About thickening a primary branch...

[fredman]

I remember a talk here some time ago about the fastest way to thickening a branch...can't remember the concenses though.
The two "methods" were...

1. Leaving all growth on the branch, and let it grow wild in all directions.
2. Removing all side growth and let the single branch shoot as long as possible.

I'm eagerly thickening one my beech primary branches. It already has the movement out the trunk that I want. All I want is to thicken it now. I'll cut the excess growth off later and build from there.
Anybody has any input about this plz...?

 

[nuttiest]

Bend up and down to simulate wind.
If you are working on primary branches girth first, you can remove growth where you will have secondary branches later when primary branch is cut and new secondary branches pop out. If you leave them, there is abnormally large branch where new little secondaries on a healed branch should be.

 

[leatherback]

I remember a talk here some time ago about the fastest way to thickening a branch...can't remember the concenses though.
The two "methods" were...

1. Leaving all growth on the branch, and let it grow wild in all directions.
2. Removing all side growth and let the single branch shoot as long as possible.

I'm eagerly thickening one my beech primary branches. It already has the movement out the trunk that I want. All I want is to thicken it now. I'll cut the excess growth off later and build from there.
Anybody has any input about this plz...?

I find beech to be really really really fast to fatten up if you do not prune. And every side-branch helps fatten (but also creates that natural branch thickness decay at each junction. For me, primary and secondary branch thickness need to match, particularly with beeches. Just allowing the end to run just gets you one fat cilindrical branch.

[let the discussion begin]

 

[fredman]

Ah...I forgot to ask. Does anybody perhaps have a link to that discussion here...?