How do i force (encourage) a plant to flower and fruit at a younger age?

Discussion in 'Plants: Science and Cultivation' started by Soumil Yarlagadda, Oct 1, 2022.

  1. Soumil Yarlagadda

    Soumil Yarlagadda Well-Known Member Maple Society

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    Hello everyone, I was wondering if there was something i could apply/spray on a plant to flower and fruit earlier in its life than it usually does (say if a tree finally starts flowering 10 years after it germinated, but i can do something to make it flower much earlier). could i spray florigen/gibberellic acid on the plant?

    In short, i want to shorten the vegetative/juvenile phase of a seedling and bring it directly to flowering. could this happen?

    Thanks, Soumil
    useful links i found so far:

    Regulation of floral initiation in horticultural trees

    Shortening the juvenile phase
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2022
  2. woodschmoe

    woodschmoe Active Member 10 Years

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    Look up “bark inversion”. Not a spray/substance as requested, but depending on the plant it can produce the precocious effect you’re looking for.
     
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  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I just did. Looks a very risky process - unless you're a well-trained grafter with plenty of experience, you're more likely to kill the tree than get the desired effect.
     
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  4. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    I'd never heard of bark inversion, but discovered that it is similar to, but more complicated than girdling, which I do every year on my grape vines and have tried on apple and cherry trees. From what I read, the affect of both procedures is similar; so, I'm not sure why anyone would use the more difficult one. Anyway, I've found that girdling will increase flowering the following year; and it seems to hasten ripening. In grapes it certainly increases the size of the fruit, especially for seedless grapes. I've never noticed any problems with girdling, the small gap in the cambium layer gets grown over fairly quickly.
     
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  5. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    The major difference with bark inversion is that it is potentially quickly lethal - girdling is just wounding, which it is fairly easy to recover from (though can still lead to potentially dangerous infections), where as bark inversion is like cutting someone's head off and then stitching it back on the other way round. Unless you're a really expert transplant surgeon, don't attempt this at home.
     
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  6. Puddleton

    Puddleton Active Member 10 Years

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    Bark inversions reminds me of the story a college teacher was once told about a walnut grower centuries ago.
    After a particularly poor yield one season, he vented his frustration by whipping the trunk of one particular tree with a cane.
    The following year that tree had a tremendous yield while the others were still poor
    It's likely the whipping cut the phloem tissue sufficiently to shock the tree.
    I gather the superstition gradually became practice
     
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