When you grow a mango seed and grow it into a bonsai, a lot of patience is required. It may take a decade before you have suitable starting material. However, you can form the tree according to your ideas right from the start.
Mangoes are rarely grown as bonsai
preparations
You can germinate the well-dried seed of a juicy and ripe mango, which can be grown in humid conditions all year round. Put this in a pot with good quality garden soil so that it is one centimeter below the substrate surface. In the mini greenhouse (€7.95) it is easier to create a humid microclimate. The first leaves appear after three to four months.
Shape raw material
For the next six to seven months you should let the mango plant grow so that it develops as many leaves as possible on the main shoot. It grows straight up and rarely develops branching in the early stages. Start by cutting off the top with the top two to four leaves. Place the scissors directly over a well-developed foliage leaf.
Alternatively, you can pinch off the terminal bud. In this way you stimulate the formation of branches in the lower area of the main stem, because the dormant buds in the leaf axils are encouraged to sprout by the intervention. Once two to three branches have developed on the main shoot, prune the plant just above the last branch.
Grow mango trees
Place the deep-rooted tree in a tall pot that you fill with well-drained and slightly loamy soil. A mixture of garden soil with compost and coconut fiber creates an ideal basis for growth. Replace the substrate annually in spring. Additional fertilization during the growing season ensures that the main stem and branches develop vigorously.
shaping bonsai
As soon as the tree develops flowers and bears fruit for the first time, the step to bonsai cultivation is possible. It can take seven to ten years before you can transplant the sapling into a bonsai pot.
repot
Get the plant out of the plant pot and remove about half of the substrate. Don't prune the roots. Instead, choose a planter that is the right size. In this way, the wood suffers as little stress as possible. The young and green branches can be easily bent and shaped by guy wires. If these become lignified, remove the wires.
Proper care:
- Apply nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the early growth phase
- supply with potash and phosphate fertilizers just before flowering for healthy fruit
- Cut back branches after harvest and apply autumn fertilizer
- alternatively, mix liquid fertilizer with irrigation water and spray on the leaves
tips
Mango plants turn out to be high-maintenance. Especially in the winter months you have to make sure that the large-leaved foliage is not attacked by pests such as spider mites. Ideal conditions are a must.