Is the leaves falling off...or another one sprouting up? I don't know your zone...if these grow naturally in the ground in your location. But, most who try to thicken up trunks if their zone is friendly they sink them in the ground to thicken the trunk. I would not suggest this if your not zone friendly. Leaving a sacrifice branch (one branch to grow longer than the tree one is trying to style also allows this but, you aren't that far along yet.) look into grow boxes...more shallow and wide. Some use plastic colanders or pond baskets as well. But...thinking it might be best to allow it to be spring before messing with it. I'm not familiar with the tree. But, most suggest spring for repots and such. Defoliation if I am not mistaken...is done to a tree that is practically a finished tree. For it slows down the growth of a tree when done. And that isn't your main goal at this time.

Yup, it looks like scale to me too...you need to treat with some insecticide maybe some soap and water or a light treatment of horticultural oil (HD or Lowe's)...but please be careful when you treat it...do it after sunset or sundown (not in direct sun) or you will sunburn the leaves. Keep in the shade for a day or two after treating... Neem is good but its very slow to work...I've actually used soap and water and manually removed them with a soft sponge..its tedious work and works if the tree is small and you have the time and energy to do it,lol... Good luck!!

Best Day - mangodog here - Palm Springs, CA..... Edward is known as a shy bearer. Delicious mango, but you won't get the production you might want. Keitt is a bit of a straggly mango tree, but the fruit holds on the tree for a long time. I think 4 months would not be an exageration.... That being said, by far my fastest growing mango is the Alphonso, an Indian mango I believe...haven't tasted it yet, but it has won the growth contest in my yard. It's set a ton if little babies so far....we'll see how it goes. My Mahachinok, also, though only put in the ground in November had 2 growth flushes before the cold set in, and the flushes where nice and long. I think that is going to be a fast growing tree, and that one has an excellent tasting reputation.....but we'll see. As to how high mangos will get in SoCal - I've seen pics of them 30 ft high and wide....JF who comes here occasionally has some pics of stuff in his La Habra neighborhood and surrounding area that show that..... Oh, one more...my HADEN has grown stout and quickly. Not the most fiber free (I'm told) or greatest tasting but pretty darn good.... I remember when i started picking mangos for my yard a couple years ago.....it will eventually be a calculated guess on your part....and then comes the luck.... Cheers, new mango man!!!!!!! mangodawg

Heelo Tasty, I am glad to hear from another person who is going to give a mango a try in a temperate climate. I purchased a Cogshall mango last July from a nursery in Seffner Fl. I had the advantage of being able to select the tree myself. I removed the tree from its pot and removed the majority of the soil from the pot. With the help of my friend we formed a triangular shaped box and I then wrapped the rootball in wet paper towles and then a bag.Iboxedt up and carried it on the plane. When I got back home, I mixed organic miracle grow and perlite. I mixed 70% miracle Grow with 30% perlite. I chose the organic potting soil for the nutritional value for the tree. However the soil is VERY heavy. I used the perlite to lighten the soil. You may choose to use a lighter soil blend maybe even a catus blend. Mango is not very sensitive to soil but you want something that is free draining and has a good nutritional content. I then potted it up at the same level it was at in its original nursery pot. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. You dont want to encourage rot. I then sprinkled on Miacle Grow Shak and Feed continous release plant food. This formula gives the tree a small amount of fertilizer continously for three months. this is also VERY important. Mango trees are very sensitive to fertilizer, and you can actually burn the roots. You will knw if you have by the look of the leaves. They will actually look brown on the tips, and if you dont correct it the tree will drop leaves and die. My Cogshall tree told me when to feed it. I fed it when there was new growth or new groth that had not hardened yet. Also, I had done a lot of research regarding there care especially in a northern climate. I felt pretty confident not only regarding there needs but what tree would be best for me to start with. When I looked at the Cogshall description I came across the fact that it was anthracnose resistant. I interpreted that as meaning that the tree would not get this. I also found that it was a condo type meaning that it was a true dwarf. Standard mango trees can grow to quite large proportions, and unless you want to be pruning a lot including the roots, the cond types are the best suited for us(unless you have a greenhouse). I planted y mango and placed it in a spot where it was on conrete and recieving mostly direct sun. This combonation proved very well. I only made one big mistake. I emailed Pine, and one of there staff told me that I hould allow it to dry in between waterings. I did that and lost about 20% of the branches. I would suggest that you keep the whole root ball moist, not wet all the time. Ididn't mist it in fear of ending up with a mold, but I did end up with a small anthracnose problem. i was able to treat the anthracnose with liquid copper fungicide. Since you are not getting your tree until June, I would order some of this. You can google Liquid Copper and find an online dealer and buy it there. I strongly recommend doing that and also finding someone who sells the fertilzer for tropical fruit trees. I would check and see if it is good for mango also. You may not need it. My tree seems pretty happy. Matter of fact, mine is going to bloom here in the next few weeks! I fertilized it again at half the strength recommended on the box. I just used Miracle Grow all purpose fertilizer. I want to get an organic fertilizer for tropical fruit trees, and also micro nutrients. I think if the tree has what it needs as far as light, water, and nutrition, it will grow and fruit faster, and be more resistant to diseases and any molds. This should give you a good start with your Mango tree. Just remember light indoors, but if you aare growing citrus you should be fine. I have mine under flourecents and so far so good. I hope his helps you, and if you have more questions let me know. I don't know much about pomegranite. I am not much of a fan of them, but someone here should be able to help you. I am curious as to which mango you chose and where you bought it. Good luck! I do have pics of my tree here, just google my username and you will find it. Andrew