How to Plant a Mango Seed: 7 Tips & Tricks (With Pictures)

The mango tree is beautiful, but it can be expensive to purchase at a home improvement and gardening store. The good news is that there is a cheaper alternative. By using a mango you buy at the store, you can plant a mango tree from the seed.

How do you plant a mango seed? In this article, you will find out. Keep reading to learn over 7 steps, tips, and tricks for planting a mango seed.

Why Plant a Mango Seed?

Before we dive into how to plant a mango seed, it’s important to understand the benefits of doing so.

Unfortunately, mango trees planted from the seed rarely grow fruit. You will have to get a grafted mango tree, which can take 3–5 years before flowering and fruiting. With the method below, you will have a beautiful tree, just without the fruit.

Although it certainly is a bummer that you won’t get the fruit, this tree will make a great addition to your home. The indoor plant will look exotic and breathtaking, but it is also easy to care for.

What You’ll Need

The 7 Steps on How to Plant a Mango Seed

1. Buy a Ripe Mango

The first step in the journey is to buy ripe mangoes. The purpose of this step is to give you access to the mango seeds. Inside every mango is a seed. You can head over to your local grocery store to pick out mangoes.

Try to pick out mangoes that are already super ripe. If the mangoes aren’t ripe yet, the seeds may not be mature enough to grow. If there are no ripe mangoes, don’t move on to the next steps until the mango has properly ripened up in your home.

2. Remove the Husk From the Mango

After the mangoes have properly ripened up, it’s time to remove the husk from the center of the mango. The husk is the container that the seed is held in. You should be able to slice open the mango. Don’t waste the mango, either. Enjoy its delicious flavor while removing the husk.

3. Clean and Dry the Husk

Once you have enjoyed the flavor of this sweet mango, it’s time to get back to work. Rinse off the husk and try to remove the pulp. The best way to do this is to hold the husk under a flow of tap water. Grab a soft bristle toothbrush and scrub the pulp off.

You need to allow the husk to dry at this point. Hand dry the husk using a towel and set it aside for a couple of days to air dry further. Don’t wait longer than 2 days because the seed may go bad.

4. Remove the Seed From the Husk

You now need to remove the seed from the husk. To do this, grab scissors and cut along the outside edges of the husk. Do not cut directly through the husk or else you will damage the seed. Once the outside edges are cut away, pry the husk open, but try not to damage the seed.

Note that you will need to have some heavy-duty scissors for this task. Paper or fabric scissors will not do. Leather scissors or other scissors designed for heavy-duty materials are needed.

5. Clean Off the Seed

Once you remove the seed from the husk, take your time to clean it off. Be very gentle because you don’t want to damage the seed. If your seed appears shriveled and rotten, you’ll need to start the process over with a new mango.

6. Sprout the Seed

If all checks out on your current seed, it’s time to get sprouting. Dampen some paper towels, but make sure they are not soaking wet. Wrap each seed in a damp cloth and place the wrapped seed in a plastic wrap or plastic bag container. Place that container in a dry, dark area. Your kitchen cupboard will be best.

Go to your phone and set a timer or a reminder to check on the seed every 3 days. You will likely need to wait several weeks before the sprouting is long enough to plant. You need the sprouting to be 2–3 inches long before planting.

7. Plant the Seed

The only thing left to do is plant the seed. Before tossing the seed in just any soil, you need to prep the soil appropriately. Fill up a pot with houseplant potting mix. Place the seed on top, lying flat. Cover the seed with an inch of potting mix and water it again.

Make sure to put the pot in a humid, warm environment. Because this is a tropical plant, it needs a lot of warmth and humidity. Do not place it in direct sunlight, though. Now, you just have to wait for the plant to grow!

Caring for Your Mango Plant

After you have planted the seed, the hard work isn’t done yet. You now have to grow your plant and nurture it into health.

Keep the potted mango in a warm, humid environment the entire time you are growing it. At first, you may notice that the mango leaves are a bit limp. That’s OK. As the mango takes a stronger root, the leaves will perk up. Continue watering the mango so that the soil is damp but not soggy.

There are not any fertilizers designed for mango trees specifically. You can purchase regular outdoor fertilizer but be gentle when applying it. You do not want to ruin or burn the mango’s root system.

Final Thoughts

You now know how to plant a mango tree from the seed. Just by following the 7 tips above, you will have a mango tree in roughly 9 weeks. Good luck!

• See also: How to Grow a Tree in Potting Soil — 4 Simple Steps

Featured Image Credit: amenic181, Shutterstock