每日吃瓜

leatherback wrote: Image ending on 251 is the one which shows you the future tree. All other branches will eventually have to be removed and yinned,

You're thinking along the exact same lines as I do (I have proof this time - it's what I wrote ). The only difference:
I advised to remove (some of) the tops - meaning the tops on the trunk, that already has new foliage lower on the trunk.
I thought that would force the tree to compensate and make this foliage grow faster. Now I trust your horticortural knowledge more than mine, so I did not want to argue. Would cutting of the top reduce the flow and make the lower buds actualy grow slower, or stop them growing (no foliage in the top = no auxins in the top and less along the way = less sap flow?)

And yes, this would be a long term project - it would take many years to develop the branches, +10 years to develop good new branches.

as long as the foliage does not shade the young foliage, it would not slow it down. Cutting it down now would mean less energy is captured by the tree, reducing growth overall, but especially, put strain on the roots. So I would reduce the end growth slowly, in line with the growth nearer to the trunk to keep this in balance and spare the roots.

But maybe we can wait for the experts on the forum to respond on how to make this an amazing tree in 2 years.

leatherback wrote: as long as the foliage does not shade the young foliage, it would not slow it down. Cutting it down now would mean less energy is captured by the tree, reducing growth overall, but especially, put strain on the roots. So I would reduce the end growth slowly, in line with the growth nearer to the trunk to keep this in balance and spare the roots.

Makes sense. Back-budding "is a response to pruning and pinching that activates dormant buds back away from the active growing areas of a plant, deeper inside the tree structure" but indeed "You can promote back-budding by letting the tree grow wild until it is in excellent health and has lots of energy reserves, and then cutting it back hard "

(quotes from and )

I like to take it slow and gradually (you can cut a branch, but you cannot uncut it), so I'm going to agree with you, once again: strong growth first, cut back later.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll leave it like it is for now and try to keep it in good shape.