Tell me what I should do with this mango tree

[Calusa]

Hi, this Glen mango has been in the ground for one year and has really grown well at the top. However as you can see the trunk is not keeping up and it pretty limber considering the mass of foliage, and requires a tripod of stakes to protect it from wind. I bought the tree in this general shape but much smaller and thinner at that time.

The top is 5 feet wide, the trunk is 4 1/2 feet tall from ground to foliage, and is 1-1/2 inches thick. I am afraid that at some point in time the trunk will not be able to sustain the top foliage, so I am asking if there is a specific formula of fertilizer that will focus on growing and strengthening the trunk; ordo I need to severely cut back the top; or is this tree a lost cause?

Appreciate the help!

[mattyboydesigns]

Definitely not a lost cause as you've got a year in the ground already. Also at this point I wouldn't have any supports on it. You'd be surprised how flexible and strong it is. A trunk is thickened by the weight of the canopy/limbs and added stress from movement of the tree. Grab the tree and shake it a little, see how strong it actually is. If those branches are coming out of the same spot on the trunk and not staggered then that would be the future weak point of the tree. Do you have a closer picture of the branches coming off the trunk?

[Orkine]

One option is to pug it and reshape the tree to what you want.  If you cut it to 3 feet off the ground it will start new branches at and below this point and you can select the branches that give you a nice tree or bush (with some tipping).   There are several posts on the forum about this option (This fellow had a situation much like yours I believe  https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=39223.msg387695#msg387695).  Oh, one thing.  Make sure you know where the graft union is and if you cut the tree the cut is well above the union.


That said 4.5 feet to branches is not bad.  You may need to stop supporting the tree or at least to give the support some slack rope so that the tree can move and strengthen its main trunk.  If the wind breaks it, chances are it might snap at the graft and you may have been better off making a cut where you wanted to.



 

[JakeFruit]

You could thin the top down to two or three well-spaced  branches and then do a thin girdle maybe halfway or so down the trunk, that would make the tree push new growth below the girdle line.

[palmcity]

Fine looking tree. As mentioned in 1 year that's a lot of growth.

If you don't have high winds above 40mph, my guess is the trunk will get thick with time as it has plenty of leaves looking good sending sugars down.

Thus if no high winds you could do nothing...

If a hurricane is coming before the trunk naturally thickens in a year or more, trim a lot or remove a lot of the leaves.

If you kept cutting only the top shoots over the next 5 years the tree will grow outward and will also send limbs down closer to the ground.

It really doesn't matter a lot with a Glen as they tend to bear pretty good even without good air flow by cutting out some of the center limbs; but you could if desired. Almost any option is available to you with a Glen.

[Calusa]

If those branches are coming out of the same spot on the trunk and not staggered then that would be the future weak point of the tree. Do you have a closer picture of the branches coming off the trunk?

Thanks mattyboydesigns!

Here is a close up of the branching. It appears to be pretty sturdy to me, but I would like your opinion. Thanks

[JakeFruit]

Looks like all your branching is coming off one node, that's not ideal for stability and wind-resistance. Add to that the branching looks to be ~5'+ high, so most/all your fruit-picking will require a ladder/picker pole. If it was me, I'd thin some branches and try to get some lower branches started. Girdling is pretty easy, and I would imagine you can still see where the internode leaves were (so you can be pretty confident about where the branches will spring from). I would consider the locations of whatever top branches are kept and try to find the internode locations that don't align with the above branches (you want weight distributed as evenly as possible vertically/horizontally along the trunk). I would try to get some branches going around 2-3' off the ground.

[Calusa]

If I girdle the trunk how wide and how deep should the cuts be?

By the way I did remove the stakes this morning.

[JakeFruit]

I just go as wide as I need to be able to scrape off all of the cambium layer (~1/8"), don't go too wide or too deep into the wood. That said, f you don't get all the cambium around the girdle off, it won't work. This time of year it should push new growth quickly, and also heal over the girdle fast. It will likely cause your existing branches to flower, too.

[Calusa]

OK thanks. As I have never done this before to be sure I make the girdle in the right location,
see the red line in the photo - would that be a good spot to do it, just a couple of inches above that node?

[JakeFruit]

Watch a few videos to get comfortable with what you'll be doing, search on girdling, ring-barking, and there's another term for it that escapes me right now. I would go above an internode, above the node will probably result in new branches all at the same level/height (which is what you have going on above). There are internodes right above and below the red line in the pic, I would target those. Look up at the existing branches and try to not pick an internode that is directly below an existing branch (that you are keeping). I'd also consider factors like sun exposure.

[pineislander]

Drive 3 short fence t-posts around the tree not straight down but at an angle outwards. Use straps to loosely tie the tree to them, just enough that when wind blows the tree won't snap. The sway compresses wood cells alternately in the trunk. When the cells get compressed they become stronger. A tree allowed to sway will get thicker and stronger than one that doesn't sway.

Or, just chop it below the red line. In a year it will rebuild the same amount of canopy you have now.

This is the best mango pruning video out there, especially formative pruning. That part starts at 8:00 minutes and shows how to get the right radial spacing of branches when seen from above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh1AnvNa6mc&t

[achetadomestica]

If I girdle the trunk how wide and how deep should the cuts be?

By the way I did remove the stakes this morning.

When you removed the stakes what happened?
Does the trunk support the canopy?

[Calusa]

achetadomestica - with stakes removed the tree remained perfectly upright with a little sway in a light breeze.

I'm going to follow all of the suggestions about allowing the tree to sway. I never realized that swaying would strengthen the trunk but it makes perfect sense, like strengthening your body by walking and exercise. But I am going to use the fence post method because it is Summer and we can get some wicked gusts from afternoon thunderstorms and it is hurricane season. And I am going to give girdling a shot this weekend when I can focus on what I'm doing. Also will thin out the top branches and cut some of it back.

I REALLY appreciate all of the kind and  helpful replies. Thanks!