On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 14:47:34 -0800, felderbush001 wrote:

Howdy folks. I have a lilac that I'm rejuvenating. I whacked it to the
ground two years ago. There are several new shoots that have grown well,
but they are growing straight up and show no signs of branching yet. The
tallest shoots are a little over 3'.

My question: will these new shoots eventually begin to branch out or would
it be better to encourage branching by clipping above a bud?

I have no idea of the variety of the lilac. The original was about 12'
tall and leggy with maybe a 5' spread. Flower color is purple. I'm in zone
5.
Picture of the new shoots he
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2.../DSC02484a.jpg In the
picture there is another of the same lilac behind the new shoots. This
lilac has only two legs and is in the process of rejuvenation also. BTW, I
plan on only keeping five or so of the new shoots.

Anyway, any input is appreciated.
Felder.

Good day Felder. These will branch out at some point or you can force the
issue. Taking the top bud off will remove the apical dominance (
http://resources.ywgc.com/info/glossary.shtml#apical ) and branching will
occur. The top few buds will try to gain dominance and become the new
leaders. If you had the room for it, I would suggest that you tie some
jute twine or rope to the top and bend it to the ground. Tie the other
end to a stake and leave it untill you see the branches developing. At that
point you can un-tie the top and let things progress as they will.

I like to manage lilacs in patches. By this I mean letting a patch grow
and thinning out the larger, older shoots every few years. This way the
smaller shoots get better light and they tend to produce better blooms
imho.

--
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