Mango Season After Florida’s Freezing Temps

It was the coldest in decades last week in Florida with temperatures dropping to 29–31°F and residents reaching for the space heaters. Tropical fruit tree growers across South Florida were very concerned that the overnight hard freeze was going to damage their fruiting trees. In addition, high winds also posed a big threat to the newly set flowers.

It is the start of mango season in South Florida and the blossoming period for many tropical fruit trees happens from January to March. The cold spell and wind may also have hindered mango pollinators, such as the different species of bees and flies from being able to cross-pollinate the plants.

Backyard growers of tropical trees such as mango, avocado, sapodilla, and mamey sapote faced the same risk as commercial tropical fruit tree growers do. Around the neighborhood on Marco Island, mango season was observed with many mango trees in their early bloom period.

A full canopy of flowering mango can release a light and sweet fragrance from its buds, which is a scented clue to seasoned mango hunters that full bloom has started. Pollinator insects such as bees and flies can be observed happily seeking nectar among the flowers, and you can hear their audible collective buzzing from a nearby sidewalk.

From one to two weeks, you will notice a spray or light rainfall of pink or white petals visible under the mango tree during this blooming process. If pollination was successful, the flower buds will continue to expand and develop into tiny, knobby mango fruits. By months four to six, the fruits will continue to expand, ripen, and ready for picking.

During the recent cold snap, the mango fruit trees were in various stages of flowering and setting tiny fruits. Smaller and younger mango trees were covered with frost cloths, and it is too early to assess how this freeze will affect the 2026 mango season.

In the two days leading to the expected freezing temperature, I followed the experts’ advice on how to prepare my mango tree. I soaked the ground around the tree and avoided watering the foliage. Watering after a hard freeze is also the most important first step for recovery, according to UF/IFAS. It helps the soil rehydrate and improve its ability to recover.

What to do after a freeze:

• Be patient and hold off on pruning and removing dead materials after a hard freeze. Wait for small growth to appear and for the warmer weather. The tree should be able to recover on its own.
• Do not fertilize right away after the stresses of a cold snap. Adding fertilizer now can push new growth to break out too early. There is still the risk of another frost; wait till consistent warm weather returns.

For commercial tropical fruit tree growers, a prolonged cold snap could make or break their harvest season. For backyard tropical tree hobbyists, there is always somebody in the neighborhood with a different variety that is more cold-hardy, and they are willing to share their harvest with neighbors. When shopping for a mango tree this summer, try to grow a different variety because each tree responds to weather patterns differently.

Mango season typically begins in May and runs through July and into late August. The summer farmers market would be a good indicator of how productive the 2026 mango season was and which varieties survived the February 2026 cold snap. It’s also very common for mangos to have a bonanza of harvest one year and a very lean one the year after. But you can always rely on finding a steady supply of mangos at your local grocery store, and most likely, they are not grown in the USA.