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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Some notching success
 
 


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RobBanks

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
About 7 weeks ago I saw a thread from last year in which Ottawan mentioned notching a tree trunk above a dormant node in order to encourage that node to sprout a branch.

Several of my young trees need lower branches, and since pinching the top doesn't help with this problem, I decided to try some notching. Well...it works and it is an absolutely fabulous technique. I tried 4 notches and had a 50% success rate. I was too timid, now wish I had done several more. Next year I'll be much more aggressive.

Following are a notched node, then a close-up, then another notched node.

      Notch 1.jpg    Notch 2.jpg    Notch 3.jpg 

Thanks very much to Ottawan for bringing this technique to my attention.
 

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Robert Zone 8b, Washougal, WA Currently growing: Negronne, Stella, Atreano, Hardy Chicago, Desert King, Lattarula
jtp

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
I am going to have to try that. Did you do it over winter?
RobBanks

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
No, I did it on July 7th. I think the tree should be out of dormancy and growing well when it is notched.
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Robert Zone 8b, Washougal, WA Currently growing: Negronne, Stella, Atreano, Hardy Chicago, Desert King, Lattarula
twovkay

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Thanks for the info. Just got a Marseilles that is 5-6 tall, can't wait to try this next year.
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Von Northern VA 7a
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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
need to give this a shot. my Paradiso Gene looks like flag pole with few branches on top. sort of like broom standing upside down.
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
jtp

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
The knife comes out this week! Too many palm tree wannabes.
RobBanks

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Bobby, look closely at the pictures and you'll see the notches. Figure out where you want a new branch (in terms of height from the base of the tree), then find the closest dormant bud that faces the direction you want the branch to grow. I made the notches 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the selected node.

I used a rat tail file, as instructed in the links provided in Ottawan's post of April, 2012.

See post #5 in this thread:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/How-to-encourage-fig-tree-to-grow-stems-5817030?highlight=notching
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Robert Zone 8b, Washougal, WA Currently growing: Negronne, Stella, Atreano, Hardy Chicago, Desert King, Lattarula
Maro2Bear

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Greetings

Interesting tip here for sure. Do we think there is still time left in the growing season to give this a go this weekend? Plenty of growing days left until frost. Thoughts?
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Mark B., Glenn Dale, MD Zone 7a
jtp

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
I'm going for it. Can't do any worse than leave a scar, if it fails to work.
twovkay

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
John, will you update when you see some progress? Thanks
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Von Northern VA 7a
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