Fruit Trees

How To Grow A Mango Tree in A Pot

If you are in the city, have a small backyard or are renting then growing a mango tree in a pot could be just for you.

The first thing to do is choose a variety:
Colder Climates (eg Victoria)
- Mango R2E2 Seeding - More Hardy but takes longer to fruit
- Mango Nam Doc Mai - Good cropper in cooler climates

Subtropical or Tropical Climates (eg Northern NSW and QLD)
- Dwarf Irwin Mango Tree - Resistant to Black Spot
- Glenn Mango Tree - Semi Dwarf Variety and My Mango Tree pictured It is also resistant to Black spot
- R2E2 Grafted Mango Tree - We have all seen this variety in the supermarket and they are huge, non-stringy and taste great.

Choosing A Pot
I would suggest getting one of similar size to the one in the picture. How it works is the smaller the pot the smaller your plant and the sooner it will flower. The bigger the pot the bigger your mango tree and the mango tree may take a bit longer to flower.

Growing Mango Trees in Cooler Climates
Now is the best time to get your Mango Tree (Oct-Jan) Or I would suggest as soon as Spring breaks. The longer your mango tree has to establish and harden up the better. Ask your nursery to choose you one that is well established. That way when winter comes your mango tree is settled in. Working out ways to protect your mango tree from frosts while it is young will be your biggest challenge.

Potting Mix - The best quality you can afford.

Mulch - Lucerne is best but Sugar mulch will do to keep moisture in.

1st Year Flowering
If you purchased a grafted variety your mango tree will want to flower straight away. You should cut all these flowers off and encourage new foliage to grow.

2nd Year Flowering
The pictured mango is a second year mango tree grown in a pot and flowered profusely when Spring broke. There is no way that all the flowers will turn into mango's so I would cut half the flowers off and encourage new growth and the other half perhaps thin out leaving a maximum of 3 flower heads which could produce 5 mango's in the 2nd year.

3rd Year Flowering
Your mango tree should be well established by now and you can be the judge.

Pruning your Mango Tree
Because it is in a pot it's growth will be bonsaied even if you chose a variety that could normally grow very tall. Nevertheless I am a huge fan of pruning fruit trees because when you prune the tips instead of growing upwards which it does so instinctively it will start bushing out which is what you want.

Fertiliser and Watering
When Spring comes on you should start applying the fertiliser and when the fruit starts forming you should give it some water. If possible avoid watering in the late afternoon due to the water sitting on the leaves and developing a fungus.

Mango's have come a long way since the old Bowen's became a huge favourite for Australians upcoming varieties such as the Irwin and Glenn can be grown with much less damage from fungal diseases which required you to be attentive come early spring with your spraying regime.
Mango Trees grow very well in pots and allow you to position them to get the Sun in Spring and protection from frosts in Winter.


  1. Correy,
    I didn't even know that you could grow a mango tree in a pot. I think I might try it.

  2. Correy'
    I have a Mango tree growing in a sheltered part of the garden,it has finished flowering........I'm tryingto find out what fertilzer is the best for it,it is not mentioned in your article?..It is a Kenington Pride.


    Mike Haines

  3. If you have good soil you shouldn't need fertiliser other then some good organic matter.

    Potash is a good idea when flowering and fruiting to ensure that they don't abort.

    I found this guys opinion on mango nutrition very helpful.

    Take Care

  4. Correy,
    I was wondering how many fruit you could expect to get off a potted mango (assuming its in a 400mm pot, at full maturity, in the s/e suburbs of Melbourne)?
    Any info would be greatly appreciated.

  5. I don't have any real experience in Melbourne but the experts say that you are best off purchasing a well developed seedling mango tree.

    Mangos are fantastic croppers so if your Mango was able to survive the colder temperatures and it was say 2m tall, well established and very bushy in the pot I would guess that you could get 15+ mangos on it.

    A lot of people have tried and failed growing mangoes in Melbourne by the way but we do get feedback where people have triumphed and got some good crops.

    The advantage of the pot is that you can move it into better positions to protect it.

  6. Correy,

    Are Mango trees self-pollinating or are bees or flies needed?


