If you let it fruit- it wont grow. If you cut off the stalks when the fruit are peas sized,it should go back to foliage growth. Also- when they fruit so small? It really weakens them in a cold winter. Although,yours in ground has that advantage.

Its really up to you....fruit and that much longer for size (and some people don't mind that) or try to push it to be something sooner rather then later.

To me, the tree still looks really small, if it was mine I would let it bloom out, then remove any fruit that set once they get pea sized and let it have another year of growing.

DM

Every mango I've had I let keep their first blooms and allowed them to fruit. None were harmed, all grew well long term, none ever missed a season, and all produce lots of fruit yearly today. I know this is not conventional wisdom but there are more than a few I know of in the same mindset that I am and it's working for them too.

I happen to have a Carrie about the same size as yours and I'm going to let it keep all of the fruit. If they start to get too heavy I'll pinch some off but again in my experience the tree will self abort everything it cannot support anyway.

My advice is California. For Florida, results will be different as they say in commercials-lol.

Is that mulch seagel or just cleared away grass?

Natural Eucalyptus Mulch

It's very small....may be it should be better to remove flowers and let the tree grow well