Mangosteen is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 11 through 12 and stands up to deer. Its spring flowers are a modest draw for honeybees, even though the fruit is the prize. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Mangosteen — the short answer
Mangosteen: grown in zones 11–12, full sun, pH 4.3–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 11–12
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.3–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 39.2°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Mangosteen on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether mangosteen actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score mangosteen against your land's real conditions.
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What Mangosteen is
Mangosteen grows as a perennial and reaches around 30 feet at maturity. It blooms pink in spring. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Mangosteen
Mangosteen grows in USDA zones 11 through 12. Mangosteen does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.3 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 6,000 growing degree days to mature, a growing season of at least 365 frost-free days, and about 0 hours of winter chill to set fruit, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
11-12
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.3 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
39.2°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
59°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
GDD Required
6000+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
30 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
0+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
365+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set mangosteen in full sun with well-drained soil. Many fruit trees need a second variety nearby to pollinate — check before you plant just one.
Match the soil
Mangosteen prefers pH 4.3 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Be patient, then harvest
Prune annually while the tree establishes; fruit trees reward patience with years of harvest. Local Extension guides publish per-cultivar bearing-age tables.
Where Mangosteen thrives
Mangosteen is hardy across USDA zones 11 through 12. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 11–12 spans average winter lows from 40°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 3 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 11–12·Where Mangosteen growsOpen map →
Where Mangosteen stands, state by state
Mangosteen is rated for zones 11–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 40 to 50°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 48 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
3 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Florida · zones 8b-12a
- Hawaii · zones 8b-13a
Mangosteen’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Mangosteen
Growing guides for mangosteen
In rotation planning, mangosteen counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — mangosteen isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Mangosteen offers low value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest mangosteen, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant mangosteen for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Mangosteen's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Mangosteen will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether mangosteen actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Mangosteen
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Mangosteen in my zone?
Mangosteen grows in USDA hardiness zones 11 through 12 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Mangosteen?
Set mangosteen out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Mangosteen need?
Mangosteen needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Mangosteen need?
Mangosteen prefers soil pH 4.3 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Mangosteen attract pollinators?
Yes — mangosteen's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees.
Is Mangosteen safe for pets?
Mangosteen is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)