Whatcha feeding it?

Mr Moses

It's only two years old. To me, it looks fine; it's just got to get older before it can put on bulk.

I agree - I'd be thrilled to have a Joseph's Coat that robust. You're doing the right thing to keep tying the principal canes sideways so that they put out laterals from those canes. The laterals are what bloom, then you tie those sideways... Once those laterals start kicking in after another year or two it won't look spindly at all.

With climbers, patience is the key. Don't expect typical performance until it's four years old.

Cynthia

If you don't see basal canes increasing in diameter year by year, check your growing conditions. Are you fertilizing satisfactorily? How about watering enough? Sufficient light? Good soil? Got insect/mite/fungus issues? Etc.,.

You can't expect a climber to put on size quickly in most cases. They are notoriously slow at it, and even more so if own root. As a group you just gotta' wait it out. Then one day, WOW! Where are my lopping pruners, this thing is going crazy? 😁

Moses