Grow a mango tree from the pit!

How to sprout and grow a mango tree from the pit of a mango bought at the farmer’s market or health food store.

Mangoes are one of my family’s favorite fruits, so growing some mango trees in my garden was a DIY project I’ve been wanting to tackle for a long time.

This year in June, which is peak mango season in my area, I bought several varieties of absolutely gorgeous mangoes from my local municipal market.

I figured these mangoes would be my best shot at growing trees best suited to the climate here in central Florida.

For those of you who live further north, you can still sprout and grow a mango tree!

Simply transplant the tree into large pots (rather than outdoors) and place on a covered patio or porch to protect the tree from frost and excessively cold temperatures during winter.

Growing a mango tree from seed has turned out to be one of the easiest gardening projects I’ve ever done.

I am 4 to 4 in my attempts to germinate a de-pitted mango seed.

Although it will take a few years for the fruit to grow, the mango trees are beautiful in their own right and in the meantime a lovely addition to the landscape.

If your kids love to eat mangoes, this is a fun project to do with them! It teaches cultivation skills as well as patience and responsibility as they watch the seed sprout and then tend to the slow-growing young tree until it’s ready to be planted outdoors in the ground or in a large planter.

Here are the easy steps with pictures!

Slice a ripe mango

In this short video from a few years ago, my youngest shows how to slice a ripe mango by slicing each half into a “porcupine”.

The center piece that is left after cutting off the ends is where the core will be.

Once you’ve enjoyed the mango porcupines, you can move on to the next step.

Remove the excess meat from the pit

After you slice the mango, there are still some edible fruit in the middle where the pit is.

Cut as best you can and enjoy with the porcupine halves.

Then rinse off the excess meat that is still stuck to the core with running water from the kitchen faucet.

Remove the seed from the pit

The next step is to remove the mango pit from the pit.

To do this, take a knife and very carefully make a small cut along the thin side of the core until you can open it with your fingers.

I personally find that using a steak knife works best for this.

The seed is embedded in the open pit!

Soak the mango seed

Once you’ve removed the mango pit from the pit, the next step is to soak it.

I put the seed in a small glass of filtered water and let it sit for an hour or two.

Some places recommend soaking the seeds longer, but I’ve had fantastic results germinating the seeds after just a short soak.

Plant seeds with uneven side up

After soaking the mango seed, it’s time to plant it!

Choose a small pot, ideally two to three times the width of the seed.

If your pot isn’t that wide, that’s no problem. The seed will probably sprout anyway.

I have never seen a mango seed not germinate!

Fill the pot with organic potting soil and plant the mango seed slightly above the soil with the side that is above the dotted line in the picture.

Water lightly every day

After planting, be sure to water your planted mango seed lightly daily.

Moisture favors the germination process. So if your home is very dry, some sources suggest cutting a plastic water bottle in half and covering the seed to create a small greenhouse around it.

Place the pot on a table near a window where the seeds will get plenty of indirect sun.

I live in humid Florida so I didn’t do this. I still got great results as all my seeds germinated within 1-2 weeks.

Replant the mango tree seedling

Once your mango tree seedling is about 30cm tall, it’s time to transplant it outside in its permanent spot or in a large planter.

My first mango tree has now reached this size and I will be planting it outside soon.

I’ve chosen a spot in the backyard by the water where temperatures rarely dip below freezing, even on the coldest winter nights. The site is also under a very large tree that protects it from any frost.

The most successful mango trees in my neighborhood are planted this way, so I figured it would be best to do the same!