Page 51 - BSAM 2015 Q1

Top left; A wire is run along the inside of the entire branch and secured in place. Raffia and grafting tape are prepared for the next step.
Left, middle and bottom; and right, top and middle; David identifies the two most im- portant points of the branch to protect with grafting tape and layers of raffia. One point is where the separated live end merges with the trunk. The other point is the major stress point on the branch where the heaviest bend will occur.
Bottom right; While all the as- sistants hold the tree, growing box and table securely, David steadies himself and bends the branch.
Preventing a Split or Break
David identified the two most important points of the branch to protect. One point was where the separated live end merged with the trunk. The other point was a major stress point on the branch where the heaviest bend would occur. Failure to secure these points would almost guarantee a split at the wrong section or break along the branch.
To prevent this, David further secured the merg- ing point of the live end and the trunk with grafting tape. Once the grafting tape was set, he used raffia to thoroughly wrap the base of the separated live end. He repeated the process through the entire branch overlapping as he worked upwards to the apex of the branch. Additional layers of raffia were made around the segment of the branch where the heaviest bend would be made. Once David had reached the point where the bend would no longer occur, the raffia was tied and knotted to prevent unraveling.
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