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Originally Posted by yenling
Few newbie questions about JBP:
1. Does letting a low sacrafice branch grow out near the bottom of the trunk, leave a large lump on the trunk, where the sacrafice branch was? Or does the girth of the lower trunk expanded evenly? Is this a good technique for improving taper?
2. Assuming you have a field grown JBP around 1 1/2 inches in girth and it has been trunk chopped. Over the years is there a good way to increase the girth of the trunk significantly? I realize it would be much better not to trunk chop, but can you let all the branches grow out or something like this?
Thanks for helping out a begginner!
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Good questions for a beginner. Here is my take.
1. The sacrifice branch could leave a lump but will indeed help gain girth. I believe the additional girth outweighs and visual issues at the union of the branch and trunk. Remember that this gain will not happen in one season. You really need to allow unrestricted growth on the branch. It needs to gain dominance in order to be really effective. As you may know that is not easily done on pines as it may be on azaleas and maples. Once it gets going you can begin to consider how to remove. Can the stub of the branch become a feature? Is it in an area that is seen from the front? I now consider leaving stubs and plan on carving them to become features unless the area is hidden from view.
2. Yes - a sacrifice branch (just like you thought). The challenge will be to maintain final branches while allowing the sacrifice to do what you want it to do (see above). A trunk chop of some sorts is almost always the way to work a pine. If planned properly (and I have no firm idea on how that goes) one can continue to replace leaders with branches to induce movement in the trunk while working in shorter internodes.
Hope this helps.