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jun__gw

Cold Hardy Mangoes?

jun_
13 years ago

hi all.

I want to grow a mango in the ground without having to cover it. What is the most cold hardy mango out there?

Is there one that will withstand down to 26F?

There is hardly any info about this on the net, I'm hoping someone with experience can give me some suggestions.

thanks! and happy growing everyone!

June

Comments (33)

  • mango_kush
    13 years ago

    mango can not take anything freezing, we flirted with freezing temps this year here this winter. I had a tree in the ground that died, it wasnt established yet. my other mango trees went into shock but came out in Spring.

    puglvr grows mango in zone 9, she hard prunes down to a few feet and covers them i would put a light under the covering during the freeze nights.

  • puglvr1
    13 years ago

    Hi June, NO...unfortunately not! There aren't any Mango varieties out there that I know of that are more cold hardy than others. I wish there was...but they are all basically the same as far as what temperatures they can take. Usually mature/established mango trees around over 10 yrs old are more able to take lower temps...can sustain less damage, and not kill the tree...where younger newly planted trees can be killed or set way back with severe branch and foliage damage.

    They all have to be protected from the frost or freeze especially when they are newly planted or just a few years old. They can take short periods of 32ð or slightly below if its only for a short period of time...anything lower and long durations can cause severe damage or death.

    I have a good book written by Richard J. Campbell I bought it at (Fairchild's Tropical Garden in Miami) that says
    "The mango tree can survive a short exposure to temperatures of 32f, but temperatures of 30-32f will cause the death of blooms,fruit,leaves,twigs and branches. Extended exposure to even lower temperature can kill young trees and cause severe dieback of larger trees."

    Maybe if we're lucky someone can "graft" or come up with a more Cold hardy mango...it would be nice!

  • mango_kush
    13 years ago

    there is anecdotal evidence reported by northern mango growers that some varieties are more cold hardy like Neelum or Keitt but it is so trivial it shouldnt even be considered when making your selection IMO.

    much more important to focus on things such as a excellent flavored productive variety, and nice micro climate spot that is protected from northern wind preferably by a warm concrete house.

    or go with my universal recommendation for everyone. grow a pickering in a 25 gal. container and bring it in and out of the house during season

  • brettay
    13 years ago

    It seems that others' experiences are different and that there may be significant variation in the cold hardiness of different mango cultivars. See the link below:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cold hardy mangos

  • puglvr1
    13 years ago

    I agree that there might be some unique experiences with individual trees/growing conditions that might be exceptions to this rule. I have a friend that had a 7 year old Bailey's Marvel that froze to the ground this last winter in FL...one mile from my house. They covered with a sheet and didn't add any heat underneath. The tree was 10ft tall and 8ft wide...it was SO sad to see this beautiful large tree completely die after our brutal winter.

    I'm not sure if you want to take a chance and not protect it at all...I like the Pickering in a 25 gallon pot idea.

  • squam256
    13 years ago

    There is definitely some variance in cold tolerance among varieties and it had been known for a while. Here's a report prepared by William Carmichael that discussed the observations of cold tolerance during the freeze of 1958.

    The truth is that any relatively small tree will need to be covered in temps you are describing though.

    Once they get big they can usually survive some freezing conditions without major limb loss.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cold Damage Report, 1958

  • mango_kush
    13 years ago

    brettay, ive read that forum post before. I still wouldnt recommend growing a baileys marvel unprotected with subfreezing weather personally.

    Every tree is in an individual location and will vary, that may be why they think there freeze repellent spray is helping giving them protection when other posters have reported it definitely does not.

    Im willing to accept Baileys Marvel is noticeably more cold tolerant then other varieties, only makes sense Mangos vary so greatly in where they were cultivated and Baileys marvel may be from a more Northern Indian mango.

    I still wouldnt sleep good on a freezing night knowing i had an unprotected mango tree in my yard, which is why i dont consider any mango "cold hardy" maybe relative to other mango varieties, but not enough to be grown too far out from the sub-tropics.

