Smoke
Ignore-Amus
Today I took the first step to what may be a significant improvement in the future look of the double trunk Pyracantha. I had always felt that the branches started much too high on the trunk on the right side. This was due to the fact that the tree grew much more tilted to the left and had another trunk or large branch, (depending on how you look at it) coming off the right. After I had cut that trunk off, it left the right side rather high and bare in the bottom half of the main trunk. While the canopy shape was pleasing enough, it bothered me enough to try and appraoch graft a branch in the correct place.
I started by leaving two candidates that budded this spring on the back of the tree. They were strong and grew extremely fast. Each whip was about the size of a pencil and each had small secondary branches on them. One of the whips was in a good spot and could be bent around to make a suitable new branch in the ideal place.
I had a large growth or nodule in just the place I wanted to put the branch. I settled for a near place that would send the new branch off in the correct position but did not graft as far forward as I wanted. It will still be in a good spot and I feel as the graft takes it will grow and make a swelling there that will show from the front and not look like a back branch just bent around.
I made my cut and prepared the scion, They were mated and it was held in place with a small piece of plastic screen and aluminum wire. The daytime temp are good and hot now, just right for the pyracantha which seems to thrive in hot conditions. If everything goes well I should know if I'm home free in four or five months. By then the scion should be about 3/8 inch across and have new wood knit within the trunk.
Some photo's of my work with a virtual of what I would like to see in a couple years.
I started by leaving two candidates that budded this spring on the back of the tree. They were strong and grew extremely fast. Each whip was about the size of a pencil and each had small secondary branches on them. One of the whips was in a good spot and could be bent around to make a suitable new branch in the ideal place.
I had a large growth or nodule in just the place I wanted to put the branch. I settled for a near place that would send the new branch off in the correct position but did not graft as far forward as I wanted. It will still be in a good spot and I feel as the graft takes it will grow and make a swelling there that will show from the front and not look like a back branch just bent around.
I made my cut and prepared the scion, They were mated and it was held in place with a small piece of plastic screen and aluminum wire. The daytime temp are good and hot now, just right for the pyracantha which seems to thrive in hot conditions. If everything goes well I should know if I'm home free in four or five months. By then the scion should be about 3/8 inch across and have new wood knit within the trunk.
Some photo's of my work with a virtual of what I would like to see in a couple years.
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