Pyracantha Nursery Stock

Comments or suggestions??

It would be nice if you could find a plain background against which you could put the tree for photographs. It's hard to separate it from the busy background.

I'm sure you have already noticed one of the major problems with pyracantha -- taper. At first glance it appears they you have a rarity on pyracantha -- a trunk with graceful movement, rather than abrupt and acute angles. Then you see how uniformly thick the trunk is almost all the way to the top, and especially just after that first bend.

The tree needs to be a lot shorter, but unfortunately I don't see a potential new leader where it should be chopped -- just above that first major bend.

Instead, I suggest you go up to just above that branch you wired and chop it there (red line), then push the wired branch a bit more upright and put some movement in it if possible, then let it be for a good while. It takes forever for chop scars to heal on these.

Thank you AGAIN Jim,,,Do you mean use the wired branch for the new apex??? I will look at that right now.....Thanks john

Jim,
I know what you mean: I have been eyeing a pyracantha planting alongside my house for a potential airlayering, and almost all of what I can see has little taper and very abrubt angles...
Oliver

O K,, Jim i am sorry i did not see the lines you made...that branches can make a new apex..i will try and post the tree again when it is cut to your lines ,,i think i can put some movement also...thank you john

They're troublesome plants. One shouldn't start on a Pyracantha unless he knows he has a lot of time ahead to let it develop. Nonetheless, here's one I've started this year. It too is much too tall, and through it has some taper, it still is unsuited to be more than a shohin it is almost 2 feet tall now). The red line marks where I'm planning to chop next spring. I had considered the green line but the angle is too abrupt. (There is more to the base than you can see here.)

I'll get several cuttings out of the top part, which is why I'm waiting until spring.

JIM,, I think that will make a really good tree...it will have a stought trunk and i am sure nice branching when you work on it in the spring..cuttings i have no luck with but you that know how to take care of themdo good..thanks for posting...john

Here is the new apex that was suggested..i think it looks better..comments please thanks john

It does look better. Too bad, though, that there wasn't a branch lower down that cold have been used. That would have improved taper considerably.

Thank you Jim,, We went as low as i could go for a half desent apex..maybe when it fills out some,,it will be better..thank you for helping...john