Branch wiring vs guy wire

[Sagebrush]

i am working a Salvia that has extremely brittle branching. I assume last years growth but thin. Maybe 1/8" thick. If you look at them wrong they snap. Would it be better to use guy wires for placement? Am really hesitant to try traditional wiring

 

[Tieball]

You might let is just grow out more to strengthen and utilize grow and clip while the branches are brittle.

 

[Tieball]

I’ve used guy wires often to direct some key branches. I also learned when to very gently and less-aggressively thin wire directions. Not all wiring has to follow the book.

 

[leatherback]

I would look for backbucks, prune to them, and wire the growth as it extends.

 

[Shibui]

Pruning is much better for brittle species.
If you can bend it with guy wires you can bend better with traditional spiral wiring.

 

[Sagebrush]

Thanks for the input. As you can see I have trimmed quite alot. It does seem to backbud reasonably well. Since the photo I lost the long leader as I was experimenting with different position. Many options for future apex. Not much info about this species but seems to react much like bushy rosemary.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Guy wires only modify 2 dimensions... You do not want your tree to be "paper"..

I would look for backbucks, prune to them, and wire the growth as it extends.

This is what I would do.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Pruning is much better for brittle species.
If you can bend it with guy wires you can bend better with traditional spiral wiring.

This is spot-on as well.



We gotta, in general, start getting newer folks LESS scared of wiring.

It's like the most fun process!

 

[rockm]

i am working a Salvia that has extremely brittle branching. I assume last years growth but thin. Maybe 1/8" thick. If you look at them wrong they snap. Would it be better to use guy wires for placement? Am really hesitant to try traditional wiring

Neither is going to work on a species with stiff brittle branching. The bends produced by guy wires are mostly unconvincing and silly looking on such a rugged trunk. Guy wires are more to hold existing developed branches in place.

As said, clip and grow--hard pruning back to the first set of leaves is likely to produce a flush of new growth at the cut site or nearer the trunk. That new growth/shoots can be selected for direction to begin a new "bend" in the branch. New shoot will typically grow in a slightly, or dramatically, different direction than the branch that is producing it.

The process is repeated with new buds at the ends of those previous one that have been cut back hard. This is standard process for most deciduous species and shrubs including boxwood and others with extremely hard wood that won't bend. Branching on the majority of deciduous trees is "built" rather than wired. Wiring hardwood can needlessly break branches, strip bark and new buds if done incorrectly on older wood. New shoots and tertiary branching is typically the only part of D branches that get wire.

Pines and conifers are wired, since even old wood on those species is "bendy." Their wood, even older sections, can stand up to the forces involved that are needed to produce sharp angular turns...

 

[HorseloverFat]

If you are constantly around your plants, wiring deciduous throughout the growing season is no issue.

It ends up being temp wiring... Used in coordination with the teachings of the "Clip and grow" - school.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I, personally, think it'd be a shame NOT to use wire when developing deciduous trees.

But the points, @rockm makes are solid.

I just wire soft and SEMI-hardwood on my deciduous all year long, and am around my plants enough to obsessively "watch" the wire.

But this act's severity and frequency are very much species dependent, and could never be BROADLY applied to deciduous.

 

[Sagebrush]

Took concensus advice and did some initial wiring. With this guy it was nerve wracking and tedious. Not done yet but probably will start some clip and grow work. Photo on right shows an unbendable branch on right. Thickest one. May try a gin on this.