Wondering if you can grow a mango plant indoors? Yes, you can. It may never bear fruit, but it makes an attractive house plant and can be a fun project.
Mangoes are native to southern Asia, but were carried by monks and explorers to other subtropical regions throughout the world. Mangoes are prized for their fragrant aroma and sweet flavor. They are a versatile fruit, used in desserts, such as sorbets and smoothies, or in savory dishes, such as salsas and sauces. Mangoes are delicious fresh or dried.
In the tropics, this plant grows 30 to 100 feet high, making it a bit large for the home grower. But grown in a pot and occasionally pruned, a mango plant makes an attractive indoor houseplant with glossy leaves and a bushy, shrub-like appearance. Commercially grown mangoes typically produce fruit within six to seven years, although getting an indoor plant to produce fruit is difficult because of the lack of light. Mango plant flowers produce volatile substances which can cause allergic reactions or respiratory problems in some people.
To grow a mango at home, follow the steps below:
- Pick a ripe mango from the market. Seeds from fully ripe mangoes germinate more quickly than those from firm, under ripe fruits. A mango plant grown from seed may not resemble the parent plant or produce identical fruit. Buy a nursery propagated seedling if you prefer.
- After you’ve eaten the juicy fruit, scrape any remaining flesh off the mango with a scraper. Pry the outer shell open with a chisel and carefully remove the inner seed.
- Insert two small toothpicks 1/8-inch into each side of the mango seed and set the mango seed in a pint-size jar of water so that half the seed is submerged. Rest the toothpicks on the jar so the upper portion of the seed remains dry.
- Wait two weeks for the seed to germinate, adding more water when the water level falls below the seed.
- Once the seed sprouts, producing small white roots remove it from the water and plant it in a 10-gallon pot with good drainage. Fill the pot with a lightweight potting mix containing compost and place the seed 2 inches below the surface with the rooted portions pointing downward. Place the pot in a warm, sunny location of the house.
- Water the soil frequently to keep it evenly moist and spray the plant occasionally with a spray bottle filled with water to keep the evergreen leaves clean and increase humidity.
- Feed the mango plant monthly during the summer months with a balanced, water-soluble houseplant fertilizer, but withhold fertilizer during the winter and reduce water, as well.
- Pinch the top leaves off the mango plant occasionally to maintain its compact size and improve its appearance.
- Place the mango plant under grow lights during the winter to encourage fruiting.
Similar to growing an avocado tree from seed, growing a mango from seed is an unpredictable, but interesting, experiment. For best results, plant the mango in a large container and keep the soil moist. Try to simulate the plant’s native environment, which is warm and humid, and be patient. Mangoes take several years to develop and may never produce fruit.
Cant get my seeds to sprout. Been in water for over 3 weeks What can I do?
Charles, what I did was plant the seed in soil on its long edge, and water. Keeping it moist, and waiting is far better for me as I do not have the time, nor what to put forth the effort to soak, drain, soak, etc. It took a long while, maybe 45 days or so, and then I saw life. I planted 3 or 5 seeds and only one sprouted. This was last spring and now almost a year later my plant is 6-8 inches tall. I live in Missouri, it is growing in a pot indoors. I plan to re-pot this little tree in the early spring and place it outside in a semi-sunny place for the summer.
I would replace the seeds. Always make sure the water is warm.
bit old, but I put the seed inside potting soil, inside a 1 quart ziplock bag, add water so soil is moist and then put in direct sunlight (indoors). Usually a few weeks later, I see growth. I keep it in the bag until the first two leaves are about 3 inches long, then transplant it. Most times, I can get the plant to about 1 foot long, then it starts to die (part due to my not being able to take care of it). My latest tree is 2 feet, well leaved, with a substantial root. It will be an indoor tree as it gets too cold outside.
I have been growing my mango for 3 years. Good light and not too much watering have worked for me. I have another tree, Monkey Blossom, that I grew from seed that I picked up while walking around Waikiki Hawaii 3 years ago. Both trees are doing great here in Delaware.
I tried 8 seeds from mangos purchased from two different chain grocers and all 8 have begun sprouted within 5 days using this method: Take seed out of pit, gently scrape the side of the seed with a butter knife (itch it) , soak the seed in water over night, place the seed in a “wetter than damp” paper tower, and place the paper towel in a Ziploc bag. Check the bags every 2 days or so to make sure the towel is wetter than damp, but not soaking. You’ll see roots about 3/4 of an inch long before a week is up.
I remembered growing beans in junior school in a jar lined inside it with wet blotting paper. The beans were placed between the glass and paper. We then germinated the beans in a dark cupboard. So with this in mind, I wrapped my mango seeds loosely in wet (not too wet) kitchen roll, placed them in a ziplock polythene bag and put them on a shelf under my stairs. After a couple of weeks – hey presto! They had germinated. I now have half a dozen healthy, potted indoor mango plants. Easy peasey. Every one of them germinated.
Did you take the seed out of the large seed. You have to split the large piece. or try prying it part way open . At present my first is 8 inches high, and have two where the root is coming out and turns downward, and slowly the tree part starts showing up. I start mine in a small plastic container with papertowel stuffed in and the seed down in it, and keep it moist.