    Baileys Marvel is a difficult variety to find but it is worth growing. I hope im wrong and that it is reliably hardy down to sustained 24 degress, but im skeptic.

  • jb_fla
    13 years ago

    For what it is worth, I too have to protect all of my in-ground mango tree's. I do not protect them until the temps fall below 30f and I have not noticed damage at that temp.

  • mango_kush
    13 years ago

    Mango branches and leaves die around freezing. their roots i would assume would also die at this temperature and when the taproot dies the tree does as well. freezing temperatures require protection of mango trees.

    an older tree will have a more established taproot that is buried well below the soil line into the water table. this is why my not-established mango tree died above freezing temps.

    monitoring the ambient temperature really doesnt offer much evidence to cold hardiness, a cold gust could set a thermometer below freezing but the ground will take sustained freezing temps before it gets that cold that deep so you would also have to factor in the depth of root structure of individual trees. a slight freeze on the ground can actually insulate the soil, along with different soils, mulches, groundcover offering different insulation coupled with individual micro-climates. theres just too many variables without a controlled setting to make a conclusion.

    I have read the previous links and they do address some of these concerns stating their Baileys Marvel was in an unprotected field at sustained below freezing temps, but again others like Pug have had similar experiences in seemingly better conditions with discouraging results

  • jun_
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    so it seems there is some hope. I almost forgot about my Nam Doc Mai at my old house. it was in the ground and about 10 feet when I saw it last. ( I moved right before the big freeze around Jan 2010). But prior to that I never covered it for 3 years and it had only minor leaf damage every winter. It was in a very sheltered space though, next to the A/C.

    I'm very curious how it did in the last freeze, but I will prob. never know.

    I will keep looking, and hoping for that cold hardy mango...maybe one that does not exist right now.

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

    I have a potted Bailys that I admit I did bring in to the garage when we had a weekend of near or at 32f nights this winter. But it took every other nights 34f+ back outside unprotected without dropping a leaf all the SF bay area's winter,and COOL summer.
    And it has grown from around 3' to pushing 6' in two years,including a tip pruning in between by me. All in the same pot. Next year it's being potted up,or planted out.
    The only caveat? by this size my old Manila Mango had bearing sweet fruits.By 5 years old ,it had a couple of dozen. Bailys being a larger sized fruit..who knows when or how many or quality?
    I think if I add more ..I'm sticking with the dwarf or condo types.They seem hardy enough,and with so much more foliage on compact tree's its easier to protect in winter-or should be.

  • Francesco Delvillani
    8 years ago

    There is a debate abouth hardiness of different Mangos cultivars.....Most people claim there are not difference among Mango for that regarding cold-resistance....When Mangos become adult they can survive very light frost (28-30F), but for short periods..

  • greenman62
    8 years ago

    Francesco

    not sure if you realized, but this thread is from 2010

    we have had several discussions about it since.

    i actually got seeds from North India now. just germinated recently.

    hopefully next winter they will be large enough to put in ground.

    New Orleans can get winters with a low of 35, or 25 depending on the year, so, it may take a several years before i know anything... LOL

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

    I'm thinking puglvr had it right. There are no real cold hardy Mangoes. If anything there might more types that need tropical heat to taste right.

    As I grow them on the edgiest of edges and make a huge stretch to call them tree's,I do get ripe fruit. They can look perfect at 34f temps,be dead at 32f. So,I would always try to protect when you feel those sharp nights in the air.

  • Francesco Delvillani
    8 years ago

    Opss the thread is old....anyway the topic is still helpfull...Did North India develop cold Hardy Mangos Cultivars? What's their names?

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    8 years ago

    I use a product called Cloud Cover when freezing temps are predicted. I also use it on hot dry days. I use it on all freeze sensitive plants like figs, mangos, macadamia and avocados. It protects the leaves and helps them hold moisture in. It is organic.

    We are in a microclimate here, and I can hear the turbines go on in the citrus orchards in the valley below at least 4 times yearly. It does freeze there, but not often here. Weird. The temps may be 35 here and too warm for snow, but snow falls every winter. It never sticks. I think the high clouds lurking around the mountain resort above us just drop snow anyway. The snow does stick up there.

