Successful (?) Trunk chop and collection. Now what

[Ngidm]

Hi all,

I chopped a mulberry last fall, just after leaf drop. Then this Spring, I dug it up. I had some advice on this forum about what to do with it, and ultimately on account of the nebari, which strongly reaches to the right, I kept it arching in that direction. I attach some post-collection pictures here. I'm going for a feminine, smooth, tranquil free. Not so gnarly.

A month later, the tree seems to be flying. Lots of shoots, where I expected them and everywhere else. Pictures also attached here. They're the pictures with green.

My questions are the following:

1) start fertilizing now? How heavy? I started with a little organic biogold, but perhaps I should shower it a bit more?

2) should I remove buds from where I know I don't want branches? There are some close to the base, and I know I don't want them there. At least not eventually. If they're important to ensure the survival/health of the tree in this first year, I've got no problems leaving them there, but I'm not after trunk thickening at at this point. Perhaps remove them to keep a smooth bark?

3) I'm most places where I have one bud, I have three. Some five. Seems like a recipe for inverse taper. I presume I remove the small ones and keep the big one at each spot? Or is there a better plan?

4) at what point do I start pinching/pruning back leaders? Next summer? This fall? This summer?

My main issue is that I don't want to slow this kid down, but I also don't want it to run too wild. I don't know where the medium is.

Any advice you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks!

N

 

[Ngidm]

Not all images uploaded. Here are more of new growth.

 

[Ngidm]

Pre-bud-break.

 

[Ngidm]

Lower trunk new growth.

 

[19Mateo83]

Damn that’s a fat boy mulberry! Nice collected material. I’m totally Jealous of this one! I enjoy the gentle taper and graceful curve. I think you are going to want to just let it grow and do whatever it wants to do. It needs to regain its strength and vigor for another season before you can consider it out of the woods. As hard as it may be try to not pull any buds. It needs all the energy it can get to grow new roots. I am running into this with some American hornbeams I collected this spring. Buds and shoots everywhere but it needs them right now so I’m leaving them.

 

[Firstflush]

I think you can do some selective stuff like bud removal if there are a huge number on a single trunk plane. Nothing crazy. If left unmanaged, reverse taper can happen in a few weeks once it takes off.

 

[Shibui]

As usual the answer to all your questions is the same - It depends.
After collection initial growth is often good.
Sometimes this is giving a false impression as many trees use up stored resources in an attempt to grow and recover but without new roots that soon peters out and the trees die.
More often good growth continues through summer which seems to be an indication of successful rooting.

I tend to leave all new growth through spring to help feed new roots. The shoots that grow won't cause you any problem and can easily be removed when you are confident the tree has survived.

If growth is still strong after mid-summer I'd then consider removing obvious redundant shoots.

Same for clusters of buds. They won't cause problems in just a few months and that time may even give you a better idea of which ones to retain when you reduce numbers.

If I'm still getting good growth after mid summer shoot selecting I'll also cut back strong growing shoots that are to be retained but only if they are really getting out of hand. New shoots will need to grow to thicken before they are suitable for branches on a large trunk like this so don't be in too much of a hurry to cut back. Just as in trunks - growth = thickening. It can take quite a few years to develop new branches properly. Branches also need thickness, taper and bends to match the trunk. All those attributes are best developed through grow and chop as we do with trunks. It is not unusual to see branches get to 3 or 4 feet long in the summer after collection to encourage plenty of strength and thickening. You have a great trunk so don't spoil it by rushing the branches now or by restricting growth too much for the sake of keeping it neat.

I start fertilizing as soon as I'm comfortable that the tree is growing well and yours definitely looks good. If you have slow release in the soil mix you don't need to worry so much but fert free soil mix definitely needs added fert soon after growth commences. How heavy also depends on whether there's any other source in the soil and the species. Holly seems to transplant well so chances are this has been successful. Growth is abundant and strong so I'd be moving up to full strength soon.

 

[sorce]

I reckon the larger the tree, mulberry specifically, the more leeway you get before new growth causes problems, simply because it has to grow so large to impact the already large trunk.

In that regard, I think you are relatively safe, I'd approximate a 1-3 year window before things MUST be removed.

Except for the clusters where you intend to have one branch, I'd definitely remove everything to keep your design moving forward. Seems you have enough extra foliage that won't harm design, like them low buds, to keep it powering through that removal.
You could even remove the most offending branch first one month, then the next, and so on faster or slower till you have your one design branch left.

I find mulberry to be somewhat difficult as far as these clusters and old shoulder budding goes, but if you look at any established mulberry that doesn't get chopped, the don't really show a past of cluster budding like that.
Makes me think you could equate it to a heavy cut on a juniper which makes it revert to juvenile foliage. Hard cuts on mulberry seem to make them make difficult clusters, but I think with a little attention, and less and less cutting over time, you'll keep that at bay.

I have been cutting everything (species) only before growth in spring and before growth in fall, this pattern allows for enough energy to ensure the "proper nexts"(a good forking) you're cutting back to grows, keeps things predictable.
I'd start at that limited 2 cut timeline and venture into extra cuts only when necessary, rare.

Important to note that those 2 cuts are only for designed stuff. Which I like to keep "full" enough to sustain the tree itself, so any sacrifice (your low stuff), can be removed with safety when it needs to be.
Basically, you want sacrifice stuff to be extra, never really needed, so you never dip too low in health when you remove it.

Blah blah blah.....I like this thing! Eat it!

Sorce

 

[Ngidm]

Thanks much for the replies! I'll just let it grow at least through summer and keep an eye for inverse taper.

Happy almost summer!

Nick

 

[Sway711]

This is going to grow fast in that pot, you should prune after summer, even a good root prune. And the bark won't stay smooth. It has, atleast to me nice gnarly bark thats flaky at times. I would feed it lightly if at all. These trees grow fast. I think yearly maintenance is a must. I just got a gerardi dwarf, for the fruit. But it's a better choice for bonsai I think. But. It looks like you have yours set up right. Just remember, those shoots can thicken quick, mulberries don't need much of any fertilizer most of the time, just water. Roots can be brittle once they've matured. Good luck, I fell in love with bonsai and my first, second, third trees were mulberry. I love them. But I'm no pro. Glad to see your post.