Suggestion for chopping a branch or trunk

[brp7]

Hello,

I would appreciate your suggestions on chopping the truck below the V-branch formation. I have noticed that the V-branch area has been thickening for several months, and that it has grown bigger than the base. Will the V-branch halt the growth of the base? Or should I leave it like that and maybe cut it later? This is a crepe myrtle, one and a half years old.

Thanks,
brp7

 

[BrianBay9]

Views of the whole tree might help you get more comments. Good news is that a crepe myrtle will almost certainly throw out new growth no matter where you chop it. Grow it out until you get the trunk diameter you want at the base. Chop it low, then develop taper and trunk movement in the new growth that comes out.

 

[rockm]

Left alone the V branch will continue to thicken outpacing the lower trunk. This is called “inverse taper.” It gets worse with age.

If this a crape myrtle it’s not a problem to chop one of this branches off to even up the taper with the trunk. I’d choose one side or the other depending on how each might continue the trunk line most effectively. I’d chop before the tree begins an active growth cycle

 

[BrianBay9]

Left alone the V branch will continue to thicken outpacing the lower trunk. This is called “inverse taper.” It gets worse with age.

If this a crape myrtle it’s not a problem to chop one of this branches off to even up the taper with the trunk. I’d choose one side or the other depending on how each might continue the trunk line most effectively. I’d chop before the tree begins an active growth cycle

Unless your planning to chop below the V eventually and you just want to grow a thicker trunk down there. Then just leave everything to contribute to thickening.

 

[brp7]

Unless your planning to chop below the V eventually and you just want to grow a thicker trunk down there. Then just leave everything to contribute to thickening.

Don't you think that the plant is diverting the resources to the V section, thereby hindering the growth of the area below that?

 

[bast]

Don't you think that the plant is diverting the resources to the V section, thereby hindering the growth of the area below that?

Well if you think about the concept of sacrifice branches, they are left on to force the trunk below them to thicken. I understand this is because the trunk has the pathways to transfer water etc. between roots and tips, and so it more or less thickens all the way down because it has to support the throughput. This is my massively oversimplified perspective as a novice horticulturist, but I think the inverse taper here is probably more about the geometry of splitting one cylinder into two than diverting resources.

 

[leatherback]

Don't you think that the plant is diverting the resources to the V section, thereby hindering the growth of the area below that?

nah. Just seems that way.

Long term thinking.. It is not clear how big or small this tree is. But layering at blue gets you roots across the swelling (white). Once rooted, and established in a pot, slowly remove the one branch, and chop a bit higher on the other to get a very nice wider taper on the base. Could be an option for a second tree. That way the swelling feels less wasted growth.

 

[BrianBay9]

Don't you think that the plant is diverting the resources to the V section, thereby hindering the growth of the area below that?

The base of the tree will grow faster if you let everything above it grow unrestrained. @leatherback is right, you could get a second tree out of the V section later with air layering. But if you want a thicker base, don't do that until you get the girth you desire.