Mangos
(mangifera indica)

Mango Information: Growing Mangos in California

The mango is a very attractive evergreen tree that grows well in most of Southern California where it produces large crops of tasty mango fruits. The growing season for mangos in Southern California is relatively short (except in the low elevation desert areas), and as a result early fruiting mango varieties are best.

Mangos like full sun in Southern California, and once established there they usually are fairly drought tolerant. Most mango varieties can withstand only a few degrees below freezing without damage.

There are two kinds of mangos; poly-embrionic and mono-embrionic. Poly-embrionic mangos grow true-to-type from seed, while mono-embrionic mangos seedlings are hybrids. Mono-embrionic mango varieties are usually propagated by grafting, while poly-embrionic mango varieties are grown from seed. In California, mango seedlings are much more vigorous and produce much larger crops in fewer years than grafted mangos.

Most grafted mangos grown in California are evergreen shrubs which commonly grow to about 15 feet tall. Mango seedlings in California grow into much larger trees and easily reach twice the size of grafted mangos in the same amount of time.

In coastal California, mangos flower in spring with fruits of early season varieties typically ripening in September thru November. The late season mango varieties varieties like "keitt" have a much later season in coastal California with fruits ripening after December. In the low elevation deserts of Southern California late season mango varieties like "keitt" ripen in September.

Depending on the variety, most mango fruit are highly prized when picked & eaten fresh off the tree. Mangos also freeze quite well, so they can be picked at maturity and frozen for later use.

Poly-embrionic mangos are usually propagated by seed, although grafted selections also are available. Mango seedlings grown in Southern California usually take 7 to 8 years to begin producing fruit.

Mango Varieties

There are dozens of varieties of mangos grown in California, some of the most popular are ataulfo mangos, glenn mangos, haden mangos, keitt mangos, kent mangos, manilla mangos, and valencia pride mangos. The espada mango and the tamaraca mango are some poly-embrionic mango varieties from Brazil that are early season varieties which can also be grown in southern California.

Espada Mango

The espada mango is a poly-embrionic Brazilian mango variety that is a heavy producer of extra large fruit. The espada mango fruits become yellow when ripe.

The espada mango variety is very popular in Brazil for making mango juice because of its large size and tasty flavor.

Espada mango trees prefer full sun. Once established, the espada mango is fairly drought tolerant although regular watering is important during fruit developement for larger size fruit which can reach over 8 inches long. New growth has a reddish color which changes to a deep green within a few months.

Tamaraca Mango

The tamaraca mango is a poly-embrionic Brazilian mango variety that is a heavy producer of small to medium size fruit. The tamaraca mango is very popular in Brazil for eating out of hand right off the tree. It is yellow when ripe with moderate fiber and very spicy sweet flavor.

Ataulfo Mango

The ataulfo mango is a poly-embrionic mango variety. It grows into an upright tree that is a heavy producer of medium size fruit that hang in clusters.

The ataulfo mango is very popular for eating out of hand right off the tree. It has little fiber and sweet delicious flavor. The ataulfo mango becomes yellow when ripe.

Manilla Mango

The manilla mango is a poly-embrionic mango variety. It grows into an upright tree that is a heavy producer of medium to large size fruit that hang in clusters. Manilla mango seedlings grown in Southern California usually take about 7 years to begin producing fruit.

The manilla mango is very popular for eating out of hand right off the tree. It has yellow color when ripe with little fiber and very sweet flavor.

Mangos are easy to grow in Southern California, requiring very little maintenance for the growth of healthy, productive plants. Fruit size and quality depends mostly on adequate water supply at the time of fruit development.

Mangos should be watered regularly, but especially during bloom and fruit development. Most mangos have fairly good drought tolerance.

Mangos require very little pruning, just enough to keep an attractive shape.

Purchasing Mango Trees in California

We offer mango plants for sale in a variety of sizes ranging from 3 to 10 years old in several different varieties.

Medjool Date Palms & Tree Ripened Medjool Dates

We have date palms available in all sizes, including male date palms for pollination and for landscaping, and female medjool date palm offshoots for date production.

We also have rooted barhi date palm offshoots and zahidi date palm offshoots available.

Our fresh picked medjool date program has been a huge success!

At certain times of year, we can ship orders for organically grown freshly picked medjool dates, as well as other date varieties and also organically grown mesquite seed pods. We also occasionally have a variety of other rare and exotic fruits that were grown organically and allowed to fully ripen on the tree.

Our fresh medjool dates are available in September-October each year.

Frequently Asked Questions

SHIPPING: For small to medium size trees, we recommend that customers personally pick up their own trees and take them home in their vehicle. Local delivery of your selections to your driveway can usually be arranged (only in Southern California, minimum purchase $150) with a delivery cost from $30 to $150 depending on the round-trip mileage (150 mile maximum round-trip travel distance). Transport for large trees/palms can also be arranged. We do not offer "mail order" shipping for plants & trees.
MEDJOOL DATE PALMS: Our Medjool date palm offshoots (and our other palm varieties) are grown near Palm Springs, in California. Medjool date palm offshoots in 15 gallon pots are available for pick-up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, by appoinment only. Delivery of Medjool date palms to homeowners in Southern California can be arranged. We do recommend homeowners hire an experienced landscaper (we are not offering landscaping services, sorry!) for planting & irrigation services.
SUB TROPICAL FRUIT TREES: Available for pick-up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, by appoinment only, at one of our two locations. To make an appointment & get directions, please call 909 941 1060 a few days prior to your desired appointment time.
PAYMENT: We accept Cash, Check, American Express, Visa, Mastercard & Discover. You can pay in advance or at the time of pick up.
MAILING ADDRESS: Tropical Oasis Farms, PO Box 1011, Rancho Cucamonga, California 91729
Grafted trees, trees grown from cuttings, off-shoots, and air layered trees are described as such. All other trees are seedlings.
SEEDS: We do offer organically grown SEEDS year round: medjool date seeds and organically grown in California MESQUITE SEED PODS
FRESH MEDJOOL DATES: organically grown in California, fresh picked medjool dates are available in October each year.
GUARANTEE: We guarantee our plants and trees to be in good condition at the time of sale.
SUITABILITY: For questions regarding the suitability of plants or trees for your climate (and how to care for them), the CRFG website has lots of great information.
For all other questions, you may contact us at: Tropical Oasis Farms, PO Box 1011, Rancho Cucamonga, California 91729

Mangos(mangifera indica)