Cold hardy mangoes

[Garcinia]

I'm wondering what mangoes will grow outdoors in zone 9b. For younger trees, I can always take them in the greenhouse and for larger trees in containers I can bring them indoors, but if I establish one in the ground, I don't want to rely on using frost cloth, although frosts are rare and brief. Regardless, it would be easier to buy a zone 9 hardy cultivar I won't have to stress about.

[Tropheus76]

I dont think there is a cold hardy mango. That said it really depends on where you are and what your specific plot of land goes down to. Adam(Flying Fox) got down to the low 30s last week, on a map we are not very far apart 30-40 minutes max, and I never got past the mid 40s. I do have mangoes in the ground, all but one have at a minimum pine branches over them.

[JF]

http://www.socalplantbreeders.com/ventura-county-star-august-04-2013

[darkcoolboo]

Yeah, there isn't such thing of a frost tolerant mango. All mangoes are on the same level of frost tolerance, which is none. It has to do with their biology - most tropicals are the same. You are better off crossing your fingers with frost cloth, which I'm doing. It's easier to grow a dwarf variety because it is easier to protect with frost cloth.

[bsbullie]

Yeah, there isn't such thing of a frost tolerant mango. All mangoes are on the same level of frost tolerance, which is none. It has to do with their biology - most tropicals are the same. You are better off crossing your fingers with frost cloth, which I'm doing. It's easier to grow a dwarf variety because it is easier to protect with frost cloth.

Agreed with what you said until you said, "dwarf variety " which belongs in the same category as "frost tolerant/cold hardy" when it comes to mangoes.

[merce3]

I have Pickering, NDM, Venus, Mana Chanok, Fruit Punch, and Lemon Zest in the ground with no protection in 9b. I have also seen many unprotected trees North of me going into 9a. I think as long as they are established (3-4 years) without a hard freeze you can get away with ia lot more than a young tree because I see plenty of 15-20' trees that have survived freezinh cconditions  (upper 20s to low 30s).

There's the guy who runs My Kids Nursery that uses micro sprayers and dense vegetation to protect his mango trees in much colder conditions than mine so there's a lot that you can do without having to wrap them every frost... that being said I would definitely take protective action for my 1-4 hear old trees if there is a freeze up to and including wrapping them in frost cloth.

[palmcity]

I have also seen many unprotected trees North of me going into 9a. I think as long as they are established (3-4 years) without a hard freeze you can get away with ia lot more than a young tree because I see plenty of 15-20' trees that have survived freezinh cconditions  (upper 20s to low 30s).

watching tv movie & now updated I typed wrong temperature. see 2 posts below...
I agree that once established, the trunk can survive very low temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for many hours. About 25 years ago there was a 3 - 4 foot diameter mango tree  growing in the front yard of a home in Highlands County, Florida. So if you want to know how low, check the temperatures  via google over the past about 50 years for Highlands County, Fl.

Some years it would freeze off the limbs so bad no fruit. Some years the temperature would not get as low and it would bear fruit.  I think the tree finally died due to a bulldozer taking it down along with the old wooden house behind it.

[Garcinia]

I have also seen many unprotected trees North of me going into 9a. I think as long as they are established (3-4 years) without a hard freeze you can get away with ia lot more than a young tree because I see plenty of 15-20' trees that have survived freezinh cconditions  (upper 20s to low 30s).

I agree that once established, the trunk can survive very low temperatures below zero Fahrenheit for many hours. About 25 years ago there was a 3 - 4 foot diameter mango tree  growing in the front yard of a home in Highlands County, Florida. So if you want to know how low, check the temperatures  via google over the past about 50 years for Highlands County, Fl.

Some years it would freeze off the limbs so bad no fruit. Some years the temperature would not get as low and it would bear fruit.  I think the tree finally died due to a bulldozer taking it down along with the old wooden house behind it.

Good to know. I don't think it has ever gotten below zero here. My friend grows mango in a similar zone. I'll try to find one of the smaller varieties and use frost cloth when the weather gets rough.

[palmcity]

Sorry but I meant just below 32 degrees for sure, I am not sure how low or if the temperature reached zero Fahrenheit for any length of time. I will try googling for the answer.

