How To Germinate A Mango Seed
 (Read 500+ times)
By Glory Lennon
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The first few times I attempted germinating a mango seed I made the mistake of disregarding Mother Nature. A very stupid thing to do indeed but it’s not like I knew much about the growing habits of the mango. As it turns out the Mango is so persnickety not only to survive and prosper but also with regard to fertilization, to achieve fruition and for the germination of the seed itself that it’s a blasted miracle we can ever get the fruit at the store at all. All conditions including water, sun, soil and daytime and nighttime temperatures need to be perfect from start to finish for all those things to happen successfully.
So, how exactly does a mango seed germinate? It seems with a great deal of difficulty. I did almost everything wrong. For someone who valued her green thumb status this was a blow to my gardening genius ego but I did learn from the experience. What did I learn? That giving up is sometimes better than persisting. You’ll see what I mean.
I removed all the pulp from a chilled mango, allowed the seed to dry out overnight then I would plant it vertically stem end down in a clay pot watering it well and waited patiently for weeks and weeks, months and months until I gave up and dug the seed out to see if there was a clue to the failure.
Nothing untoward appeared to be wrong with it except it had rotted away. After many more attempts at germination with other seeds I gave up. So, the following time a mango made it home the seeds went out the window as soon as the flesh was consumed. I simply didn’t want to be tempted to try again. Into the mulch at the base of a ornamental peach tree the mangos seeds went never to be thought of again.
Well, guess what? Something miraculous happened. Several weeks later while pulling out a dandelion in the dappled shade cast by the ornamental Peach tree I found mango trees growing out of the discarded seeds. How the heck did that happen? Well, we’ll have to go back and consult Mother Nature for the answer.
It seemed that I had tossed those seeds outside at precisely the right time of the year when nighttime temperatures were no longer below 55 degrees F and daytime temperatures were well into the 80's. That seemed to be perfect mango seed germination weather. The mango hates to be chilled even ever-so-slightly. Very sensitive to temperature is the mango, seed, tree and all so, of course the first few seeds wouldn’t germinate for me as I had refrigerated them. Refrigeration renders the seeds useless and there’s always the added problem of you not exactly knowing if the mango you buy at the farmer’s market or the store was refrigerated even briefly before it got to you.
I had also placed the potted seed in a cool but sunny window. What was I thinking! The mango experts recommend bottom heat when trying to germinate mango seeds and dapple shade just like it got under the Peach tree. So, take out that old electric blanket or keep the germinating seed in a warm place to coax it further into submission.
You also have to plant the seed as soon as the flesh is removed from it. Do not allow it to dry out. You might actually like to leave some of the flesh on the seed to keep it from drying out. The way the seed is positioned and how it lays on the soil matters as well. I had planted it vertically so that it was completely covered with soil. It didn’t like that at all. It likes to be flat on the soil with barely a covering of soil. Press the seed into the rich loam soil within a pot and leave the top of the seed exposed. Keep the soil slightly moist but not soggy and it should germinate within 3-8 weeks.
In case you didn’t know Mango trees can get to be 65 feet tall with a 40 foot spread. That would be fine if you have a large yard and you live in USDA zone 10 or 11, the only two places in which the mango can reliably exist. The leaves of a new mango tree are rather pretty in a reddish, burgundy sort of color, long and slender and would make a pretty houseplant.
If you can actually get a mango seed to germinate you’ll have a nice little patio tree but if you intend to plant it outside make certain to give it some protection by planting it in dapple shade, away from wind and for goodness sake keep it warm. Good luck!
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For Glory’s garden visit: http://glorys-garden.blogspot.com/.
For amusing short stories and sundry other topics visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782.
For an intriguing novelette-in-progress visit: http://www.myspace.com/glorygarden
Ornamental Grass Zone: http://www.helium.com/zones/preview/2775
Tree Zone: http://www.helium.com/zone/2774
Harry Potter Zone: http://www.helium.com/zone/2767-harry-potter
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