I've been checking out some potential Brazilian Rain trees for purchase and many seem to have really thick branching/extra trunks that I would want to remove. Can these be lopped off safely or is it just better to find material that doesn't need such extreme pruning?
Removing Large Brazilian Raintree Branches
- Thread starter dbonsaiw
- Start date
You can get an idea of the wound healing rate by checking out this progression thread. This one is being grown in Michigan. So, the outdoor growing season is relatively short here and it comes indoors and is kept under lights for the winter. Because of limited space indoors, I have to trim it back in fall, so that slows down healing. In a warmer climate, one could heal wounds faster.
Thank you. So you leave a stub and prune it off later?
Hack Yeah!
Omono
They heal slowly, plan for only large chops towards the back side of the tree. Leave a stub as suggested or cut back in stages progressively shorter over a couple of years for those largest sub trunk size branches
canoeguide
Chumono
I've only been growing BRTs for ~5 years, and my growing seasons are comparatively short. So, take what I say with a grain of salt. But the growth habit on these is such that you're constantly fighting a not-small battle with no taper or reverse taper on the trunk. It's not unusual at all to see a BRT with a much wider trunk at the first branch. To some extent, you just embrace the fluted way that they grow, which can make inverse taper from some viewing angles but not others. But, sometimes, the advice is to leave a sacrifice branch, or branches, particularly down low, and then cut it off before the wound is going to be huge to introduce trunk taper. They *do* heal wounds, but slowly.
So, if you can hide the wound to the back, or live with it, or wait 10 years to heal it, you could lop that low branch off. I'm also told that these air layer like it's their job, though I have not tried it myself. I also 100% ignore the advice to leave a stub if it's a big branch removal, and have never had adverse effects. I prune flush or concave with cut paste. No issues.
All that said, it is a fantastic species. I wouldn't be afraid to cut the right and middle lower branches, but it might take a long time until that heals.
So, if you can hide the wound to the back, or live with it, or wait 10 years to heal it, you could lop that low branch off. I'm also told that these air layer like it's their job, though I have not tried it myself. I also 100% ignore the advice to leave a stub if it's a big branch removal, and have never had adverse effects. I prune flush or concave with cut paste. No issues.
All that said, it is a fantastic species. I wouldn't be afraid to cut the right and middle lower branches, but it might take a long time until that heals.
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Yep
