|
Greybeard
Join Date: Aug-2001
Location: Fresno, CA
Country: USA
Posts: 5,247
|
Pinching and pruning are the same thing. Pinching is done on fresh growth when its soft and can be pinched off with little force.
Pruning is done the same way, but is used after the growth hardens off and will not succumb to finger nail pressure.
Pinching and pruning are both used to increase the twigginess of the branches. The term is ramification, or to ramify. When you pinch say a maple, when the bud first unfolds, pinch out the second set of leaves. When the auxins in the tip respond to the pinching they will stimulate auxillery buds at the base of the last set of leaves at the tip of the branch and in some cases leaf sets farther back on the branch. You then get two buds there. If you do it over, you have four. If you do it again you have eight. So on and so on.
Here is a trident maple stump bought two years ago.
__________________
Real men don't wear coats with "happi" in the title.
|