Exercising trees --》Thicker trunks

[Clicio]

Even being aware that wind produces tiny cracks on lower trunks, leading to stronger and thicker bases, I just watched a video where the author proposes "exercising" bonsai in training, both in pots or in the ground, by shaking them (in fact rocking the trees back and forth) periodically to accelerate trunk thickening.
Well, one of the benefits of having trees outdoors at all times is the constant air movement, including winds. So...
Are those "exercises" helpful at all?
I had never heard this before.

 

[BobbyLane]

you mean like this

 

[Clicio]

you mean like this

What I love most about that gif is the expression of the dog, very cute but very serious, doing his job!

 

[HorseloverFat]

You see this happen quite often in “the wild”, with the exception (mostly) of vine-like species... i have a Poblano pepper plant that i water at flush “level”... but his taller, more slender container “lives” at 45 degrees.. the “stress” scaring effect is very apparent to the compensating side.. especially at THIS point in development, as the plant is just now “barking” up..

Also working medicinal cannabis operations in MI.. we would subject plants to two similar styles.. “manual stress” (just what WE called it) which is basically what you outlined... abusing them! (This resulted in only slightly better results than some of the “wind experiments”.)
The other is a form of “low-stress testing”.. where plants where tied down, allowed to grow, tied down, allowed to grow....the GOAL was to create a “spiral-esque topiary” scenario in which to yield more “sacred flower” , as well as access it easier. Around those “joints” there was noticeable swelling and “gnarl”... sometimes we would remove the first “guy wires” every time before reapplication.. this resulted in plants resembling field-grown tridents...

I DO understand that these species are NOT trees.

 

[Clicio]

... i water at flush “level”... the “stress” scaring effect is very apparent to the compensating side..
... we would subject plants to two similar styles.. “manual stress” (just what WE called it) which is basically what you outlined... abusing them!

Thanks, quite interesting.
What I am wondering now is if some bonsai growers or nurseries use this technique in bonsai, as seen in the video.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I ended up going out by my plants again.. this is the pepper plant i was speaking of..it’s young, but that makes what I’m speaking of easier to notice. So maybe benefits can even be noted with “positional stress”? (not sure if there is an actual term).




(My apologies, my posts are becoming irrelevant... I’ll stop now. )

 

[penumbra]

Are those "exercises" helpful at all?

Absolutely. It is an old school technique that is coming around again.

 

[RobC]

 

[leatherback]

What I am wondering now is if some bonsai growers or nurseries use this technique in bonsai, as seen in the video.

It is one of the benefits of letting a leader grow tall during grow-out, over fully pot grown: Development of fluted bases at the tree builds capacity for dealing with the sway

 

[Potawatomi13]

If growing sacrifice trunk action of wind accomplishes same thing automatically.

 

[leatherback]

If growing sacrifice trunk action of wind accomplishes same thing automatically.

ehm.. Yeah, I just wrote that

 

[Anthony]

Clicio,

check the shape we use for repotting.
The wind rocking, strengthens rooting.
No wire tying in.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Clicio]

@leatherback @Potawatomi13 @Anthony
Thanks for your input, but I have no doubts about the mechanics of the wind upon the trunk or roots.
What puzzles me is someone rocking and shaking trees manually to accomplish what nature will give for free anyway..

 

[A. Gorilla]

ehm.. Yeah, I just wrote that

omfg burn!@!

 

[penumbra]

The video is pretty lame but there is no harm in the practice. Wind doesn't blow just when you need it and there are times and places where it hardly blows at all.

 

[Clicio]

@RobC thanks for the video example.

 

[Clicio]

The original video I was referring to is the one below:

 

[penumbra]

The original video I was referring to is the one below:

I have seen this and I think it is worth watching again.

 

[rootpuma]

Definitely worth watching a few times....

As for the shaking of the tree...yeah mother nature can do it for you but if your breeze is always a slight breeze then maybe this will substitute? Or even if it does blow like your at the beach is it possible that this technique can help stress further than what wind can do therefor creating better stress fractures and larger trunks?

Although I have many other things to do than go shaking all my trees...

 

[Graft]

Shake, Rattle and Root!