Extreme topping ("pugging") of my Lemon Zest

[Mark in Texas]

I've found after topping dozens of different varieties that LZ can be a little more "fragile" especially if topped during late fall or winter.  I may have killed several 3gallons last year doing this only later to have a prominent grower in Bokeelia tell me that LZ doesn't always respond well to topping.  Around waist high is my target now.  Sometimes under and sometimes over depending on the tree but always time with season or flush.

I'm a techie geek and when someone tells me how or what to do with a particular tree or plant I want to understand the botanical side to it, that way I can empower myself to do what I deem works best for my situation.   Having wrote all the boring blather, why would LZ not respond *for you* to topping?  You actually killed them, how?  My LZ loves the treatment.  I'll post a photo of it after it sets the new flush of foliage in a couple of weeks.  It's a real beaute!

I never top a tree except while its active, like spring and summer.  Same with grafting timing.

[jorge_cima]

I would not prune your mango anywhere near to a/the "stump" for a few reasons.  One being, if there is a problem with the tree, severely pruning back will not cure the problem.
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Well, I cleaned the scale by hand, cleaned the sooty black stuff with a mild soap, applied copper to the leaves. About three months after I applied a Bayer systemic insecticide.  The scale issue seems to have subsided. However,  the tree appears to be stunned, it has not grown at all in over a year and some of the leaves are turning brown around the tips.  Some of the branches are covered again in the black sooty dust.  I will let it be til the end of spring, beginning of summer and then make a decision.

[FruitFreak]

I've found after topping dozens of different varieties that LZ can be a little more "fragile" especially if topped during late fall or winter.  I may have killed several 3gallons last year doing this only later to have a prominent grower in Bokeelia tell me that LZ doesn't always respond well to topping.  Around waist high is my target now.  Sometimes under and sometimes over depending on the tree but always time with season or flush.

I'm a techie geek and when someone tells me how or what to do with a particular tree or plant I want to understand the botanical side to it, that way I can empower myself to do what I deem works best for my situation.   Having wrote all the boring blather, why would LZ not respond *for you* to topping?  You actually killed them, how?  My LZ loves the treatment.  I'll post a photo of it after it sets the new flush of foliage in a couple of weeks.  It's a real beaute!

I never top a tree except while its active, like spring and summer.  Same with grafting timing.

Hi Mark.  I would bet that the trees I killed had more to do with topping little 3 gallons off season than anything.  2 palmers also bit the dust after the same treatment.  My previous comment was just reiterating what that grower had noticed himself.  My guess is that his experience was based on pruning young trees in the correct time of year unlike me.  No doubt your LZ has responded very well to pruning and I would also speculate that your tree is better cared for and healthier.

[edzone9]

Yes Topper My Honey Kiss Mango To Try And Create A Bonsai Mango , Didn't like the Hydroponics 😊

Ed

Curious to see if the HK will survive such torture.  Ballzy topping after the hydro attempt and this time of year unless it was pushing.

Marley the tree is Happy will be fine ..





I also Made a Areca Vesteria Palm Tree Bonsai

[Mark in Texas]

Hi Mark.  I would bet that the trees I killed had more to do with topping little 3 gallons off season than anything.  2 palmers also bit the dust after the same treatment.  My previous comment was just reiterating what that grower had noticed himself.  My guess is that his experience was based on pruning young trees in the correct time of year unlike me.  No doubt your LZ has responded very well to pruning and I would also speculate that your tree is better cared for and healthier.

Howdy!  Yeppers, it all comes down to timing, choice of blades, methods, etc.  I grafted some old mango scions and yesterday bark and T-bud grafted Hamlin orange and Persian lime to my Mex lime tree.  Another important point to get the bud to push is kicking the apical dominance in the nuts. I'll give the grafts about 3 weeks and then just above them cut the branches in half to bend them lower than the grafts.  This thing fruits all the time and I'll lose some fruit now but hopefully gain some different varieties.

