Prune this fork or no??
Scott Z8 CenTex
8 years ago
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Scott Z8 CenTex
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Pruning out low narrow crotch on young elm
Comments (3)You already know a lot about doing pruning cuts. This fork never should have been left. The idea of delaying pruning to help the trunk thicken is a good idea, but this fork was too serious to leave on any young tree. Yes, you could cut back the one side to stimulate the formation of a branch collar, but I don't think that will make much of a difference in just a year or two. I would make the cut immediately. I would make the cut about 3/8ths of an inch or so outside where the bark ridge is between the fork. At the bottom of the cut (maybe the bottom 1/4th or so) I would smoothly start to curve the cut outward somewhat to shorten the length of the cut--this will help the tree compartmentalize the wound just a little bit, but it is worth doing even though it may seem, temporarily, to make the cut seem less smooth with the trunk. This will leave a rather large wound on the trunk of your tree, but this is not a problem if you use the liquid copper fungicide I have recommended in a number of contributions to this and other tree forums--conifers and maples. You can search these sites for "copper fungicide" to find all that I have said. But here, in brief, is what you should do; wait about 4 months or so--a year is not too long--for the wound to dry out. No fungal infection can happen in a fresh cut in that time. Next, get some liquid copper fungicide--nothing else--not bordeaux mixture or any other kind of fungicide. This will be a blue colored liquid. Mix it one part the fungicide with two or three parts water, and then apply to the wound with a paintbrush. Apply a good amount so it soaks into the wood a bit, but don't apply too much--one good painting should be enough. This will color the cut blue, but the color will fade in a few days. I would refresh this every year, but when you refresh it, paint it on lightly--just enough to soak into the surface of the wood. More is not better because if too much soaks deep into the tree it can have a slight toxic effect on the sapwood of the tree. Do not let any excess run down and soak more into the bottom of the cut. I think your tree will be just fine--if you do as I suggest, the cut will heal over in something like 4 to 6 years, and soon after that your tree will show no evidence of any problem at all. --Spruce...See MoreCan I prune grape cordon?
Comments (0)On clearance, I bought what looks like a 2 year old red flame seedless grapevine on a whim at the box store. There are two "trunks" growing from a pruned woody fork (1st yr growth?). I have a small yard. After fretting over the perfect location at home, the best spot for sun, air and drainage will require the mature width to remain about 6-7 feet wide. (There are young fruit trees on either side that will eventually grow wider, hence limiting the grape width. The dwarf citrus tree on the west side can be kept low to allow sun to hit the grape). Can the cordons be cropped to 3' on each side permanently? Thanks in advance for any advice!...See Morestick me with a fork....
Comments (6)Yeah, I was kinda surprised she had the box, with pillow. And no, the vet didn't do anything to "preserve" it. In our desert, that cat will look the same 3 years from now unless the critters dig it up. I wrap mine in a towel and plant 'em next to a tree. The lady is in her 70's, and weighs in at about 98#. She couldn't have dug that hole in 2 days. I made the mistake of sitting down to watch the news, fell asleep and woke up stiff and sore. A little ibuprofen and some light stretching and I'm ok. Will feel it again tomorrow I'm sure. We used to tell people after the trail ride to not sit down, to make sure they walked around for a while to keep from stiffening up. I guess I should have taken my own advice. Still have to go close up the greenhouse and put the 2 plants back inside. We are supposed to get rain/snow tomorrow, so I won't need to water the tree. I will give it a dose of B-1 after it gets a good soaking....See MorePruning a low trunk fork and when
Comments (19)Birthday coming soon? I think you need a better camera! Your first pictures have ridiculous colors and the later ones have poor focus. That aside, let's talk about your 'lemon'. In your climate a 5 year old grafted plant should be producing plenty of fruit by now. Although hard to be sure from the pictures, both sides of the tree appear to have identical foliage. If that is the top variety, it has been planted far too low down. The whole idea of a rootstock is that the top variety is kept away from the soil. But I suspect both main trunks are rootstock, and perhaps the original scion is that small, dead, vertical shoot. First clue is that it is vertical - which is how it would have been originally planted. Second clue is the other small dead shoot which has large thorns. Grafted lemon varieties do not usually produce such thorns, but rootstocks do. So my conclusion is that your whole tree is a seedling rootstock. That explains why it hasn't fruited yet. Of course only time will tell if I'm right. Let us know when it produces fruit and what they are like. Another point. Those dead shoots are a greater worry than your low forks. They should have been pruned away almost flush with the main trunks. That gives the wound a chance to slowly heal over with new growth. Dead stubs lead to spreading infections....See MoreScott Z8 CenTex
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Scott Z8 CenTexOriginal Author