Is there an auxin to encourage branch development?
joel_bc
4 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years agoEmbothrium
4 years agoRelated Discussions
time for grafted trees to develop leaders?
Comments (10)i always tie loosely ... in case i lose track of reality for a couple years.. on any given specimen.. thereby avoiding choking off the trunk .. plus the idea of some movement in the wind is good for development ... if you can not achieve your goal with one stake ... then put one opposite it .. so that you can put opposing ties ... does that make sense? and keep in mind... a little crookedness of the trunk ... of a VERY YOUNG tree ... will really mean nothing 10 ... 20 .. 50 years down the line ... we are offering guidance to the tree ... we are interfering with its ability to take care of business ... so in my yard.. always err toward doing less ... or to sum it up.. dont kill it with too much love .... all we are trying to do .. is avoid 4 feet of lateral growth .. before it decides to grow upwards .... now that would be a tree that could fail ... whether you tie it to 70 degrees ... or 80 ... or a perfect 90 ... i would suggest the tree really doesnt care .... and absolutely most important ... you have many years to accomplish your goal ... i have broken many a leader .. trying to do it in the first tying ... if a branch is problematic ... pull it up to 30 degrees.. a month later to 40 ... to 50 .. etc ...if a tree is going to live for 100 years .... a couple months.. or even years to straighten it out.. means nothing .... the only problem.. is our preconceived notion of what it should look like ... which leads back to my WEIDER THE BETTER thoughts ... but i would have no qualms about cutting it down in 5 years... if it got so weird that it became a problem ... [yeah right.. i keep saying that.. when will i actually cut one down.. lol] .... good luck ken...See MoreEncourage Branching
Comments (5)I am a bit chicken about trying my first graft with a named plumie. I think I'd be better off playing with some NOIDs and seedlings first. They are in good sized containers and have been started on a feeding schedule again. I guess I'll just wait until late summer. If they haven't formed an inflo I'll probably take cuttings and save them to root and let the plants grow new branches the following season. If I was in an area where I could keep them outside and allow them to get as big as they wanted it wouldn't bother me. Since I have a limited amount of space I want a smaller bushy plant. Karyn...See MoreNotching a mango tree to encourage branching.
Comments (33)Hi invar - no, the 20 gallon edward is going in the ground as to all my mangos here in Palm Springs. We get occasional frost but usually only once or twice a winter so most of the trees will sustain minimal damage, though my small ones I definitely cover. The custom graft thing - I have sort of just heard that he does that but haven't asked him directly. A direct call is best, but as Zands says the communication can be dicey. I would talk to Gilbert over Tom. I think there is the slightest edge to his english.... I think the flavor of the Edward will be grand once I taste one! I've heard nothing but exquisite things said about it, and yes I saw Dr. Crane slobber and drool when he ate that edward, too. My friend JFernandez told me that he knows someone here in SoCal that grows Edwards and doesn't have the spotty, inconsistent crop yields that are advertised with it...He apparently has large amounts of fruits, so maybe they flourish in this drier climate down here. Just a guess.... Hey Zands - I've heard that before that Mimosa gets Pine Island 3 gallon plants and then nurtures them into these larger plants in huge plastic pots. I don't know if that is true, although he has told me he gets plants from Florida, but I don't know what size. Maybe JFernandez would know......but like you say, if he does nurture them to that size, he appears to be doing a great job. they appear robust, but I do have this feeling they haven't been in the 20 gal. containers for very long...just too much loose soil around the top. I've now bought 3 of these largest size trees because I needed more mature specimens to replace 3 acacias (I think) I have in front that I am so tired of getting scratched to death when I have to trim them back every year...and they drop these brown pods - really do belong out in the African savannah - I have no idea why they are cultivated for the home yard.....the second reason i got them big was to have fruit almost immediately as I didn't want to wait. I have 6 or 7 trees that are under 3-4 feet which I will just have to watch grow for the next 2-3 years before I can raid their spoils....!!!!! And that's my share on the day of Christ's rising.... Peace to All - mangosleighdog...See MoreEncouraging bushiness, and a couple more questions
Comments (5)My question applies to either variety actually. I want to know whether they can be topped, and whether that would encourage bushiness. The simple answer is no. If you understand the difference between determinates and indeterminates and you understand how they grow then you know that if you prune (what you are calling 'top') determinate varieties they will shut down and you will lose the top terminal production. The fruit that has already set below will ripen but new growth tips will not develop down below as all that ever will exist are already there by the time the plant is old enough to even consider 'topping' it. All growth tips on determiate varieties are terminal tips. So, as discussed in the FAQ linked above, determinate varieties are never pruned so no they are never topped unless you want to sacrifice all that fruit that would have been produced. Indeterminate varieties are vines and they grow like vines - at the top. It is normal for the leaf branches on indeterminate varieties to begin die off from the bottom up. They are no longer needed and the plant directs its energy to the new top growth where it can produce. This is why no, "I would love to stimulate some new growth there if possible" won't work. That part of the plant has already been sealed off from the circulatory system of the main branches. If you prune (top) an indeterminate vine all that happens is that 2 new vines develop from the node just below the cut. So now you have two vines that will grow taller instead of just the one you had before. New suckers (growth tips) 'might' develop another node down as well but you will not get new productive growth much below 2 nodes down so no, "bushiness" does not develop. This is why rather than build an 8 or 10 foot tall support, most just let the vines drape back down toward the ground just as you would a wisteria, ivy, clematis, cucumber, sweet potato or any other vine. If 6' is your limit that's fine and what most use. If only 4' is your limit then you will have much of the plant sprawling down along the ground unless you alter your support structure. The choices one has is to build a support system to handle the natural, normal growth of the vine OR restrict their choice to determinate types only OR prune the vines and sacrifice production. Hope this helps. Dave PS: indeterminate cherry varieties are normally 10-12' tall but they too will drape down very naturally and keep right on producing....See More
thefof Zone 8/9 UK
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoUser
4 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years agojoel_bc
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agojoel_bc
4 years ago
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agoUser
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)