Thickening trunks with a razor blade

[Adair M]

Another shortcut that's been done, especially on the grafted JWP on JBP stock is to wrap the JBP section with aluminum wire and leave it there. It cuts in and bulges. Eventually, it heals over and embeds the wire. During this time, the wire caused the trunk to swell around the wire.

But, it makes a charscterisic spiral scar that's usually pretty ugly.

 

[JoeR]

According to Dan Barton-

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

So because it can be found on the Internet, it must be right! Guess what other process is at work over those years increasing trunk girth...growing!

 

[Arcto]

Here is a Mugo I did the razor blade cuts on years ago to attempt to thicken the trunk below a large knuckle. As you can see, correcting the reverse taper was not successful. You can also see that the bark in the area is a little rougher. Note the 2 old slice scars. A large piece right below them has flaked off. As the rough area extends well above the sliced spot, I can't confidently state that this is a quicker method of giving the appearance of age.

 

[0soyoung]

For one thing, if it does work, I feel like it is something that's nearly impossible to prove due to the fact that you don't know what it would look like if we didn't do it vs. after it was done. Who's to say it wasn't going to thicken anyway etc.

You need two groups of trees: one group doesn't get the treatment and the other does.
You measure the trunk/stem thicknesses before any treatments (in the spring, say) and then again at the end of the season.
Then you compare the average fractional diameter increments of the two groups.

The hard part is that you must mark the exact point of where you measure the diameter on each tree. You may also need measurement multiple orientations/locations. Say you slice each stem 4 times around the bole. Then you might have a measurement between slices and another atop opposite slices. Or maybe you want to measure just above/below the slices.

 

[JoeR]

So because it can be found on the Internet, it must be right! Guess what other process is at work over those years increasing trunk girth...growing!

Who was this directed at? I am not saying it does or does not work I just wanted to quote a book on the subject.

 

[armetisius]

yes yes and 40 years ago the way to fatten trunks faster was washing
the trunks repeatedly and regularly through the years with brushes.
More houghkum.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR FAST FIND ANOTHER HOBBY.
Might I suggest tortoise racing.

 

[coh]

All I have to say on this subject is, until I read somewhere that "Boon said to slice the trunks with razor blades", I'm not going to even worry about whether it works!

 

[Japonicus]

I was taught by Kathy to slice bark on my white pine. This makes the transition faster to older looking bark. That way I can blend the white pine to black pine base and make it look nicer. This takes time but never thickens the trunk just ages the bark. I've done it for about two years now. Works for me. I only do it to my white pines. I almost experiment on a japanese maple but decided not too.

2005 This was my JWP grafted to JBP, cultivars unknown.


This is now, graft below the 1st branch of course. Personally I don't detect the graft in the last picture and have never
used either method except on a black olive once due to hear say. That olive didn't last long enough for me to say
but leaving a leader on pines to several feet I understand to be the fastest way to properly thicken a trunk.
I didn't do that here, but have seen fantastic examples, mostly from @Adair M

 

[Adair M]

View attachment 339337
2005 This was my JWP grafted to JBP, cultivars unknown.

View attachment 339338
This is now, graft below the 1st branch of course. Personally I don't detect the graft in the last picture and have never
used either method except on a black olive once due to hear say. That olive didn't last long enough for me to say
but leaving a leader on pines to several feet I understand to be the fastest way to properly thicken a trunk.
I didn't do that here, but have seen fantastic examples, mostly from @Adair M

On JWP, as you know, the bark stays smooth for a very long time before it starts to crack and become flaky. It takes 20 to 25 years BEFORE it starts to crack. And then, it takes about a decade before the mature bark accumulates enough to start to make plates. This process can be accelerated a bit by peeling off the juvenile bark. You can do this once, and once only for any section of bark. It seems JWP sheds the smooth grey bark at about 25 years. It starts by making vertical spits in the smooth bark, and it begins to curl away from the trunk. If left to it’s own devices, this bark will eventually peel away, and fall off in the fall. If, once it splits and begins to curl away from the trunk, peeling away the old juvenile bark will expose the mature bark underneath. This bark looks much like JBP bark. After a few more years. It will resemble JBP bark to the point that you really can’t tell the difference.

 

[BunjaeKorea]

Step to making an older looking tree.
Grow for a long time.
If I every hit a tree or used the blade method I am pretty sure Master Kim would tell me never to come back.

 

[penumbra]

I would love to see some examples of this. I remember reading about this and the hammer method about 40 years ago.