Author Topic: How do they do that?!  (Read 2082 times)

SonnyCrockett

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How do they do that?!
« on: October 18, 2015, 01:42:57 PM »
While searching online for different mandarin and orange trees to try, I saw quite a few pictures of citrus trees from China trimmed like vertical cylinders and totally covered in fruit. 



While I find these trees unattractive, trees trimmed like that would definitely let me squeeze more plants into tight places.  How in the world do they do that?  Is it just special pruning practices, a prolific inedible fruit, treating with certain plant hormones or what? 

fyliu

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Re: How do they do that?!
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2015, 01:51:26 PM »
I don't know how they did that, but I do know the fruits are pretty nice to eat. They put these in front of banks and other businesses and after a while you only see the stems with ripped fruit skin.

Acocyetly

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Re: How do they do that?!
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2015, 04:57:52 PM »
Looks like a tomato cage... Really cool thanks for sharing

Millet

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Re: How do they do that?!
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2015, 10:57:20 AM »
I do not actually know how it is done for sure, but my guess is that the tree is first pruned to shape, or even pruned several times, to develop the foliage to produce the needed flowers.  When the flowers bloom the tree is probably sprayed with Grbberellic acid to "pollinate" each flower so that each flower will produce a fruit. - Millet

SonnyCrockett

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Re: How do they do that?!
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2015, 04:36:18 PM »
I'm all about trying it, as long as I don't kill the trees or cause extreme alternate bearing. 

What are the limits for annual pruning?  I've seen some people say about 1/3 of the canopy.

If you use Gibberellic Acid and each flower makes a fruit, then does this cause an extremely small crop the next year?  Or do you keep spraying with Gibberellic Acid and the trees keep producing well?  And if you use Gibberellic Acid and have many more fruit than usual, wouldn't the fruit be smaller?

I wouldn't mind trees with a smaller footprint, since I am limited on planting space, but it seems like there must be a trade-off or you would see more people doing this.

Millet

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Re: How do they do that?!
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2015, 03:33:50 PM »
Sonny you ask about limits to pruning;  I planted a in ground Dekopon citrus tree in my greenhouse, and therefore had to remove a in ground Clementine to make room for it, as there is just so much greenhouse space.  I cut off every branch, and 100 percent of the foliage, it was a naked tree..  All that was left was the main trunk and three foundation branches.  Before I could find time to dig out the root system and toss the entire tree, it began to refoliate. It was no time before the tree once again had a LOTS of foliage.   I'm still going to remove the clementine  to make room for the Dekopon, but it was interesting  to see how strong a citrus tree really  is.  Anyway, if your going to try growing a Japanese demonstration tree, I would guess you would have to prune the tree back hard.  Your correct, in that Gibberellic acid "pollinates' so many blooms, and thus sets such a huge crop of fruit the fruit size becomes somewhat smaller than normal.  If your after a tree, as shown in the pictures above, I would not be concerned about alternate bearing.  One last note: Gibberelic acid fruit setting for clementines is a VERY common practice by commercial growers all over the entire industry, and does not seem to cause much of a problem about alternate bearing. - Millet