Hands on - Mango

In the tropics, mangoes grow into large trees, but we're showing you how to grow your own mini pot-plant equivalent. It probably won't grow fruit, but it's a challenge. Good luck!

Preparing the seed

Photograph of mango seed being cleaned of its fleshGo down to your local store and select the ripest, squishiest mango you can find. Carefully remove all the flesh (you can eat this) with a knife. Take care! Ask an adult to help you with the knife.

Inside the fruit you will find a large, flattened seed. Use a pan scourer to scrape away clingy bits of flesh from the seed. Rub the seed with sandpaper, or make a small cut in it using a chisel. It is now ready for germinating.

Planting

Photograph of cleaned mango seed germinating in a jar of waterTo make the seed germinate, put it in a jam jar of water and place the jar in an airing cupboard or other warm place. Change the water every day for 2 weeks. If your seed starts to shoot, remove it from the jar and plant in a 10 cm pot of compost. Place the pot in a light place and water it frequently.

If the seed hasn't sprouted, pot it up anyway after a few weeks and put the pot inside a plastic bag. Seal it and return to the airing cupboard for up to 2 months. If kept warm and damp, it should eventually produce a shoot. As soon as it does, remove it from the bag and put the plant in a light place.

Looking after

Water your little mango plant as it grows, preferably with rain water. To make it grow strong, feed it with liquid tomato-plant feeder during the summer months. When it gets too big for its pot, re-plant into a larger pot. Keep doing this as the plant gets bigger and bigger. In the spring, after the first year, pinch out the top bud (using your fingers). This will stop your plant growing lanky and helps to keep it shapely and bushy. You can keep pinching out any top buds if you think it needs it.
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