I air layered 2 branches of my calamansi plant from my old place to plant it here in my new place. I had tried air layering before but with no success, this time one survived and the other died. Yahoo!!! my first success :-D Now I want to trim the plant so that when I plant it in the ground there would be only one main trunk. I am very bad at trimming and I am worried that I might kill it if it is done wrongly. I have 2 ideas and will appreciate your advice on them. Idea 1 ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) The branch being save here is the most healthy. Idea 2 ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) The branch here is more vertical from the ground. Oh ya, can I remove the excess bud and leave only one to grow taller before allowing it to branch out? HELP!!!
Does this plant have a common name? It looks like a woody shrub. Explain what it is and why you only want one vertical trunk.
Thanks Mart, I think calamansi is a common name itself and to best explain it I had link it to Wikipedia. I want a single vertical trunk is basically for ease of maintenance, weeding and adding compost. From my past experience in the past it was difficult to its surrounding area if there is so many low lying branches. Any idea?
KK, typically when pruning any woody stemmed plant the idea is to thin the plant for air circulation, balance the plant, limit the fruit production (as in apples) or maybe to "fix" a broken stem or damage due to any other factor that is stressing the plant, but I would suggest that the second picture you have diagrammed is the better of the two choices. As the plant grows the stem is less likely to break (if you look at the first picture the plant has a right angled bend in the stem, the stress of the weight, {especially if this is a fruit bearing plant}, at the angle of the growth at a later point in time may break the stem near the bottom of the stem and you may loose the whole plant and the plant will be very unbalanced as it grows from the base, too. BUT please keep in mind I have no idea what kind of shrub this is or how fragile/hardy or tolerant is is to stress. This is only my thoughts due to the experience I have with the plants I know. I hope this helps you and not confuses you.
Thanks Carolyn, I have decided to wait for the plant to be more developed before I go snip, snip, snip. I'll snip the dead branches off first.
Starting with the dead stuff is a great place to start. Removing the dead branches will give you a place to start with the actual shape of the plant.
Like Carolyn, I think the last pic is the best way to do it. When you are ready, the other branches should be cut just outside the branch collar. Then spray the cuts with a anti-fungal weekly or so since you are in a tropical and humid climate. But before you do anything make sure that central branch is viable all the way to top.
KK I read about your plant and it sounds identical to Kumquat and the pic looked like mine. Does yours have thorns?
