No hot is too hot for them- there are groves of Mangoes in the Dead Sea's desert area and Coachella valley in California. You let it go too dry- or you would have benefited from that 35C.

Mangoes do best in peat less grow mixes- especially the seedlings. When indoors in winter- you need to either have large sunny window- or use artificial lighting...the last really is the best way. A 4 bulb fluorescent light can keep the seedlings growing all winter.

Herewith, at last, the photos.

The sequence is the same on upper and lower new growth: stems sprout and leaves unfurl, then after about a week or so, it stops, goes brown, and dies. Since the initial heat burn can't be the culprit, am I looking at parasites?

Take it out of the clay pot- use a black plastic pot. Better drainage,better warming of the soils on sunny cool days. Terra Cotta competes with roots for the water also.

What you have is a still healthy plant telling you it needs more water all the time. Wait too much longer and it crosses the line of no return.

Also- sun,sun,sun. Unless you live in the tropics or Arizona, shade of any kind is bad.

Will do -- and thanks very much for the feedback. I'd been a bit surprised that a tropical plant par excellence like a mango could have leaves literally cooked off the top, so your insight on its fondness for the hot stuff makes more sense than my guessing.

Ditto for the pot (which, oddly, I recently upgraded in size. Still wonder if perhaps I should go bigger). Didn't know the shrinkage/sponge aspect. Never to old to learn!

One question on watering: I usually go pretty strong with that, but since I watered several papaya saplings to death last year by continuing summer water too far into fall, I may have subconsciously gotten cautious with the mango. Is there any danger of over-watering (root rotting or whatever) so long as I've go a pot that drains (visibly) well?

Thanks so much again for the help, and go Giants (next year. Maybe...)

No problem- you wrote in on time,as I said,its healthy,just needs some help.

Potted Mangoes love a fast drain. They really need air at the roots. Use lots of perlite or some type of grits like crushed lava. Even horticultural sands. Or,some of those non peat mixes with lots of composted bark. Roots need air is the point.

The worst thing for them I saw was putting a saucer under them. Most plants love that..they uptake the extra water. Mangoes quickly got sickly leaves was my experience. Once I took away the saucer..foliage returned to normal.

Thanks again. Very, very much appreciated!

Any update on what the problem was?

I have an 8month old mango sapling ive

grown from seed. It’s got the same problem, where the leaves on top initially were dying back and now has sprout new growth across the entire trunk. All of those leaves are also dying back after 1-2 weeks now. I’m watering every 5 days. Wondering if you have any insight. I just re-potted into a larger pot today so fingers crossed

Thanks for your insight!

For now I re-potted in a larger pot with a little dilute fish emulsion, and cut off the growth on the lower trunk to help it establish new roots and focus on upper growth and new leaves. We’re also expecting a heat wave next week with temps 85-90 so hopefully all of this helps. Thanks again!

If it would be any help I can take a few iPhone shots of my plant. Admittedly, Paris isn't exactly the kind of climate a mango will go nuts in, but mine has done well enough, despite the die-back oddities, and if comparing yours with it would help, no problem.

FYI, of late, been also getting a bit of strange mid-leaf burn as well. I suspect that may be due to some sort of root ailment, or possibly bugs, but I've insecticide-soap and Neem-oil sprayed as treatment. Way strange: the portions that burn, turn brow and crackle are toast, but the rest of the leaf is fine. I'm starting to suspect a poltergeist or something!

That would be great! Here are a few of mine

Herewith the pix. One of the full plant, another with leaf burn, a third with a gunky crown of new leaves. Oddly enough, there are four or five crowns of new growth doing just fine nearby...

does anyone know what is destroying my mangoes new leaves?

Hi does anyone know what Wrong with my 3 month old mango tree? His leaf came out good but then this happened and the new ones on top are the same

Saw this whiteish powder by the base of the plant if that helps

I think shomars problem is the very common 'My Mango spouted great then grew badly'..and the usual answer is that they hate peat based acidic potting soils. Avoid those and make you own of composted fir and then add perlites. Even better if you could use coarse sands..not fine sands..but the really coarse stuff that does not pack down.