Mango is a favorite tropical fruit for many. It grows in Thailand, Mexico, Australia, India, Spain and America. In Russia, due to unsuitable climatic conditions, it is impossible to grow it in the open field, but you can try to grow it from a stone at home. From the article you will learn how to grow fruit from the stone.
Fruit in nature
Mango is an evergreen tropical tree with valuable tasty and nutritious fruits.. His homeland is East India. Gradually, it moved to other Asian countries, East Africa, California, Spain, the Canary Islands.
Mango is a long-lived tree. In nature, there are trees that are 300 years old and still bear fruit. In nature, mango grows to about 20 meters in height and more. In young trees, the leaves are yellow-green, and in adults they gradually darken and become more saturated, dark, large and reach a length of about 20 cm.
Mango blooms in February, March. Inflorescences reach up to 40 cm in length. The aroma of flowers is similar to the smell of lilies. fruit weight from 250 grams to 2 kilograms. The fruits ripen about 3 months, and especially large for about six months. All this time, fruits hang on long strong stems left over from the inflorescences, which looks very unusual.
The ripened fruit has a smooth thin peel of a greenish-yellow shade with a bright red spot on its side, turned to the sun. The orange flesh of the fruit at the same time reminds the taste of peach and pineapple very juicy and tender.
Mango is propagated by sowing seeds, vegetatively and grafts. Due to the rapid loss of germination, it is better to seed the seeds immediately after they are removed from the fruit.
Vegetative method is not so popular because of the complexity and low efficiency. Even when processed with stimulants, cuttings do not survive well. But the plants that have taken root also develop poorly the root system, which is not enough for normal growth and development of the plant.
In industrial nurseries mangoes are propagated by grafting. This preserves the genetic properties of the selected variety, preserves the crown habit, fruit properties and other characteristics.
Is it possible to grow from seeds, what is the complexity and will there be fruits?
You should not plant mangoes out of mere curiosity. Due to the lack of necessary conditions growing this fruit is a time consuming and long process. But if the difficulties do not frighten, you can start growing this exotic. What to do to mango settled on your windowsill?
- The fruit must be ripe and fresh.
- In order for the mango to develop, it is necessary to observe the temperature and light conditions, as well as the level of humidity in the room. These parameters should be close to the natural environmental conditions of the plant.
- Before planting the seed in the ground is selected appropriate packaging and soil. Plastic pots in this case will not work. Because of a strong and fast-growing root system, a ceramic container is best suited for a plant. The soil should be loose, well permeable to air and moisture.
Even with the best care for a mango tree, it does not bloom unvaccinated. Fruits appear only on the grafted plant.. If the city has a nursery with fruit trees, there you can get material for vaccination and try to hold it yourself.
Preparation of seeds at home: what should be, how to prepare for planting?
In the supermarket we choose ripe or even ripe mangoes. Remove the bone from the fetus, wash it well and carefully open it, taking care not to damage the contents. If the bone does not open. you should not try to split it (it can harm the future sprout), but put it in a container with clean water and put it in a warm, well-lit place.
Water needs to be changed periodically. In about 2-3 weeks the bone will swell and open itself.. Inside there will be a seed similar to a large bean.
A photo
Then you can see the photo of seeds:
How to germinate?
We wrap the seed in a damp cloth, put it in a plastic bag with a clasp and put it in a plastic container in a dark warm place until a germ appears, which will appear in about 2–3 weeks. We can not allow the drying of the seed, as well as strong waterlogging, it can lead to his death.
Landing
When the seed germinates, it is ready for planting. Before planting, treat the seed with any fungicide or pink solution of potassium permanganate. This is necessary to protect the germ in the future from disease.
Soil preparation and pot
For planting seeds take a large ceramic container. Mango roots grow quickly and take up a lot of space, and a large pot allows you to avoid frequent transplants.
Priming
Soil can be purchased at the store. It should be light and necessarily ph-neutral. In the soil with a different acidity, the sprout can quickly wither and die. Any universal soil with the addition of sand in the ratio of 2: 1 or primer for succulents, supplemented with small pebbles.
Step by step instructions: when to move to the ground and how to do it?
At the bottom of the pot we pour a layer of drainage from expanded clay, fine crushed stone, broken brick about 5 centimeters, then 2/3 of the pot volume we pour the soil, water it, and when the moisture is drained, we make a small depression not more than three centimeters and plant the seed upside down, if sprout has already appeared. If there is no germ, then we plant it with the flat side down. It is very important.
When the seed is planted, moisten the ground with a spray gun so that it is not too wet, then cover it with a plastic transparent container that can be made from half of the cut plastic bottle. We keep this greenhouse until the first shoots appear. After 2-3 weeks, the sprout should appear.
All this time we constantly moisten the earth with a spray gun, lifting the lid. It is necessary to remove a greenhouse over the future sprout for only five minutes a day to moisten and air the earth, otherwise the process of decay may begin and the plant will die.
Put the pot in a warm and bright place without direct sunlight on it. Excessive sun can badly affect the growth of the plant, or even completely destroy it at the initial stage of growth.
When the first sprout appears, the greenhouse can be removed.. If several leaves of different colors appear on the plant at once, this is normal. They can be not only green, but also darker, even purple. Do not pinch them, this can harm the seedling. When the sprout has proclaimed, it needs to provide the right care for further growth.
Prerequisites: how to properly care for the first time?
A sturdy mango sprout is not afraid of direct sunlight. The best place to put the pot on the south window. With a lack of heat and light, the plant will throw off the leaves. For successful growth in the winter and so that the plant does not stretch, he is given additional illumination with a fluorescent lamp.
Comfortable temperature for mango - on average from +21 to +26 degrees. Avoid sudden changes in temperature, as the plant does not like it. It will be better if the room has a stable comfortable temperature.
For healthy and proper growth, the plant needs regular watering two or three times a week. It is very sensitive to water shortages, but it is also not worth pouring it, it leads to the decay of the roots. Watering is made only with settled water.
The humidity level in the room should be about 70-80%. The leaves are regularly sprayed with clean water. For healthy growth, the plant is fed in early spring, during the period of active growth about once every two weeks. For this solution is suitable universal organic fertilizer. Additional fertilizing plants spend no more than 3 times a year with micronutrients. In the fall and winter, the mango does not need any additional feeding.
A transplant of a plant into another, more spacious container will be needed in a year. Mango is very sensitive to any changes, so do not stress it unnecessarily.
The top of the mango pinch over 7-8 leaf, and begin to form the crown, when the tree reaches about one and a half meters in height. Pruning is carried out in the spring and leave 3-5 of the strongest branches, processing cuts with garden pitch.
You can grow mango at home, but not because of the fruit, but because of its attractive appearance.. Observing the above rules, you can get a small exotic tree, which can become a true gem in the collection of your plants and delight you and your loved ones with your view.
