Mangoes at 43⁰N? Why not?

[gurugu]

There are half a dozen of pretty sized ones and a dozen of small ones.

I think I'll leave them ripe on the tree. Not too much time left. They are getting red.

 

[JohnAndSancho]

I've just recently started sprouting a bunch from the fruit I eat. I need to go take a picture of one, they're so pretty when they're tiny and allegedly tree ripened fruit tastes so much better than the supermarkets. What variety is this? 

[JohnAndSancho]

[gurugu]

1 hour ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I've just recently started sprouting a bunch from the fruit I eat. I need to go take a picture of one, they're so pretty when they're tiny and allegedly tree ripened fruit tastes so much better than the supermarkets. What variety is this? 

I have also sprouted a bunch of seeds, but they get rotten easily.

Originally the tree was Osteen variety, but when I planted it in the ground several years ago in a colder place, the Grafting got burnt. I took the tree out and planted it in a big pot, thinking it was already dead.

It survived and two years ago I planted it in the ground , in my new garden , and this year it has set these fruits.

[JohnAndSancho]

44 minutes ago, gurugu said:

I have also sprouted a bunch of seeds, but they get rotten easily.

Originally the tree was Osteen variety, but when I planted it in the ground several years ago in a colder place, the Grafting got burnt. I took the tree out and planted it in a big pot, thinking it was already dead.

It survived and two years ago I planted it in the ground , in my new garden , and this year it has set these fruits.

I've had the same problem with them rotting - I was treating them like papaya with a humidity dome over them and letting the husk soak too long before pulling the seed out. Don't get me wrong, I still have plenty die on me but since I quit giving them 100% humidity and soaking them I'm doing well. Everything I'm growing so far is just the Tommy Atkins and Kiett I find in the supermarkets. I've tried to germinate some of the yellow ones I found in the Mexican market but they seem to take their time to germinate. I just put them in a 1g pot of moist coir and put them on my heat mat and let them go now. 

[gurugu]

18 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I've had the same problem with them rotting - I was treating them like papaya with a humidity dome over them and letting the husk soak too long before pulling the seed out. Don't get me wrong, I still have plenty die on me but since I quit giving them 100% humidity and soaking them I'm doing well. Everything I'm growing so far is just the Tommy Atkins and Kiett I find in the supermarkets. I've tried to germinate some of the yellow ones I found in the Mexican market but they seem to take their time to germinate. I just put them in a 1g pot of moist coir and put them on my heat mat and let them go now. 

I'm not sure, but I think it may happen the same as with avocados. Those grown from seed, take far longer to set fruits, once they are planted in the ground. At least 12 years or so. 

That's why grafting is preffered. Grafted avocados start setting fruit after two, three years in the ground.

I don't know if the same happens with mangoes, but I'm afraid it does.

Can you grow avocados outdoors at your place?

[JohnAndSancho]

4 hours ago, gurugu said:

I'm not sure, but I think it may happen the same as with avocados. Those grown from seed, take far longer to set fruits, once they are planted in the ground. At least 12 years or so. 

That's why grafting is preffered. Grafted avocados start setting fruit after two, three years in the ground.

I don't know if the same happens with mangoes, but I'm afraid it does.

Can you grow avocados outdoors at your place?

I doubt I can grow much outdoors here outside of containers. We've already had a couple nights down around 19°F, but if I can keep them in containers we're good - my grow room hasn't dropped below 75°F so it's nice and warm. 

[gurugu]

17 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I doubt I can grow much outdoors here outside of containers. We've already had a couple nights down around 19°F, but if I can keep them in containers we're good - my grow room hasn't dropped below 75°F so it's nice and warm. 

As you say, it must be hard to grow avocados outdoors in the ground at your 8b zone.

I am currently growing several varieties of avocados in the ground, but I also planted Reed and Ettinger varieties in 40 litre pots, outdoors, and this last one has set 3 very good size fruits. 

So I am planning to grow more varieties in big pots, since I haven't got more room in the garden.

If you keep them in a sheltered place during winter, they can set good fruits.

[JohnAndSancho]

3 hours ago, gurugu said:

As you say, it must be hard to grow avocados outdoors in the ground at your 8b zone.

I am currently growing several varieties of avocados in the ground, but I also planted Reed and Ettinger varieties in 40 litre pots, outdoors, and this last one has set 3 very good size fruits. 

So I am planning to grow more varieties in big pots, since I haven't got more room in the garden.

If you keep them in a sheltered place during winter, they can set good fruits.

I don't have too much interest in avocados, honestly. And even the mangos started out as just a novelty idea, I'll probably keep a couple for grafting purposes and sell the rest. 

[Motlife]

On 12/16/2025 at 12:33 AM, gurugu said:

There are half a dozen of pretty sized ones and a dozen of small ones.

I think I'll leave them ripe on the tree. Not too much time left. They are getting red.

 

 

I had one I grew from seed and got through 2 winters outdoors here at 41 deg S. Sadly, we had an incredibly wet start of the year and June/July and I think it got root rot and died. I think if I could get a good variety I would have a chance though, what do you think does best in cooler climates? Avos grow easily here, and a number of varieties are available commonly, but mangoes not so much. Do you keep yours in a greenhouse? 

[gurugu]

14 hours ago, Motlife said:

 

I had one I grew from seed and got through 2 winters outdoors here at 41 deg S. Sadly, we had an incredibly wet start of the year and June/July and I think it got root rot and died. I think if I could get a good variety I would have a chance though, what do you think does best in cooler climates? Avos grow easily here, and a number of varieties are available commonly, but mangoes not so much. Do you keep yours in a greenhouse? 

