Why not try ringing or girdling of the branches that are insistent on heading up too high vertically? You could do the same to the main trunk of the tree at whatever point you need -- if you cut shallowly (1/8-inch) into the bark all the way around the branch or trunk, this will promote more growth below the cut, and less growth above it. I have done this on one of my trees with great success. The top of the tree was getting out of control, so I made a cut all around the trunk just below this portion and now the tree has evened out its growth rates very nicely (the tree is only about 6 years old so I'm sure that helped as well).

You could also try root pruning, which will stunt the growth of the entire tree. I've never done root pruning but my understanding is that it is very effective. Essentially cut into the ground here and there somewhat randomly around the tree line to cut off maybe 1/4 or 1/3 of the total roots. This will force the tree to spend more resources on establishing roots, which will thereby limit its ability to grow upward and outward, at least for one or two seasons until its roots are re-established. I bet if you did this every year or two you could control the size of your tree very effectively.

I've been trying bungee cords to bend some vertical branches.

I reduce vigor all the time by bending grafts to near horizontal, or even below if I have excess wood and just want to get things to spur up or if wood is too high. Why are you reluctant to use this method? Once wood starts making fruit it calms down, as you already know.

Scott,

Regarding limbs too thick to bend, Hman mentioned a technique a few years ago that I've used with good success. Take a saw and notch the underside of the limb you want to bend. For vertical limbs, I cut about 4-5 notches (just a saw width thickness) about halfway through the limb. I space the notches about an 1.5" apart. You can then pull the limb to a more horizontal position and tie it down. By doing so, it closes up the notches so they callus over fairly quickly.

Wow, sounds a little bit risky, but what a neat idea, and just un-crazy enough that it just might work.

I'm using that method almost daily to bend down many grafts. If you only cut a third of the way through it's unlikely you will break the wood. I sometimes use as many as 8 cuts to get a large limb to bend.

I like to wait a while to bend my grafts down because they grow so much faster when in vertical position. Cuts I was making today were in 1.5 to 2" diameter wood.

Thanks for the advice, very helpful. It sounds like I should do a lot more limb bending, its just that I have so many limbs to do that it is a daunting task. That saw cuts idea sounds like one I will have to try on my many too-thick stems. On a few of the super-vigorous roots I may do a bit of root pruning as well.

Scott

Anyone else reading this should note that cuts are made on the side of the direction the branch will be bent, starting at the base. Even a small cut on the other side would lead to a heart wrenching snap. Cuts should be about an inch apart or more so healing will be quick and should be made with a good pruning saw that won't tear the bark outside of the cut.

Bending branches is also very useful for any situation where you are trying to coax fruiting and is especially useful for upright growing Euro plums where bending below horizontal can speed fruiting up considerably.

Of course, there are problems with a scaffold structure with branches below horizontal (water sprouts, for instance) so this is a temporary fix and once fruiting begins branches would usually be trained back above horizontal.

It is possible to train trees to a weep but scaffolds need to start high and it would probably only be done after a tree reaches desired size. Commercial growers rarely train anything to a weep, however. It probably reduces fruit size and tree productivity but I manage many old apple trees to such a shape and those differences aren't really noticeable if you keep spur wood young and vigorous.

When bending branches for precosity a hinge isn't usually necessary because you try to do it when branch is still supple.

I have been trying out various limb bend/tie approaches and am finding it pretty easy to get good angles, even on the thickest of limbs. Its going to take me a long time to get all of my trees but I have too many that have been delayed in fruiting due to too much vigor so I think I just need to bite the bullet on this. Pears and Euro plums in particular should benefit a lot from limb bending.

One last question I have is how do you tie the limbs down? I have been finding it easiest to just tie back to the trunk of the tree I am bending the limb on. It sometimes requires an additional side-tie to some other limb if it is not bending the right way, but when I tie them down to a stake in the ground I am more likely to trip on it and mess it up. Also I would be interested in what you use to tie with, presumably twine or similar?

Scott

I never use stakes- either I tape or tie or weave it to a lower branch or use a branch spreader. I often use string and have even used the trunk when there is nothing else available.

In the future you can leave a branch that you graft onto a watersprout on the base of that branch (near the trunk) and it will provide you with something to anchor your replacement scaffold to. You remove the old branch once the new one doesn't need it any more but cut any interfering wood from it in the meantime.

I use Treform spreaders made in Canada when I use a spreader.

I've used generic white twine, which is cheap and starts to decay by the next year.

For the largest low branches, I tie them down to small logs which I had left over from cutting down some maple, ash, and oak (to get more sun).

For the mid-size low branches, I just put a rock (about 2 fists in size) on top of it without tying. The rock is heavy enough that I pull the branch into position and leave the rock on the string. These are nice and quick, as long as the rock is big enough and the string doesn't slip.

For the mid-size branches higher in the tree, I tie them back to the truck. This past summer I experimented with a string with 2 twisters on each end. They were a pain to create an easier to install string. I cut heavy duty twister, the kind that you get with hoses and drip irrigation into 4-6" long strips and tie each end of the string to one. While it took a bit of time to make, they were much faster to install once I was in the orchard. Just twist it around the branch you want, pull it down, and tie the other end to the trunk or a lower branch. Sometimes I would tie it to the ribbons which tie the tree to the post.

