Prunus Autumnalis Rosea: inverse taper/thickening trunk help

[Danny Tuckey]

So I have this flowering winter cherry which I stuck in the ground last year. I want to thicken the trunk up some more.

Question is, letting the shoots (right at the bottom) grow out - will that cause the trunk from the top of the roots up to those shoots thicken up or just cause a swelling in that area to create inverse taper?

My plan *subject to change* is to make an informal upright. In the first pic, I will either cut off/air layer the big branch on the left to create some taper with the thinner branch. Or trunk chop utilising one of the shoots at the bottom into a new leader.

 

[0soyoung]

I think you have in mind a tree with a trunk that is a series of short tubes gradually with progressively smaller radii - kida goes straight there, then straight over there, then straight ... I'm growing a cheery now and mine tends to grow this way. If this is what you want, then keep only one of those very low branches or maybe remove them altogether for now. Almost certainly you will be able to pop a bud and start them anew in the next few years. Then you won't have any reverse taper issues. Of course, you could keep one to become the next trunk section, meaning you will chop off everything above it as soon as you are satisfied with the thickness of the trunk base.

This points to another possible opportunity if you want a smoothly curving, feminine form instead of the sharp masculine zig-zaggish one. You wire that low branch into a curvy form while it is thin and easily manipulated, let it 'lignify', then remove the wire and move on with this as the next trunk section as you would otherwise.

Let me see, what is that old sorta rule of thumb about the ratio of height to trunk thickness? The height is something like 6x the trunk thickness, IIRC. Higher ratios are for feminine, graceful trees like acer palmatum bonsai; lower rations for powerful masculne and ultimately sumo.

 

[sorce]

You can study the tree above your area of concern, to realize what your area of concern will do when grown out.

With an observable degree of difference of course.

I think you're prime to allow them big things to keep going.
This will thicken the trunk below the new lead.
Just be careful to keep the new lead in check but alive....so as to not have it outgrow any taper you are trying to create.

Sorce