Sacrifice Branches- Low or High?

Lazylightningny

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I prefer to grow sacrifice branches at the apex of the tree when trying to thicken trunks. The terminal bud, being the highest on the tree, will demand the most energy and will grow the strongest. Then, when my tree has reached the desired thickness, I can chop the sacrifice , grow out new lateral branches, and hide the chop in the crown. With a low sacrifice branch, if you plan on removing it, you will leave a huge scar that will take years to heal, or never.

How do you handle sacrifice branches?
 

JonW

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Depends what your trying to do and the habit of the tree. If you are just initially thickening the trunk, let it grow tall. If you already have a decent trunk and its very apically dominant, using a low branch to create taper is a good idea. If you wanted to start working on branching and you let the top of an apically dominant tree grow freely, it might be hard to work on those branch (its either too early to work on branching or too late in the process to try to thicken the trunk by letting the top grow uncontrolled). The lower branches could even die off. Conversely, if it is basally/laterally dominant, you might need to trim lower branches more than the top to keep the top vigorous, but I guess this is getting off topic of sacrifice branches.
 

sorce

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I'm trying to make defining sacrifice branches as for horticulture and aesthetic purposes 2 different things.

Sometimes they are for health, sometimes they are for design, sometimes for design they sap health, sometimes for health they ruin design.

This is the balance we should be considering.

Sorce
 

BobbyLane

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I prefer to grow sacrifice branches at the apex of the tree when trying to thicken trunks. The terminal bud, being the highest on the tree, will demand the most energy and will grow the strongest. Then, when my tree has reached the desired thickness, I can chop the sacrifice , grow out new lateral branches, and hide the chop in the crown. With a low sacrifice branch, if you plan on removing it, you will leave a huge scar that will take years to heal, or never.

How do you handle sacrifice branches?
could we see examples of your methods and whats worked for you?

i also think each has its place. of course though its very easy to develop inverse taper with nothing in the base and everything up top! have to pay more attention to high leaders right.
anyway, regarding scars, if you dont like you just position them to the back or side right...
 

JonW

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Point well taken. However, the side branches low on sacrifice can still be worked while the top grows
I definitely agree I've seen examples when is has worked, and I've seen examples of parts of a tree dying because energy was not well managed. Since most trees are apically dominant, it is hard to refine lower branches if the energy at the apex isn't managed. This is exactly the same process by which big, tall trees kill of low branches as they become shaded out by the apex an unnecessary for the tree. The rule of thumb is to trim the top 2x as much as the sides (of course this is way to general to apply to all trees): how do you apply this if you have a sacrifice branch in the apex? If you trim the sides without trimming the sacrifice branch, many types of trees will "sacrifice" the branch you just weakened by trimming. Now you could let them all grow and prune in the fall after leaves drop (assuming they are deciduous), which is an excellent approach early on in bonsai development, assuming you still make sure all branches remain strong enough.

Conversely, some plants have a tendency for their tops to die off because they have the opposite habit. For example, if you prune the top of a kiyohime maple more than the sides, the apex might die. On this variety, it might make more sense to let the top grow without pruning all summer while keeping the sides in check here and there.

I sold a lot of my trees last summer and bought some new ones that have a decent base, but need more development. With many of those trees, I'm planning on taking the approach of letting them grow all summer, then cutting back to 1-3 nodes on all branches in the fall. This includes growing a new leader, unrestricted, as well as new side branches, unrestricted. You could sort of think of all the growth as "sacrifice' because I plan on removing it after its fueled the tree all summer and contributed to vascular tissue in the fall. Since most of my trees are deciduous broadleaf, this has minimized impact on overall trunk thickening (compared to not trimming even in the fall), and results in more natural looking trees than hard chops would result in.
 

It's Kev

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my main purpose for growing a sacrifice branch would be for taper. otherwise, if an adventitious bud does grow out randomly, I'd give it a chance and maybe be rewarded with some interesting shape.
 

Millard B.

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Like people each tree is different in it's growth patterns and what you are trying to accomplish in finished size, styles, and techniques that can vary between species. On collected Bald Cypress and other material cut back hard back to a stump, I prefer to look for the best rootage to locate the best front, as to grow the new apex, I will let the new apex grow wild for a season then work on branch placement. Sometimes on a tree with several seasons behind it the lower branches can get left behind size wise, if I can get a bud on the bottom of the left behind branch to develop, I will train it in a "U" pattern to grow straight up for one or several seasons until the left behind branch thickens to the desired diameter. This is a lesson I learned from a sacrifice branch growing from the top of a first branch that scar probably will never heal completely- one of my best trees! Then when it is removed the scar will be on the bottom of the branch, not as visible. I will put a small piece of wire loose around the sacrifice branch until it gets bigger as a tag so I won't remove it while daydreaming with my scissors. Two years into retirement and a year into Covid I have most of my finished trees now under control. I know I have more trees than I need, but...I'm in the process of collecting about 20 large Simpson Stoppers about to be destroyed, and it is Cypress collecting season again! It is an addiction!
Y'all Be Safe, Millard
 

Lazylightningny

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could we see examples of your methods and whats worked for you?
Bobby, here's one example. I started this ilex last year. I chopped it hard and allowed it to grow free all last year to regain strength. A week ago, I started the process to build taper in some of the branches by cutting them back. I'll select one new twig this year to be the new leader, then next year I'll start on building ramification. Branches that are too thin I left alone to grow and thicken. I left the two leaders at the top long, with the terminal buds intact. The one on the left had several side branches which I removed, to allow the terminal bud to get all the energy to grow strong. Leaving the two leaders long will accomplish two things- it will thicken the leader, which I will cut back next year or the one after, and it will also thicken the trunk more. I'll get some wire on it at some point this year.

20200426_135228.jpg20210306_105806.jpg

I have some pitch pines in the ground which I'm doing the same to- a single stalk of apical leader to thicken the tree, while lower branches are allowed to thicken or are being candle pinched. Unfortunately I only have crap photos of them. My observation seems to be that terminal sacrifice branches seem to thicken the trunk better than low ones, which only have to be pruned off, leaving a big scar.
 

JonW

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Bobby, here's one example. I started this ilex last year. I chopped it hard and allowed it to grow free all last year to regain strength. A week ago, I started the process to build taper in some of the branches by cutting them back. I'll select one new twig this year to be the new leader, then next year I'll start on building ramification. Branches that are too thin I left alone to grow and thicken. I left the two leaders at the top long, with the terminal buds intact. The one on the left had several side branches which I removed, to allow the terminal bud to get all the energy to grow strong. Leaving the two leaders long will accomplish two things- it will thicken the leader, which I will cut back next year or the one after, and it will also thicken the trunk more. I'll get some wire on it at some point this year.

View attachment 361360View attachment 361361

I have some pitch pines in the ground which I'm doing the same to- a single stalk of apical leader to thicken the tree, while lower branches are allowed to thicken or are being candle pinched. Unfortunately I only have crap photos of them. My observation seems to be that terminal sacrifice branches seem to thicken the trunk better than low ones, which only have to be pruned off, leaving a big scar.
Looks like good development! I'd do the same thing if they were my trees. Growing out the new leader will give it thickness and natural taper, as well as helping to heal the wound.
 
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