The same here. They die from root rot very easily. So the key is to keep them dry in winter. Sandy soil (good drainage) and avoid winter rain fall from the root system.

I really don't know which variety is the hardiest. Some say Ataulfo, Alphonse or Nam doc Mai. I had all of them and they all lost their graftings.

I have 4 planted in the ground outdoors and one planted in the greenhouse. They all also lost their graftings in winter, so I don't know which variety their root stocks are.

For me it's almost impossible to keep graftings alive even one winter. 

The 4 outdoors are behaving better than the one in the greenhouse. The one in the picture has been in the ground for several years now.

I hope all the other 3 will also set fruit in the future.🤞

I had not heard Avos variety before.

What is your climate over there? Mine is temperate oceanic. Humid subtropical minimum temperatures wise.

[Motlife]

Sorry, avos is just slang for avocados here. The common varieties here are haas and reed but there are more available.

I've heard that seedling plants in general tend to be hardier than grafted varieties, so that would make sense with your experience. I wonder what gets used for rootstock? My now dead one was a seedling of a Peruvian variety I think, so probably not the hardiest. Trouble over here is that there's very few people trying to grow them so there's little availability of different varieties. 

 

My climate is probably not so different to yours, oceanic koppen and subtropical trewartha. Average in winter is around 13/4, summer 24/15 or so. 2500 or so sunshine hours which is helpful, although we do get regular but fairly light frosts in winter. Doesn't get much below 0 though. 

 

That's interesting about the greenhouse one doing worse than outside - maybe they just really want full sun on them. Somewhere, I think it was the growing on the edge forum potentially, there was a guy in northern California having some success growing them in a fairly similar climate to ours. 

[gurugu]

35 minutes ago, Motlife said:

Sorry, avos is just slang for avocados here. The common varieties here are haas and reed but there are more available.

I've heard that seedling plants in general tend to be hardier than grafted varieties, so that would make sense with your experience. I wonder what gets used for rootstock? My now dead one was a seedling of a Peruvian variety I think, so probably not the hardiest. Trouble over here is that there's very few people trying to grow them so there's little availability of different varieties. 

 

My climate is probably not so different to yours, oceanic koppen and subtropical trewartha. Average in winter is around 13/4, summer 24/15 or so. 2500 or so sunshine hours which is helpful, although we do get regular but fairly light frosts in winter. Doesn't get much below 0 though. 

 

That's interesting about the greenhouse one doing worse than outside - maybe they just really want full sun on them. Somewhere, I think it was the growing on the edge forum potentially, there was a guy in northern California having some success growing them in a fairly similar climate to ours. 

Common varieties for avocado here are: 

Hass, Lamb Hass, Zutano, Bacon, Fuerte, Ettinger, Pinkerton, Reed. 

Rootstocks used for mangoes: Sabre, Gomera, Turpentine, Gotta de Oro, Criollo, Banilejo. 

You are right. Seedling plants are hardier than grafted ones, but tend to take much longer to set fruit. 

Two years ago I bought 12 different varieties of mangoes. I planted 3 in the ground outdoors. They lost their graftings, but are still alive. 

Two others were planted in the ground inside the greenhouse. One died and the other is alive, but not doing well, and also lost its grafting. 6 other ones were planted in big pots (40 litres). 2 were left outdoors but very well sheltered and getting all the sun I can give them. The 2 are dead. The other 4 were planted in big pots and inside the greenhouse. All of them dead. 

 

Climate here is a little warmer than yours but much less sunny (1.800 hours a year).

14/7 for January and 24/17 for August. 1.200 litres of rain a year. 150 for November and 56 for July. 

It rarely freezes or gets below 0⁰C over here too. This is a solid 10A usda zone.The main problem is too much rain in winter.

[Motlife]

On 12/21/2025 at 9:06 AM, gurugu said:

Common varieties for avocado here are: 

Hass, Lamb Hass, Zutano, Bacon, Fuerte, Ettinger, Pinkerton, Reed. 

Rootstocks used for mangoes: Sabre, Gomera, Turpentine, Gotta de Oro, Criollo, Banilejo. 

You are right. Seedling plants are hardier than grafted ones, but tend to take much longer to set fruit. 

Two years ago I bought 12 different varieties of mangoes. I planted 3 in the ground outdoors. They lost their graftings, but are still alive. 

Two others were planted in the ground inside the greenhouse. One died and the other is alive, but not doing well, and also lost its grafting. 6 other ones were planted in big pots (40 litres). 2 were left outdoors but very well sheltered and getting all the sun I can give them. The 2 are dead. The other 4 were planted in big pots and inside the greenhouse. All of them dead. 

 

Climate here is a little warmer than yours but much less sunny (1.800 hours a year).

14/7 for January and 24/17 for August. 1.200 litres of rain a year. 150 for November and 56 for July. 

It rarely freezes or gets below 0⁰C over here too. This is a solid 10A usda zone.The main problem is too much rain in winter.

Yeh those avocado varieties are mostly the same as what I see for sale here.

 

Its super interesting to see that in ground and outside is more successful than in a greenhouse. I wonder what's going on there? 

The climate looks very similar overall, but I guess the higher low temps for you is probably related to the cloud cover, which could be a positive or negative as we do have plenty of winter sun. Our rainfall is similar, ours is fairly evenly spread throughout the year though, just a bit more in winter than summer.

I hope winter is mild for you and they continue to do well, and ripen up nicely!