No exp. here (they only recently lifted the embargo on the plants I think) but I remember reading that their biggest threat is cold. So you're probably in good shape for it.

Guatemala City is the City of Eternal Springtime; so it is actually a little to cold and a little too dry here for the Mangosteen; my lemon farm will be better, but the tree will require a lot of water in the dry season, that is why I am planning to keep them here until next May. What a Mangosteen needs is water, water, water; and heat, heat, heat. We have a piece of land on the banks of Rio Dulce here in the rain forest, with a giant Mangosteen that seems to be in heaven there; the problem is I am unwilling to live where the tree would be happy; I am hoping to make it "content" in a somewhat lesser paradise.

I have three about the same size you have pictured, 1 is a bit more advanced. my experience so far with Garcinia mangostana, they can take a bit more sunlight than what you will read online, I had 5 plants and they were all about the same size, one I gave away, I lost the biggest one to my 2 year old, she pulled it out and broke the tap root, it never recovered. so thats one lesson there. sensitive roots. so of the 3 left, the one that gets about 2-3 hours of direct sunlight a day is doing the best. they like well drained soil, thats kept moist.

They are super slow growers, and believe that they would do better in the ground, they seem to sense the container, when i moved them to a larger one they put out new leaves right away. but then just stay that way.

From what I have read on the cultivation of these plants, they are usually planted in the ground, after a year or so, but under the shade of another tree, then after they are 4 years old, the shade tree is cut back a bit to allow more sunlight, eventually the idea is to get them used to more and more light until they can take full sunlight.

Your plants look about a year or more old. they will take at least 7 years to produce any fruit, and when they do, only expect like a few, and every year they will increase a little. they do not become commercially productive until they are 12 years old or so.

good luck

Thanks for the encouragement; I will keep them here until next May, then plant them at my lemon farm among my bananas, which will provide shade until they grow taller than the bananas. The pots they are in now are "huge" compared to the nursery bags they were in; and already one of the 3 is putting out new leaves.
I have been studying Mangosteen for about 25 years in my travels on 3 continents; but this is my first chance to actually grow them; I have planted numerous seeds, but never managed to germinate one.

Hi Johnmerr,

Looks like you got some nice Mangosteen plants there. I was just surprised to read that you said it was hard to germinate the seeds. I planted about 20 seeds and they all germinated. Perhaps everything was ideal when I planted the seeds that in terms of climate.

Tomas

Wow, Tomas, you must be a genius! Can you please enlighten me on how you planted the seeds, type of soil, depth of seed, anything special you did to get such success in germination? I would appreciate it; I finally resorted to bringing my plants in from Honduras.

Thanks,
Guatemala John

Tomas,

I did not know that Mangosteen trees were grown in Florida; if not, where did you get the seeds?
I once smuggled in some fresh seeds into California; but as always, I had no luck germinating them; anyway, would have had to keep the trees in a greenhouse there, as they die at 48 degrees F. You can buy the fruit in California, but it has to be cut open, examined for Medfly; and then flash frozen; obviously those seeds won't grow.
BTW, please don't turn me in to the USDA as a plant smuggler; they might grab me next time I fly into Miami.

Hi John,

I think I was just lucky with hot and humid weather when I planted the Mangosteen seeds. I kept the soil moist, and in full shade. I wasn't more scientific than that. You are right that Mangosteen doesn't really grow in Florida. I am doing it anyway.

Tomas

Good for you, man; I am impressed. Can you tell me how deep you planted the seeds? I planted mine 3 inches; it was the best advice I could find. The planting depth is the only variable I have not been able to find from my research.

Hi,

I planted my seeds just 1/2 inch deep. That worked for me.

Tomas