Main leader help

[westonwhitetail]

I had a main leader snapped off a tree. It was a bareroot planted 3 weeks ago and something broke it off while investigating my planting. I dropped the leader in water and it is pushing leaves out now. Is there anything a guy can to with this? It's about 3-4 long. The leaves were only buds until I dropped it in water, then the leaves have begun opening up. Is there any hope for it?

Can the leader be reattached to the original tree? I doubt it but thought I'd ask.

Will roots develop if I leave it in water or plant in a pot? Could I potentially pot this thing and grow it at home if they do?

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[cavey]

I cant load the pics, but Im guessing the only thing in your future is a nice little 3-4' fruit tree walking stick. Toss it on the burn pile, and clean up the break site and hope a lower part of the leader will take over or switch to an open concept tree.

The leaves are pushing out from nutrients stored in the branch and soon all will be dead. Odds are almost nill that it will root, if it were a willow maybe but a fruit tree = "no". Sorry for the bad news.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I couldn't see the pictures either. The broken branch is unlikely to sprout roots like a willow can do. I guess you aren't out anything keeping it in a bucket of water for a few weeks to see if roots grow, but I'd be very surprised if it worked.

 

[westonwhitetail]

Here's the photo. Thanks for the quick replies. I guess I'll let it sit and see what happens anyway...the leaves pushing out had my hopes up for it! G dang bears...

 

[Prof.Kent]

Like General Custer; that leader is toast.

 

[westonwhitetail]

Like General Custer; that leader is toast.

It was such a nice looking tree a week ago though...I'll let you guys know if any miracles happen here

 

[Telemark]

Deer did that to my 5 biggest apple trees. They were 9-10 feet tall, and now they're just over 6' and a bit shredded. I'm definitely putting up some fences this summer.

 

[H20fwler]

Four or five years ago in spring I was digging up my two year old grafts to replant and backed up over one snapping it off right above graft. I immediately put it back together and wrapped it tight with electrical tape and braced it. Waited a couple weeks and still moved it out to the farm and planted, kept it tied to brace for a year. Tree is twelve feet plus now with a trunk like a bat, Golden Russet on M111.

Try grafting it, nothing to lose. If it doesn’t work just let next lowest branch grow into new leader.

 

[Prof.Kent]

It was such a nice looking tree a week ago though...I'll let you guys know if any miracles happen here

We work with miracles every day.... the impossible...well that's a bit iffy.

 

[Apple Junkie]

When the leader was broken off this tree, a lateral branch became the new leader with a little encouragement from me. Over time, and with some encouragement, your tree will be fine, although probably not the prettiest one in your orchard.

 

[westonwhitetail]

When the leader was broken off this tree, a lateral branch became the new leader with a little encouragement from me. Over time, and with some encouragement, your tree will be fine, although probably not the prettiest one in your orchard.

They don't need to be pretty, just good tasting apple for me and the deer is all I need. I'll see if I can train one of the top branches to be vertical like you did there, thanks

 

[cavey]

Honestly your tree is probably going to be better off with it topped back anyways, as it was just bare root planted cutting back the leader will not hurt it. I almost always top and branch cut back my new store bought bare root trees. I have gotten into the practice of heading back my central leaders after the first year post grafting (leave them grow first year) but then after in the 2nd 3rd and often 4th year I have cut them back a foot (foot off the new growth) with no issues makes for a stronger central leader and promotes lateral branching. Its not an easy thing to do at first but it seems to work.

 

[westonwhitetail]

Honestly your tree is probably going to be better off with it topped back anyways, as it was just bare root planted cutting back the leader will not hurt it. I almost always top and branch cut back my new store bought bare root trees. I have gotten into the practice of heading back my central leaders after the first year post grafting (leave them grow first year) but then after in the 2nd 3rd and often 4th year I have cut them back a foot (foot off the new growth) with no issues makes for a stronger central leader and promotes lateral branching. Its not an easy thing to do at first but it seems to work.

Thanks Cavey, maybe it will be a a blessing in disguise? I guess we'll see how the growth happens in the future.

 

[Tree Spud]

Honestly your tree is probably going to be better off with it topped back anyways, as it was just bare root planted cutting back the leader will not hurt it. I almost always top and branch cut back my new store bought bare root trees. I have gotten into the practice of heading back my central leaders after the first year post grafting (leave them grow first year) but then after in the 2nd 3rd and often 4th year I have cut them back a foot (foot off the new growth) with no issues makes for a stronger central leader and promotes lateral branching. Its not an easy thing to do at first but it seems to work.

What time of year do you cut back main leader ... dormant stage or during growth time?

 

[cavey]

What time of year do you cut back main leader ... dormant stage or during growth time?

Dormant, in the spring....

First time was the hardest... had a line of same age trees in the nursery and eyeballed a height and walked down the whole line and cut them off. Next year just took an even cut off that years new growth... they all put on about the same amount so it was easy. It was about a foot of the new growth. I was told it would strengthen the core of the tree. Long term instead of that tall spindly growth without much lateral branching you often see in nursery trees being sold. Everyone buys for the tall growth they always buy the tallest tree; I was told once that its better to look to the core leader for strength and lateral branching potential versus height. Not letting the tree run tall all at first is a better way to develop a good tree? Seems to work, painful to butch back a tree 2 or three times in its early years and I cant say its a exact rule for me.

But I no longer fear pruning. You can prune young trees pretty hard without any issues.

Best time is to prune when you have time - I kind of go by that, and I rarely have time and I have way to many trees. I have cut back trees in late fall, and I have cut on trees during summer growth too. Ideally its always best to prune in late winter when dormant.

I will often cut back branch ends on bare root out of the nursery trees that Im moving out and will top them too (best scion branches come from newly bought dormant trees - you get a couple extra free trees with each purchase!!!!) ... Kind of depends on my mood at the time or if I think the tree will be overly stressed post transplanting and that that might help the tree have less demand out of its stressed root system. I have since gone mostly to potted trees healed into the nursery ground for 2 or so years then moved out and unpotted in the field at the hole.

I cut back a lot more than ever before. I have the luxury of a lot of trees so if I fail I have replacements, not often the case for everyone else. My biggest problem now is with the higher number of trees I cant afford large fence cages so they are tighter and I struggle with the lower branches and their crotch angles. In a perfect world you wouldnt need cages and could easily manage the branch angles. I like having lower branches on my field trees to keep the bucks off the trunks post cage removal.... just isnt possible now.

 

[cavey]

Thanks Cavey, maybe it will be a a blessing in disguise? I guess we'll see how the growth happens in the future.

Should be no issue. especially if there is plenty left of that main leader that snapped off, just think of it as a haircut - stuff will grow back and continue on. You might have to manage some of the other side branches if they decide to take off and up but young trees are easy to manage. Think of where the tree is going to be in 10 years not just this year and next. Look beyond getting the fast early growth and dont sweat the small stuff. No tree is perfect some do look better than others a little wiggle here or there is no big deal.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I try to keep my trees trimmed good the first few years, but then it is too much hassle to reach the top part, and the tree then looks stupid if you trim what you can reach, and leave the rest, so normally about 4-5 years, they only get dead branches, and criss crossed branched that I can reach trimmed. Mostly they are on their own. Bears in my area do a pretty decent job of snapping off branches, and prunned the way they like them. It seems to help when the bear do it, because the ones they snap off, usually fruit well the next year.