Head it back next spring. That will force more buds than any other time. If it has visible buds down low it should push several branches next spring. The number will depend on vigor of the tree. If you don't get enough next spring cut it off again the following spring. On a potted tree you don't need many. Should get those next year.

Hi invar - no, the 20 gallon edward is going in the ground as to all my mangos here in Palm Springs. We get occasional frost but usually only once or twice a winter so most of the trees will sustain minimal damage, though my small ones I definitely cover. The custom graft thing - I have sort of just heard that he does that but haven't asked him directly. A direct call is best, but as Zands says the communication can be dicey. I would talk to Gilbert over Tom. I think there is the slightest edge to his english.... I think the flavor of the Edward will be grand once I taste one! I've heard nothing but exquisite things said about it, and yes I saw Dr. Crane slobber and drool when he ate that edward, too. My friend JFernandez told me that he knows someone here in SoCal that grows Edwards and doesn't have the spotty, inconsistent crop yields that are advertised with it...He apparently has large amounts of fruits, so maybe they flourish in this drier climate down here. Just a guess.... Hey Zands - I've heard that before that Mimosa gets Pine Island 3 gallon plants and then nurtures them into these larger plants in huge plastic pots. I don't know if that is true, although he has told me he gets plants from Florida, but I don't know what size. Maybe JFernandez would know......but like you say, if he does nurture them to that size, he appears to be doing a great job. they appear robust, but I do have this feeling they haven't been in the 20 gal. containers for very long...just too much loose soil around the top. I've now bought 3 of these largest size trees because I needed more mature specimens to replace 3 acacias (I think) I have in front that I am so tired of getting scratched to death when I have to trim them back every year...and they drop these brown pods - really do belong out in the African savannah - I have no idea why they are cultivated for the home yard.....the second reason i got them big was to have fruit almost immediately as I didn't want to wait. I have 6 or 7 trees that are under 3-4 feet which I will just have to watch grow for the next 2-3 years before I can raid their spoils....!!!!! And that's my share on the day of Christ's rising.... Peace to All - mangosleighdog

Thanks Konrad. Yes it will stay in this pot for this year and be transferred to a bigger pot next year. We're in zone 6b. We was wondering if we should prune just the bottom branches to promote growth up top. Or do we leave her and let her grow freely since this is her first year in the pot.

Yes I’m fertilizing, with Schultz 10-15-10 plant food. Once a month. No one can give you fertilizing advice specific to your situation w/o a pretty good understanding of how you water and the type of soil you use. It sounds like your soil would be quite water-retentive, so I suspect you have some significant loss of potential going on due to soil in the bottom of the pot remaining saturated for extended periods. I could be wrong, but there's an easy way to find out. Skip the digital device (your finger) and start using a piece of wood dowel rod stuck deep into the pot (as in all the way to the bottom). After you remove the "tell", examine the tip. It will "tell" you how moist the soil is in the pot. Withhold water until the tell comes out nearly dry, then water as you have been, making sure at least 15-20% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain hole. Never allow your pot to sit in the effluent that drains from the pot after watering. To make sure it doesn't, you can rig up a system that raises the pot in the collection saucer such that the water that drains never has a pathway back into the pot. The reasons we flush the soil when we water are A) to rid the soil of salts contained in tapwater and fertilizer solutions that accumulate if you don't flush. Over time, poor watering practices (not flushing) can allow salts to accumulate to such a degree that water moves backward, reversing the osmotic process. Normally, water moves toward the higher concentrations of salts in cells until a state of isotonicity is reached (equal level of solutes inside & outside of cells). When the concentration of solutes in the the soil solution is higher than in cells, it actually PULLS water from cells - tearing plasma from cell walls. This is called plasmolysis - commonly - fertilizer burn. 2) flushing the soil is like hitting the fertilizer "reset" button. Plants function best when the ratio of fertilizer in the soil solution closely mimics the ratio at which plants actually use the nutrients. For example, plants use about 6X as much Nitrogen as Phosphorous. Your 10-15-10 supplies about 4X as much P as the plant can/will use. W/o flushing, the unused portion remains in the soil and accumulates. It doesn't take long before the level of P would be so high it unnecessarily inhibits water (and nutrient) uptake and/or inhibits the plant's ability to take up other nutrients. When you flush, and there is no pathway by which the effluent can make its way back into the soil, you reset the nutrient levels in the soil by flushing them out. One way of preventing salts from getting back into the soil: I have never repotted it, it’s currently in soil with perlite & Indoor potting mix. Please expand on what's meant by ""soil" with perlite and indoor potting soil". Are we talking about mineral soil, as you might find in the garden, or topsoil? If so, soil compaction is almost certainly levying a very stiff tax on your plant's potential. Even if you're not referring to topsoil or garden soil as a fraction of your medium, the description you offered makes me wonder if soil saturation and/or compaction aren't limiting your plant. I haven’t potted up or repot it because it seemed to fit the container it’s in. Once a plant reaches the point in time where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, it affects the vitality (health) of the plant, it's ability to extend (branches/stems growing longer), the frequency with which back-budding occurs, and it causes loss of foliage except in the immediate vicinity of branch apices (growing tips of branches/stems). If the plant is potted up, the limitations of root congestion largely stay with the plant, though there is usually a notable improvement in growth, vitality, and appearance. Fully repotting on a timely basis, which includes root pruning and a change of soil, completely eliminates the limitations imposed by root congestion. Repotting has a rejuvenating effect on the plant, and there is a distinctly notable difference in the growth, vitality, and appearance of trees regularly repotted and trees potted up or left to languish in a too small pot for extended periods. I water it once The soil is dry, I check by putting my finger in the soil and feeling. Covered above. i water it until it drains through, wait about 10 and water again. Perfect practice. Keep in mind that a good practice is to make sure that what you guess to be 15-20% of the water used when you water exits the pot. Plants need a certain amount of energy to maintain the status quo and keep their systems orderly. When they are able to convert the sun's energy into more food (sugar, carbohydrates, ...) than they need for their 'normal maintenance', they grow. Stalled growth means the plant is barely making enough food or is not making enough food to take care of routine maintenance. Liebig's Law of the Minimum states that growth + other factors cannot improve unless the most limiting factor is eliminated or its impact reduced. Then, what was the second most limiting factor gets the promoted to taking the place of the former most limiting factor limiting growth +. If all factors are asking the plant to tolerate conditions near, at, or beyond what it's programmed to tolerate, fixing the most limiting factor might not prove to be all that helpful; however, if only one factor is out of alignment with the plant's well being, it can make a notable difference. I'm sure I've written enough to leave you with questions, and I hope a minimum amount of confusion, so I'll watch to see what input you have. Al