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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Re: Water sprouts

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  • From: Thomas Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Re: Water sprouts
  • Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2003 11:04:32 -0500


Terence Bradshaw wrote:

> <snip> The use of NAA for sucker control is, in my opinion, too
> risky...that hormone, when it
> gets to other parts of the tree, can do funny things....thin fruit when you
> don't want them
> thinned, reduce fruit size, stunt shoot growth, etc. <snip>

Hi,

What about other products such as IBA (rooting hormone) that may be readily
available?

I have a limited understanding of plant hormones and how sunlight, cold and
other environmental
changes set them off.

A water sprout sends hormones down the shoot from the growing tip that keep
other sucker buds
dormant. When you cut off the sucker you eliminate the hormone flow, which
breaks the dormancy
of a new sucker bud. The most active growth responses of this type occurs in
the spring and
early summer. In late summer dormant sucker buds tend to stay dormant even
if a sucker is
removed.

(I assume)

In this case NAA (Naphthalene acetic acid) mimics the hormone that a growing
branch tip produces
to keep suckers dormant. By dabbing the NAA and paint mixture on the pruning
cut you maintain
the hormone flow, even though the sprout is gone.

What would IBA (Indole-3-butyric Acid) mixed with latex paint do if applied
to a pruning cut?

The answer is probably nothing, but the chemical make up of NAA and IBA are
very similar (IBA -
[C10 H9 NO2], NAA - [C12 H10 O2]), and the only stupid question is the one
not asked.

I am sure a member of the list knows the answer.

Later,
Tom






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