Will roots grow from my mango cutting in water?

Question

As you can see in the picture, I have placed my mango cuttings in a glass of water. I am a bit concerned about whether roots will develop at the base.

Previously, I germinated a mango sapling from a seed and planted it in a container. Over the course of a year, it grew taller and stronger. However, I recently decided I wanted to propagate more mango trees.

To do this, I pruned the top of the tree and placed the cuttings in water. I am now hoping that roots will grow within the next two weeks.

But what if the roots don’t grow? What should I do in that case?

Answer 1

I've never grown a mango tree, let alone from cutting (It's too cold for Mangos here) - but there are a few general pieces of advice.

The first would be to make sure there is not too much leaf. I'd be inclined to cut 2/3rds of each of those leaves off so they don't lose too much to evaporation.

Also, ideally you would want to have the bottom of the cutting just below a node (ie a bit which bulges out where leaves come from) as that is where the pluripotent stem cells are. (I'm not at all sure that there is any point to stripping back the cambium (outer layers) in the way you have done in the pictures.

Somewhat contrary to what your timeline desires I'd also put the plants in a somewhat shaded area while they are establishing roots.

Question - Why are you growing in water rather then soil? (If you use soil you may be able to expedite the process using rooting hormone/willow bark). You can also then cover the top with a plastic bag or similar to try keep the humidity high.