Fertilize your mango fruit tree a month after planting. After that, only fertilize your mango tree during its active season which spans April to September. Organic fertilizer helps to encourage plant growth, so it will be wasted in winter during the dormancy period. Be sure to use a 1:1:1 fertilizer ratio for mango tree growth. This will ensure the best essential nutrients for your growing mango plant.
What are the Benefits of Fertilizing Your Mango Tree?
Organic fertilizer helps increase mango tree growth and fruit production. A rich fertilizer provides valuable nutrients for fruit-bearing plants that may not be present in your soil. It’s really as simple as that. Fertilizer is the plant equivalent of multivitamins for humans.
- Organic fertilizer increases growth and promotes fruit production.
- Learn to recognize the best N-P-K ratio for mango tree fertilizer.
A mango tree seedling needs fertilizer with a 1-1-1 ratio. These numbers are the N-P-K ratio. It shows the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium respectively. So if your N-P-K ratio is 10-10-10 fertilizer: it contains 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium. A mature tree will not need extra nitrogen. When that happens, you can switch to focussing on mixes with a higher P and K ratio and less nitrogen.
8 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Mango Fertilizer
Mango tree fertilizer is important for getting your fruit tree all its essential nutrients. When and how you use it can be just as important as what fertilizer you use. Below, we’ll cover the best tips for getting the most out of your mango tree fertilizer. Be sure to only use products marked explicitly as a fertilizer for mango trees or citrus fertilizer.
Fertilize in Spring or Fall
Mango trees are most active in spring and fall and, as a result, need the most nutrients then. It’s best to fertilize when your plant is already beginning to bloom so that you can see the dramatic results. This will ensure that your tree is in an active period and receiving nutrients.
Plan 2–4 Fertilizer Applications Each Year
Some mango growers only fertilize twice a year while others fertilize up to four times a year. There are two different schools of thought on this. The first is that mangoes only need to be fertilized once in spring for best fruit production and once in fall to strengthen the plant for winter. However, some growers like to fertilize twice in spring and twice in fall. They believe that this leads to more dramatic results by providing more nutrients.
- Plan your fertilizer applications for spring and fall.
- You can do 1 fertilizer application in spring and 1 in fall or 2 fertilizer applications in spring and 2 in fall.
- Read fertilizer labels to see how often your fertilizer should be used.
- Be consistent with your application of fertilizer.
Find out which fertilizing style works best for your climate and personal gardening style. When in doubt, you can always read the product label for your fertilizer. It should specify how often this particular fertilizer should be used.
Never Fertilize in High Heat or in Winter
Fertilizing mangoes during high summer temperatures can cause nitrogen burn. Processing nitrogen in fertilizer takes water, so an overdose of fertilizer in hot conditions can compound drought conditions and dry out mango leaves.
- Mango trees can get burned by high nitrogen fertilizer in summer.
- Fertilizing in winter accomplishes nothing.
Mangoes have a dormancy period in winter. This means that your tree will drop its leaves in late fall and will experience no growth until spring arrives. Since fertilizer is used primarily to aid growth, it will be wasted if used during this time. Since your mango tree isn’t actively pulling nutrients out of the soil during winter, the fertilizer will be washed away by rain before spring arrives.
Use a Fertilizer Designed for Mangoes
A fertilizer for mango tree growth specifically is often best. In a pinch, citrus fertilizer will be the closest approximation and often gets great results. Use this organic fertilizer to get your mango plant all the nutrients it needs. We chose a balanced fertilizer with a 1-1-1 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This is great for young mangoes.
- For young mango trees, use a balanced fertilizer such as 4-4-4 or 10-10-10.
- For mature mango trees, use a fertilizer with lower nitrogen levels, such as 5-10-10.
- Citrus fertilizer can be used for mango trees.
For older mango trees, choose a fertilizer that has less nitrogen compared to the other ingredients. This 5-10-10 fertilizer contains 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium. This 1-2-2 ratio prevents nitrogen burn and gives your mango tree what it needs to flower and produce fruit.
