tree in his yard. He said I could have all the cuttings I wanted, so when your ready let me know.

Dane

BTW have any plants yet?

I'll be in Rockport all winter . I'll take you up on that .digger