  7. what if you live in say..... London? is it too cold to grow your own mango? p.s cool website

  8. I haven't tried a mango tree yet, but i have tried many others. Recently I purchased a star fruit tree wich was 5 feet tall and thin as a pencil. soon after it was potted wich was immedetly it began dropping it's leaves and new growth turns brown. I thought you mite know what is wrong with it.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

  9. how do u grow one from a seed or mango?

  10. Correy I live in Perth and I am interested in growing a Mango tree in a pot. Is it too hot here.
    Also when is the best time of year to start.

  11. Usually mangoes suffer more from the cold then the heat they are a great subtropical plant.

    I think any time is a good time to buy but usually you will get the most growth in spring and summer.

  12. I have just successfully grown a mango in a pot from a seed (in WA). Got three beautifully sweet mangoes. It seems that the roots may have gone through the pot into the ground below. Overall a great result. No fertilizer was used at at!!

  13. I have jusr grown 3 mangoes from seeds ... one I took the pip out of the husk (carefully!) as I read that this improves success and the other two I just put in the pot. The 2 that were left in the husk are already up and have 7 leaves the removed one is only just emerging. Do I put them in the sun (they are at present in the shade).... Chris Jubb

  14. Is it possible to relocated a mango tree if so how? It is about 6 years old.

  15. I have had sucess with starting mango seeds the following way...
    I remove the husk from the seed, then place the seed in a ziplock baggie along with a moistened paper towel.
    I then, hang the baggie in a sunny window until the seed begins to sprout.
    Once there are a few roots and a green sprout forming, I plant the seed outdoors.
    We live in Central Florida. The reson why I plant straight into the ground, rather than a container is that I am a bit forgetful about watering. It seems like things planted directly in the ground have more success with me.

  16. How big of a pot is recommended? i want to pot a carrie and a julie. are 20 gallon pots big enough?

  17. Thanks Correy that is really helpful. I live in Perth which experoences quiet a warm climate alot except mid winter, so what do you think would be the best variety mang to grow in the Perth region.

    Thanks again

  18. Hi Correy, thanks for the blog. it makes me want to grow 1. then last month i grow mango tree from the seed and plan to grow mango tree in the pot. last week i can see 1 shoot from the seed and it grow the leaves too which is normal. but today another shoot which is the 2nd one come out again. I know mango seed is polyembryonic which can grow 2-4 shoot from 1 seed, what should i do now as i want to plant mango tree in the pot?. I don't think 1 pot will be enough for 2 truks when they grow big at the end of the year. should i cut the seed by 2 so let them grow in 2 different pots? if yes, how to? Please help me here...

  19. Green Finger
    I don't have any knowledge about how to grow plant, but I can't help myself in planting the seed of a beautiful fruit, among all the seeds that I have planted I have a mango tree about 3-4 years old, it was full of flowers and I was so happy, I covered the branches with a mesh to protect it from bats (I didn't have a clue that I have to trim all the flower the first time)any way, I save two mangoes, It was then when I opt to look in the internet, so, following instructions I trim it about a month ago, because I have it in a pot and is growing too big (but so beautiful) Any way I also trim my avocado and ruby grapefruit which are already full of little shoots, but my mango tree has some shoots coming only at the bottom of the main branch, is that normal?
    Thank you

  20. i had a mango tree in pot which is not a hybrid variety but grown from a completed 2 yrs and now it is 3 feet longer but it didnt started flowering.can u suggest me on this please

  21. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

  22. This sounds like sooo much fun. I want to grow a mango tree in my backyard (not sure if parents will agree though) anyway if i grew it by seed about how long will it be before it gives fruit?(i know it will be long). If i bought one from a nurshrey (sp?) how long? I want todo it in a pot because my backyard is covered in brick, so no soil. Can i plant it in a pot and then set it in a nice sunny place? (I live in southren california so it should work)Um...i think that's about it! sorry for any typos and all the questions :P

  23. to make the tree flowers, first make sure that it's in dormant state (no growth), all leaves are old(green) and healthy. give an even fertilizer (15-15-15). a week or two after fertilizer, gird the tree.

    The idea behind girdling a tree is to allow water and nutrients to become concentrated in the canopy of the tree, by cutting off its ability to send nutrients back to the base, roots and other parts of the tree.

    This succeeds in dramatically increasing the growth of flowers (bloom), which is a biological response inflicted on the girdled branch.