How do you grow mangosteen trees? – The tree can be grown from seed or by
vegetative propagation, however it is most commonly propagated from seeds. Seeds
weighing 1 gram or heavier are selected from fully ripe fruits immediately after
opening as the percentage germination is directly related to the weight of the seed.
After extraction, the seeds are cleaned, air-dried for a few hours and sown
immediately. Once removed from the fruit, the seeds lose viability after 5 days. The
seeds are sown about 1 cm deep and 4-5 cm apart in a moist seedbed with 50-60%
shade. Germination usually occurs 30-40 days after sowing. After about 60 days, the
seedlings have 2 mature leaves and can be transplanted into individual polyethylene
bags (7E x 11E or 8E x 12E) and provided with 50% shade. To promote rapid growth and thus shorten the juvenile stage
of the seedlings while in the nursery, the seedlings are re-transplanted into bigger polyethylene bags (12E x 16E or 16E x
16E) and allowed to grow up to 5-7 ft tall or for a further 24-36 months. Prior to field planting, the seedlings may be
gradually exposed to direct sunlight. When establishing in the field, better results are achieved when seedlings are grown
underneath shade trees for the first 2-4 years and planted 7 x 7 m or 8 x 8 m apart. With care, trees begin to flower 3-4
years after field establishment and fruits are harvested 110-113 days after flower set. With small trees, only ripe fruits are
hand picked during harvest to avoid damage to the rind while with tall trees, a long pole with a hook and a basket is used
to prevent fruits from falling to the ground. Harvested fruits are carefully placed in small baskets or wooden boxes of
20-25 kg capacity and either sold immediately or refrigerated. Conventional vegetative propagation of the mangosteen is
difficult and is used very little, except in propagating the seedless mangosteen type where grafting is used