Where Are Mangosteens Mainly Grown? Ripening Season and High-Yield Cultivation Methods

Mangosteen, also known as manggis, shanzhu, shanzhuzi, daonianzi and fengguo, is a species in the genus Garcinia of the family Hypericaceae. It has very strict environmental requirements and is a truly green fruit. It is as famous as durian and is known as the “Queen of Fruits”. So where are mangosteens mainly grown? In what season do they ripen? How can they be planted for high yield?

I. Where are mangosteens mainly grown?

Mangosteen is a tropical fruit with very high requirements for the growing environment. First, it cannot be frozen; as long as the temperature drops below 4°C, the mangosteen plant will be killed by cold. Second, for a mangosteen plant to reach the fruiting stage, it generally must grow for more than 10 years.

As for where mangosteens are grown in China, due to climate and temperature, the places in China where mangosteens can be planted are all in the south and cannot produce abundantly. They have been introduced and cultivated in Guangdong, Yunnan, Fujian and Taiwan, China, but winter temperatures in Taiwan, China are too low and are not very suitable for mangosteen growth, so it is still in the introduction trial stage.

The countries that produce mangosteens in abundance are mostly in Southeast Asia, mainly Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, among which Thailand's mangosteens are the sweetest and best, because Thailand's environment is the most suitable for mangosteen growth.

II. In what season do mangosteens ripen?

Mangosteens generally ripen from May to September. When selecting them, choose medium-to-small ones. Fresh mangosteens have green stem ends and a relatively soft, elastic rind when squeezed. After opening, the flesh inside is pure white. If you can lightly pinch the rind with your thumb and index finger and leave a shallow fingernail mark, it indicates the fruit is ripe. If the rind is as hard as stone, it is mostly inedible. If there is a lot of yellow juice at the stem end, decide not to buy it. Look at how many segments there are at the bottom of the mangosteen; that is how many segments of flesh are inside.

The peak ripening season for mangosteens is generally May and June. Most mangosteens on the market are imported. They originated in the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago, and are cultivated more extensively in Southeast Asian regions such as Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar.

The mangosteen rind is thick, hard and purple, and the flesh is snowy white, tender and soft, sweet with a slight sourness and very delicious. If you do not like durian and only eat mangosteens, that is likewise an excellent fruit. In hot Thailand, the mangosteen marketing season happens to be the hottest summer, and eating more mangosteens will also greatly help you reduce internal heat and relieve the heat, cool and delicious.

The mangosteen rind easily dries out when exposed to air, so it is recommended to buy only as much as you will eat. For storage, refrigeration is the main method; it needs to be refrigerated in the refrigerator. Usually after five days the flavor deteriorates steadily, and it can be stored for at most ten days.

Mangosteen is a uniquely favored fruit. Its rind is thick, so the flesh is relatively less easily damaged, and the tree's lifespan reaches more than seventy years. The planting cost is also not high, but it must be planted for seven or eight years before it can be harvested, unlike rambutan, which bears fruit after only three or four years, or durian, which can be sold after five years.

III. How can mangosteens be planted for high yield?

1. Planting conditions

① Soil environment

When planting mangosteens, choose soil with high fertility; the nutrient level of the soil should be high. If the land has been used for many crop rotations, it may not be so nutrient-rich, and the soil layer should be somewhat thicker. You can choose wasteland or abandoned fields, but the chosen place should have plenty of water sources nearby. Before planting mangosteens, weed the land, because weeds will compete with mangosteens for nutrients, then dig the land and apply fertilizer. The fertilizer should be manure.

② Clearing rhizomes and loosening soil

After the mangosteens are planted, the soil rhizomes must be cleared once every year, either in July or August each year. When loosening the soil, at the same time remove the poorly growing and aging bamboo rhizomes. After clearing the rhizomes is completed, apply organic fertilizer to the mangosteens to replenish nutrients in time. Mangosteen rhizomes sprout once every four years, so fertilizer should be applied in time so that the new rhizomes grow faster and better. In the second year, 600 mother bamboos can be retained per mu.

③ Planting techniques

After retaining the mother bamboos, always pay attention to fertilizer and water conditions. Mangosteens like a hot and humid growing environment. Once the land is dry, water it in time. Be sure to control the amount when watering and do not let water accumulate. Once mangosteens show yellowing disease, spray them with pesticide immediately, otherwise this disease will be very unfavorable to their later growth.

2. Points to note

Because mangosteens, like ordinary fruit trees, are perennial, planting them once requires several years before there is profit and return, so the land must be chosen well from the start. After planting is established, it is very difficult to change. When choosing land, be sure to confirm the climate conditions and other factors of its location, to avoid problems later that are then difficult to solve.