Hornbeam Question, bud leaf intervention.

[The Barber]

I'm curious if anyone has used the beech technique of opening buds and pinching back to 2 leaves on any hornbeam species? If so does it induce new buds and finer ramification on the remaining 2 leaves like a beech if so?

 

[Piedmont Bonsai]

I'm curious if anyone has used the beech technique of opening buds and pinching back to 2 leaves on any hornbeam species? If so does it induce new buds and finer ramification on the remaining 2 leaves like a beech if so?

What type of hornbeam are you working with? I tried pinching on my american hornbeam last year and I liked the result. Going to try again this spring to see if it’s something that can be done on the species year after year.

 

[Gabler]

I'm curious if anyone has used the beech technique of opening buds and pinching back to 2 leaves on any hornbeam species? If so does it induce new buds and finer ramification on the remaining 2 leaves like a beech if so?

Beech sends out a single flush of growth, but if you pinch the buds back to three leaves immediately as they open, they'll send a second flush of growth in the same season. Hornbeam will continue to grow throughout the summer, so you don't need to do any tricks to get them to ramify within one growing season. You can either pinch constantly or allow them to grow a little first. You'll get ramification no matter your timing, at least for Carpinus caroliniana.

 

[Piedmont Bonsai]

Hornbeam will continue to grow throughout the summer, so you don't need to do any tricks to get them to ramify within one growing season. You can either pinch or allow them to grow. You'll get ramification no matter what time of year you cut them back, at least for Carpinus caroliniana.

This is true. I should clarify my previous post to say that my goal for pinching is to produce softer ramification. I found that over the past few years, allowing my hornbeam to elongate and then cut back produces coarser growth than I would like. So I am trying pinching to reduce internode length and thickening of branch tips

 

[Gabler]

I've noticed some guides like to lump together beech and hornbeam into the same category, but they couldn't be more different. I find beech has more in common with a double-flush pine, and that's not because beech has lots in common with pine.

 

[Gabler]

This is true. I should clarify my previous post to say that my goal for pinching is to produce softer ramification. I found that over the past few years, allowing my hornbeam to elongate and then cut back produces coarser growth than I would like. So I am trying pinching to reduce internode length and thickening of branch tips

I've had similar results. Less vigor with pinching than with trimming extension growth.

 

[The Barber]

I've had similar results. Less vigor with pinching than with trimming extension growth.

Cutting back unlignified/green branches on Korean hornbeam doesn't generally give bifurcation, but lignified/hardened off branches do. I know that on Beech, they create buds and bifurcation when the buds are opened and the central portion is removed. I guess the question was more along the lines of whether or not you could get an extra round of bifurcation by using this method, as well as helping keep internodes tighter.