Brazilian Rain Tree and Sacrificial Branches

[Damart81]

I have this BRT that I have been letting grow unrestricted. I want to try and grow the trunk for a couple of years. Was thinking of pruning down to one sacrificial branch and letting that one grow unrestricted. I saw Wigerts do one with a massive sacrificial branch as seen below. Anybody have experience with this for BRTs?

 

[SWfloirda]

I've had a couple going but on a much smaller scale. The first picture is from the $25 tree I started with just as I decided to take the air layer off of the top and make the rest a cascade. The air layer almost failed but I ended up salvaging it as a cutting. The second picture is from a cutting that I just let go after it took. I cut it back because I had a hard time getting it to stand up. The cutting from the failed air layer referenced above is now pretty thick with a sacrifice branch now but it's dark and I can't get a picture. The tree Wigerts used in their video and picture above was already a good sized tree when the sacrifice branch was started I'm sure.

 

[Lorax7]

I haven’t done it yet, but I’ve got a big BRT that will have to be pruned some when it’s brought indoors for the winter. I’m planning to leave an apical sacrifice branch and may also leave one on a low branch to thicken it. I guess I’ll find out what happens.

 

[MHBonsai]

It does work to thicken the trunk. Just need a good plan on how to handle the sacrificial branch wound.

 

[luvinthemountains]

Works great. I have done it from a branch - which means you have to cut them off once in a while and grow one on another branch, so your branch does not get too thick. Growing one from the trunk would avoid that problem, but you need to be careful of two things. #1, when removing the sacrifice, leave a good sized stub for dieback or you could end up with a deadwood feature you were not planning on. #2, make sure that the sacrifice is not growing too closely to a branch you plan to keep or you could get some ugly swelling in that area. Good luck!

 

[MHBonsai]

Here's a sacrifice branch on one of mine. One thing to watch for is how they will flute the trunk. You can use it to your advantage and get them to spread and build 'fins' of trunk depending on where the branch is. I let this one run too long probably and got some inverse taper. I kinda like the look though. I cut it off as a 3" stub you see here to make it a deadwood feature.

 

[SWfloirda]

My newest one. Actually got it to sprout right at the base.