Grow Mango Tree From Seed: Free Garden & Indoor Plants

How to plant store bought mango seed & grow mango trees as free indoor plants or garden fruits! Fun gardening idea to regrow kitchen scraps!

Can you plant a fresh mango seed from store bought mango, and grow it into a tree? The answer is yes. A mango tree grown from seed can be a beautiful indoor plant. It will actually produce fruits in a tropical climate. 

The fruits may be different from the mango you started with, sometimes worse, sometimes better, which is why some gardeners use this method to discover new mango varieties! 

Here in Southern California, I have seen mango trees in gardens with tiny green fruits only, because the weather is not hot enough for the fruits to ripen. However, I can’t resist trying to grow a mango seed because Regrowing kitchen scraps is so much fun! 

We have already shared many regrowing projects here, such as how to regrow avocados, scraps from scallions, onions, etc. Now let’s see how we can grow a mango seed!

Check out this quick video tutorial on how to grow mango seed, or skip to written tutorial below

Step 1:  prepare the mango seed 

Buy a mango from the grocery store, enjoy the fruit, and save the seed. 

You can plant this seed directly in soil, or try this sprouting method, which is faster, and really fun to observe! It could be a great thing to do with kids.

Wash the seed and scrape off the slippery pulp. Take a a pair of shears or a knife, VERY CAREFULLY cut an opening on the edge of the seed pod along one side.

Carefully pry open the cut edge , you will see a big fresh seed inside the pod. If you gently shake the seed pod, the seed will fall out of the opening.

Step 2: sprout the mango seed

Wrap the fresh seed in a damp paper towel and place it in a ziplock bag or a clear container. Keep it in a warm place out of direct sun. 

After 1 to 3 weeks, you will see roots growing from one end of the mango seed. Sometimes you will also see sprout growing from the same spot as well. 

Now it’s time to plant the mango seed. I have tried growing mango in water (like how we grow avocado seeds here) and in soil. I found that unlike avocados, it’s really difficult to grow mango seeds in water.

Step 3: how to grow mango tree

Plant the mango seed in potting soil or garden soil. Lay the seed flat with the root pointing sideways or downward. Cover with 2″ of soil. Water well and regularly. Let your mango plant grow in a warm sunny spot.

Mango tree likes full sun in the garden. If you are growing it as an indoor plant, keep it by a sunny window. Use these indoor plant growing tips to keep it healthy!

This little mango tree above took about 3 months to grow from seed.

Although Mango trees can survive brief 30F cold spells, they are much happier in temperatures above 50F. 

 If you are growing mango trees for fruits, check out this drool worthy video by a Florida grower!

You may also love: 

12 best vegetables and herbs to regrow, and 8 beautiful houseplants you can grow from kitchen scraps!

Happy growing! See you soon! 🙂