Planted a bareroot Dapple Supreme pluot in January, and cut it down to about 10" to prepare for fan espalier. Nicked under the upper-most buds, in hopes of stimulating lower buds to grow out broadly. Perhaps this was a mistake. Spring weather is here in SF Bay Area and it’s starting to grow, but only from two upper buds … which happen to be on the same side, so bad for my espalier plans! No sign of bud swelling anywhere else. Any advice on how to ensure healthy growth, especially on opposite side?
I thought this problem is common with peaches/nectarines but am surprised that it happens to pluots too.
Perhaps you can graft a couple of buds on the other side this summer, using the budwood from shoots currently growing on this tree.
I did that with my nectarine last year. Even though the bud grafts took but they didn’t grow until just a few weeks ago.
The upper growth is the one that will become your main trunk. As it grows, it will develop branches on all sides. Those are the ones you can use to build your espalier scaffolds.
Mike
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Yeah what Mes111 said, develop that bud into a new central leader. You will lose time, maybe a season, but it will work well. You will have to knee high it again, and it will be a little taller. I have had to do this twice now. S with a hit happens.
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Great idea. The new central leader will most likely grow some side limbs this year. After it grows upward about 12" you can pinch off the top so it will push side limbs faster.
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Exactly Bill, I have done it two times now and it works very well. It is why I like to get the smallest tree I can, easy to branch and with small trees I usually have a choice of scaffolds they branch so much. The last time was interesting. After losing two Weeping Santa Rosa plums that never had a chance to establish, the third died back to just above the graft union. Why it died like this?? I put it in bare root, and this was all that was left alive
With WSR you want a central leader and you head cut when about 7 feet tall to start the weeping. i will tie it up to prevent weeping until I cut it (why the stake). I was thinking to cut it again to try and form a thicker canopy of weeping limbs. Maybe after new weeping branches grow 12 inches to cut them to six inches and hope for another split.Not sure? I’ll play it by ear. it is only 2 feet tall right now. I thought it might die over winter, but it made it.
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Makes sense … too bad that it will probably take longer to build my fan, and the main branches will come off the trunk a bit higher than I planned, but nothing that I can’t deal with. Thanks all!