The tree was north of Sebring, Fl and I found their temperatures so it should be a little colder than these:

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USFL0451
Sebring, Florida
Weather Report · Interactive Map · Extended Forecast · Hourly Forecast · Past Observations ·
January      18° (1981)   
February      23° (1958)   
March      23° (1980)   

The tree had to have been there in 1981 due to the trunk size. So it definitely survived the freeze of 1981 at 18 degrees or colder. However, I bet it had no limbs alive enough to bear fruit the following summer of 1981. Probably just the trunk sprouted new growth that year.

 

[palmcity]

Intellicast is a lot of fun. Type in your city and hit the historical weather button. Wifes parents house was  in Miami in some of the cold snaps. Here's a date I remember the wife's father turning on his furnace in South Miami.

Jan 22   low   30° (1985) Miami, Florida
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USFL0316

So, I guess we all have mango trees that are a little cold hardy. Get  those tree trunks big as who knows what's going to happen in 5 years from now.

[treefrog]

when i was growing up in winter haven in the '50s and early '60s, there was a mature mango tree near the intersection of 4th st. and avenue a s.e. i remember it dropped fruit into the street and was a nuisance to kids riding bicycles west on avenue a.  it had been there for years.  for all i know, it still is.  it was near the top of a hill, and had good cold air drainage.
i still remember hitting a mango with my bicycle tire and busting my a$$.

[Tropheus76]

I am in 9b like I said and haven't had any issue for the ones in the ground for several years now. But like the My kids guy, I have overhanging branches and so forth that have protected them from the light freezes we have had the last couple years including the one surprise one last year that came out of no where. They are still small enough to protect with a freeze cloth likely for another year or two if need be. The Graham will stay smaller for longer since it just got mauled by a deer and lost about half its height. Natural overhead protection(oak and pine branches in my case) does wonders for tropical.

But again, zone just gives you an average for a wide area. Your actual location and micro-climate will play a far bigger role than USDA zone. There's a 2 degree difference just on my street where I live and the end of the street and a roughly 10 degree difference typically between my neighborhood and Orlando(just not always the same direction).

[bsbullie]

This thread has actually gotten off target.

Yes, locations and microclimates can have a difference on one's weather conditions/extremes.

With that being said, and getting back to the question by the OP, there are no cold hardy mangoes.

[merce3]

This thread has actually gotten off target.

Yes, locations and microclimates can have a difference on one's weather conditions/extremes.

With that being said, and getting back to the question by the OP, there are no cold hardy mangoes.

I don't see how things got off target. The title says cold hardy mangoes but the post itself asks about what mangoes will grow outdoors in 9b... I gave a list of cultivars I have growing and shared (along with everyone else) what I have seen in 9b and colder. I think mango trees are fine in 9b for the most part,  but a slow growing tree that is in a protected area would be the best bet.

[bsbullie]

This thread has actually gotten off target.

Yes, locations and microclimates can have a difference on one's weather conditions/extremes.

With that being said, and getting back to the question by the OP, there are no cold hardy mangoes.

I don't see how things got off target. The title says cold hardy mangoes but the post itself asks about what mangoes will grow outdoors in 9b... I gave a list of cultivars I have growing and shared (along with everyone else) what I have seen in 9b and colder. I think mango trees are fine in 9b for the most part,  but a slow growing tree that is in a protected area would be the best bet.

In addition to the title, read the last sentence of the original post.

People are commenting on what they have (and supporting that its based on microclimates, nothing to do with the mango's physiology).   Thats all well and good but not defining based on the magoe's physiological makeup, an actual true sampling or from any study.  If one's varieties are surviving,  most likely any other variety under the same co ditions would survive.  Why do I say that, cause there are no proven cold hardy mangoes.

[WGphil]

Root stock has a lot to with cold tolerance

Similar results no matter the cultivar

[Garcinia]

This thread has actually gotten off target.

Yes, locations and microclimates can have a difference on one's weather conditions/extremes.

With that being said, and getting back to the question by the OP, there are no cold hardy mangoes.

I don't see how things got off target. The title says cold hardy mangoes but the post itself asks about what mangoes will grow outdoors in 9b... I gave a list of cultivars I have growing and shared (along with everyone else) what I have seen in 9b and colder. I think mango trees are fine in 9b for the most part,  but a slow growing tree that is in a protected area would be the best bet.

