What I have found is that branches tend to get leggy, and the interior buds are often not viable
No, it’s just how they grow. And I think we are discussing two different types of back budding, a response to trunk chopping, and a response to pruning branches back. The former should predictably result in back-budding. The latter is the problem.Would this be the result then of too dense a canopy,? In that case.. could one get rejuvination by vigourous growth followed by a deep cut back in winter?
The buds I am getting is not due to trunk chopping, but regular spring pruning, which is what caused my surprise...And I think we are discussing two different types of back budding, a response to trunk chopping, and a response to pruning branches back. The former should predictably result in back-budding.
Yup, this I do too.There is a technique to encouraging vegetative buds, by removing the first and second leaf of the new shoot when they grow to about this length. That results in vegetative buds forming more reliably at those petioles.
Not completely sure I understand. Are you suggesting flower buds reverted to vegetative buds because you removed a part of the flower bud? I know I haven’t experienced that. Flower buds set closely on either side of the vegetative bud, and maybe you removed those, exposing the vegetative buds which were there all along. 1 and 3 are flower buds, and 2 is a vegetative bud; photo from December.I have a much larger mume (https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/prunus-mume-starterplant.37137/).
As I am not happy with its vigor yet, I allowed a few flowers to open, en then removed all the buds. I did this by breaking the flower bud out of its covers. These covers have now expanded into 1/4 inch leaves.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Getting near midnight here. Tomorrow not home. Will take a pic one of these days.Not completely sure I understand.
I wonder (not suggesting to) if you cut back (at the end of winter) all the branches heavily to no (visible) buds - would the tree die or response with back-budding as in the case of trunk chopping? Because my general experience with deciduous trees is they want to grow and would push buds to survive. Haven't tested it with Ume yet as all my Umes are quite young. But I am trying to root cuttings with different methods to get enough material to experiment.No, it’s just how they grow. And I think we are discussing two different types of back budding, a response to trunk chopping, and a response to pruning branches back. The former should predictably result in back-budding. The latter is the problem.
For example, this Ume is an example of the latter. See how the branches are getting leggy, and new growth is concentrated at the tips, and the bifurcation occurs closer to the tips than to the trunk? The bare branches inside don’t have any viable buds, and the branches die if they are pruned back to no buds.
There is a technique to encouraging vegetative buds, by removing the first and second leaf of the new shoot when they grow to about this length. That results in vegetative buds forming more reliably at those petioles. Still, all that accomplishes is growth next year in this year’s extensions. Grafting becomes necessary to push back growth toward the trunk.
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If healthy. it should backbud.if you cut back (at the end of winter) all the branches heavily to no (visible) buds - would the tree die or response with back-budding as in the case of trunk chopping?