I will third that vote not to pug it. Vigor in mango trees is hard to come by in California. You have a pretty good looking tree there. I would get it in the ground ASAP. Wait a couple of months for it to establish, then tip prune it to create more branches. I would not cut it back and "hope" it comes back. The only caveat is if you are trying to keep it small for protection. But even then it would be risky and  I would not cut all the way down to waist high. I would leave some branches. Hope it will be a good producer for you!

Just out of curiosity, do you have a "before assault" picture? You should not prune while the tree is setting fruit, if want any chance of it ripening. From the looks of it now, I would cut off that top portion "Y" just above where the other leafed branches originate. You should still have a nicely shaped tree. Carrie is not known for growing very tall anyway. Try to keep the center open for good airflow and sunlight entrance. Try to prune out large branches only after you harvest the fruit. Maybe start to tip your branches also to create more framework. Good choice on variety!

So, I was thinking the other day about how long it takes for mangoes to ripen. I believe its about 100 to 150 days from flowering. And I know they ripen faster in warmer weather. But, it would be interesting to know what varieties have the shortest times and which take longest. I don't think this has been covered in another thread, and I ask because I'm going out of town from late May to July. I want to know what mangoes might ripen before I leave and which I might have when I get back. Because I'm in 9b, the cold fronts get all my mangoes to flower approximately the same time. So most have about pea size or a little bigger mangoes on them. Just curious if anyone has some ideas...

Curious about these cv's in particular: Edward, Rosigold, Angie, LZ, Sweet tart, Mallika, Bailey's marvel, Keitt, Pickering, NDM, Graham, Fruit punch, PPK, Carrie

But would be interesting to know longest and shortest. I suspect really big mangoes take the longest - Keitt, Harvest moon, lancetilla etc. Do small ones like sweet tart or choc anon, or bombay ripen sooner? Thanks!
Erik

Ok, so I have been following along with this interesting experiment and from my understanding from the above articles, it seems that the only place there is genetic diversity is from material (shoots) arising from the graft union? Not from anything above it. Am I understanding this right?
E.

I've been to the Philippines about 10 times and enjoy their fruit tremendously. My favorites are Durian( which has quite large seeds but would be awsome to grow in other places), Rambutan (really sweet like lychees), star apple (caimito), Sugar apple(atemoya, Atis), Marang (sweet and creamy), mangosteen. All these have small seeds and easy to travel with. For Mango, I think there are better selections in florida or Hawaii. I did not particularly care for Lanzones. They were a pain to peel, sticky, made a mess, and mostly sour with bitter seeds in them. I like my fruits sweet! Another thing I liked were the young coconuts(Buko), but I'm sure you could not travel with them. Let us know what you are able to get!
E.

I have fruit punch and I think it's an excellent mango! Seems very disease resistant and productive, at least so far in my yard. I did not think there was any fiber, kind of reminds me of Edward(texture and color wise) with a more fruity flavor. There is an aroma to the mango that reminds me of Graham, which I like very much. I even have FP grafted to a tree in the back yard because the main one is in the front. The other mango I would comment on is the Nam Doc Mai. I agree with previous posts that the flavor is kinda boring. Very good texture and an interesting bouquet aroma, but just mild and very sweet. Some of my Asian friends think it's the best mango ever, but I think the normal Mango snob who has tasted some variety of mangoes would typically turn them down if others are available. It does seem very productive and NDM #4 is very compact, semi dwarf. Everyone has different tastes and just for reference, my favorites are Carrie,Bombay , Edward, LZ. Not in any particular order.
I have MC, Cotton candy, and Peach Cobbler, but they are not producing yet.

On another note, my daughter bought me a Coconut cream mango a few years back from Top Tropicals and I was very happy with the tree.

I agree with Squam, Van Dyke is the closest tasting to the Haden. ll the rest except for Bailey's marvel, I think are not even close to Haden. Edward like a haden? Get real, Edward is so much better I like Haden but it is VERY susceptible to anthracnose, at least in my yard in Brevard county, FL. I think the best choice on that list of Haden flavor and best all around mango would have to be Bailey's marvel...

Hey Joe, that sounds like a lot of product to use in 1 gallon. Is that what the instructions tell you to add? I use about 1 tablespoon per gallon of each.

I agree with wslau, I would cut back on watering. I would also leave the lemon zest graft if it took. Something to be proud of. Grafting any mango to mango should not be a problem, although I had a tough time trying to graft Edward to Alphonso rootstock. Took me a lot of tries. Your small stubby growth could be from cold or could be some micro deficiency. Your scorched leaves may be from salt build up or from too much water. Do you have hard water? Best thing to do is probably wait and see if it starts growing in warmer weather. I don't think spraying with copper would hurt, but I would not go crazy trying a bunch of different things to try to remedy your situation. Sometimes you can over-love a plant to death. I've done it.

Carrie is a good choice! One of my favorite mangos. Hopefully, the anthracnose that some talk about with Carrie, is not affecting their output... Let us know how the topworking goes

I really don't understand any of your choices except the Beverly, which I think is a good mango. Delores, Nancy, and Lil Gem are all new and unproven as a dooryard tree. Who knows about production with these? Or even disease resistance? If you want a nice old flavored mango which is late, go with Keitt too- it's decent flavor and quite productive. Bombay is one of my faves and is very productive, at least for me. I'm inland with high humidity. My Kent is suffering badly...
Zill or Van Dyke? With all the new varieties that Zill has released, do you not like your parents or something? Some of your options are the renowned sweet tart and lemon zest, which have proven their productivity. Cotton Candy, Phoenix, fruit punch and Venus would also be good options.
Pickering is always productive and well liked. Another option for your situation would be fairchild, especially for the front yard, or the peach cobbler...
All of these I think would be much better options for giving your parents a nice mango tree with decent production and good flavor.
I'm multigrafting a tree at my parent's house. I added bombay, carrie, keitt and lemon zest to a Haden tree.

As far as the Rosigold vs. Choc anon question, I think the Rosigold is much better flavored than choc anon. The first couple of years on the young tree, I was not impressed with Rosi, but the last couple of years the fruit has been really tasty! I have not gotten two crops from my Rosigold. Don't know if you will get two crops, especially if growing in KC,MO.