so here s an update of it in bloom a couple of weeks ago. hope it will remind someone to give me some feedback / advice
(see last posts)thanks guys
Coming along very nicely. Poms are self-pollinating as far as I know, so there's not really any need for a scond plant, but it might help fertilization percentage. This year, you'll probably be doing a lot of pinching. Once a stem is 8-12 leaves (4-6 leaf pairs) long, cut it back to 1 pair (to get compact pads).
Thanks for your reply k! Yes, I'm quite happy with it looking a lot more vigorous this year.
Re: pinching back - Ive been doing some pinching back already, playing it by ear mostly, pinching back whenever the internodes seem too far apart (it tends to shoot out quickly and in long shoots). So should I be letting it grow out a bit longer before pinching back? Do
I let the leaves mature into the darker green or pinch back as soon as it reaches 4-6 pairs?
Also, I would like to start reducing leaf size. Tho I've read that leaf size reduction should be done last, I'm dying to start. Is that bad?? Hehe.
Anyway. Hope your book sales are doing ok kdodds.
Thanks and take care....
Greg
Re: pinching back - Ive been doing some pinching back already, playing it by ear mostly, pinching back whenever the internodes seem too far apart (it tends to shoot out quickly and in long shoots). So should I be letting it grow out a bit longer before pinching back? Do
I let the leaves mature into the darker green or pinch back as soon as it reaches 4-6 pairs?
Also, I would like to start reducing leaf size. Tho I've read that leaf size reduction should be done last, I'm dying to start. Is that bad?? Hehe.
Anyway. Hope your book sales are doing ok kdodds.
Thanks and take care....
Greg
You may not know it, but pinching back IS decreasing leaf size. The tree can only support so much leaf mass, so increasing branching/ramification and shortening node length, which is what you're accomplishing, means more leaves, means less mass per leaf. It's not imperative to cut them as soon as they reach 4-6 pairs, you can relax and let them go darker green, sure. Or you can cut them back immediately as the sixth pair emerges, no biggie. If the nodes are very long, cut to a single pair, but if they're short you can leave it at two pairs to help put girth on.