BTW, the bark was slipping (another 'must') and the Schick injector blade did a wonderful job of neatly cutting the flaps to slip the scions or buds in.

Looking good Ed!

[edzone9]

Thanks Mark !

[edzone9]

My lil Bonsai Honey Kiss Mango Is Doing Well !

[Das Bhut]

Pugged my Lemon Zest similarly, it's going to be extremely bushy now

http://imgur.com/a/tA6oX

[FruitFreak]

Pugged my Lemon Zest similarly, it's going to be extremely bushy now

http://imgur.com/a/tA6oX

Nice new growths.  I might use a saw blade to clean up that rough cut and possibly seal it with something.  Moisture can get in there and eventually cause problems

[shinzo]

Pugged my Lemon Zest similarly, it's going to be extremely bushy now

http://imgur.com/a/tA6oX

Nice new growths.  I might use a saw blade to clean up that rough cut and possibly seal it with something.  Moisture can get in there and eventually cause problems

The experts in the forum do not advise to seal the cut after pugging in order to not trap in fungal diseases, this advice is more useful in this case since the cut was made long ago so all the crap above it will be sealed in that case.

[bsbullie]

Pugged my Lemon Zest similarly, it's going to be extremely bushy now

http://imgur.com/a/tA6oX

Nice new growths.  I might use a saw blade to clean up that rough cut and possibly seal it with something.  Moisture can get in there and eventually cause problems

Do NOT seal the cuts.  That is a sure fire way to invite problems.  Mangoes are great at compartmentalizing and healing on their own.

[edzone9]

My Sat before after

[Mark in Texas]

The experts in the forum do not advise to seal the cut after pugging in order to not trap in fungal diseases, this advice is more useful in this case since the cut was made long ago so all the crap above it will be sealed in that case.

That's right, do not seal the cuts.  Here's the reason why, best explained by the good Doc.  The Myth of Wound Dressings.

https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wound-sealer.pdf

[FruitFreak]

Pugged my Lemon Zest similarly, it's going to be extremely bushy now

http://imgur.com/a/tA6oX

Nice new growths.  I might use a saw blade to clean up that rough cut and possibly seal it with something.  Moisture can get in there and eventually cause problems

Do NOT seal the cuts.  That is a sure fire way to invite problems.  Mangoes are great at compartmentalizing and healing on their own.

Fortunately I haven't had any problems with the ones I've sealed however this is very good to know in the future. 

If this is to prevent fungus from being "trapped" inside the wound cant that be prevented by sterilizing the bark and pruning tools?  In any event a smooth rather than rough cut is preferable to encourage healthy healing.  A saw always works better than a lopper (which crushes one side).

[Mark in Texas]

If this is to prevent fungus from being "trapped" inside the wound cant that be prevented by sterilizing the bark and pruning tools?  In any event a smooth rather than rough cut is preferable to encourage healthy healing.  A saw always works better than a lopper (which crushes one side).

I never sterilize tools with the exception of the public's shears before they harvest grapes in my vineyard or when grafting, speaking of which, I cut back a key lime tree big time with a bypass lopper and Felco bypass pruning shears which slices and doesn't crush.  Did 9 bark or T-buds grafts and had only one failure.  I now have a citrus cocktail tree of 4 varieties, yay!



My go-to grafting knife is a Schick Injector blade held in #2 medium Excel knife holder.  It makes for super clean cambium tissue contact, precise scion prep.  I use it for tough mango or citrus bark too.

[LEOOEL]

Wow, those mangos look like some kind of anti-gravity mangos, beautiful, very nice!

Mark, here is a picture of your tree in few more years.
http://www.trbimg.com/img-53d95a05/turbine/fl-fairchild-garden-column-080314-20140730

Simon

[zands]

The experts in the forum do not advise to seal the cut after pugging in order to not trap in fungal diseases, this advice is more useful in this case since the cut was made long ago so all the crap above it will be sealed in that case.

