Chinese Juniper Backbudding

[AndyJ]

Hi folks!

I've got an Itoigawa that I've had for a couple of years that is a bit of a weird shape- not really sure what the previous owner was thinking about in terms of design! It's about 12" high and about 12"-15" wide. I've identified what I think is a good trunk line - there are a couple of branches that I might be able to use and wire in to suitable locations. There are also a couple of branches that I might wire into position and once set, Jin them.

Most of the branches are lollipops with all growth at the end of the branches but there are a couple that have some shoots further down the branches. Can I cut the lolloipop part of these branches off, back to the shoots closer to the trunk and rebuild these branches from these shoots? If this is ok to do, when is the best time? Do the shoots have to be a certain size before I cut back to them?

Thanks all,

Andy

 

[Paulpash]

If you can take a pic of your tree and the branch(es) in question it will make assessment easier. Backbudding in Itoigawa occurs best when you see runners occurring - you know when this happens it's really strong. Keeping that runner at the end of the branch will continue to pull resources along that branch and feeding the backbudding shoot too. You may also get additional adventitious buds further back as a result of this strategy. Cut back when this shoot is almost at a stage where it can function as a structural pad. Cutting just to the small shoot then growing it out will be far slower - very little traffic backwards and forwards along this branch. Tolerate it looking unkempt for now - the sacrifice at the end is doing a valuable job for you, keeping the metabolism of that branch high.

 

[AndyJ]

Hi Paul. Will try and get some pictures to show the branches - little tricky for me to get to it and take a picture because it's on the ground.

I hadn't thought about the need to keep lots of growth on the end of a branch to keep the shoots growing further in. I just have runners on the top of the tree though, not on the branches in question. I trimmed the runners off of the lower branches as I wanted to encourage the inner growth - I realise this was a mistake. I guess I'll have to wait until next year now