If you want a fuller, more beautiful tree, you need to know how to make a tree grow new branches. Encouraging healthy branch development is a key skill for any gardener, and it’s simpler than you might think. It’s not about forcing growth, but about creating the right conditions and giving your tree a gentle nudge in the right direction.
With some basic knowledge and the right techniques, you can guide your tree to become stronger and more lush. This guide will walk you through the practical steps.
How to Make a Tree Grow New Branches
This process starts with understanding how trees grow. New branches, called epicormic shoots, often sprout from latent buds under the bark. Your job is to stimulate those buds or to direct the tree’s energy to areas where you want more growth. The methods vary depending on your tree’s age, health, and species.
1. Strategic Pruning is Your Most Powerful Tool
Pruning is the number one way to encourage new branches. It tells the tree where to focus it’s energy. When you remove a branch, the tree sends growth hormones to the nearest buds to replace what was lost.
- Make Heading Cuts: Don’t just remove whole branches. To spur new growth, cut back the tip of a branch to a healthy bud. This “heading cut” redirects growth to several buds just below the cut, creating a bushier effect.
- Thin for Light: Removing select branches entirely opens the canopy. This allows sunlight to reach inner areas, which can stimulate new shoots on existing branches and the trunk.
- Prune in Dormancy: For most trees, late winter is best. The structure is visible, disease risk is low, and the tree is ready to push new growth come spring.
2. The Importance of Notching
Notching is a precise technique to force a new branch exactly where you want it. It involves making a small cut above a dormant bud you wish to activate.
- Find a healthy, plump bud facing the direction you want a new branch.
- Using a sharp knife or blade, make a shallow cut about 1/8-inch deep in the bark. Make this cut above the bud.
- The cut interrupts the flow of hormones that suppress bud growth. This signals the bud to break dormancy and grow into a new branch.
3. Bending and Training Young Branches
For younger, flexible trees, you can physically guide growth. Bending a vertical branch to a more horizontal position changes its hormone balance.
A horizontal branch will naturally produce more flowering and fruiting spurs along its top side. Use soft ties and stakes to gently secure branches into new positions. Check ties regularly so they don’t dig into the growing bark.
Espalier and Other Formal Training
This is an advanced form of bending. Trees are trained flat against a wall or fence in a pattern. It maximizes sun exposure and fruit production in a limited space, creating a beautiful living sculpture through careful branch guidance.
4. Providing Optimal Growing Conditions
A stressed tree won’t put energy into new growth. It will focus on survival. Your first step is always to ensure the tree’s basic needs are met.
- Water Deeply: Consistent, deep watering encourages roots to grow downward. This creates a stable, drought-resilient tree that can support new top growth.
- Nutrient Balance: A soil test is the best starting point. Too much nitrogen can cause excessive leafy growth at the expense of strong branches. A balanced fertilizer supports overall health.
- Sunlight: Most trees need full sun for robust growth. Ensure your tree isn’t being shaded out by larger neighbors.
5. Fertilizing for Growth (The Right Way)
Fertilizer isn’t a magic solution, but it provides the building blocks. Use a slow-release, balanced fertilizer in early spring as growth begins.
Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers late in the season. This can promote tender new growth that won’t harden off before winter, leading to dieback. Always follow label instructions and water thoroughly after application.
What to Avoid: Common Mistakes
Some well-intentioned actions can actually harm your trees branching structure.
- Topping a Tree: This is the brutal, indiscriminate cutting of tree tops. It causes a flush of weak, poorly attached branches that are prone to failure. It’s very harmful to tree health.
- Over-pruning: Never remove more than 25% of a tree’s canopy in one year. This can send it into shock, forcing erratic, weak growth or even causing decline.
- Poor Pruning Cuts: Flush cuts (cutting too close to the trunk) or leaving long stubs both prevent proper healing and invite disease.
Special Considerations for Young vs. Old Trees
Your approach should match the trees age. A young tree is all about establishing good structure. Focus on training and light pruning to choose strong, well-spaced main branches.
With a mature tree, be much more conservative. The goal is often to encourage gradual renewal, not a dramatic change. Major work on large trees is best left to certified arborists for safety and tree health.
Patience and Observation
Trees operate on their own timeline. You might not see results from notching or pruning until the next growing season. Watch how your tree responds each year and adjust your techniques accordingly. Keeping a simple garden journal can be incredibly helpful for this.
Different species also respond differently. Fruit trees are generally very responsive to pruning and training. Some slow-growing ornamentals, like certain Japanese maples, require a much lighter touch. Do a little research on your specific tree for the best results.
FAQ: Encouraging Tree Branch Growth
Q: Can I make any tree grow new branches?
A: Mostly, yes. Healthy deciduous trees are the most responsive. Conifers are trickier; they often won’t sprout new growth from old wood that has lost its needles.
Q: What’s the fastest way to get new branches?
A: Proper heading cuts during dormancy, followed by good spring care (water, balanced fertilizer), usually produces the quickest visible results by mid-summer.
Q: Will cutting a branch cause two to grow?
A: Often, yes. When you cut the terminal bud (the tip), you release the lateral buds below from hormonal suppression. This typically causes several buds to grow, making the branch bushier.
Q: How do I thicken existing tree branches?
A> Branch thickness comes from secondary growth. Allow smaller branches to remain for a few years—they thicken as the tree grows. Also, ensuring the tree isn’t overcrowded means more resources can go to each branch.
Q: Is it to late to train an old tree?
A: You can always improve structure, but changes will be gradual. Focus on removing dead or crossing branches first to improve health and light penetration, which may encourage new shoots.
Ultimately, knowing how to make a tree grow new branches is about partnership. You provide the thoughtful intervention—the careful cut, the strategic notch, the right nutrients—and the tree responds with natural vigor. Start small, be patient, and enjoy the process of shaping your tree’s future, one branch at a time.