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I grew a mango tree last summer from seed in a pot. In the beginning it was extremely healthy looking and fast-growing. When the summer was over, as it gets very cold here in Canada, I took it indoors and placed it in the window frame. I fertilized it once or twice only during summer. Indoors, the lighting was less than ideal during the winter but it could get some sun light for a few hours per day.

However, after some time, I saw that leaves started to get brown, dry and fall off. Curiously, the browning pattern was quite peculiar as in many leaves it first starts as an isolated regular-shaped segment that then spreads to the whole leaf. Sometimes only the segment that has gotten brown gets dry while the other parts are still green and soft. In some leaves the browning is less regular and can come like an overall shade of brown. This second type starts with a tint of brown more or less everywhere and then it gets darker and darker all over the leaf. In both cases, the browning can exist in a segment, in very tip of the leaf or at the base.

The plant has lost many leaves. Even new coming leaves can be affected and fall off. It seems that some of them can be diseased even before unfolding. I water it somewhat regularly, only when the soil is dry. I also gently transplanted it into a bigger pot. I thought it may help but it didn't. When changing the pot, I saw some kind of yellowish powder near the root. I'm not sure if it was fungus or some color that had come off the pot.

Now it's summer and I can put it outside but it seems that it is dying. Is there any way that I can save this lovely thing?

I love plants but I am not very knowledgeable in caring for various plants. I really appreciate your comments.

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  • How often do you water it? Does the pot have drainage holes? What's your lowest indoor temperature?
    – Organic
    May 19, 2016 at 20:11
  • So did it live to see the next winter?
    – J. Chomel
    Oct 20, 2016 at 8:03
  • I've tried three time already to grow indoors a mango tree from seed. My living room has windows down to the floor, has plenty of light even in winter, and temperature is usually above 22o C. Every time the plants grew up to 30-35cm height and then started to get brown like in the pictures, drying and eventually died. I can't figure out what may be the problem although I suspect the lack of water drainage. The looks of the soil is much like in your pictures so I guess funghus is one possibility. Have you ever tried to spray water instead of watering directly the plant? Do you think that could
    – Nuno
    Jan 4, 2017 at 18:36

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From the pictures, this plant clearly misses the sun. We can see white spots on the earth, indicating high moisture / low light exposure: this is kind of mushroom creatures I think.

From Wiki how to grow a mango tree:

Mangoes can be grown in pots or in spacious areas outside. They prefer lots of heat and direct sunlight, meaning that they don’t grow well indoors (although they can be brought in in a pot for the winter). The size of each mango tree varies depending on what species it is, but they can get quite large, exceeding heights of 10–15 feet (3.0–4.6 m). Therefore, choose an area that will give them plenty of space to thrive without being shaded by other larger trees.

Did the sun save your plant? Did it live trough the summer?

In winter you must give it the best sunny spot behind a south-orientated window. This could do, if you don't have a yard.

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It seems to be an Anthracnose attack. You need to spray the plant with some good fungicide or a combination of fungicides.

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    What is “Anthracnose”? What constitutes a “good fungicide”? You could improve your answer by elaborating on the crucial parts.
    – dakab
    Mar 30, 2017 at 12:48
  • Not sure the brown spots in the question's pictures are similar to those of the Anthracnose (see google.com/…)
    – thedrs
    Nov 11, 2020 at 7:51
  • I am not sure it is Anthracnose: for my experience and some searches Anthracnose shows up with black spots on leaves and after a while the leaf dries and curls up. I'm investigating which type of fungicide is best: e.g. Cu salts, xxxnazole (e.g. Tetraconazole), Azoxystrobin, Mancozeb (ethylene-bis-dithiocarbamate), etc. .... maybe a mix.
    – andrea
    Apr 24, 2022 at 19:53

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