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Originally Posted by Sean Freeman  Excellent link! Thats something you'll have to keep us abreast of mate since you know we'l hear nothing of it here eh?
Its exactly the same biological process that leads to epicormics sprouting out along declining limbs in old or very stressed trees...the system in that case is attempting to inject life (sugars) into the limb through the photosynthesis from the epicormics....a big reason why we should be very circumspect when we go about removing epicormics from older (100yr+) trees, keeping in mind that they are sometimes part of the trees' survival plan. 
Thanks again kauriman good link  |
I found this thread in one of my wanderings, and Sean is right on. This was my irritation about the cliche', "Water sprouts sap the vigor of the tree." We still seen to mutter about the mistakes the trees make, and we don't quite have the humility to understand that we might not lways be bright enough to know what they're doing.
After pruning, the area around the wound often has multiple flushes of growths with many leaves. Strikes me that the tree is attempting to re-create the sugar source that had suddenly disappeared. It is not only logical, it's biologically smart.
There used to be a full-time contributor to the overlay and overlap of the cambium's of the trunk and the missing limb. With one contributor gone, the tree tries to make up for the loss was the only mechanisms that has; leaves.
Am I correct in remembering very few of these clusters at limbs that have died "naturally"?
Aren't the epicormal sprouts an emergency response to the sudden destruction of a previously stable relationship between two woody cylinders?
And if we don't find this response in a context of pruning, why shouldn't we suspect that epicormal growth isn't an indicator of some other problems?
Too often, a tree is accused of bad habits (species inclination) are not being bright enough to know better. Once those myths have been established, a prevalent practice becomes the foundation of cosmetic correction.
It's not a good metaphor, but it is a bit like holding up your hand for help and having someone cut it off. You then discover you can grow in other hand and hold one up again--and that one gets cut off.
After a while. you just give up--just like a tree.
Bob Wulkowicz