Was given a mango sapling-trying to take care of it

9 years ago

First off, hello /tropicalfruits/ ! I've never grown any sort of trees, much less fruit trees before, so please bear with me,

I just got a Mango Sapling in the mail from a relative that lives in Florida. I've put it in a pot with some C&S soil(with added perlite), and put it outside. My questions are general care-taking-what temperature do I need to be wary of to bring in at night, do I need additional fertilizer for it, etc.. I live in Zone 5, and I have overwintered succulents before but never a tropical plant/fruit tree.

Picture related is the little bugger. He still has the seed pod attached to his stem and roots, he's only maybe 7-8" tall.

Comments (3)

User
9 years ago
If you want it to grow, it will need a bigger pot. Remember, it really wants to be tree! They like a well-draining soil, full sun/all day and tropical temperatures for growth (65-90 F.). You can fertilize it eventually, I used something for citrus and (sub-)/tropical fruit trees. In the winter, dramatically reduce watering to imitate the dry season monsoon of its homeland (it's an Indian thing). They do alright in winter indoors (thinking because they have some endurance for really dry weather). In the summer, in relatively high heat, in full, unobstructed, daylong sun, mine gets hosed down every day but really depends on your particular conditions. Let it dry out though in winter. I leave mine out until temps start dropping into the 40's on a regular basis.
Becky
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the advice njoasis! How fast do these grow? I ask because I only have a small greenhouse(like those 4-tiered $20 ones that can't be left outside in winter) that I use to seed start in the winter, and although I would be happy to repot in something bigger, if I can hold off until next spring I'd prefer to(if possible).

I know I don't have a good setup for this bugger but I wasn't expecting a seedling.. and I know said relative would want me to take care of it, so it's an obligation now.

Good to know to bring it back in when it get into the 40's, and to keep it dry.. it's almost like my succulents, hah!
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User
9 years ago
They tend to grow in spurts but only in the growing season. So, in a spurt it might grow several inches or more (depending on the size of plant). They will suddenly push out new growth (which is a bronze red btw) and sit until the next growth spurt. Yes, you can wait till the coming Spring to transplant but don't expect any new growth this season. It will pretty much look the same.

(On an unrelated issue, avoid touching the leaves if you have a heightened sensitivity to Poison Ivy, especially if having had a recent reaction to the ivy. Believe it or not, BOTH are in the very same plant family and posses the identical oil in their leaves. Now, I get Poison ivy pretty bad (just getting over an episode), but do grow this plant. Just something to keep in mind, but my philosophy is, whatever doesn't kill us, makes us stronger. LOL!)