Have a go at planting the ‘Queen of Fruits’
WE have been getting a lot of information on the cultivation of the King of Fruits – especially the most popular Musang King variety – of late. This seems like the appropriate time to change the focus to the ‘Queen of Fruit’ – the mangosteen.
I still remember some years ago, there were many export orientated promotions. Those efforts were mainly due to the ‘Look East Policy’, when exporting fruit to Japan was promoted by the government. Today we have high demand from the local market for the fruits. This could be because its health properties have been widely published. It is probably why mangosteen seedlings cost over RM100 each now.
Background
Mangosteen originates in tropical of Southeast Asia, from Malaysia, to Myanmar, as well as the Philippines. Some also believe it comes from the Sunda and Moluku Islands. Today it has been planted in most areas, including Australia and Jamaica. It is also well-established in many countries with tropical climates such as India and Sri Lanka.
Garcinia mangostana belongs to the family Guttiferae. The evergreen tree has a pyramidal crown or canopy that can exceed 50 feet in height as it matures. The tree in my garden is now over 60 feet tall. The leaves are dark brown or black, and about 10 inches long and three inches wide. The tree has a flaking bark that covers a yellow gummy latex.
Flashy flowers are borne at the end of the branch tips and the flowers are either male or hermaphrodite on the same tree. The fruit is capped by a calyx at the stem. Ripeness is indicated by the colour of the rind and slight softening. Harvesting is done by hand as the feel of a soft husk is a sure sign of ripening.
The flesh is white, and the rind is very thick with latex. The flesh is slightly acidic and seeds can be found embedded within.
Cultivation techniques
Today there are techniques to produce fruits in abundance earlier than the normal seven years after planting. This means we can reduce the juvenile period. The only good way to plant this fruit is by using its seeds. This is because seeds will produce true to type offspring.
For a seedling nursery, we need a good fertile potting mix. Keep the seedlings in the shade for a year or more than a year before field planting.
The grafting technique has been tried in Thailand, Australia, and Malaysia but has not developed well. Grafted seedlings and seedlings propagated from seeds took the same length of time to mature before fruiting after seven years.
In the effort to reduce the juvenile period, newly formulated fertiliser is applied regularly with adequate irrigation to try to speed up the fruiting time. It is common practice to grow mangosteen together with other fruits such as rambutan and durian. This is because young mangosteen requires shade to stimulate growth. Through intercropping, growers can get revenue from other fruits before the mangosteen matures.
Upon transplanting the young seedlings or grafted materials, irrigation or watering is required to avoid problems due to severe drought and evaporation. Fertiliser application can be NPK (16-16-16) or chicken manure about once in three months.
To keep the plants free from major pests such as thrips, leaf miners, and leaf eating caterpillars, we can apply some insecticide. Some fungal diseases are also found in the tree like canker and dying back of the foliage or branches. Thread blight by Pedicularis spp on branches is common.
The fruit may also suffer a physiological problem called gamboge, meaning oozing of the latex onto the outer surface of the fruits and on branches due to excessive absorption of water during the landas season. However, the eating quality of the flesh will remain good.
The conical canopy of the tree will ensure a beautiful display of green in the garden. The bushy and thick foliage, which hides the branches, also adds to its charm. As it is a slow grower, it will keep its well-maintained appearance for long periods without pruning.
Hopefully you will consider adding the mangosteen to your garden although it will require some patience before you see the first fruits. Do send me an email should you have questions, comments, or suggestions. Happy gardening.