Destroyed mango tree coming back

General Fruit Growing
1

People,

I have a 30 year old keitt Mango Tree, that was destroyed/knocked down by last year’s Hurricane in October. I thought it would never sprout back, until this March when it sprouted new sprouts!!

It has sprouted about 3 main areas with multiple branching/bunches in each bundle. Each bundle has about 4-5 stems/juvenile branches. Picture shows one of which is very low to the ground.

Of course, tree leaves are important in manufacturing starch, so vital to the tree’s energy reserves, so up til now I have hesitated to pinch off any of the competing/bunched up stems from the bundles. I wanted to get opinions on if I should, at this time, do any pinching/cutting of any of the stems in any of the bundles. What should one do? Wait? I hate to mess up the balance of the tre.

Thanks, people.

PXL_20250513_232115868
PXL_20250513_2321158681920×2560 939 KB

2 Likes
2

The ones at the bottom will be rootstock if it was grafted. Assuming it was, you should remove the shoots coming from the ground and leave the ones above where a graft union would most likely be.

1 Like
3

I would paint that open wound with the white tree paint so it doesn’t get any infections if you want it to keep growing. If you see a clear graft union (a spot where the bark doesn’t match up), remove everything below it. If you don’t, it could be that the graft union was below the soil and it is now on its own roots (the trunk flare makes me think thats possibly the case), it was never grafted, or the graft union was above the break (which would be unlikely because that is pretty high).
It will take a while for it to produce again, if it keeps surviving. It may also struggle in winter, especially if theres a prolonged cold like this year.

2 Likes
4

It will be hard to see a graft union at this size. I would remove the shoots at ground level and leave the rest.

1 Like
5

Thanks, people. Good points, I didnt know. I agree about the graft union being impossible to determine at this age. Likely, all mangos are grafted. Anyway, I will remover the lower sprouts, and hope.

1 Like
6

I’d do as above and take this opportunity to thin the top bundle for tree form and strength. Thinning out the growth to leave the strongest won’t throw the tree out of balance. It will be easier to do it now than after the shoots get bigger and tougher. The trunk and roots have plenty of energy reserves to push new growth.

You might need to support the new growth the first year.

2 Likes