#1: Re: [IBC] Growing Branches
Posted on 2005-06-16 15:01:03 by IrisCohen
In a message dated 6/16/05 12:18:04 AM, April Ann writes:
> Is there a way to grow a branch where you need one?
>
As the others wrote, it depends a great deal on the species, more than where
you live, although the further south you are, the easier it will be.
If the tree does not bud back easily on the trunk, the simplest method is
thread grafting. In the spring, you allow the tree to grow long stringy shoots.
Then you drill a hole all the way through the trunk where you want the branch
(don't worry; it is harmless). Remove all the leaves from the section of the
branch that will go through the hole. Make sure the hole is clean so the cambium
(the green layer) is exposed. Bend the shoot around and thread it through the
hole, with the tip of the shoot where you want the new branch. Seal the back &
front with cut paste or something similar. To keep the arrangement immobile &
prevent evaporation, I also bandage the site with florist's tape.
It takes one to three years for the graft to set. You can tell it is working
when the new shoot starts to grow. You know it has taken when the new branch
coming out is thicker than the back end going in. One expert advised, if you
want to be absolutely safe, girdle the back end to see if the new branch wilts,
before you cut it off altogether.
I did this with a crabapple three years ago & it took in one year. I have two
grafts I just did on a red maple (Acer rubrum) and they are coming along
well. I also have five grafts on my Acer palmatum 'Arakawa.' This is the rough
bark maple. Once the trunk starts to produce adult bark, it can't bud back. In
addition to two branches on the same tree, I am using three branches from
another tree of the same cultivar. I have the two pots taped together. Rube Goldberg
does bonsai. I am hoping the maple grafts will be done by the end of next
summer or the following spring.
You can find the instructions in Colin Lewis' book or on his Web site.
http://www.btinternet.com/~colinlewis.bonsai/Reading/Thread. html
Iris
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