Can You Graft a Mango Tree to a Different Type of Mango Tree?

Dwarfing Rootstock

• Dwarf mango trees can be produced by grafting a scion, or desired mango tree, onto dwarfing rootstock. Mango trees can grow to between 30 and 100 feet tall with a canopy width of 100 to 125 feet. Dwarfing may be necessary to grow them in a suburban setting. Grafting onto Kaew, Hilaza, Manzo de Ica, Olour, Puerco, Vellai Colamban and Sabre rootstocks result in a smaller tree. Double-grafting onto other mango rootstock types also tends to produce smaller trees. Double-grafting is done with a scion, a rootstock and an interstock.

Cleft Grafting

• Cleft grafting has a high rate of success with mango trees. To cleft graft two mango trees, a scion between 3/8 and 5/8 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches long is inserted into a vertical cut in the top of the rootstock stem. Slice the top of the rootstock stem with a sharp knife, making a single 2-inch deep cut in the center of the stem. There are grafting knives manufactured for this purpose but any knife will work as long as it is sharp. Slice two sides off of the end of the scion, making it into a wedge shape, but be careful not to remove the bark on the sides of the wedge. Insert the scion wedge into the slice in the rootstock stem at the edge of the stem. The bark on one side of the scion wedge must line up perfectly with the bark on the rootstock stem. Seal the graft with grafting wax.

Splice Grafting

• Splice grafting is another technique used successfully for grafting two different types of mango trees. To splice graft the trees, the scion and rootstock stem must be the same diameter and no larger than 1/2 inch. Slice the top of the rootstock stem and bottom of the scion at a sharp angle so that they will line up perfectly. The sliced section should be between 3/4 and 1-inch long. Line up the cut edges of the scion and rootstock so the edges of the bark are touching. Wrap the splice with twine or a rubber grafting strip and seal it with grafting wax or paint.

Scion Collecting

• Mango tree grafting should be done in late winter or early spring just before they begin to grow new foliage. Collecting the scion stems within a day of grafting will produce the best results but they can be collected in the winter while the tree is dormant. Wrap dormant scion stems in damp paper towel, place them in a plastic bag and put them in the refrigerator. Do not keep them with fruits and vegetables or in the drawer where fruits and vegetables were recently kept. The gases given off by fruits and vegetables will damage the mango scions, causing them to fail to grow after grafting.