Thanks to you all, Alan for giving me cause to actually think
and Jerry, Jim and Dale and Nina for helping the gears
work.
I will have to figure my chances but I have some good
thinking experience behind my judgments now. Previously I
didn't much hesitate.
Lynn
----------------------------------

From Dr. Nina:


Lynn,
Unrestrained top growth should do the trick for all trees
that I have worked
with. Can't think of one that did not work that way.
Jerry Meislik

Hmmmm. That's a tough one. Obviously, the more foliage,
the more
transpiration, and the easier to overwhelm a weak root
system.
However, if you put the tree in a high-humidity tent, which
would
minimize transpiration, would greater foliage improve root
growth?
There would be more energy available for growth, but as I
explained a
couple weeks ago, sugar is moved in plants using a
"source-sink"
mechanism, so sugar won't move to where a potential root
*ought* to
be, only to a new, actively growing root. Besides, some
research
shows that high sugar concentration inhibits lateral root
development.

And how do you get root initiation? By the action of
hormones.
Auxin, produced by apical meristems of shoots stimulates
lateral root
growth. So if you prune the top growth, you will
temporarily be
reducing auxin, although as soon as back-budding occurs, and
all the
new branches begin to grow, the amount of auxin will be
increased.

So a tree that buds back quickly and easily would probably
produce
new roots rapidly, too. However, if a tree was in real
trouble, it
might be better to leave the strong apical meristems in
place. I
don't know; I'm afraid I'd be stuck with trial and error.
--
Nina Shishkoff

Frederick, MD


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