That's right, do not seal the cuts.  Here's the reason why, best explained by the good Doc.  The Myth of Wound Dressings.

https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wound-sealer.pdf

She addressees bs oil based dressings and tree wound care with same. try wet clay or whetted soil that is mostly clay. I did this once to mango tree that I broke a 2" branch off of and it worked out OK. I sprayed it with garden hose every 2-3 days to wet the clay

[Mark in Texas]

Am very pleased with way the profile turned out.  Training it to be rather upright.  May just let this LZ go au naturel from here on out. 

Closeup of the perfect, mature scaffold branches after making the cut above the first node.



Very nice flush of new leaves.  Am letting this yungun hold about 10 fruits.

[edzone9]

Looking Great !

[Mark in Texas]

Looking Great !

Thanks, hope my wife likes it.  She doesn't like Mallika.

[cmichael258]

If this is to prevent fungus from being "trapped" inside the wound cant that be prevented by sterilizing the bark and pruning tools?  In any event a smooth rather than rough cut is preferable to encourage healthy healing.  A saw always works better than a lopper (which crushes one side).

I never sterilize tools with the exception of the public's shears before they harvest grapes in my vineyard or when grafting, speaking of which, I cut back a key lime tree big time with a bypass lopper and Felco bypass pruning shears which slices and doesn't crush.  Did 9 bark or T-buds grafts and had only one failure.  I now have a citrus cocktail tree of 4 varieties, yay!



My go-to grafting knife is a Schick Injector blade held in #2 medium Excel knife holder.  It makes for super clean cambium tissue contact, precise scion prep.  I use it for tough mango or citrus bark too.

Mark:
What varieties did you graft onto your key lime?

[simon_grow]

That looks like the perfect greenhouse grown Lemon Zest. I love the ultra low bushy shape of this otherwise upright vigorous variety. Be prepared to support some fruit. I can't believe how much new growth you got!

Simon

[Mark in Texas]

If this is to prevent fungus from being "trapped" inside the wound cant that be prevented by sterilizing the bark and pruning tools?  In any event a smooth rather than rough cut is preferable to encourage healthy healing.  A saw always works better than a lopper (which crushes one side).

I never sterilize tools with the exception of the public's shears before they harvest grapes in my vineyard or when grafting, speaking of which, I cut back a key lime tree big time with a bypass lopper and Felco bypass pruning shears which slices and doesn't crush.  Did 9 bark or T-buds grafts and had only one failure.  I now have a citrus cocktail tree of 4 varieties, yay!



My go-to grafting knife is a Schick Injector blade held in #2 medium Excel knife holder.  It makes for super clean cambium tissue contact, precise scion prep.  I use it for tough mango or citrus bark too.

Mark:
What varieties did you graft onto your key lime?

Whatever I could snip/steal from Home Depot garden lot of course!    Hamlin orange, Variegated Pink Eureka lime, Persian lime.   The Persian I really want.  I love the taste of the key lime and I harvest hundreds off one tree but that tartness gets a little too much sometimes......and they're small.

[Mark in Texas]

That looks like the perfect greenhouse grown Lemon Zest. I love the ultra low bushy shape of this otherwise upright vigorous variety. Be prepared to support some fruit. I can't believe how much new growth you got!

Simon

To quote the waitress in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes", the secret's in the sauce.

Thanks Simon.  There must be 6 or so growths pushing off the ends of each one of the branches.  This is gonna be one bushy tree!

[Mark in Texas]

Looks like the Lemon Zest is gonna make it.  As of yesterday, 15 days after enduring 18F in the greenhouse, it passed the green bark test but as the photo shows it was weeping and some green flesh is showing.  Have no clue what that is.  If this makes it it's gonna be a miracle! 



Point being the 6-7 scaffold branches really worked out well with excellent branching and a beautiful thick canopy.

Freeze damage, total leaf loss.  Branches of a Meyer lemon is in the foreground, and it's alive!  I grafted it to Flying Dragon which probably induced some cold hardiness.