Kevin, I think his reasoning for tying the branch up there is that the existing scaffold branch is too low for his liking. It appears to only be maybe only 6 inches off the ground. I think he wants to get it up near 18 inches or so from the look of it.
I think you are right in that any branch coming directly from the trunk is a scaffold.
That’s a completely wacky and crazy idea and I’m jealous that I never thought of it. I can see how it could work quite well- like one of Bill’s (Auburn’s) foot-long grafts only with a built in nurse branch and food supply.
Here’s what I’m thinking would work:
So there it is: one crazy, wacky idea after another! I say go for it, see if you can make it work, send pictures good or bad.
What do others think? Worth trying, or just too wacky and crazy?
Good luck all,
M
ps- get rid of the string! It will only serve to throttle the branch. Except: if you lightly but firmly bind the branch with string just below the graft you may be able to make it severe itself once the graft takes off- which I think would be a pretty neat- dare I say elegant? -trick!
Thanks for the clarification, Dave. Makes sense, though I thought most people preferred low limbs if they are lucky enough to have them that low. Easier to maintain, pick, etc. I guess its personal choice tho.
Mark, I wish I had thought of your idea. I ended up cutting off the branch and will try to do a T-bud. I have no experience with grafting so I would prefer to do the easiest method possible. I actually spent all last summer attempting this whacky idea. My understanding based on my research last summer was that the trunk envelops the branch and eventually you can cut away everything below where the branch was enveloped by the trunk. Sounds like your method would be the real way to attempt what I gave up on.
Wouldn’t know without trying- at any rate, good for you for thinking of it; maybe another day you’ll have more grafting under your belt and feel like giving it a try.
I don’t doubt that somebody here has already done it, but that’s not the point. It’s just nice to understand how, and whether, things work, and to try them out!
:-)M
6-Benzylaminopurine, benzyl adenine or BAP might be another option to get a node to sprout a new branch where you want. Mix 2% BAP with Lanolin and spread a little on a node.
Is it possible to graft a scion onto the trunk? I was looking into T-bud and it seems you need to wait a whole year for the bud to start growing a branch.
You can’t T bud onto that trunk. The bark is too thick and you are unlikely to get a take. Even if the bud did take it probably won’t grow out to form a branch. Even if it did grow it’s not likely to have enough vigor to ever catch up with those other branches. You’re facing pretty much the same thing if you graft in a scion.
Keep the branch you have or train a limb from one of those other branches to fill in the canopy area you need. From your picture one can’t really tell but you probably don’t need another branch to make a full canopy.
Think about how to train a vigorous limb to do what you want.
The real problem with that low limb isn’t it’s placement. That could work. If necessary tie it off to the trunk for support. The real problem with that limb is it’s lack of vigor. It’s hard to increase the vigor of that shoot without cutting off everything else. That would be starting over with your tree structure.
Another wild option if your creative is to side graft a long scion and make your limb exactly where you want it. With a little extra work it can be done. I have added water sprouts up to about 3’. Pears and apples are the only two I have tried this on. I did this for entertainment so I really don’t know how practical the method would be to duplicate.
You can graft a limb on that tree if you are a way better grafter than me. But unless it’s placed high in the tree on a branch that’s been cut back it’s not going to have any vigor. Anything placed or forced to grow in the vicinity of the current branch isn’t going to grow with enough vigor to matter.
When we graft it’s usually on a limb or whole tree that’s been cut back. That removal of current growth is what gives the graft the vigor to take off. Placing a graft low on a tree without cutting anything off is a sure recipe for low vigor or worse a bud/graft that doesn’t push at all.
The current branch is low and lacks vigor. The vigor can’t be improved unless a lot of the rest of the tree is removed.
So this is the peach tree. I feel like the scaffold branches are starting to become too vertical. I removed the little branch in the middle (see first pic). I suppose I can somehow shape the tree so that I don’t need to create another scaffold branch. Do you recommend a way to get the scaffold branches more horizontal? Maybe use rope to tie the branches down closer to the ground?
I put in 4 side grafts last year and they were probably the most vigorous grafts I had. I grafted directly to the trunk in the vicinity of other scaffolds. There is a side grafting thread here with more info. As mentioned in the thread the main issue for me is the angle of the scaffolds that are created. They are naturally narrow so the longevity of them may be questionable. I was able to pull the limbs down to encourage fruiting but it didn’t change the crotch angle. Just an experiment for me.
Here is the thread on Side grafting
You can search for information posted by Alan that talks about hinge cuts. He is a big proponent of the hinge cut that will allow you to bend larger diameter scaffolds. I tried it last year on my 4x1 pluot and it worked well. I had to use heavier string than normal to tie them down to large rocks but it worked. Essentially you create a series of small cuts on the underside of the scaffold where you want it to bend. Cut about 1/3 of the way through the branch with a pull saw. I placed my cuts about 3/8" apart and ended up putting in around 5 cuts if I remember correctly. You may need more or less in order to get the limb to bend down.
Here is the thread on hinge cuts.
A couple of years ago I pulled some larger limbs down with hinge cuts. These were on my one and only standard size tree. It accomplished two things. The limbs are fruiting and it brought them to a lower level for easier reaching. Alan provided some excellent guidance on this forum but I don’t remember which post it was. The bending occurred mostly away from the trunk and it did very little for the crotch angle. The most bend happened where the cuts are made. It is easy to make mistakes doing this on your first attempts but once you get the hang of it can be be done without many issues.
Thanks I should have looked at your post before adding my opinions.
You could use ropes to tie down the two scaffolds but that won’t be my approach. You’ve already pruned the tree hard. That will push out plenty of new growth. You can choose as many secondary scaffolds as you want growing as you want from that new growth. There are already horizontal secondaries growing and more will push. Prune back a little more right now if you want lower growth.
There is no need to graft to that tree. Just select the growth you want to save this summer or next spring.
My only concern is that the tree may be weak at the point where the two current scaffolds meet at the trunk. A tree is stronger if the scaffolds originate at points separated by a few inches with wide angles. Your angles are marginal and no separation.
So I put 12 notches in the right branch about 1 inch apart and 10 notches in the left branch about 1 inch apart. Each branch is now ~45-50 degrees from perpendicular. I am a little concerned the deer are going to munch on the branches now since they are outside of the fence. I plan on spraying the tree frequently with fungicide and insecticide because all these new wounds in the tree.
Fruitnut, I am concerned about the scaffolding branches being so close. Unfortunately when I got the peach tree the branches didn’t form in the best places and there were only a few.
