Quote: Hi mango seeds are one of my favorite to sprout , here is the way I do it :
1- After eating the fruit, wash the left over fruit from the pit off with water, and let it dry in a shady dry spot (24 hs or so).
2- Very carefully cut the fibrous edge of the mango seed until you can se the separation of the two sides of the cover is careful not to cut too deep and damage the seed inside.
3 –Separate the outer cover and remove the bean shape seed from the inside, this is covered with a paper like package, remove it also, the seed should be white and in sections that are no symmetrical.
4- Put the seed in moist potting soil in a zip lock bag (soil should be very moist but not soggy) close the bag and put it in a warm place (over 75F preferred) away from the sun.
5- in about 10 days there should be roots and sprouts coming out of the seed. Plant it in a pot and gradually expose it to sun, at first the leafs look droopy and red and grow fast, this will eventually get green and stand up.

I like planting polyembrionic mangos since they can produce several plants and they are usually true to type, if you are going to wait for a mango to produce fruit it is better is you expect good fruit, and if all you can get is monoembryonic mango then you can graft a known type to it the second year.
When you open the fibrous cover if the bean is gray or black it will not grow, sometimes they treat mangos with heat or refrigerate them too long and this kills the embryo, I have grown many mango trees this way it is easy. Have lost many mango trees also because of over watering; make sure to use good draining soils. And water when soil surface is dry to touch.

happy growing , Abraham

--- Original message by gecko on Mar 18, 2005 11:28 PM