Encouraging backbudding on Japanese Boxwood

mcpesq817

I have a Japanese boxwood that I recently purchased with a great twin trunk and nice nebari. The issue for me is that each trunk has what amounts to a pom pom effect (lots of bare trunk then suddenly a mass of foliage at the top). I don't have pictures of the tree handy here at the office, but I think people can get the idea.

I'd like to have a fuller canopy. Is there a recommended way to get a Japanese boxwood to backbud further down the trunks short of chopping each trunk down to a point below the "pom poms? I've heard that Japanese boxwoods are slow growers and any new branching might take a while, but I'm willing to be patient to get the result I'm hoping for.

I just don't know if boxwood tend to respond to trunk chops with a flush of multiple branches, so figured I'd check to see if anyone has had any experience with something similar. Thanks in advance!

Advertisement

Yandrosxx

Yes and no. I've made some pretty good sized trunk chops on boxwood to deal with the same problem you are describing and I've gotten some good backbudding. In other instances, I've gotten none at all. So, I'd say they are somewhat unpredictable as to where they'll respond with new shoots.

In the bare areas I have been unable to encourage backbudding, I'm considering thread grafts.

mcpesq817

Thanks very much for your response. When have you found to be a good time to do a chop to get better branching?

bubbafrga

On boxwoods you need to leave on foilage on the branch that you are cutting or you might not get back budding...After you do the chop make sure you feed it heavy ever other week. They are slow to back bud but they normal will if you leave foliage on the branch at the end...they are slow to develop branches. Good luck.

Bubbafrga

bubbafrga

I found I have gotten better results during it in the spring....which was about a month ago for me.

Bubbafrga

mcpesq817

Thanks Bubba.

So in my case, where I have a pom pom effect, I really can't do a trunk chop then? I think one of my trunks has a tiny branch near the base of the trunk, but the second trunk just has foliage at the top end right now.