Top funding - definition with explanations
In the short version, the law of top-level funding reads:
- The top bud has the strongest vigor, it sprouts more vigorously than the deeper buds.
also read
- The three laws of deciduous tree growth
- The birch and its buds - harvest and use correctly
- Cut the avocado plant correctly - this is how it works
The bud at the top of an annual shoot receives most of the nutrients. For this reason it sprouts stronger than all other buds along the shoot and at the same time forms the longest new shoot. The greater the distance from a bud to the tip, the lower the nutrient supply and the shorter the new shoot.
What does the top funding mean for practice in the private garden?
Please take a look at the illustration below. On the left you can see a one-year, unbranched long shoot. A documents how this long shoot developed after one year if it was not cut. A powerful new shoot shoots skyward from the tip of the bud. Noticeably shorter shoots sprout from the lower-lying buds, the deeper the bud position.
The effect of sap pressure on growth is closely related to the Peak Aid Act. This comes into play as soon as you cut a shoot. Let's stay with the picture below. The shoot in B was cut back by a third in February. Again, the law of top-level promotion has the effect that the longest shoots grow from the upper buds. As the number of buds has decreased, more reserve material is available for each bud. This fact leads to the fact that the new shoots become longer, with the top shoot showing the longest growth.
In C it is documented that the shoot is stronger the more you cut. All the energy is invested in a few buds, after which very long shoots are formed. After a short flowering or Fruitwood you will look in vain here.
The tip bud sprouts most strongly on the uncut branch (A). The stronger the pruning, the stronger the growth from the top buds (B, C)
Interplay of top funding and juice printing - conclusion
In the pruning of fruit trees, the principles of peak extraction and sap pressure are closely related. As a result of the interrelationship presented above, it should be noted:
- Heavy pruning promotes growth in height
- Weak pruning reduces the vigor in favor of blossom and fruit wood formation
Repeatedly severely pruning a shrub or tree creates an imbalance between the uncut root volume and the cut shoots. The strong sap pressure leads to strong growth, so that long, unsightly laps are created and the compact shape is lost.
Tips
The law of top funding plays an important role in the upbringing of flowering shrubs to become tall stems. The tip of the central shoot is only cut when it is enthroned at least 3 to 5 buds above the desired crown height. If you cut the top bud too early, the high stem will never reach the intended height.
