Sacrafice branch question

[NickityNic]

Heya! Any sacrifice branch experts here? Do you ket the sacrafice branch grow its own branches? Or do you prune extra branches to keep the energy geared towards length. I mostly grow ficus.
Thanks
Nic

[Rory]

If it’s a sacrifice branch, then you need to hang xmas decorations from it as soon as possible.

Otherwise, all other issues with the branch are irrelevant, as it’s a sacrifice branch. Bare in mind, a fig can take quite a long time to heal depending on the stage of your tree. I don’t like to create sacrifice branches with figs, because generally the gradual shooting of lower roots or aerial roots can often be sufficient on its own to thicken the trunk and thus, reduces the need to try and reduce scaring later on.

But also, I like the look that lower branching coming out from the base gives it… as it looks more natural.

But to answer your question in all seriousness, no, the sacrifice branch doesn’t matter what you do with it. More side branching will simply encourage more thickening at your trunk as it creates more sap flowing to that branch, thereby increasing girth.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Bare in mind, a fig can take quite a long time to heal depending on the stage of your tree.

I've found that figs are one of the fastest trees to heal cuts & wounds.

Do you ket the sacrafice branch grow its own branches? Or do you prune extra branches to keep the energy geared towards length.

Personally I would leave the sacrifice branch untouched & even encourage the side branching (or the extra leaves) if it grows some.
The more vigorous growth it develops, the better for thickening it's supporting trunk (if that is what you are wanting to achieve) Having more leaves retained should also aid in photosynthesis?

[shibui]

Figs seem to heal slowly down here too. I have some big chops that are still not healed over after more than 10 years. I guess, like other species healing depends on how much sap is flowing past that point so young, vigorous trees that are allowed to grow a lot will also heal quicker.

I tend to take lower side branches off sacrifice branches. That's nothing to do with length being the key to thickening. Side branches can shade out the useful branches I need for the design so those don't grow well. If the sacrifice branch is really low it won't matter and I don't bother but for higher sacrifice branches I remove some low side shoots to allow the sun in.

[NickityNic]

Great info! Thanks so much.
Ill take away that the branch can be left alone to increase vigour and sapflow which will increase wood production but not at the expense of sunlight reaching important areas.
Cheers!
Nic

[Rory]

Bare in mind, a fig can take quite a long time to heal depending on the stage of your tree.

I've found that figs are one of the fastest trees to heal cuts & wounds.

I presume you may not have grown Eucalyptus, Casuarina or many Melaleucas and many Leptospermums.

Figs are definitely not the fastest to heal wounds from my experience and in fact are one of the slowest of the natives I have trialled to heal wounds.
Like for like as you have stated, and in the same conditions when you compare the same size cuts and all the trees are healthy and actively growing, then the above species will just about always heal much faster than a fig. You might have a rogue super healer, but generally I have never found your statement to be true.

Eucalyptus and most Casuarina when actively growing at the same rate as a fig, are by far the fastest of any natives I have trialled.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Bare in mind, a fig can take quite a long time to heal depending on the stage of your tree.

I've found that figs are one of the fastest trees to heal cuts & wounds.

I presume you may not have grown Eucalyptus, Casuarina or many Melaleucas and many Leptospermums.

you presume wrong...

Figs are definitely not the fastest to heal wounds from my experience and in fact are one of the slowest of the natives I have trialled to heal wounds. generally I have never found your statement to be true.

I can only offer my experience to NickityNic based on evidence - not so much generalisations. Below is a fig that I have been growing for the past 20 years. It has its own progression thread on this site. I have been able to take many photos over the years. Below are just a few when I had to remove some large lower branching due to a fungal attack back in 2018/19.

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2018 -Little did I know but these (and other) branches were about to die.

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2019 - other side of tree after the removal - the base of one of removed branches was around the 50cent size. I was distraught.

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2019 some of the cut zones

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in 2022 the healing was well underway & added bonus of roots from cut zones.

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today the scars are at minimum - time period 4 years. Compare this to a Ginkgo!

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[Rory]

As I said, of all the native material I’ve grown, figs would definitely be one of the slowest to heal scars.

A Euc or a Casy torulosa would have healed its 50cent scar and consumed your fig by now, and even more so if you’d allow Les the new shoots to grow to promote healing.

Experience and constant cutting back hard with a wide variety of natives has given me the opinion to strongly disagree with you

Figs also slow down significantly in most of NSW in autumn and winter, whereas Casys and Mels and many Leptos continue to power on well into winter. But even when figs are growing strong, the vast majority of natives I’ve grown would outpace a fig on healing anyday

We can agree to disagree.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

Experience and constant cutting back hard with a wide variety of natives has given me the opinion to strongly disagree with you

Can you expand on this technique a little more? Your constantly cutting the tree back hard to help heal up it's wounds?

[Rory]

Experience and constant cutting back hard with a wide variety of natives has given me the opinion to strongly disagree with you

Can you expand on this technique a little more? Your constantly cutting the tree back hard to help heal up it's wounds?

Hahaha. No. I am saying that over the last 30 years I have grown so many bonsai that I am always cutting something back hard. And from all that time I’ve seen a lot of trunk chops / heavy brach removals and thus I do not agree that figs are relatively fast at healing compared with so many other material.