trees died to ground, now returning; will they ever fruit?

[mitch landen]

I -- after years of keeping them in huge pots -- last fall yard-planted several tender fruit trees (here in eastern NC). I've aged to the point where I could no longer drag the heavy pots inside or to an outside utility room, even via handcart, so into the ground they had to go, come-what-may.

Specific trees: Lychee, guava, red grapefruit, blood orange. They've been productive for years. January was kinda brutal, and each tree (covered thickly with pinestraw) died to the ground. I was surprised that each, in spring, had sprouts popping up from the trunks; multiple, but healthy-looking. No blooms on any of the trees.

I'm wondering: any chance these trees/bushlets will ever fruit? Anything I could do to encourage them (like remove all sprouts for a tree except 1 -- and let that return next year, maybe, as a trunk)?

Some data: the arbaquina olive and Japanese tangerine I had in the yard since year-before-last did really well over the winter. No blooms, though. The super starfruit tree I've had for years, in a pot, didn't make the transition to garden soil for winter. Sad.

Thx a heap for any insights, thoughts, feedback!

Mitch

 

[flowerbug]

are they grafted trees? any sprouts that come from below the graft will not give fruits of the desired type.

otherwise training the strongest main sprout is the way to go, it may take several years before you get much from it.