Increase Fertilization Frequency for Young Trees
Young trees need more fertilizer as they grow to maturity. This can be most readily seen in how saplings need high nitrogen mixes but older trees need less nitrogen. Give your young mango tree fertilizer once a month beginning one month after planting and ending once summer arrives. Then, resume once a month fertilizing in fall until winter starts. After this first year, you can reduce fertilizing periods to 2–4 times annually.
- Young trees have higher nitrogen needs than mature trees.
- Nitrogen fuels branch and leaf growth vital for young trees.
- Fertilize seedlings every month starting one month after planting.
- Do not fertilize your young mango tree in summer or winter months.
The amount of fertilizer your seedling needs will depend on soil type and soil quality. A nutrient-rich potting mix will need less fertilizer less often than any old dirt patch. That said, even gardens with the best soil condition will benefit from regular fertilizer applications.
Use More Fertilizer as Your Tree Grows
As your tree grows in size, it will need a larger amount of fertilizer to get the proper amount of nutrients. Most sources recommend increasing the amount of fertilizer you use by 1 lb for each year your tree grows.
- Add an additional pound of fertilizer for each year your mango tree grows.
- Follow the instructions on your fertilizer label to provide the proper quantity.
Since mango trees reach full height within 4 to 8 years, this will let you know when to stop adding to the amount of fertilizer you use. When in doubt, check the instructions on your fertilizer package. It should specify how much additional fertilizer to use each year.
Spread Fertilizer in the Root Zone
It’s essential for your fertilizer to reach all of the roots of your mango tree, not just the area near the tree trunk. Mango trees have very wide root systems that take up as much horizontal space as the foliage. Since mango tree roots can grow about 25 feet in any direction, this is quite a lot of ground to cover.
- Spread fertilizer everywhere under your tree’s canopy.
- Be patient as the fertilizer to works down through the soil to feed tree roots.
Spread the fertilizer evenly across the whole area under the tree’s canopy. Missing any roots can result in a sicklier tree. Additionally, mango tree roots grow fairly deep, so it will take some time for the fertilizer to soak in deep enough. Don’t expect overnight results—you’ll see the benefits of mango fertilizer over the course of weeks and months.
Water After Fertilizing
It’s best to water after spreading fertilizer so that the nutrients are pulled below the soil surface. This is called water infiltration. The nutrients don’t do much good sitting on top of the soil and need to get farther down. Plants absorb nutrients with their roots so the fertilizer must reach as far down as your plant’s root system.
- Water immediately after your fertilizer application.
- Resume a regular watering schedule after applying fertilizer.
- Water infiltration helps get the fertilizer nutrients to the tree’s root system.
- Liquid fertilizer can reach the root system without additional water.
If you’re using a liquid fertilizer, then it will filter into the soil on its own without the aid of watering. Use this liquid fertilizer for mango and citrus trees if you want to save time on watering. After applying your liquid fertilizer, simply water your mango on its regular schedule.
When Should You Fertilize Your Mango Tree?
It’s best to only fertilize your mango tree during its active period, excluding high-temperature months. This means it’s best to fertilize in spring and fall while avoiding fertilizing in summer and winter. Here are the handiest mango fertilizing tips to remember:
- The best times to fertilize mangoes are in spring and fall.
- Never fertilize in periods of high heat or during winter.
- Fertilizing your mango spurs vegetative growth and tropical fruit production.
- Use mango tree fertilizer with a balanced nutrient ratio for young mango trees.
- Use low-nitrogen fertilizer with high levels of phosphorus and potassium for established trees.
- Fertilize mature mango trees 2-4 times per-calendar year.
- Young mango trees need monthly fertilizer applications during their first year.
- Increase the amount of fertilizer used every year your mango tree increases in size.
- Spread the fertilizer under the entire canopy of the tree.
- Water your fertilizer into the ground for the best growth results.
By providing fertilizer for mango tree growth, you ensure a healthy tree that produces delicious fruit. A properly fertilized tree is also more disease-resistant and will survive tough winters. Make sure to care for your mango tree so it remains healthy for years to come.
