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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Bending branches to induce early fruiting

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  • From: tanis grif <tanisgrif@yahoo.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Bending branches to induce early fruiting
  • Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 14:20:16 -0800 (PST)

Great idea. (I also like the idea of concrete easter eggs, posted since.)
When I
was trying to create the perfect branch-spreader, I also didn't want to
damage the
bark. I wanted to use wires or old electronics wires to hold the weights, and
wanted to pad the wire passing over the branch. While pondering this, I
happened to
visit a gardening friend who was discarding a garden hose because her DOUS
(Great
Dane puppy) had chewed it beyond repair. "Ah ha" said I and the rest is
history,
for one of my plantings anyway. I've been surprised by how long the pieces
of hose
have withstood constant sun-exposure, but hey it's garden hose.


--- Joe Hecksel wrote:
> Hello all:
>
> Most of you are familiar with the technique of bending vertical branches
> to a more horizontal position to induce earlier/more fruiting. Many
> mechanisms have been proposed (C/N ratio, hormonal changes). The simple
> fact remains that it is one of the most effective ways to "tip" a tree
> into fruiting mode. It can also make a young, shy bearer a star because
> you can double the amount of light the canopy harvests.
>
> Pears seem to be the one kind of fruit that most benefits from branch
> spreading. I am heavily weighted toward pears because they produce
> acceptable fruit with minimal inputs. Also, I can find many "takers"
> for the fruit when I become overwhelmed. Try getting rid of 200 pounds
> of persimmons someday. Tough to do, at least in semi-rural Michigan.
>
> The rub is in the mechanics of bending the branches.
> -Twine and tying them down is very effective but slow and tedious
> -Propping branches with >----< sticks or <======> sticks scar the bark
> and can/maybe make the tree more vulnerable to fire blight. This is a
> big deal with pears.
> -Tree weights are an option but you have to make your own.
>
> So, there I was filling a hole in the foundation that my wife was sure
> was the source of several recent ROUS sightings. Being a man who is
> basically lazy by nature, I made sure to mix a vast-over sufficiency of
> mortar. Being a man of curiosity, I experimented with the extra....



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