Advice on Nursery Stock Cotoneaster apiculatus 'Cranberry'

[NaturalArt]

Hello!

I just recently picked up a cheap 1-gallon nursery stock cotoneaster cranberry and I was hoping to get some general advice. It currently has a few berries and is living outside on my west facing porch where it gets about full-to-half sun (I'm moving in a few months where it will switch to east facing). Since I'm zone 5a I plan on moving it into my unheated garage for the winter.

It was very unruly when I first got it so I decided to remove the suckers, some small/medium sized branches that were too close together and trimmed back some of the longer shoots. I also used a concave cutter to remove the remaining section of two larger branches that were cut previously and had died, I'm hoping to get better looking and flatter scars in those areas. Any larger cuts I made I sealed with paste as well. In all, I probably removed no more than 10-15% of the foliage.

I am now a little stuck with where to go, my thoughts right now are:

• I think the trunk needs to thicken up and I am a little concerned about the slight inverted taper.
• I am not sure if I should remove some of the branches now or in the future.
• I left one shoot long as I thought it might serve as a better main branch in the future if I decided to significantly cut back the other branches.
• I like the lower branch and probably want that to stay, at the very least for now to thicken the truck base, but I may wire it next spring to give it some more movement.
• The thickest branch right now I am thinking needs to go, it currently sits at about an 80 degree angle pointed down and I think it would take significant work to move it to a better angle and I am not sure that it would be worth it over starting a new main branch. I hesitate to remove it only because I think with the position of the lower branch, that area makes for the most attractive front and the scar from removing that branch would be visible. Although I have not looked at the root structure/ root flare yet.

I would love to hear any thoughts/ advice/ or suggestions you may have!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

That heavy branch, that is angled below horizontal needs to go. ..... UNLESS, you change the potting angle of the trunk to bring it above vertical, but I don't think the roots would allow that to be an attractive option. You could tilt the trunk to the right, making the angle even more sharply below horizontal, which would bring this into the cascade style.

Up to you. I would probably eliminate the heavy branch, though I do like cotoneaster as a cascading tree.

You have a knot of branches all coming off at one spot. This knot indeed needs to be reduced to the continuation of the trunk and one additional branch. You do not have to do it all in one day. Actually you should do it gradually, to allow the wounds to heal. IF you take them all off at once, you risk loosing everything because the pruning will damage the cambium "life Lines" to the remaining branches.

IN order to preserve a life line, the branch you choose to continue the trunk, should be on the outside of the knot, so that at least one side of the branch will have undamaged bark and cambium connecting the branch to the roots.

Inverse taper, or reverse taper - caused by the knot of branches. This won't be a problem as long as you make the reduction over the next couple years and your plans include increasing the diameter of the trunk significantly. You can grow a tree out of reverse taper.

 

[NaturalArt]

That heavy branch, that is angled below horizontal needs to go. ..... UNLESS, you change the potting angle of the trunk to bring it above vertical, but I don't think the roots would allow that to be an attractive option. You could tilt the trunk to the right, making the angle even more sharply below horizontal, which would bring this into the cascade style.

Up to you. I would probably eliminate the heavy branch, though I do like cotoneaster as a cascading tree.

You have a knot of branches all coming off at one spot. This knot indeed needs to be reduced to the continuation of the trunk and one additional branch. You do not have to do it all in one day. Actually you should do it gradually, to allow the wounds to heal. IF you take them all off at once, you risk loosing everything because the pruning will damage the cambium "life Lines" to the remaining branches.

IN order to preserve a life line, the branch you choose to continue the trunk, should be on the outside of the knot, so that at least one side of the branch will have undamaged bark and cambium connecting the branch to the roots.

Inverse taper, or reverse taper - caused by the knot of branches. This won't be a problem as long as you make the reduction over the next couple years and your plans include increasing the diameter of the trunk significantly. You can grow a tree out of reverse taper.

Thank you so much! That is all very helpful information. I think I will remove the heavy branch as I am very adverse to it, lol. Based on your recommendation I am now wondering if the branch I had in mind to continue the trunk is too far inward of the knot, please correct me if I am wrong.

I appreciate your help!

 

[TN_Jim]

If were mine would make the first branch the new main trunk. That knot of branches and resulting inverse taper is pretty serious.

I would go about this by trying to bend via tension wire attached somewhere in that knot, and slowly and safely attempt to bend up some degree. I’d insulate tension wire with some form of tubing to protect the branch(es).

Let grow like wild, feed well, increase tension if possible, chop in early spring when conditions are ideal keeping in mind the best root flare front with relative consideration to chop degree/angle.

Even if not wise to bend branch, would still proceed regarding chop to first branch. Am curious to others thoughts on this and seeing this one develope whatever approaches you decide on.
Thanks

 

[NaturalArt]

If were mine would make the first branch the new main trunk. That knot of branches and resulting inverse taper is pretty serious.

I would go about this by trying to bend via tension wire attached somewhere in that knot, and slowly and safely attempt to bend up some degree. I’d insulate tension wire with some form of tubing to protect the branch(es).

Let grow like wild, feed well, increase tension if possible, chop in early spring when conditions are ideal keeping in mind the best root flare front with relative consideration to chop degree/angle.

Even if not wise to bend branch, would still proceed regarding chop to first branch. Am curious to others thoughts on this and seeing this one develope whatever approaches you decide on.
Thanks

That is not something I had considered. I may try and bend that branch regardless since I think it could get it to a better angle fairly easily. For the time being I think I will try and see if I can reduce the inverse taper and the knot over time. If it doesn't seem to be developing well then I may decide to go the chop route but might as well see what it does first.

I did go ahead and remove that one terrible heavy branch, I'm interested to see how it responds.

Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate your help!

 

[Rivian]

Its either chop above the lowest branch and make that the new trunk, or find another plant, in my opinion. That knot cant be fixed.

 

[NaturalArt]

Its either chop above the lowest branch and make that the new trunk, or find another plant, in my opinion. That knot cant be fixed.

Thank you for your input, I am seriously considering chopping it, but I'll at least wait until next spring.