It seems like a big issue with a heading cut (whether it is a central leader turning modified central leader, or if it is a scaffold or limb being headed back), is being able to train the new growth to lean in the preferred direction.
Does anyone have any tips/tricks for how to train new growth (to a desired direction or angle) when there’s no limb above that point to use with a clothes pin spreader, etc?
This year, I tried tying some thick aluminum wire to the lower limb, then bending it and fastening the new growth to it. It seems to work, but maybe not the easiest to do.
The top bud will try to assert apical dominance; it will generally grow fairly vertical.
This apical shoot will release hormones that suppress emergence of lower shoots (i.e., possible branches). If you pinch off the apical shoot, eliminating the hormones, usually lower buds will pop. The upper 1-2 may try to become the new apical shoot (and if so, can also be removed) but lower shoots will tend to be more horizontal. You can just select (not remove) the ones growing where and how you want.
For scaffolds:
Usually I’ll remove any shoot growing up or down, i.e. emerging from the upper or lower sides of the branch. I’ll also remove any shoots growing toward the center. This leaves shoots growing away from the center, more or less horizontally. Again, you can just select the ones growing where and how you want.
Now your actual question is probably about shoots that are already growing but not in an ideal direction. For these, I use brute force: I pound a stake into the ground and tie down the branch.
I strapped them onto young tree with parafilm just under a new scaffold branch that was shooting up at very steep angle… and slowly over a few weeks… got those new scaffold branches down to near flat out / horizontal.
I had pears apples and persimmons this year… all developing new scaffold branches and did this to all of them.
On all the crotch angles were like 10-15 degrees… and now are around 90 degrees.
Caution…dont put too much pressure on them at one time… could snap them off… go slow… changing crotch angle 15-20 degrees each week for a few weeks until you get them where you want.
I use homemade spreaders, a 1/4 to 3/8 dia stick, split the ends and wedge it in. I also use a single pc of 12 ga wire like used in Bonsai. Loosely wrap around the main branch and leave the tail long to hold down the end.
I was getting a lot blind wood in our peaches. Water sprouts would grow like crazy there but I would cut them out. Last year when the water sprouts started, 12 inches tall, I used wire to bend them to 45 degrees. They slowed way down and filled in the blind wood
@jrd51 - my concern with tying/staking is that we get gusty winds here sometimes… I feel like if I tie new green growth (especially at the top of a tree), it’s likely to get ripped off in a gust of wind. I have done it before, and it worked, but made me nervous.
@TNHunter - I like that idea… very creative, and will keep an eye out for some cuttings like this for the purpose.
@Paddy - haven’t had any bonsai experience previously, but love the idea. Especially the wrapping. I tried with both some 10 gauge building wire, and some much thicker stranded aluminum… as that’s what I had handy. Wrapping with 12 gauge (possibly even 14) sounds better than fastening with parafilm or splicing tape, as you can see I did below. The other issue that wrapping the wire around the lower branch/leader reduces is the difficulty with using clothespins on lower branches, as you can see in my 2nd picture.
