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cloudwalker057
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:28 pm
- Location: New York
New Branch Growth
Hey, I'm somewhat new to bonsai trees and ive been looking to grow my own, or at least attempt to. I have a couple of my own I got from websites and a few I'm trying to grow from seed or sapling. I was just wondering if there is any way to make a tree grow a branch in any spot you want? Like for example making a certain cut and that causes a branch to grow there.
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
cloudwalker057,
Let's say you are growing a sapling out with the intenton of creating a 12" bonsai, an accepted dimesion for such a tree would be about 2" in diameter or a one/six ratio. Normally, the first branch would be about 4" (or 1/3 of the finished height) from the soil line. If you grow the tree out until it reaches a diameter of approx. 1 to 1.5" then cut it down to 5" (above the intended 4" mark to allow for die back and the random nature of the material) then the first branch, and the new leader, will emerge from that height. So pruning at a given location usually will result in new brach growth near that location.
Not all trees will respond with the same predictability though. A Chinese Elm or Zelkova will bud just about anywhere. A Maple will have a strong tendency to bud at the location of a previous node. Pines are less predicatble and I suggest you do more research before commitng yourself.
There are other methods to ensure exact branch placement. Grafting, thread or approach grafting, will allow you to place a branch exactly where you desire but these require a little more knowledge and commitment on your part.
Norm
Yes and no.I was just wondering if there is any way to make a tree grow a branch in any spot you want?
Let's say you are growing a sapling out with the intenton of creating a 12" bonsai, an accepted dimesion for such a tree would be about 2" in diameter or a one/six ratio. Normally, the first branch would be about 4" (or 1/3 of the finished height) from the soil line. If you grow the tree out until it reaches a diameter of approx. 1 to 1.5" then cut it down to 5" (above the intended 4" mark to allow for die back and the random nature of the material) then the first branch, and the new leader, will emerge from that height. So pruning at a given location usually will result in new brach growth near that location.
Not all trees will respond with the same predictability though. A Chinese Elm or Zelkova will bud just about anywhere. A Maple will have a strong tendency to bud at the location of a previous node. Pines are less predicatble and I suggest you do more research before commitng yourself.
There are other methods to ensure exact branch placement. Grafting, thread or approach grafting, will allow you to place a branch exactly where you desire but these require a little more knowledge and commitment on your part.
Norm
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cloudwalker057
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 1:28 pm
- Location: New York