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

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  • From: lee reich <lreich@hvc.rr.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Bending branches to induce early fruiting
  • Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 17:32:08 -0500

I use "six packs," the plastic flats that seedlings are sold in in spring, filling each cell with concrete and then sticking a heavy, bendable wire into each cell. When the concrete is hard, I remove each concrete cube and hang it on a branch by its wire.

Lee Reich, PhD
www.leereich.com


On Apr 2, 2005, at 5:20 PM, tanis grif wrote:

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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