Planting a mango seed in order to grow a mango yourself is not too complicated. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work, because there are a few things to consider and you should work carefully.
How do you plant a mango seed?
To plant a mango seed successfully, you should carefully open a ripe mango seed, put it in potting soil and ensure a germination temperature of 25 - 30 °C and high humidity. After about 4 – 10 weeks the kernel will germinate.
Where do you get a mango seed?
You can easily get a mango seed from a mango that you eat or use in the kitchen. The riper the mango is, the easier the seed will germinate. In addition, the core is much easier to remove from the fruit and completely free from the pulp.
Mangoes that you can buy in the supermarket are often treated with a germination inhibitor. It is difficult or impossible to grow mangoes from the seeds of these fruits. It is therefore better to use mango kernels from the fruit trade or from proven organic cultivation.
How to treat the mango seed?
First, the core must be completely cleaned of pulp. You can use a root brush to do this. Place the cleaned core in water for one to two weeks. This water must be changed daily. Then put the core in potting soil.
An alternative to watering the core is to carefully open it. To do this, drill a hole at the tip of the mango core using a sharp knife, corkscrew or other sharp tool. Pry this hole open a little to create a small gap. Under no circumstances should the seedling inside be injured, as this could prevent germination!
The right planting
Place a few shards of pottery or larger stones in a larger flower pot so that the irrigation water can drain off easily later. Then fill the pot with potting soil, coconut fibers or a mixture of peat and sand up to about 3 cm below the edge of the container.
To kill any pests or fungal spores that may be present, you can heat the slightly damp substrate in the oven or microwave to at least 160 °C for 10 to 15 minutes. Coconut fibers do not require this treatment.
Place the mango core upright in the prepared flower pot, leaving the top 2 to 3 cm still sticking out. If the seedling has completely come out of the shell, place it flat on the substrate and cover it with a thin layer of soil.
Germination
Spray the substrate regularly with water to keep it moist and cover it with foil. This keeps the humidity high. Place the growing pot in a bright, warm place, as the seedling requires temperatures of 25 to 30 °C. The kernel will germinate after about four to ten weeks.
The most important things in brief:
- preferably ripe mango
- Open the core carefully
- Germination temperature 25 – 30 °C
- high humidity
Tips & Tricks
The riper the mango, the better the seed germinates.
