Mango is successfully grown on a wide range of soils. The trees do well in sandy soils at the coastline as well as on loam, black cotton and even murram soils at other elevations. The essential prerequisites for good development of the trees are deep soils (at least 3 m), appropriate rainfall (500–1000 mm), good drainage, suitable altitude (0–1200 m) and preferably a pH value refers to degree of acidity or alkalinity as a scale of numbers from 1 (very acid) to 14 (very alkaline) of between 5.5 and 7.5. The tree itself is not difficult to grow and, once well established, is relatively tolerant of drought, occasional flooding and poor soil condition. Irrigation in the first years after planting promotes flushing (and suppresses flowering), so that tree size increases quickly. Irrigation also widens the scope for intercropping the growing of two crops simultaneously in the same field, for example, with papaya, banana, pineapple or vegetables, during the establishment phase. When the trees are big enough to produce a substantial crop, irrigation is stopped, or at least interrupted long enough to impose quiescence leading to flower initiation.
Among the various climatic factors, temperature, rainfall and humidity have a greater bearing on mango production than irrigation and soils. Furthermore, the production of high quality mango fruit does not depend so much on elevation but on the range of temperatures available. The two important considerations for mango cultivation are a dry period at the time of flowering—in Kenya mainly during the months of August to October—and sufficient heat during the time of fruit ripening. For optimum growth and productivity, 20–26°C is believed to be ideal. Temperatures exceeding 40°C may, especially in hot/dry areas, lead to sunburn of fruits and stunting of tree growth. Although not very impressive, mango trees of selected cultivars like Sabre and Peach have been observed at elevations of up to about 1900 m. However, for more successful crops areas below 1200 m should be considered.
The amount of rainfall in a given locality is not as important as its intensity and distribution. Rainfall of 500–1000 mm at the right time of the year is sufficient for successful cultivation. However, the mango cannot do well in areas which experience frequent rains or very high humidity during the flowering period. Such conditions are not conducive to good fruit set and they increase the incidence of serious diseases like powdery mildew and anthracnose. Anthracnose can be a major problem as the same organism occurs on avocado, coffee and papaya. Powdery mildew is quite common when low temperatures accompany high humidity (see Appendix 2 - Rainfall and Temperatures in Selected Mango-growing Provinces).
Since the mango is a long-lived perennial, the planting distance usually depends to a large extent on the vigour of the cultivar variety, type/rootstock plants propagated for further grafting/budding and on the environment. Most orchards (either solely mango or a few trees on small farms) are planted too densely and trees are forced to grow upright and tall. Overcrowding results in the production of fewer fruits which are apt to be poorly coloured and infected with diseases. Tall trees also present a harvesting problem and create difficulties during spraying and pruning. Normally, grafted trees are spaced at 8 x 10 m or 10 x 12 m, though at the coast seedlings require 12 x 14 m. Intercrops of short-lived fruit trees such as papaya or annual crops could be used for better utilization of land in widely spaced young plantations.