Restoration Pruning

[Xerxses]

mmm beginning to think its just a coined phrase that one person has made up

 

It has to do with where the new shoot has formed Epi- outer layer, endo- inner (I think...)

[RopeKnight]

The idea of bruising the tissue rather than surgery seems a bit more in lines with the natural response trees require. Disrupting the cellular activity opposed to its removal may be a better option to meet the hormone ratio necessary to stimulate cell differentiation.

Ring barking and stem tracing is the actual removal of tissue where the tapping or hammering of the tissue is more in tune with natural processes.

 

Bending the limb aggressively will also cause cells to rupture and in the area of rupture the build up of hormones again to stimulate growth.

 

Mimicing natural processes and timing it with the greatest release of hormones(at bud break) should help accomplish the desired affect.

 

Everything I have studied Plant Propogation Manual, Arboriculture Text, Botany, Shigo and practiced suggests this old practice is valid.

[gibbon]

I tried damaging and semi ring barking a mature oak 3 years ago. Going to revisit that site in a few weeks so can update you on how it responded. It's more likely that selectively thinning the upper crown would be more suitable on la trees. You can thin enough to encourage dormant bud growth the continue to prune the upper crown to favour these shoots over time. It might be that on future prune you can begin to shorten the odd branch or stem back to its final piont before the rest of the crown comes down. I think its better to pull the odd branch back rather than repeatedly shortening the same branches

[agg221]

Sorry.... I think its the other way round... it promotes fruitforming...got carried away..

 

How to Prune Apple & Plum Trees | Garden Guides

"Cut the other shoots, picking only the best five to leave. These will determine your branch system's main growth. This method of pruning will cause the very top bud to grow the strongest, but you will want more buds to grow on the lower branches, so you can use a knife to barely cut below this main bud. This tiny cut will force the lower buds to produce more heavily. When pruning, you can make the branches angle out wider by selecting which buds you want the branches to come out and make small notches in the tree bark above these buds."

 

Clue is in your quoted text - it depends where you put the notch. There's a flow of growth hormones towards the apical bud, passing all the other buds on the way up. Disrupt the tissue (notch) below the a bud and it will get less than its fair share, promoting fruit formation; notch above the bud and it will cause a build-up below, so the bud gets more than its fair share which promotes wood growth.

 

So basically, notch placement determines whether you promote wood growth or fruiting. In practice, other than on very young trees with few buds to choose from I don't bother with it, as something will grow so I make the best of what happens!

 

Alec

[RobArb]

I tried damaging and semi ring barking a mature oak 3 years ago. Going to revisit that site in a few weeks so can update you on how it responded. It's more likely that selectively thinning the upper crown would be more suitable on la trees. You can thin enough to encourage dormant bud growth the continue to prune the upper crown to favour these shoots over time. It might be that on future prune you can begin to shorten the odd branch or stem back to its final piont before the rest of the crown comes down. I think its better to pull the odd branch back rather than repeatedly shortening the same branches

 

Did you ever go back to this tree gibbon?

[RobArb]

when peeling bark back (off branches we've cut off, not live ones:lol:) what are the little spikes/nodules of would you get underneath?

 

You tend to find the majority of them on willows and pops but i have seen them on most species of street trees we've come across?

[David Goss]

when peeling bark back (off branches we've cut off, not live ones:lol:) what are the little spikes/nodules of would you get underneath?

 

You tend to find the majority of them on willows and pops but i have seen them on most species of street trees we've come across?

 

Damned good question rob

Often seen these but never studied what or why. Anyone care to enlighten us?

[RobArb]

and i meant spikes/nodules of WOOD, not would:lol:

[Fungus]

when peeling bark back off branches ... what are the little spikes/nodules of would you get underneath? You tend to find the majority of them on willows and pops but i have seen them on most species of street trees we've come across?

 

Rob,

I'm not sure, but I suppose these are the endings of radial rays, i.e. "sleeping buds", from which twigs or branches can be activated.

A photo of "spikes" on the trunk of a poplar, which was debarked by rhizomorphs of a Honey Fungus, follows.

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Edited July 15, 2011 by Fungus

[RobArb]

thats what i'm hoping they are, my research is coming along nicely:thumbup: