North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[tanis grif <tanisgrif@yahoo.com>]

How close to horizontal?  With apples the idea is to get an out-&-up angle, 
NOT to
weigh the branch down to a flatter angle because they tend to droop as they 
grow
out.  If a branch is horizontal or lower, that really slows things down!  If 
all the
cherry tree branches are at this too low angle, that's the problem.  (I don't 
grow
cherries, and I've never measured my branch angles, sorry.)

 
--- JoanRRosenberg wrote:
> I had heard of this technique before, and I decided to try it on one of my 
> Montmorency cherries.  The branches did become more horizontal but the tree 
> vigor declined compared to the same type tree, same rootstock, same 
> purchase 
> source at same time and planted 8 feet away.  They were identical when 
> planted, 
> height, branching, etc.  After the branch bending on that summer, the bent 
> branch 
> tree fell behind.  There is now a major difference in growth.  The bent 
> branch tree is only 1 1/2 inch at the trunk, the untouched one is 2 1/2 at 
> the 
> trunk.  I concluded that bending branches on the cherry created tree 
> stress.  Now 
> I don't bend branches, I just prune.  I have not tried this on apple or 
> pear, 
> can't speak for those trees, and I did not try this on any other tree after 
> this episode.


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