Backbud and shorter internodes

[Escobar090]

Hi everyone, i hope you can help me with this one:

For instance, lets say i have an acer palmatum with a branch that has long internodes but its growing just fine.

Sorry if im wrong (wich i probably am) but, does pinching back new growth creates back budding so you shorten the internodes in said branch?. Or a branch with long internodes is always going to have them?

I was also told once that when you wire a branch, the tree 'knows' its in a horizontal position (opposite to the upwards to the sun direction) and starts to backbud, is this right?

 

[jk_lewis]

If you already have long internodes, pinching will not shorten what's already there. You will have to prune it back to a pair of buds, then let it grow while you keep an eye on the growth. After you get one new pair of leaves, wait until another pair just starts to show and pinch them back, then wait for another pair, then pinch the next one etc. But you have to keep up with the tree. Once it gets ahead of you and you get long internodes (there are no buds readily available in the internodal space), you have to start over.

 

[Escobar090]

Thanks for that

I thought that a branch with long internodes was able to grow new nodes buds inbetween them.