Dave,
I have a follow up question about defoliation. Say you were to defoliate again ( after two successful leafings ), will there be enough time for a third?
Even if the tree was as vigorous as you mentioned, will there be enough time for photosynthesis to start up and send enough resourses back to the root system to prepare for the next spring? And if not, will the growth next spring be weak or worse case threaten the tree?
How do you gage how much defoliation has limited the resources needed for the next springs growth push?
I have a Korean Hornbeam myself and have been wondering about this subject and can't find info to substantiate one way or another. Do you have current photo's?
Thanks for your support.
Leonard