Glenn Mango Tree

Grow your own mangoes? Yes, you can, easily if you live in a place with frost-free winters, like southern Florida or southern California. OR, if you have a glass room with some heat, or even a big, bright, south-facing window. You do? Great, then the ideal choice, especially if your tree will be spending time indoors, is the Glenn Mango Tree. This variety from Florida is more compact than the usual big tree a mango is, and can be kept as small as 8 feet with pruning, which should fit indoors nicely. The tree has smooth gray bark, and a rounded crown of evergreen leaves, which are 6 to 12 inches long, and relatively slender. Flowering takes place in spring, producing big sprays of small, yellow flowers. This variety is self-fruitful, but it needs insects to pollinate it – both bees and flies are pollinators. It is also wind pollinated. Fruits develop quickly, and by June or July you will be harvesting big, delicious mangos within 3 years of planting. The fruit has a yellow skin when ripe, often turning red where struck by the sun. The flesh is yellow, sweet, juicy and delicious, as well as free of those annoying fibers of wild mangoes. The stone is relatively small. Mango fruit is delicious, and also full of important vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. This is the moment to do the mango! (or is that mamba? Anyway, you get the idea!)

• Best variety for home growing, easily kept under 10 feet tall
• Attractive evergreen tree with a rounded crown and big spray of flowers
• Fruit has a yellow skin when ripe, with delicious, aromatic flesh, free of fibers
• Can be grown outdoors in frost-free areas, or in a sunny room
• Fruits within a few years, and is a reliable cropper

Plant your Glenn Mango Tree in full sun, indoors or outdoors, ideally in a glass sun-room if indoors. Grow it in a rich, well-drained soil and water as needed, depending on soil conditions. If it flowers indoors, use a soft brush to transfer pollen around from flower cluster to cluster. Keep a potted tree outdoors as much as possible, keeping it in when night temperatures are 45oF or less. If in a pot, keep it out of heavy rain, which can affect pollination, fruit set, and cause leaf mold. Prune new growth when it is semi-ripened, cutting it in half or by two-thirds. Maintain a dense, bushy plant, as every branch is going to produce flowers, so the more branches the more flowers and the more fruit. Start pruning early and you can keep this tree about 8 feet tall. It isn’t eaten by deer, and the time outdoors will allow natural insects to control any pests that may develop on an indoor tree.