Five Year Native Tree Challenge: Gabler's American Beech #6

[Gabler]

You do know that to increase ramification on American beech, it's common practice to remove the terminal (last) bud on each branch...that can stimulate resting buds farther back on the branch.

Thanks! I was not aware that was standard practice on American beeches, but I was aware more generally that removing a terminal bud can promote growth farther back on the branch. Something to do with a hormone in the bud. Auxin, I think? I did remove a number of terminal buds while pruning for shape, but I did not go through each branch specifically to remove every terminal bud.

 

[rockm]

Thanks! I was not aware that was standard practice on American beeches, but I was aware more generally that removing a terminal bud can promote growth farther back on the branch. Something to do with a hormone in the bud. Auxin, I think? I did remove a number of terminal buds while pruning for shape, but I did not go through each branch specifically to remove every terminal bud.

Roughly, The end bud is the growth center--for lack of a better term. It draws resources to extend growth for the branch. REmove it and the branch redistributes those resources on what's left--telling new buds to activate.

 

[Gabler]

I just attended a meeting by phone, so I went out and snipped off terminal buds while listening to the meeting. The crown is large for the girth of the trunk, and the branches only bore leaves at the tips last year. I wouldn’t say I’m at a refinement stage for the tree, but I do want more primary branches on the trunk, so I definitely want to promote back-budding for further development. I’ll leave terminal buds on the new branches so they thicken up as they elongate and then chop them back when the new branches’ girth matches the old.

 

[LindaPat]

Wow! I love it!

 

[Gabler]

Wow! I love it!

Thanks!

 

[Gabler]

Since I slipped my mountain laurel into a grow bag to boost vigor this season, I up-potted this tree into that mountain laurel’s former mica pot. No roots were pruned. I just plunked him into a mix of pumice, expanded shale, and coconut husk chunks marketed for orchids. Note also that I adjusted the planting angle a bit. This is the angle I originally wanted, but he slouched a bit over the course of last year, since all the roots are thin feeders, and accordingly the trunk doesn’t have the most stable base. At this angle, the tree almost seems to be bowing or dancing. I imagine he has tipped his top hat and is extending his hand to ask a lady to dance.

 

[Gabler]

From this angle, you can better see how I wired the two top left branches.

 

[Gabler]

A quick update.

 

[LindaPat]

I love this little tree!

 

[Gabler]

I did slip the tree into a bigger pot last year, but I hadn’t otherwise messed with the roots since collection. I did some root work to get the tree to sit lower in the pot. Fortunately, most of the roots came from the same level, so I could just cut off a bit more taproot below the level of the bulk of the rootball.

Unfortunately, I discovered I had messed with the lowest branch too much, trying to bend it downward. It was too stiff to bend easily, and I think my efforts killed it.



After replacing the tree into the pot, something dug it up. I mounded up sphagnum moss over the soil to cover the roots deeper and bought some rat traps to put on my pots. Anything that steps on that yellow pedal is in for a nasty surprise.

 

[PerryB]

I did slip the tree into a bigger pot last year, but I hadn’t otherwise messed with the roots since collection. I did some root work to get the tree to sit lower in the pot. Fortunately, most of the roots came from the same level, so I could just cut off a bit more taproot below the level of the bulk of the rootball.

Unfortunately, I discovered I had messed with the lowest branch too much, trying to bend it downward. It was too stiff to bend easily, and I think my efforts killed it.

View attachment 478364

After replacing the tree into the pot, something dug it up. I mounded up sphagnum moss over the soil to cover the roots deeper and bought some rat traps to put on my pots. Anything that steps on that yellow pedal is in for a nasty surprise.

How tall is your beech?
It is very similar to the one I collected in October 2019.

 

[Gabler]

Maybe twenty inches?

 

[PerryB]

Maybe twenty inches?

About the same as mine then.
I estimated that mine was 14-15 years old when I dug it up. It was about 4 feet tall and growing in the deep shade of a 4 foot diameter beech. I waited a year and a half before any root reduction, but I chopped it down to 18" right away. It seems very settled now.

 

[Gabler]

I pinched the buds back to two leaves before they opened. I am now getting a second flush of growth.



As a side effect, some of the leaves were pinched in half while they were still in the bud.

 

[Gabler]

I allowed the tree to grow freely the rest of the summer. A club member who really knows his stuff suggested that in order to get the backbudding reaponse I'm looking for, I need to leave the tree alone to grow for another year and accumulate energy. That sounds like sound advice to me. I think that probably takes it out of the running for the five year tree challenge, but I'm still eager to see what I can do with this material in years to come. I have other trees entered that are better candidates anyway. I'll make this one a long-term project.

 

[Gabler]

I did some light pruning to shorten two dominant branches. Otherwise, I'll just be letting the tree grow again this year.