AusBonsai

I'm trying to learn and understand about sacrifice and escape branches. I understand the base idea of how they can be utilised. I'm trying to understand how they can be used to increase overall growth on the tree, not just to fatten up the area where they grow from.

There is an old thread on here that I tried to dig up yesterday but can't find. It was a step-by-step guide on how to grow mature looking ficus quickly. In the guide I remember it just suggested getting any branch and letting it grow vertical. Basically, a single main leader and using that to promote growth.

I've also been looking at R3's pines and some of them seem (to me) to be doing something similar (viewtopic.php?f=131&t=25843&start=240 see April 14th, 2022, 5:24 pm). Not necessarily having the sacrifice branch at the very base of the tree. The 'sacrifice branch' appears to just be the current main leader.

My question is: If I'm looking to maximise growth over the whole tree, should I use a main leader / vertical growing branch as the sacrifice branch or is it better to have the branch as close to the roots as possible to promote taper? Option 3 - these have 2 different purposes, choose what's appropriate?
With this Banksia spinulosa (ignore the 1st branch, because I'm just thickening that up), should I let the leader grow as the escape branch or should I choose a sacrifice / escape branch from near the roots the next time one sprouts in that location? This tree backbuds a lot, so a new branch near the base is always on the way.

With some examples of escape branches I've seen, they have no side branches. If I let the leader continue to grow vertically, should I remove any side branches to encourage it to just grow vertically?

Yes Tim, you let the leader (which is itself a sacrifice branch) rocket away after putting some movement (if you want) on the lower part and cut it back when it has reached about the diameter of the part it's coming from now. By then that part should have more or less doubled. Then select a new leader and repeat. With sacrifice branches, the most important thing to remember is to keep them all in balance and not allow the higher ones to over take the lower ones. Do this by selectively cutting back or removing the offenders.

With some examples of escape branches I've seen, they have no side branches. If I let the leader continue to grow vertically, should I remove any side branches to encourage it to just grow vertically?

No keep them as they all contribute but keep in mind what I said about balance above.

I remember some key words from the fig guide so here it is:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6717

Thanks, BirchMan. That's the one! Bookmark added.

That thread is great because of so many members who jumped in and had a go and many progress pics.