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Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
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Author:  William Greenfinger [ 01 Jun 2015, 11:42 ]
Post subject:  Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
Attachment:
IMG_2052.JPG
Hi
I would like to get more shape to the lower branch which has a 'void' area
How do I get this tree to back bud here..?
Any help please would be gratefully revceived
Bill
Author:  paulpash [ 01 Jun 2015, 15:32 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
William Greenfinger wrote:
Attachment:
IMG_2052.JPG
Hi
I would like to get more shape to the lower branch which has a 'void' area
How do I get this tree to back bud here..?
Any help please would be gratefully revceived
Bill


Are we talking the tree on the right here ? It looks more Cryptomeria like than the other...

If you look at your tree it is a little unbalanced in terms of foliage mass. The apical branches (in red) have far more volume than the lower branches. This needs to be addressed otherwise this lowest branch will continue to get weaker, the upper branches will get thicker than your lowest and more and more 'bald spots' will appear in your branching as the shading worsens. I've enclosed a pic to illustrate. The red and orange areas are related to energy balancing if you want to keep it at it's current height. The blue line is more radical and would be my way of improving this tree if it were mine - chop & jin the top (or air layer then chop). This solves the energy balancing in one go and makes the tree look more powerful - it's very tall and thin at the moment. You would probably get back budding if you chopped too but the design would look good as a lightning struck upright.

I have a few cryptomeria and they are a very elegant, stately tree. Branches don't like to be shaded though and they will abort branches perpetually shaded. Now is the time to thin them but spray them as you're thinning and keep in shade for 10 days or so if it's hot otherwise the tips go brown. Fingers on green, scissors on wood. Guy wiring is a good way of directing branches - older, thicker branches can be a bit more brittle than most other conifers.
Author:  William Greenfinger [ 01 Jun 2015, 16:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
Hi Paul
Yes that sounds exactly what i need to do.
Thank you very much.
Is it ok to do this thinning work now ?
this is a very healthy and happy tree.
Sorry the sequoia sneaked into the photo ..!
Bill
Author:  paulpash [ 01 Jun 2015, 18:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
Yes, early to mid June is a good time to thin Cryptomeria. I think thinning plus pruning is needed to rebalance your tree if you don't want to go down the jinned top approach - it's way too top heavy. Cleaning up the bottom of the pads will help more air to circulate too. Branch 1 needs this doing quite badly.
Author:  William Greenfinger [ 02 Jun 2015, 12:37 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
Attachment:
IMG_2068.JPG
Is this radical enough ?
Author:  William Greenfinger [ 02 Jun 2015, 14:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
And should this upper RH branch (3/4 of the way up) stick up at such an angle !??
Author:  paulpash [ 02 Jun 2015, 21:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
William Greenfinger wrote:
And should this upper RH branch (3/4 of the way up) stick up at such an angle !??


I've just popped out in the gales and taken this quick snap so here's mine on the training benches so you can compare the size of the pads - apologies for the poor quality. This has no wire on at all this year and is being grown on to extend the branch lines. It's not good enough for a pot yet and I want the tree to get stronger so it's not being trimmed at all this year apart from nipping the foliage hanging down over the next week or two. I have guy wired a few branches down but you're right about that branch - it needs bringing down and reducing further. Personally, I'd cut back a little more on your tree.

Tree in training for 3 years
Image

Maybe something like this in 10 (I hope)
Image
Author:  William Greenfinger [ 03 Jun 2015, 10:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
Wow - that is an absolute beauty. Thank you for sharing it.
I have thinned the top even more and, dare I say it, it looks very much better and more like it should.
I have also guy wired both those 45 ' angle branches down to near horizontal.
...how long should i leave them wired like that ?
Two seasons or is a year enough ?
Bill
Author:  NickB [ 03 Jun 2015, 13:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
That's a promising looking Cryptomeria, PaulPash. You don't see too many good ones. Is that the natural variety, or a specific cultivar?
Author:  Deano [ 03 Jun 2015, 15:26 ]
Post subject:  Re: Back budding on a 10 y old Cryptomeria japonica
Interesting you chose that pad Style as an example, Paul, I'm not a fan, it looks very contrived. I prefer a more natural style like this one
Image
Yours is closer in style to this too- and nicer than the dome pad one imo
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