Calling all tree experts! "Forcing" a new branch

Columbus, OH(Zone 5b)

My weeping cherry does all it's "weeping" on one side of the tree.
I assume the graft was lopsided.
(It was the only tree left, it's very healthy and I wanted it bad - lopsided or not)

I'm told that if you make a cut into the trunk, the cut will cause the tree to grow a new branch from the wound.
It seems like a simple solution and I'm ready to give it a shot.
My questions are:
Is it ok to do it now or what time of year it should be done?
How deep should I make the cut?
Thanks
Dove

Thumbnail by dovey
San Antonio, TX(Zone 8b)

How long have you had it inground? Looks like it could use a bit more size to it before dealing with an "operation". I wonder also if a graft might be better than just a wound. But I'm not familiar with this type tree, so I'm just surmising here. Can you contact the ag dept. of the Univ. of Calif. at Davis or Santa Cruz?

Columbus, OH(Zone 5b)

It's pretty much a baby, I planted it bare root in February this year.

I always feel intimidated by grafting.
I haven't tried it in years but the first 2 and last 2 times I did, it failed.

I never thought about contacting a University AG. Dept.
Have you done that before? Do they really answer people?


San Antonio, TX(Zone 8b)

I lived in San Bernardino for many years prior to 1995 and had many occasions to request information from UC Riverside. In fact, the Calif. Rare Fruit Growers chapter of which I was a member used the meeting rooms at the Botanical Gardens and often had UC staff members as speakers. I don't know what the current policy is, but you can try http://ucanr.org/index.shtml, then click county cooperative extensions offices, which will bring up a page where you can select your county and get a list of departments and people to contact. UC Riverside's ag division researches citrus and avocados mainly, Davis does fruits and nuts with emphasis on the Central Valley while Santa Cruz had its focus on vegetable French Intensive/biodynamic methods. But all of them have many points of public contact. Loma Linda University has an ag division, and maybe also some the Cal State and Cal Polytechnic locations. You can also search the files of Sunset magazine. You might also talk to the nursey people where you got the tree. My inclination though would be to let the tree become more established before wounding it...its roots are barely settled yet. Here's a more direct link: http://ucanr.org/ce.cfm

This message was edited Apr 22, 2005 7:32 PM

Illinois, IL(Zone 5b)

If it's small and flexible enough, you might be able to give it a "comb-over" to fix it! Bend one branch over to the other side and tie it there until it decides to stay. Much less intrusive than wounding.

Guy S.

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