For the smallest branches I used many cloths pins in the crotch angle. For branches which were a bit bigger I would sometimes weigh down the end of the branch with 2-3 clothespins, rather than just putting them in the crotch.

Looking at the above, it seems like I've spent too much time on branch bending. In practice, it hasn't seemed that bad- mostly something I do in passing while puttering around.

I may have been too effective at generating flowers, before the tree is actually large enough to support the apples. Of my seven 2nd leaf dwarf apple trees this past spring I got flowers from six, but apples from only 2. The other appeared to set, then dropped the apples in June. Unless it was a delayed reaction to the late April frosts, I'm guessing that they were just too small to support the apples. The one which didn't flower has grown very well and I expect it to flower this spring, along with a lot of the trees I planted this past spring (some of which I know are too small). I planted peach, apricot, and pear (quince rs) this past spring and have been branch bending each. I see flower buds/spurs on almost all of them, but that may be expected for peach/apricot, even if I didn't bend them...

One other thing I should mention about tie-downs is that it complicates dealing with aphids. I used Tangle-foot this past year and it stopped the aphids very effectively. But, I noticed that the ants were using the strings as a way to bypass the Tanglefoot barrier. I brushed a bit of goo on each string, which cut off their bypass. It does make it a bit less pleasant to brush against and could limit the reuse of such string next year.

Rob, its better to do too much than too little based on my experience. I decided quite a few years back that I was not going to do any spreading at all since I had so many trees, and looking back on it that was one of the stupider decisions I made.

The trunk tying has been working reasonably well but I think I will tie a few to the ground, either with rocks or with ground staples (I have a huge pile of old rusted ground staples, the rusted ones stay in pretty well).

We finally got some real winter here, it was 16F this morning.

Scott

I have used weights as well, but only as a last option because they can and do occasionally cause breakage no matter how careful I am.

I guess it's easier to use the trunk when the branch is pretty high.

For branch spreading I use whats called a "Pigtail Sign Holder"

I just tie some twine to the branch and loop it thru.
It stays in place and allows a little bit of slack for movement, not too much tension.

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-Eric
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Here is a link that might be useful: Pig Tail at Lowes

I use wire stakes to tie down small branches. I cut really heavy wire about 2' long and bend a hook at the top. I push it as far into the ground as I can, then use cheap cotton string to tie it down. If there is a lot of pull on the string, I double it up so it won't break. Obviously I don't use a choker knot on the shoot, but tie a big loop.

When I've had to tie down very large branches - 1.5", I've used T-posts, or pieces of pipe hammered in the ground to anchor the branch down. The top of the pipe is generally squished flat enough to keep the string from slipping off the top, but I have duct taped the string to the pipe before to keep it from slipping. I've also used dog stakes (the kind you twist in the ground) as anchors.

I've not had much luck with weights. Invariably our strong winds will cause the weights to break the branches.

Eric, do you push the pointed end into the wood of the trunk? Thats the only way I can see using that. It seems like a good idea, the problem I have with spreaders is I never seem to have the length I need. With the tie you can make it work for any length.

Olpea, I have been finding it easy to do even the largest of branches, I just put enough cuts in it and very little force is needed to hold it. Your 2' wires are similar to the ground staples I am planning on using. If they start coming up I will switch to a longer wire like you are using, but from past experience I have found two rusted 6" tines hold a surprisingly large force.

Now all I need is some warmer weather, it was 11F this morning which is the low for the last two years. I have hundreds of limbs needing bending.

Scott

Here is a good article on training and pruning.

Tony

Here is a link that might be useful: Training and Pruning

Scott, I just put the non-curly end in the ground.
I press into to ground deeper to get more tension.
My Orleans Reinette started with 4 upright leaders, and I trained down 3 of them to scaffolds with the right tension.

Just be careful not to hit the twine or post with a lawnmower or trip over it. They work well for me, and they cost $1.

Scott, I use weights (5- 10lb discs) with copper wire hooks. I just bend the branch to the angle I want and hang the " christmas ornament" in a position where the leverage will hold the angle. When I run out of exercise weights I switch to pieces of steel :)

http://www.peachridge.com/treetraining/training.htm

As of a couple years ago, this company sold Treeform spreaders of many different sizes by the piece. I find with just a collection of 12" and 20" I can spread thinner branches in most situations. When you need something stronger you can tape a couple together one on top of the other.

For the kind of thick branches that require a hinge- say an inch or more, somewhat longer pieces of strong wood with sharpened nails on the end are the ticket but the only suppliers are in Washington State and shipping is prohibitive so you might as well make your own.

If you make your own use galvanized nails and they can be reused for years- especially if you make them with wood that can take some weather.

Thanks Hman, I think I will try a few of those Treeform ones. Limb spreaders take ten seconds to pop in, they are the easiest method if it can work.

The spreaders I had many years ago were those nail ones but they were all short and many limbs I could not do with them. I also didn't like the long-term issues of rusty nails deeply stuck in trees, spreaders with nails lying on the ground, etc.

Scott

I had read about making weights from gallon jugs of water to tie down branches to horizontal, so tried that with my 5-in-1 apple tree. The tree is planted in very sandy soil, and ended up leaning by over 45 degrees. That makes the whole tree nearly horizontal now! Northwoodswis