Imagine, a bowl of sweet, fresh, tempting orange-colored mango is presented every day at the breakfast table. All you need to do is to take a spin in your backyard and pick your favorite fruit from the tree you planted.
If you are planning on planting a mango tree, you must know its lifespan and how long it will take for you to enjoy the sweet, juicy mangos.
How long does a mango tree take to produce fruit?
The time duration will depend on the method of propagation. If the mango tree is born from a seed plantation, it will take roughly 8 years for it to produce fruit. Meanwhile, if the method used was grafting, 3-5 years will take to produce the mango fruit, earlier than trees grown from seeds.
A mango tree can be grown from the seed that can be found inside the husk of the fruit. you can simply remove the seed from the husk and grow a new sprout through germination. However, this process takes a lot of time and energy for the golden result.
Another way is propagation by grafting. Here, you can get a rooted sapling from the store and plant it in the soil in your backyard or indoor pot.
Seed-grown mango tree:
Seed-grown mango trees take 6-8 years to bear mango fruit. Since the seed doesn’t grow from cloning, the new tree differs from the parent tree and can’t guarantee the authentic taste and features of the original seed.
It takes 9 weeks for the seed to grow to sprout. Then the germinated seed should be planted in the soil and be nurtured and watered regularly.
It will take 1-2 years for the seeds to become a plant and additional 5-6 years to be an adult tree and produce fruit.
Propagated mango tree:
Out of many ways of propagation, such as_ layering, cutting, budding, etc. the most viable one to grow a mango tree is grafting.
Grafting basically enjoins two separate sets of plant together and create a hybrid product. Since the root of the grafted tree is already grown, the time duration is slightly less than seed-grown trees.
The rootstock of the grafted tree is usually 6 months to 1 year old and almost 1-2 inches taller.
So, when you are planting the grafted tree, your plant is already in the motion of growth. Thus, via the method of grafting, you can procure mangos within 3-5 years.
If compared, the grafting method is advantageous from every direction. It takes little time, energy, and nurturing rather than a seed-grown tree.
Things to know about mango tree fruiting:
Mango is a tropical, summer fruit. To get fresh, juicy, ripe mangos of the season, you need to wait for summer and monsoon.
You must have a clear idea about the time calculation if you want to own a mango tree. Here are some crucial points to clear out any confusion.
The months of the year when mango trees produce fruit:
Mango trees will bring you the news of spring’s arrival through the blossoming flowers on them.
From the month of April and May, you will notice small, sour, green mangos. It will run months of June and July when those mangos will flourish and ripe.
From the flowering to fruition, it takes 100-150 days. So, the months of the year your mango tree will produce fruit are June and July.
Frequency of fruit production each year:
How often does a mango tree bear fruit in a year? The answer to that question will depend on the variation, location, and climate.
Usually, you can expect your mango tree to yield mangos twice or thrice each year. A mango tree can be harvested for three crops in a year. The climate and timing are big factors here.
Number of mangos produced from a tree each year:
The usual number of mangos a mango tree can yield goes from 10 to 3000 per year. If this huge range confuses you, let me explain plainly.
In the first years of bearing age, the number is as lower as 10-30 fruits per year. Gradually the number goes high to 50-80 fruits in subsequent years and onward from the tenth year, the number can reach up to 500 fruits.
The ‘on’ year of the mango tree is 20-40 years and the yielding number can reach up to 1500-3000.
What causes a mango tree not to bear fruit?
The frustration after nurturing a tree for years and not seeing any fruit up there can be paramount.
The blooming season brings plenty of flowers and a spring of hope. But that hope disappears when not a single fruit can be seen. Let’s find out what is the reasons behind the non-fruition of the mango tree.
Tree not mature enough:
We expect a tree full of lush mango right after a tree grows up and blooms flower. However, it takes years for the mango tree to start bearing fruit. depending on the propagation method and location, climate, and variation, it takes almost 10 years for bountiful mango fruits.
Weather chilly:
Mango is a tropical fruit, the cold temperature severely ruining its pruning capability. For the mango trees to produce fruit, the annual temperature must be a minimum of 5ºC.
frosty and chilly weather can’t help the trees to bear fruits. You must seek the greenhouse method in that case.
Disease:
A mango tree is susceptible to many diseases, such as a fungus, mildew. These diseases leave their mark on the flowers, leaves, trunks, and roots.
The trees are more prone to disease during heavy rainfall and the rainy season.
Over nurturing:
Yes, over-caring can lead your mango tree to non-fruition. Overfertilization of the mango tree causes an excessive increase in the nitrogen of the soil.
It may lead the root system beyond the drip line. Another cause of non-fruition is overwatering since it can coarse the root.
Shallow space:
A mango tree needs space where the root can reach out as long as it can. You need to select a place devoid of impediments for a 4-meter radius. If the plant is indoor, shift the root to a bigger pot and fill the pot with necessary nutrition.
Tips for encouraging fruiting on mango trees:
Mango trees bloom and blossom with fruit and flower in favorable conditions. You have to create a fruition-friendly environment to encourage fruition on mango trees. Let’s investigate the ways for great fruition on mango trees each year.
Weather and location:
The requirement for good sun exposure and airflow can’t be stressed enough. Since mango is a tropical fruit, you can guess the importance of enough sun and heat.
The shades from the other plants and impediments hinder the mango tree from receiving the necessary nutrition.
Move the plant through transplantation if the tree is not receiving enough sunlight.
If that’s not a viable option, prune down the surrounding trees to ensure the mango trees receive. Make sure the mango tree is getting at least six hours of direct sunlight.
Apply fungicide:
Humid, dry weather is ideal for mango trees. However, if the humid weather comes along with monsoon and heavy rainfall, and dew, you must prepare the mango tree to fight against Powdery mildew and Anthracnose.
These diseases cause bloom or rot blight, whitening leaves, and ruins flower panicles.
It is very easy to spot whether your tree has either of these diseases. You must take immediate action to fight against these. Apply fungicide thoroughly. Select fungicide which contains enough Carbamate, Copper, and Benlate.
Limit fertilizers:
Fertilizers can be a boon but overfertilizing can’t be. If your mango tree is surrounded by lawn and you apply fertilizer for the lawn, it can overflow towards the mango tree root.
For the best production, avoid fertilizer from the month of September to January.
Pruning:
Pruning is necessary to stimulate fruition and vegetation. However, an incorrect way of pruning will react the opposite. The ideal time for pruning is after the fruiting season ends, not before that.
Do you need two mango trees to produce fruit?
A mango tree itself can produce fruit without the helping hand of a second tree. For a mango to convert from flower to fruit, both male and female flowers are required.
Since the mango tree is monoecious i.e. it can produce both male and female flowers, you do not require two separate mango trees.
Mango trees are self-pollinating. It can cross-pollinate with the help of male and female flowers on a single tree. So, you don’t need two separate mango trees to produce fruit.
Final thoughts
A mango tree is a long-time investment. “Patience is bitter, but the fruit is sweet” _ a mango tree is the perfect example of this. It may require 3-5 years, for a grafted plant, and 7-8 years for a seed-grown plant; once it starts to produce fruit, you will not look back.