Shaving off to eliminate reverse taper on JBP?

[Cajunrider]

For JBP, can we strategically shave off the bulges a little bit at a time to eliminate reverse taper? For tropical trees, I can do that with successive deep slits. I have tried that on bald cypress with relative success.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Depends on the bulge, but you might actually consider scarring the trunk above and below the bulge. Typically if you remove a bulge on JBP, you need to carve a pretty substantial concavity into the trunk - so that when the wound heals over, there is room for the bark to close up without leaving another bump.

 

[Dav4]

On mature trees, you can remove some of the flaky bark to reduce the visual thickness. I'd avoid carving unless you're planning to turn it into a feature of the trunk. You can probably get away with carving on younger trees still being grown out but your mileage will vary. Best thing to do is avoid it in the first place .

 

[Maiden69]

picture? Depending on the location and the age of the tree I think you could use the technique they use in Japan where they let a wire embed into the trunk to make it swell. But instead of letting it embed fully, just let it bite the wire halfway and remove. Moving it on a different location.

Or as already mentioned, you can scar the trunk to make it thicker. @MACH5 showed this technique on a maple, but if I recall correctly, I think now he advises to puncture the bark instead.

 

[River's Edge]

For JBP, can we strategically shave off the bulges a little bit at a time to eliminate reverse taper? For tropical trees, I can do that with successive deep slits. I have tried that on bald cypress with relative success.

Depending on the age of the tree and the degree of reverse taper, one approach would be to graft a branch in the area that needs thickening just below the beginning of the reverse taper. The branch will thicken the portion below the point of attachment. Can be removed or kept as desired when the job is finished. Simply using a sacrifice branch to thicken the area. Best results on younger material. Effective method for improving the base and flare during development. I prefer it to extra scarring or wire constriction.