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

    BTW- If you type in to google "small mango fruit",you might find the blog that is in India and she has photos of herself collecting very small wild mango fruit and fruit in odd shapes..wild tree's Maybe they can take more cold also?

    oh,and she used the small sour Mangoes for cooking. Any mango fruit is a good one.

  • Francesco Delvillani
    8 years ago

    Suzi AKA....why for Fig?? Ficus carica is not tropical, it doesn't suffer the cold...I mean in 9b it will never die for cold....it's a mediterranean tree and withstands 10 F without damage...

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    8 years ago

    Francesco, I have many rare varieties of figs, and I'm just cautious. Some do not withstand freezes at all. Others are OK with a little.

  • greenman62
    8 years ago

    Francesco Delvillani

    the ones in North india are called Chausa, Dashehari and Langra

    Himachal Pradesh is the providence in Northern India that grows mango.

    http://www.fruitipedia.com/Mango.htm

    Bombay Green and Fazli

    The fact that the tree may thrive in a given locality and yet fail to produce fruit should always be kept in mind. It may be considered as proven that the mango will be prolific only in regions subjected to a considerable dry season. On the moist north side of Porto Rico the trees grow luxuriantly, but they are not nearly so prolific nor is the fruit of such good quality as on the dry south side, and in the very dry region about Yauco and at Cabo Rojo the fruit seemed at its best,


    Read more: http://chestofbooks.com/gardening-horticulture/fruit/Tropical-And-Subtropical-Fruits/Mango-Climate-And-Soil.html#.VeyRxhGrSJA#ixzz3kzM3ggRG

    In certain areas of southern Thailand and India, excessive vegetative growth and drop of owers occur due to heavy and prolonged rainfallb

    Mango is a day neutral plant whose owering is unaected by photoperiod. Studies revealed that the eect of cool temperature on owering is independent on photoperiod (Nunez-Elisea and Davenport 1995) and the developmental fate of mango buds is strongly inuenced by

    Rajan78cool night temperatures (15°C) followed by <20°C day temperature (Ou 1980 and 1982)

    In addition, a prerequisite for successful mango production is the absence of rain during the owering period. Moist and humid atmosphere washes pollen and encourages insect pests and diseases, and also interferes with the activity of pollinators. Rain, heavy dew or foggy weather during the blooming season stimulate tree growth but interfere with ower production and encourage diseases of the inorescence

    Therefore, the commercial varieties of a region behave dierently when grown in other agroclimatic zones of the country. North Indian varieties like Chausa do not ower and fruit in Western Ghats. Alphonso, the most important commercial variety of Western Ghats, fails to perform under North Indian conditions. Certain varieties, however, have a much wider adaptability, e.g. Langra of North India and Banglora and Neelum of South India (Yadava and Rajan 1993).In contrast to Indian varieties, Floridian varieties like Tommy Atkins have beer adaptability and can be grown in a wide range of climatic conditions ranging from sub-tropical humid, tropical dry to tropical moist vegetation areas. Because of wider climatic adaptation, Floridian varieties have become common in new mango growing countries. However, in tropical rainforest vegetation conditions of Asia, their popularity among growers is less as compared to that in Australia, Africa and Latin American countries.


    http://www.academia.edu/5000793/Tropical_Fruit_Tree_Species_and_Climate_Change_Phenological_Responses_to_Temperature_and_Rainfall_A_Case_Study_of_Mango



  • Francesco Delvillani
    8 years ago

    Thanks, i knew Mango needs a dry or cold period to flower....however, do you know Mango that can withstand low freeze? -2/-3° C? Is it possibile?

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    We had a -1C this year. No damage,not protected,in ground. In 2007 we were -2c,killed a Manila to the ground in a large pot. So,hard to compare a sturdy young plant in ground with a potted plant. But,those were the results.

    I can tell you- Baileys was a very sweet Mango and very fast vertical grower. Very.

