Backbudding

bwaynef

I've a Ginkgo which bears sentimental value for me. Its still in the nursery container and had ambitions of being planted in the yard eventually but after a few years I haven't made a space for it so I've decided I'll make it bonsai-esque for the time being (to accomodate any move we make from this home). Its 7-8 feet tall, and the first "bud" I see is about 1' above ground. Is it safe to cut anywhere below that or should I leave that bud to develop the rest of the tree? Other than watering and fertilizing the ginkgo as I did my other trees I have no experience with their responses to pruning (both root or top ...which leads me to another question on their tolerance of root pruning...)

I also purchased 2 nice cork-bark elms (pictures coming ...at my leisure) with a Christmas gift-certificate and other Christmas dough. They've really nice trunks, but one I'm considering reducing. The chop would be back into the cork-bark and I was wondering how well these trees budded back after the bark had developed cork. I have experience reducing Chinese elm "Allee" to offer an explosion of back budding. I have no idea how or if the cork-bark affects this.

Seems like I had another topic I wanted covered but I'll add to the thread if it comes back to me.

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tachigi

Hi BW, You have nothing to worry about. Cork bark elms will bust buds were they feel like it, when they feel like it. New growth, old wood, makes no difference. Below is are pictures of one of my cork bark elms the first picture shows the hard prune. The second shows it 6 months later with our very own Ianb. The last what I hope in my minds eye what it will look like.

So fear not and good luck.

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Tom

Shady Side Bonsai
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Cathie

But gingkos don't bud back well at all. I wouldn't cut it back like that as you may never see it grow much again. They're funny trees, don't behave like most others, and when they scar, it may take years to heal, if ever.

gregb

Tom--that's going to be one spooky tree

lance111

yea the ginko are very slow to back bud and like Cathie said, 'they scar easy and it takes years to be concelled'

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Graydon

I'm a ginkgo fan as well. I have a few and I have sort of rolled along learning by doing (sometimes wrong). Here's what I have so far:

I'm scared to cut below existing branches for fear of no back-budding. Have not had to do so yet. I would opt for layering it below the branch if you wanted to get a lower branch. That seems to be a better way to build nebari with ginkgo anyway. The roots on all of mine are for the most part junk.

Feed it very well during the growing season, anticipating the pop of new leaves. Slow down and stop when the leaves change and drop. The seem to be voracious feeders in season and I have seen no ill effects.

Don't root prune and defoliate in one season (duh - common sense I suppose). In fact don't defoliate until you really need to do so. It will produce much smaller leaves if timed properly but it seems to sap the energy a lot.

Branches seem to take forever to form from the spurs (where they start out as just a leaf on the trunk) and seem to be similar to larches in behavior to the spurs either staying as a spur or pushing out major growth as a real branch. I have some of the spurs with a leaf cluster that are over 2" long and are still not a real branch.

They do root-prune well. I have reduced mine severely and they recovered and put out a ton of roots in one season. I aim to eliminate major roots and leave all of the smaller ones. Do the root pruning just before the buds open but not too soon.

They do seem to dislike major branch removal. I have a long growing season so things callus over quickly here but not ginkgo. I use the petroleum jelly trick to fool the tree in to thinking it still need to push callus over the wound. On larger cuts I think you need another season and need to re-cut around the wound. Whatever you do don't leave an open wound.

Somewhere I read they graft easily so that may be an option for adding branches. The point about the grafting that stuck in my mind was the scion grafted will try to keep the growing orientation it had before it was removed (meaning horizontal growth will stay horizontal).

Hope the ramblings help. Good luck.

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edgey

Gingko's are very slow growing. They do bud off the trunk and will bud if chopped to a stump its just a slow process. I've had a bud sitting waiting to come off the trunk on one of my trees for about 4 seasons. No matter how much I cut back the rest of the tree, to try and re-direct growth to that bud, it just wouldn't extend. Finally this season it moved. The tree does seem to respond 'quicker' when root pruned regularly (every two years). Beware of rot though, very soft wood.

bwaynef

What I'm aiming to do would put the chop back into the corkbark. My planned chop is much more severe than your photo illustrates, having left the main branches in place to develop the tree from. What I want to know is if buds will pop from UNDER the corkbark (to develop the branching). I have suspicion that it will though.


I know the ginkgo is gonna be slow growing, and slow to heal. I'm mostly concerned with whether it'll bud if I cut it back (leaving a handful of low-ish buds below the chop site). I was planning to reduce the roots and do the chop in one session so maybe I'll have to rethink. Are you guys speaking from experience with nursery-stock-grown ginkgos? Thanks Graydon for the petro jelly tip. That'll come in handy I'm sure.

Thanks again,
wf

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Graydon

Yes - experience on nursery stock of various years in age. You're welcome on the tip.

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