Mango

Tree facts

Scientific name

Mangifera indica

Origin

South Asia (India to Myanmar)

Tree size

30–60 ft if left alone; most home trees are kept at 10–15 ft with a yearly pruning

Growth rate

Medium to fast

Sun

Full sun, at least 6–8 hours

Soil

Any soil that drains well: sand, limestone or loam. Never waterlogged.

Soil pH

5.5–7.5

Pollination

Self-fertile; insects pollinate the flowers, so one tree is enough

Cold hardiness

Young trees are damaged near 30°F; mature trees can be killed by a few hours at 25°F

USDA zones

10–11 (9b with protection)

Years to first fruit

3–5 for a grafted tree

Season

May–Sep

Water

About every 10 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young

Feeding

About every 90 days, Feb–Aug

Pruning

Aug–Sep

Taste

Sweet and aromatic, ranging from tangy and resinous to honeyed and coconut-like, depending on the cultivar

Nutrition

Rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene (vitamin A), with good fiber

Is mango safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

• Ripe flesh, raw or cooked
• Green (unripe) fruit, sliced into salads, pickles and chutneys
• Tender young leaves, cooked or eaten raw in parts of Southeast Asia

Toxic parts and cautions

• Take care: The sap, peel and leaves contain urushiol-like compounds, the same irritant as poison ivy. Sensitive people can get an itchy rash on the lips and hands; peel the fruit and avoid the sap.
• Take care: Don't burn mango wood or leaves. The smoke carries the irritant and can inflame eyes and lungs.
• Good to know: The seed is not eaten raw. Fresh sap from the stem end stains and burns skin, so let picked fruit drip stem-down for a few minutes.

Pets: Ripe flesh is fine for dogs in small amounts. Remove the peel and pit: the pit is a choking and gut-blockage hazard.

How to eat and enjoy mango

• Fresh, cut into cheeks and scored into cubes
• Mango sticky rice (Thailand) and mango lassi (India)
• Smoothies, sorbet and ice cream
• Salsa and chutney with ripe fruit
• Green mango salad, pickles and amchur (dried green mango powder)
• Dried slices

Mango varieties (29)

• Alphonso

  India's famous saffron-fleshed mango with an intense perfume.

  Origin: India (Maharashtra) · Taste: Very sweet, rich, aromatic · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium

  Struggles with disease in humid climates like South Florida.

• Angie

  A compact tree with sweet, smooth orange flesh, bred for home gardens.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet, rich, fiberless · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Medium

• Ataulfo · also Honey mango, Champagne mango

  A small, kidney-shaped yellow mango with buttery, fiberless flesh, sold as the honey or champagne mango.

  Origin: Mexico (Chiapas) · Taste: Honey-sweet, buttery, fiberless · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Small

• Carabao · also Philippine mango, Manila

  The Philippine national mango: slender, yellow and very sweet.

  Origin: Philippines · Taste: Sweet, juicy, low fiber · Season: May–Jul · Size: Medium

  Grows true from seed (polyembryonic).

• Carrie

  A small, fiberless mango with rich, spicy-sweet flesh on a compact tree.

  Origin: Florida, 1940 · Taste: Rich, aromatic, fiberless · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Small to medium

  A good pick for small yards. Eat soon after it ripens.

• Coconut Cream

  A newer Florida mango with creamy, coconut-flavored flesh.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet, creamy, coconut-like · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Medium

• Cogshall

  A naturally dwarf mango with juicy, low-fiber fruit.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet, rich · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium

  Good for pots and small yards.

• Edward

  A cross of Haden and the Philippine Carabao mango, with fiberless, aromatic flesh.

  Origin: Florida, 1940s · Taste: Sweet, aromatic, fiberless · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium to large

• Fairchild

  A small, rounded mango named for the plant explorer David Fairchild.

  Origin: Panama · Taste: Sweet, spicy, aromatic · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Small

  Handles humid, rainy weather better than most.

• Florigon

  A yellow mango that ripens early and handles humidity well.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet, mild · Season: May–Jun · Size: Medium

  Grows true from seed (polyembryonic).

• Glenn

  A dependable mid-sized mango with peach-like flavor and very little fiber.

  Origin: Florida, 1940s · Taste: Sweet, peachy, mild · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium

  One of the better choices for humid areas because it tolerates anthracnose.

• Graham

  A yellow, late-season mango with juicy flesh.

  Origin: Trinidad · Taste: Sweet, juicy · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Medium to large

  Tolerates anthracnose.

• Haden

  The mango that started Florida's mango industry: a red-blushed, rich-flavored fruit grown from a Mulgoba seed in Coconut Grove.

