Help needed for strong trunk development

Hi everyone!
I have gotten a desert willow to successfully root from a cutting- I know it is one of the easiest but it is my first and I am thrilled. :-)
Does any one have any suggestions for developing a strong trunk? I have trimmed off all but four of the side branches. The remaining branches have put on about half a foot of healthy growth in about 6 weeks. The trunk is very slender - about the size of my pinkie finger (my pinkie is average size, LOL).
Thanks for any help you can give.
Angele

Yes, put all the branches back on. ;o) Scars from branches that are smaller than 1" diam heal rather quickly, so leaving them on at least until they reach that diameter will increase trunk diameter many times faster than removing them. In spring, the plant uses most of its stored energy to produce foliage. When foliage is about 75% mature, the foliage becomes a net producer of photosynthate (energy) instead of an energy sink (net user). This is the time when leaves stop forming & branches stop elongating as the tree gets serious about storing energy for the coming winter. This is also the time when branches, trunks & limbs produce layer after layer of cells in the cambium, increasing their girth considerably. Leaving the branches on, maximizes the photosynthesizing area (# of leaves) & produces the most wood in the shortest time.

Al

DOH! Thanks for your wonderful explanation Al,
Live & learn :-)

Forgive me. DOH? ;o) Probably something simple, but it escapes me.

Al

It is from a Television show.. said when a person does something dumb, usually accompanied by a self-inflicted slap to the forehead.

OK. That's why I was confused. I thought it was "DUH!". ;o)

Al

To strengthen the trunks of landscape trees here, we take the nursery stakes off (which are tied directly to the trunks, supporting it in a similar way that a cast supports a broken arm) and place one or two (depending on the strength of wind locally) lodge pole stakes in the ground outside the root ball area. Rubber ties are tied in a loop, from one stake and around the trunk, then from the other stake and around the trunk (the ties make a loop from the stake, with the trunk in the middle). This way the tree can sway with the wind (exercise!) but not be pushed hard enough or far enough to break. Moving with the wind encourages the tree to strengthen it's trunk. This is difficult to explain without a drawing! If you want a drawing of this, davemail me and I will send it to you.

k

I really want to thank you both (Al & k) for your very nice answers. I continue to be amazed by the knowledge and the sharing souls here.
k- I think I understand but will be emailing you when I attempt this if I run into difficulty.
Thanks again :-)
Angele

well here we are 9 months later and the cutting has definitely rooted and is doing well despite its pruning. It has grown more than a foot this spring and buds opened this morning. This is the color of our sky at just before 7 am :)

I'm not pruning this year. The staking went well and the very slender trunk seems to have strengthened quite a bit.

I really, really wish I cold grow that beautiful little tree here. I've seen some very large ones along the Gila River in the southern part of your state and fell in love with them. We're using xChitalpa instead, and even that is barely hardy here.

Guy S.

I have a Catalpa bignonioides var. nana in my front yard that is in need of help. The leaves are much smaller than they should be. I fed it with iron (spray) last year and put in several tree food stakes at the drip-line this year but it still doesn't look as healthy as it should. I love the shape and size and really don't mind that it doesn't bloom as much as the regular Catalpa because it fits the landscape so well. Does your xChiltapa bloom where you are? I'm looking forward to a long season with the willow.

Yes, we have had flowers the past two years. But I dread the return of a "real" winter because the xChitalpa and many other pleasant surprises here are likely to meet their maker.

Guy S.

Time will tell, there sure has been some difference in the weather the last few years, we are in a severe drought this year after a wet winter and spring the year before. We didn't get our normal summer thunderstorms last year. The winter was extremely mild so I didn't get any lilac blooms. I used to live within a few miles of the Gila near Silver City. There are some gorgeous stretches of it. I loved the Catwalk near Cliff. I lived near Elgin for a couple of years when I was a young teen- the evening sky was a blue I've never seen since! It seemed to color the atmosphere? clear down to just above my head.

I saw a Mexican oak species, Quercus rugosa, in Catwalk Canyon! And I love the nice sycamore grove at the entrance.
Guy S.