African Mangosteen

Garcinia Livingstonei
 

1/ Use only fresh seed. Sow in flat seedling trays filled with river sand. Press seed into the sand until it is flush with the surface, cover with a thin layer of sand and keep moist. The germination rate is usually 80-100%. Transplant the seedlings when they reach the 2-leaf stage. Seedlings transplant well. This tree grows in full sun or light shade. The growth rate is usually slow, 300-500 mm per year. Grows best in frost-free areas and is drought-resistant. The African mangosteen is a protected tree in South Africa.

 2/ The hole needs to be at least a metre cube (two metres long is better, he said). Put a layer of broken bricks, the cheapest and nastiest stock bricks you can find (rubble from a demolished wall is often ideal) in the bottom, and a pipe (a used gutter or down-pipe) in one corner. Put a rich mixture of topsoil, compost and a little fertilizer on top of the bricks, and back-fill the hole so that the poorest soil is on top. Now put the hose down the pipe and water the hole until the top of the soil is saturated. By doing this, you will have filled the bricks and the good soil with water, which they will release slowly. When the top subsides, an hour or so after this soaking, you can plant your tree, and make good the subsidence in the hole with more subsoil or any other mulch. Water the tree thoroughly from below via the pipe once a week. This will cause the roots to grow downwards, so that the soil acts as a mulch. Despite appearances, this actually saves water, as well as encouraging the tree to grow faster than it would otherwise.

 3/ Almost 100% germination can be expected from fresh, sound seeds. The seedlings are easily transplanted but grow very slowly, only about 2m in 6 years. The species can withstand strong winds and even droughts, but it is not resistant to extremes of cold.

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This web page was last updated on: 30 July, 2011