In addition to the title, read the last sentence of the original post.

People are commenting on what they have (and supporting that its based on microclimates, nothing to do with the mango's physiology).   Thats all well and good but not defining based on the magoe's physiological makeup, an actual true sampling or from any study.  If one's varieties are surviving,  most likely any other variety under the same co ditions would survive.  Why do I say that, cause there are no proven cold hardy mangoes.

Regardless of my original question, the information is useful. I now know I can grow a mango with some protection.

[bsbullie]

Root stock has a lot to with cold tolerance

Similar results no matter the cultivar

For the most part or flat out, this is not true.  If it were, every variety could be made cold hardy.  Unfortunately for those in the colder regions, its just not a reality.

I know people say one of the Gomera used as rootstock will help but its not readily available and as its not commonly used, it probably is not adapted to thrive in ours or other US locations (just as Turpentine does not thrive in California).

[ricshaw]

I know people say one of the Gomera used as rootstock will help but its not readily available and as its not commonly used, it probably is not adapted to thrive in ours or other US locations (just as Turpentine does not thrive in California).

What is the difference between adapted to thrive and cold tolerance?

[bsbullie]

I know people say one of the Gomera used as rootstock will help but its not readily available and as its not commonly used, it probably is not adapted to thrive in ours or other US locations (just as Turpentine does not thrive in California).

What is the difference between adapted to thrive and cold tolerance?

Turpentine is the most commonly used rootstock in Florida.  It tbrives under Florida co ditions, climate and soil.  Similarly, Manilla appears to be best in Californi (Turpentine has a history of incompatibility in California).  Neither of these cause any variety to be cold tolerant but they do cause the trees grafted on to them to grow their best, have least detrimental issues and in a word, cause the tree to thrive.  It would not, however cause it on its own merits to thrive unprotected in say Tallahassee.

[dwfl]

This thread has actually gotten off target.

Yes, locations and microclimates can have a difference on one's weather conditions/extremes.

With that being said, and getting back to the question by the OP, there are no cold hardy mangoes.

I don't see how things got off target. The title says cold hardy mangoes but the post itself asks about what mangoes will grow outdoors in 9b... I gave a list of cultivars I have growing and shared (along with everyone else) what I have seen in 9b and colder. I think mango trees are fine in 9b for the most part,  but a slow growing tree that is in a protected area would be the best bet.

In addition to the title, read the last sentence of the original post.

People are commenting on what they have (and supporting that its based on microclimates, nothing to do with the mango's physiology).   Thats all well and good but not defining based on the magoe's physiological makeup, an actual true sampling or from any study.  If one's varieties are surviving,  most likely any other variety under the same co ditions would survive.  Why do I say that, cause there are no proven cold hardy mangoes.

Regardless of my original question, the information is useful. I now know I can grow a mango with some protection.

Won't really know you can until you do it. I know Marin county climate and soil and latitude is vastly different from what merc3 enjoys in New Port Richey area of Florida. Many more factors besides just "usda zone 9a". Give it a shot on Manila, choose a variety that isn't very vigorous and try to keep it a manageable height to protect it when you get too cold. I'd be worried about the consistent average high 50s low 40s cool wet weather months with cold snaps here and there. Definitely a challenge but good luck!

[edzone9]

When I lived in Zone 9 St Augustine , After 4.5 Years The Valencia Pride ,LZ , Glen and the last year I did not Cover my Carie ..

I left them behind , Also A Avocado seedling that I brought from NYC-St Augustine Git hit hard the First 2 years in the ground , but came back stronger the year after ..

I would like to go by my ok'd house to see how those trees are doing ..

Ed

[bovine421]

Hi! I understand that it is quite an old thread, but I hope for your help. I understand that zone 9B is at the ragged edge of Mango growing. Does anybody successfully grow mangos in the South Bay Area (San Jose)? Most of the people above wrote that this is unlikely to work, but it's been 3 years so I would be happy to hear your opinion on this.

I think the only cold hardy mango are the ones that people have in their freezers LOL. With that being said go for it plant it on the south side of a structure maybe get a 7 to 15 gallon tree that has some hardwood on it. And get some large incandescent Christmas lights and the largest Frost blanket you can get. Life is not without risk. Get in the game like the rest of us. Happy holidays