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califo13

Need help with mango Toledo seedling

califo13
9 years ago

A Southern Florida friend sent us 11 mangoes Toledo to satisfy my fifty years of craving for it. I eat the first 3, they were delicious, and I had 3 seeds. I wanted to germinate them really bad so I could have my own tree. Since I had problems in the past controlling the amount of water, they either ended up too wet or too dry and to avoid having to worry too much about it, I decided to try to germinate the seeds by designing my own seedling pot using a couple of 1 gallon water bottles. I made it in a way that I didn't had to put water over the media itself. This way I just had to fill the bottom section until it gets full and the excess water leaks out without touching the media.

I got the pot ready, with 3 seeds inside, resting in a shaded spot with a lots sunlight. I forgot about it for 2 weeks. When I came back to check on it, and to my surprise, I found they had germinated with more than one seedling per seed and they were growing up really fast. In the past I only had germinated mangoes with one seedling per seed and they took a while to do it. Now I don't know what to do next. One is 7 inches tall already, should I transplant it now or wait. Someone help me, please. Thank you!

Comments (15)

  • sapote
    9 years ago

    ItâÂÂs hard to see the seeds to definitively tell if they are poly-embryonic seeds, but from the multi-trunk seedlings, I guess they are. Here is what I had done with my Manila poly-embryonic seedlings: I waited until the leaves are mature for harden off, then submerged the whole soil media into a bucket of water and carefully loosen the media off the root nest, then separate the root with minimum root damage to have individual plants. Plan the bare root into each pot with the same media and place them in humid warm location, or cover the whole pots with clear plastic bags for a few days.

    I want to learn your âÂÂfloating mediaâ method. It looks perfect without a single mold on the seed.

    Sapote

  • califo13
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you, Sapote... It's easy and cheap to make this type of pot but I think pics are better than words to show you how I make a floating media pot. What I like best is that everything fit without having to go out to buy anything. The tedious part is the time to drill the holes at the bottom of the media container.

    Originally, I used a top to hold the media, now I'm experimenting with the bottle bottom because it can hold more media and when the plant gets ready for transplanting the media holder will become disposable without disturbing the roots. Also, I'll be planting only one seed per container.

    Los Angeles has a very a dry climate, to simulate a tropical humid environment around the garden areas we have been setting up a lots of those chopped empty bottles full with water. It's becoming a mini tropical climate... It's working, we're getting more flowers and plantain banana. Even the passion fruit tree is showing bigger leaves and more flowers since the bottles were set up.

    Actually, before finding a way to use the Costco's empty bottlers the trash can used to fill up very quick. Now, all the plants are happier and we are too :)

  • sapote
    9 years ago

    I'd got your invention now, and it's a great idea.

    Do your water bottle "capacitors" in your micro-tropical garden have mosquitos in side? Drilled hose are smaller than the insects?

  • califo13
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    LA is too dry for mosquitoes and my place is about 98% concrete so I'm limited to using pots and rise beds gardens but, who knows, mosquitoes may come in and let me know that I have finally accomplished my goal of making a micro-tropical garden. lol

    Back to my mangoes... What will happens if I leave all seedling together on one seed, will that work out or will they all die?

  • sapote
    9 years ago

    I don't think they will die, but this will be the same as having multiple trees planted in the same hole and they will be leaning to one side and competing, lead to weak plants.

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    9 years ago

    Separate them. The longer you wait,the harder it is on the plant. But,don't worry- if you had two 5' trees in a pot you could still divide. Still,better to divide now so they don't compete and slow down..and also remove the smaller "trunks". Leave the largest last trunk standing per seed.

  • sapote
    9 years ago

    I think if you try to separate them now, as in photo, then the tender as bean sprout root may be damaged. I prefer to wait until the trunks and leaves turn dark green, and at this point the long tap roots is at the bottom of the pot and more flexible to work with.

    For poly-embryonic seed the smaller "trunk" is more true to the mother tree, and so keep it if you like the fruits.

    Sapote.

  • califo13
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The true of the matter is that I'm fairly new to gardening, specifically new to handling poly-embryonic seedlings, and I'm don't want to kill them. To buy myself sometime, I made an extension for the top so they could stay longer in that environment. The tallest seedling is 9 inches already. It seems to be growing 2 inches per day


    The 3 seeds in that pot are loving the environment they are currently in, those seed are coming up with a bunch of seedling, should I separate the 3 seeds to different pots before I worry with the poly-embryonic seeds division?

  • sapote
    9 years ago

    If it were me I will wait until the leaves are dark green.

  • califo13
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    sapote, I'll wait for the dark green leaves... One more question, how long before I can take the sealing cover off so they'll start breathing the no so humid patio air?

  • sf_rhino
    9 years ago

    For polyembryonic mangoes, does each stem form its own taproot?

  • sapote
    9 years ago

    Califo, you can take the cover off now if you wish, but continue to keep the soil moist by using cardboard or thick papers to cover the top of the pot to minimize evaporation. It doesn't need to be a perfect air tight, a little gap helps the air to get into the soil. As long as the soil is moist and no hot dry Santa Ana wind then they should be doing fine.

    Rhino, yes each one has its own root system with a VERY long tap root.

  • califo13
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Two years update on my Cuban mango Toledo... I wonder if I will ever be able to eat mangoes from this tree.


  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    7 years ago

    Seedling Mangoes take about 5 years (more or less) to flower. Works out better since a larger tree suffers no setback.

    That is plenty large enough to plant in ground. Just amend the soils.

    I would say you have an excellent chance to pick fruit off that one day in the near future...for tree's.

  • claudia4192s
    3 years ago

    We need an update on the Mango Toledo tree! :)

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