  • Francesco Delvillani
    8 years ago

    If it's not growing adult Mango can survive very light frost..or so i read, but it's a risk....time of frost may do the difference...try is the only way to know..

  • nighthawk0911
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I have 6-7 year old Carrie & Valencia Pride trees that were 15 gallon/3 year old trees? when planted. They have survived occasional routine Florida 9B nights to the mid 20's without major issue without ever having any protection in their lives.

    The issue is usually with new small trees. Buy & plant your trees as soon as the first frost is over and buy the biggest tree you can afford if you want to maximize your chances.

    Another issue is with production. Some of the more reliable fruit producers have flowers that are a bit more fold hardy also - or it at least seems that way.

  • Juan Casero (Zone 9b/Brevard, FL)
    4 years ago

    Supposedly the Glenn Mango tree can tolerate short stints down to 26 oF but you will encounter from branch die back. I can attest to this because I live in Florida Zone 9b and I have a weather station in my home orchard. In the winter of 2017/2018 we had temps drop to a few degrees below freezing for about 2-3 hours. I had two Glenn Mango trees and two Alphonso Mango trees all of which survived *but* suffered branch die back and many burnt/dropped leaves. They weren't that big either. The Glenn trees were about 3-4 years old and 2 years in the ground in my yard. The Alphonso probably 2-3 years old with 1-2 years in the ground in my yard. Because of the die back and because I need the space to put something more cold tolerant in the spring of 2018 I replanted all my mango trees next to a southwest facing concrete block and stucco wall of my house. The transplant itself killed one of my Alphonso mango trees and nearly killed off the smallest of the two Glenn mango trees. I managed to keep it alive after recognizing my planting mistake. Basically I had put them on a slope and not realized that all the water was washing off and not soaking the roots of the trees. I corrected it by laying rocks and bricks in a circular pattern around the trees and using earth to plug in the gaps. That allowed the water to stay level near the base of the trees and they eventually recovered. The following video from a mango farmer and vendor in south Florida illustrates some mango trees can work in areas with light freezes


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIwZsDRRqEA



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

    A9b in Florida is fine..more or less. So,you don't get huge tree's like south Florida but you get them big enough,fast enough to give fruit. In those areas,you might even prune them into small tree's..it's said that those kind of trees can take more cold than normal.

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

    After all these years? I think rather than looking for "cold tolerant mangoes"? Your better off getting the variety that grows FASTEST in your climate. The faster it grows,the more branches it makes,the thicker trunk...all that makes for a "hardy" Mango in your climate.

  • Álvaro Silva
    3 years ago

    Hi,

    i Want to share what i read about mango hardiness. This part of the information on the websit "Canarius offers a selection of varieties better adapted to non tropical climates, grafted on a the hardy rootstock “Gomera-1″. You can buy young trees in the shop. Mango will effortlessly grow and fruit outdoors in warm Mediterranean Climates, such as coastal areas of Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece. Adult plants resist short freezes at -4°C (25°F), but young trees are more sensitive. Mango is the third most important tropical crop in the Canary Islands, after banana and avocado".

    https://www.canarius.com/blog/mango-varieties-sold-by-canarius-for-mediterranean-and-subtropical-climates/260/ 

    Greetings from Portugal

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

    I get a 404 error.

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    When we were a 9b here in the bay area,Mangoes were not grown. Now,that it's a 10a from urban and global warming,They last. In the 70's that would only have been a dream.

    The Canaries are a z11a so I'm not sure why Gomera is really even needed. I think it's a good selection there if it thrives in low rainfall and bare low nutrient soils. But,Coconut palms are grown in the Canary's close to the beaches. Not much of a test for Mangoes!

  • HU-879927275
    2 years ago

    The cold-hardy Gomera-1 Mango Tree


    Gomera-1 is a hardy variety of Mango suited to a coastal Mediterranean climate. It is used as a rootstock for grafting other cultivars of mango, because the roots of Gomera-1 grow better in colder or dryer areas and improve the cold-hardiness of the plant.


    https://www.canarius.com/blog/the-cold-hardy-gomera-1-mango-tree/309/

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