Traditional broom style Brush Cherry (Eugenia).

This is my first time posting a tree on this forum and I would really appreciate any advice.

This Brush Cherry was grown in a growth bag for ten plus years to be used as a Lollypop garden tree. The previous spring (19 months ago) it was chopped and was left to grow freely. The chop is still very visible. This spring( 7 months ago) it was cut back and I brought up the soil level to help with the building of the nebari.

It has grown very well this season and there are still two months of active growing left.

I have partially defoliated it so I can see the branch structure.

No wiring was done.

Next season Im going to replant it in a training pot(it is still in a 5 liter plastic pot). Luckily these trees can take a lot of abuse and up to 90% of the roots can be cut of and it will still survive.

The leaves reduce well.

Any advice in forming the broom from the lowest branches, the amount of branches, to the size of the canopy will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Lennard

I think you will want about 2/3 as many branches coming off the trunk, then let them ramify higher up the branches. Good start. I like pic 3.

JimLewis wrote:I think you will want about 2/3 as many branches coming off the trunk, then let them ramify higher up the branches. Good start. I like pic 3.

I have a few other questions because a broom style is for me the most difficult one to visualize its training:

1. Referring to pic 3, a lot of the branches sprouted from the same place(buds) - is that a problem with a Broom style?
2. Before doing the cut back or reducing the number of branches, and keeping question 1 in mind, shouldn't I bend the lowest branches in a horizontal position and then place the other branches to fill the gaps?
3. There are two top branches that are much thicker than the lower branches, should I cut them back to the lowest bud or should I rather wait for the lower branches to catch up?
4. The chop was done horizontally, should I cut little V's from the top to the branch below or would that not be a problem for the future of the tree?
5. Thinking of the thickness of the trunk and future ramification, should I shorten the current branches by about 75% to one day have a nice proportionate balanced tree?

Thanks for the reply Jim.

Lennard