If you are a tree lover then you might have various plants in your yard. When deciding which fruit trees to grow, you’ll have to keep in mind the hardiness zones. Not every soil and weather situation is right for all trees. If you are living in a much colder area and want to plant tropical trees, this will be unrealistic. However, many people ask ‘can mangoes grow in zone 9b? This article, will give you a detailed answer.
Can Mangoes Grow In Zone 9b?
Zone 9b is a bit cold for tropical fruits like papaya and mango, but some trees can tolerate the chilly temperature. You’ll need to choose the correct variety and protect your trees from cold weather, if you’re to have a good harvest of mangos.
Where is zone 9B?
Before you read about zone 9 you need to understand in which condition plants will thrive. For this, you can take the help of the USDA plant hardiness map. Here you will find that there are 13 zones based on the temperature.
Zones are marked from one to thirteen with one being the coldest and 13 the hottest place. Based on this information, zone 9b is warm but it isn’t suitable for tropical fruit trees. Zone 9 has the typical temperature of 25 to 39 C which signifies cold weather and for that, you can grow fruit trees like peaches. Residents will experience long summer months and mild winter which are chilly.
Winter in the desert area
Zone 9b faces many more challenges than other places in the world and based on that you have to plant fruit trees that will thrive. The first thing you have to notice is that it’s a desert area where you will get a hot temperature around 120 F.
Also, humidity is scarce here, it can always be a challenge for tropical fruit plants. They need humid conditions to thrive. Commonly, the daytime temperature in the desert area stays around 30 to 40 degrees and at night time it drops. Since there is very little cloud to give shade you need to control the temperature and use a protection system.
How to protect the fruit trees in zone 9B?
The desert winter area of 9b can be freezing at times, so you need to be mindful of that. However, the freezing temperature isn’t constant, but in some seasons it can be harsh. So to keep tropical fruit trees safe you can keep them in containers. This will allow you to move them into the house if it’s required.
You can also grow trees in your yard, but they need protection from the weather, otherwise, they will freeze to death. You can plant sapodilla, Atemoya, guava, papaya and mango trees. You just have to remember that you need to provide proper protection for the plants.
If you fail to provide protection they will freeze and die. Ensure the type of tree you are planting can withstand the weather.
How long do mango trees take to bear fruit?
A mango tree will take at least 5 years to mature and start to bear fruits.
Why do mangoes split while on the trees?
Mangos tend to crack while they are on the trees. This is because of the heavy monsoons in some area. Trees also suffer from Boron deficiency and this happens in high temperatures, soil with increased acidity, and high rainfall. These are the reasons mangoes crack on the trees.
The reasons for fruit cracking:
There are various reasons for fruit cracking. The effect can range from skin russeting to splitting. The main reasons for this are standing water in the fruits, humidity, and water uptake. The genetics of the trees is another reason for the cracks.
Can Mangoes Grow In Zone 9b: Conclusion
Tropical fruit trees are hard to grow in zone 9b but that doesn’t mean you cannot do it. All you need is to provide enough protection from the cold and take care of the plants.