do I prune my indoor mango tree?

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by Shaun, Feb 16, 2007.

  1. Shaun

    Shaun Member

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    I have a mango plant I grew from a seed indoors. It is about 5 years old and about four feet high, with lots of leaves on a single 3/4 inch diameter stalk.

    I read somewhere that one should pinch the top of the plant to encourage it to branch out. Can anyone tell me if this is a good idea? Will the plant eventually branch on its own? Given the thin stalk I'm concerned it might not support itself if it grows much taller.
     
  2. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    My tree, also started from seed, branched out naturally at the 27" mark. Each branch was subsequently pruned to produce further branching and the process was repeated over the years. I made each cut just above a node where there are multiple leaves. In many cases this resulted in three side branches. I have not tried cuts above nodes with only one leaf. The tree is now about 4.5' tall with a spread of 4'.

    Being indoor growers, we sometimes don't have the option of waiting for a tree to branch out naturally because of the height restriction. Also, the tree has to be kept well below the ceiling in order for its leaves to get enough light. If it was my tree I would prune close to where I want the branches to start.
     
  3. Shaun

    Shaun Member

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    Thanks. Good advice. I'll give it a try.
     
  4. Kada

    Kada Active Member 10 Years

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    i normally see them branch "naturally" in the 3-5' mark. do you want it to branch low if its indoors? it may get bushy, but they are very managable trees.
     

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