Advice on Branch development - Casuarinas

[Ryan1979b]

Hey all,

just a question on branch developments, I have a casuarina which is developing nicely now & i have just wired the branches into place. Branches are pretty long now and the new foliage is tending to grow towards the end or the shoots leaving the branches bare near the trunk. Is it wise to chop the branches now to encourage new growth & let then develop thickness over time or grow then out for a while longer?

Here is a photo of it about 3 weeks ago I have trimmed the top & set the branches into place now and the main leader and branches have thickened a bit as well. I will post another photo shortly.

Casurinacutting2.jpg

Cheers

Ryan

[Jarrod]

I would suggest lettin then grow out. This tree is still in the trunk development stage so you want it to thicken as much as possible, unless you want a very small tree?

[Steven]

Hi Ryan,

Firstly, goodonya for giving a Casuarina a go!!!

Have a look at my post on Casuarina branch structure and study the way the branches grow. You will notice that the branches are pretty unique due to their tendency to grow long and droop down from the weight then they snap off and a new branch will take off from the break. This continues to happen and the result is an almost roller coaster look.
There are 2 techniques I have used to mimic this;
1. Wire some downward movement into the beginning of your branch and let it grow freely to the desired thickness then SNAP it off a couple of centremeters (or your desired length) from the trunk. When it back shoots (which it will do) choose a new branch leader and continue with the wire, set, snap - wire, set, snap etc technique. Once you have the required branch length and shape, keep tipping the ends which will force back shooting and then choose your secondary branches.
2. Wire the branches when they are young and pliable to put in the most aggressive bends you can. Attempt to get angular bends if you are game. Use cage wiring if you find it difficult to wrap the wire around such delicate branches.

Don't worry about the growth being isolated to the ends at this stage as tipping heavily will force back shooting.

Please keep us updated with your progress.

Regards,
Steven

[Ryan1979b]

Well here is the updated photo of the wired branches. Thanks Steven and Jarrod, i think I will do exactly that, its time to let then grow for a while. I decided to chop the leader off as it was becoming to consistent in thickness, i will develop that up shoot as the new leader and hopefully it will produce some tight branches to create the crown of the tree.

I have attached two views, not sure which one I prefer yet , I think I might have to wait until the tree develops a bit more, whats your thoughts??

Casuar1.jpg

Casuar2.jpg

Cheers all

Ryan

[craigw60]

Hi Ryan,
your tree looks great the wiring improved it so much. Are you planning to cut back the branches now, don't let them get too thick, plenty of time for that in years to come. Have a look at Ants post on casuarina and you will see how to prune its roots.he sure taught me a thing or two.
Craig

[Ryan1979b]

Hey Craig, I think i will leave them for a while & start doing some selective pruning when branches get to a desired thickness. I will have to keep an eye out that the upper branches don't start overtaking the the lower ones in thickness. But for the moment it is to leave it & develop a few more branches towards the crown of the tree.

Cheers

Ryan

[Bretts]

One thing I have noticed with mine is that when I cut it back it often chooses to grow from one or two branches (buds) further back than the one I planned on. It doesn't die back but is just more vigorous a couple of branches back.

I bet when I cut it expecting this it won't do it I will have to try the way you do it Steven.
It would be great if you could show some examples of this technique.

[MelaQuin]

I have two casurinas, torulosa and cunninghamii, and I found that having despaired of getting good growth I twisted the branchlets off hard and within days the trees were pushing out much more growth. So I keep pruning hard to encourage this. The branches seem to thicken quite rapidly and I can't complain about the development. The cunninghamii is a bit more of a nuisance in that it has reverse taper [or a bulb trunk] and a tube between the bulb and the start of branching. The upper structure is lovely. So I am leaving all sorts of growth on the trunk to try to get movement and taper into the tube and more tree at the soil line. So what does it do... a new shoot grows creating a pimple on the trunk. Well, I reckon if I get enough pimples over the next two years it will at least give the trunk some character.

[Ryan1979b]

MelaQuin, do you find that snapping the branch off encourages more growth thank a clean cut or you don't think there is much difference?

[MelaQuin]

Haven't tried snapping branches. I tend to clean cut and seal. Anyway, branches aren't really long enough to snap as the tree is about 35 cm tall. I will give it a go. A friend just dumped a casuarina on me because it 'wasn't him'. Naturally I had a good look and pressed a couple of branches down a bit and there is nice potential there. I could snap the apex as it is too tall and not saying anything worthwhile. I will let you know in due course.

[anttal63]

MelaQuin, do you find that snapping the branch off encourages more growth thank a clean cut or you don't think there is much difference?

A total myth! Lots of water, sun and food and watchm hum ding.