Bark Inversion to accelerate flowering on a seedling tree

[CTMIAMI]

I saw short a video in Spanish on this subject and decided to try it myself. It is a two part video. I wonder if anyone else has had experience with this.

Part one, the process

http://youtu.be/DK24Fz5fDxM

Part two, results of the process

http://youtu.be/uLNYuP3syY4

If this does anything on an avocado, we would need to see flowers in two to three years

[ty23]

I think this will kill the tree, as food will not get from the leaves to the roots. When you do a graft, it has to be oriented the right way.  The graft may heal, but will eventually die.
It maybe that some cells transport stuff up and others down, and don't work in reverse.

[Tropicdude]

I do not think that bark inversion will kill the tree.

Although this technique may induce flowering,  it will also dwarf the tree.  which may be great for some circumstances,  I could not find much on how it would effect production,  but I did come across info that at least in apples and peaches, it makes the fruit bigger and sweeter also.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Thanks for the videos Carlos.  Looking forward to seeing the results of your experiment in the future.

[zands]

There is some kind of peasant logic here. I look forward to updates, this just might work. You could experiment with some extreme tip pruning to get into the fruiting stage faster. This has been mentioned for mangoes for bypassing (compressing) some of the juvenile years to get to adulthood where the tree can reproduce via fruiting

[Tropicalgrower89]

There is some kind of peasant logic here. I look forward to updates, this just might work. You could experiment with some extreme tip pruning to get into the fruiting stage faster. This has been mentioned for mangoes for bypassing (compressing) some of the juvenile years to get to adulthood where the tree can reproduce via fruiting

Or grafting the seedling scion onto a mature rootstock/branch to make that seedling fruit sooner.

[JeffDM]

Thanks for posting the videos - when I watched them on YouTube I also found these two grafting videos that I hadn't seen before.

Grafting Avocado Part 1

Grafting Avocado Part 2

[ty23]

Article on bark inversion on mango
http://www.fshs.org/Proceedings/Password%20Protected/1963%20Vol.%2076/360-363%20%28GASKINS%29.pdf

[CTMIAMI]

Interesting article. My bark inversion seems a lot neater than the one in their mango tree picture. They said that had difficulties removing the bark. I have none in my tree.  I'm surprise the is no recent literature on this on other fruit trees. I know there is an article on apples.

[fyliu]

It won't kill the tree even if the guy threw away that piece of bark. He didn't scrape all around the wood, so the cambium is still there and alive. All this does is make the tree have to build up the bark again. It's similar to girdling.

[kh0110]

It won't kill the tree even if the guy threw away that piece of bark. He didn't scrape all around the wood, so the cambium is still there and alive. All this does is make the tree have to build up the bark again. It's similar to girdling.

BTW, scraping the wood between the cut is THE trick of the trade when it comes to air layering. Not many people seem to know this but it is of the utmost importance.

[plantlover13]

Dragging this back from the depths...

http://www.myavocadotrees.com/inverted-bark-graft.html

THe avacado dies.

[plantlover13]

I wonder why the tree dies? The Graft or some other factor?

[CTMIAMI]

No idea why it died, but If someone inverted my neck I don't think I would survive long. It should not be a surprise, It actually lived for several months. It was when I put it in the field that could not handle the stress.

[plantlover13]

No idea why it died, but If someone inverted my neck I don't think I would survive long. It should not be a surprise, It actually lived for several months. It was when I put it in the field that could not handle the stress.

So maybe this is better for containers, then?

[CTMIAMI]

No idea why it died, but If someone inverted my neck I don't think I would survive long. It should not be a surprise, It actually lived for several months. It was when I put it in the field that could not handle the stress.

So maybe this is better for containers, then?

I don't know. What I know is that I'm not spending any more time with that. Is best to let nature take its course.

[Slopfog]

How cool, I was looking at grafting videos on YouTube independent of the forum and found your videos, Carlos.  Now I see you're on here too.  I appreciate the time You take with the videos, they're helpful for me for sure!  And they are usually on interesting topics.

On a slightly off topic, I have been trying to figure out a way to make a dwarf royal poinciana.  My girlfriend loves these trees, and I need one about 12' high at the maximum...I'm not going to let it overtake my yard.  (Yes I know about pride of Barbados, but it ain't the same at all IMO)

I wonder if I could use girdling or bark inversion to dwarf the RP... Hmm.

[CTMIAMI]

NO I think the dwarf royal poinciana is a variety, I'm almost sure. Some nurseries sell them.