  Origin: Florida, 1910 · Taste: Rich, sweet, slightly fibrous · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Large

  Prone to anthracnose in rainy weather and can bear unevenly from year to year.

• Julie

  A flattened, dwarf Caribbean mango with rich, fiberless flesh.

  Origin: Caribbean · Taste: Rich, sweet, slightly tart · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Small to medium

• Keitt

  A late-season mango that often stays green even when ripe, extending the harvest into fall.

  Origin: Florida, 1945 · Taste: Sweet, mild, low fiber · Season: Aug–Oct · Size: Large

  Pick by feel and size, not color. Upright tree that's easy to keep pruned.

• Kent

  A large, juicy, nearly fiberless mango that stays greenish with a red blush when ripe.

  Origin: Florida, 1940s · Taste: Sweet and juicy · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Large

  A late-midseason favorite; needs a dry bloom season to set well.

• Kesar

  Named for saffron, after its deep orange flesh.

  Origin: India (Gujarat) · Taste: Sweet and aromatic · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium

• Lemon Zest

  A bright yellow mango with a sweet, citrusy flavor.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet with lemony tang · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium

• Mahachanok · also Maha Chanok, Maha Chanock, Rainbow mango

  Called the rainbow mango for its long, curved yellow fruit with a pink-red blush. The flesh is smooth, very sweet and fiberless, with a strong perfume.

  Origin: Thailand · Taste: Intensely sweet, fiberless, aromatic · Season: Jun–Aug · Size: 8–14 oz

  Good disease tolerance in humid climates and a heavy producer. Grows well in the ground or a large pot.

• Mallika

  An Indian cross of Neelum and Dashehari with honey-and-citrus flesh, popular in Florida yards.

  Origin: India · Taste: Honeyed with citrus notes · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Medium

• Nam Doc Mai · also Nam Dok Mai

  Thailand's classic dessert mango: long, slender and golden, with silky fiberless flesh. It's eaten ripe, and also green and crunchy.

  Origin: Thailand · Taste: Very sweet, smooth, fiberless · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium

  Grows true from seed (polyembryonic).

• Neelum

  A small, late mango that bears heavily, often every year.

  Origin: India (South) · Taste: Sweet, aromatic · Season: Aug–Sep · Size: Small

• Orange Sherbet · also Orange Sherbert

  Named for its creamy, sherbet-like orange flesh.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet, creamy, slightly tart · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Medium

• Pickering

  A naturally dwarf mango that bears young and heavily, with a hint of coconut.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Sweet with coconut notes · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Small to medium

  One of the best mangoes for pots and small spaces.

• Rosigold

  One of the earliest mangoes to ripen, often ready in spring.

  Origin: Southeast Asia · Taste: Sweet with a hint of spice · Season: Mar–May · Size: Small to medium

  Grows true from seed (polyembryonic).

• Sugarloaf · also Sugar Loaf

  A very sweet, small Florida mango on a manageable tree.

  Origin: Florida · Taste: Very sweet · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Small to medium

• Tommy Atkins

  The most common supermarket mango: colorful, firm and long-keeping.

  Origin: Florida, 1920s · Taste: Mild and sweet, somewhat fibrous · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Medium to large

  Tolerates disease well and bears reliably, but home growers often prefer richer cultivars.

• Valencia Pride

  A long, large, colorful mango with smooth flesh that ripens in midsummer.

  Origin: Florida, 1940s · Taste: Sweet, rich, low fiber · Season: Jul–Aug · Size: Large

  Vigorous; plan on pruning to keep it manageable.

• Zill

  An early, small, colorful mango from the Zill family nursery.

  Origin: Florida, 1930s · Taste: Sweet and rich · Season: Jun–Jul · Size: Small

Pests and diseases to watch for

• Anthracnose

  Black, sunken spots on flowers, young leaves and fruit; blossoms turn black and drop. Ripe fruit gets dark spots that spread and rot.

  What to do: Prune out dead twigs and blackened panicles.

• Powdery mildew

  White powdery coating on flower stalks, young leaves and tiny fruit; flowers dry up and fall.

  What to do: Sulfur or potassium bicarbonate spray at the first white patches.

• Caribbean fruit fly

  Ripe fruit with tiny puncture marks; maggots inside and soft, rotting spots.

  What to do: Pick fruit slightly early and ripen indoors.

• Algal leaf spot

  Raised, rusty-orange velvety spots on leaves and twigs.

  What to do: Copper spray in summer if it's heavy.

• Scale insects

  Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

  What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

• Mealybugs

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

  What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.