Today, in Gardenprue, we are going to talk about the cultivation of mango or also known as peach of the tropics. Although it is considered an exotic fruit, you have to know that it is also grown in Spain and its results are very satisfactory. It has some advantages over other exotic plants such as avocado in terms of resistance and water requirements. So … why not cultivate it?

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN GROWING MANGOES

We are going to tell you a little about the mango to catch up. Its scientific name is  Mangifera indica,  and it belongs to the Anacardiaceae  family  (72 genera and 500 species). The fruits so appreciated in the kitchen come from a tree that certainly reaches great heights (20-30 meters high) as long as it comes from a warm climate. If it is a temperate climate, they do not reach that high, and it also affects their harvesting.

You have to keep something in mind, and that is that the mango cultivation in the garden has to be separated from the rest of the trees, since it is very competitive, and sometimes, when it is arranged next to another tree, instead of rejecting the areas of Shade generated by another tree, produces large branches to compete for that space, forcing the other tree to lean.

1.- CLIMATIC NEEDS IN MANGO CULTIVATION

In a matter of heat there is no problem since the mango lives in tropical areas or temperate climates . An average annual temperature of 20-25º C is ideal to achieve the best results in mango cultivation. As for the cold, it must be borne in mind that it does not withstand bad conditions like avocado would and does not withstand sub-zero temperatures, if they last for a long time.

2.- SOIL REQUIREMENTS

Mango can inhabit different soil structures (sandy, clayey, silty …) as long as some requirements are met. These requirements are to have a soil with good drainage ( if it is bad, solve it here ) and soil with depth for the correct development of its roots. A measurement for that depth can be between 80 cm and 1 meter.

3.- SUBSCRIBER NEEDS

To cover the nutritional needs of the mango, we can periodically apply compost around the trunk, which will gradually leach out with irrigation. As for mineral fertilizers, you can choose complete NPKs with a higher content of potassium, potassium sulfate, lime superphosphate or ammonium sulfate.

4.- Characteristics of irrigation in mango cultivation

As we have said before, growing mango requires less water than growing avocado . The conditions of the tree make them require a greater amount of water at the beginning of their plantation and at least it is necessary to be constant with the irrigation during the first 2 years. From here and once the mango is grown, it can withstand dry seasons well.

If we want the greatest development of the fruits, we will have to water periodically and not allow drought seasons in the tree (which although it can bear it, is not optimal). Irrigation must be repeated in the hot season and when flowering begins and the first weeks of fruiting. Consider that the mango has a lot of water and you have to give it easily.

5.- PROPAGATION 

Like many other fruit trees, you have to resort to grafting to get the best productions. One option is bud, approximation or gusset grafting, which can be done in spring or summer . It is quite complicated, so we can help ourselves with a good grafting book . When we want to produce a new mango plant we can resort to the seed, in which we must remove the pod. A special requirement for mango seed germination is that it has a good temperature. We can plant it in a pot between June and July and cover it with a plastic bag or glass, or in a plastic bag directly, preferably black. When choosing the substrate It must be one that has light characteristics and we must mix it with peat (half and half). eye! We cannot wait long from the moment we extract the seed until we plant it as it does not keep for long.

A SUMMARY OF EVERYTHING COMMENTED …

Climate: annual average temperatures of 20-25 ºC. It does not tolerate the cold.

Soil: deep and well drained

Subscriber : rich in potassium and apply periodically.

Irrigation:  important irrigations at the beginning of the plantation, in fruiting and first weeks of flowering.

Propagation : grafting (difficult), germination with seed in light substrate and with peat.

With this we can now venture into mango cultivation. Good luck!