In some cases, there will be three small buds and one large bud at the tip of a lateral. When this occurs, the third bud will be attached to the stem of the central bud together with a small leaf. The 1st and 2nd side buds will be in their usual place on their respective stems. When the buds are first visible, all four are firmly packed together and hard to differentiate. All three of the smaller buds should be removed.
If a plant is not disbudded, all the buds will develop. The picture on the right shows a central bud and two side buds whose stems are lengthening. Eventually, the stems will be 6 to 10 inches long and all three buds will bloom. The three blooms will be approximately the same size but smaller than the central bloom would be if the two side buds were removed.
Ideally, when the blossom is mature, the length of the stem of the central bud should be 1 and 1/2 times the diameter of the bloom.
Technically, the removal of the side buds and the third small bud, if it exists, constitutes disbudding. However, in practice the activity of disbudding also includes removing some laterals.
When the small side buds have been removed, two questions need to be asked and acted upon when answered.
- Will the stem for this bloom be long enough for the purpose it is to be used?
Blooms are generally cut just above a node. In the picture on the right, two side buds were removed from the first node below the central bud. The next node down has two laterals (*sometimes two buds instead of two laterals) and two leaves. In the picture, the distance from the bud to just above the second node is about three inches. By the time the bud matures into a full bloom, that distance may be estimated at 9 to 12 inches--not really long enough to ensure good placement in a competition type vase. Therefore, the two laterals at the second node would be carefully removed--do not remove or injure the leaves. Later the bloom would be cut just above the third node and the stem would be 18 to 20 inches long.
Alternatively, if the distance from the bloom to just above the second node was estimated to be 15 to 20 inches, the two laterals at the second node would be retained and the bloom stem would be cut just above the second node.
The picture on the right is a similar view of another plant. It is presented in the hopes that one of the two pictures will be helpful in understanding disbudding and removing laterals.
The second question is:
- Do we want this plant to be on the tall side, the short side, or medium height for its type?
If it is desired that the plant be taller than the average, do not remove any more laterals than is required to get the desired stem length. If a shorter plant is desired, remove the laterals at the next node down. Some people remove laterals two and three nodes below the node where the side buds were removed. In the picture, the laterals at the second node are currently about waist high. They will grow considerably. A little imagination suggests that leaving the laterals at the second node would eventually result in a very tall plant.
Removing laterals is an art not a science. The beginner is advised to disbud and remove the laterals at the next node down if they are laterals. If the growth at that node appears to be additional buds, they should be removed. Beginners will not be beginners for long. They will very quickly develop their own disbudding and lateral removing strategies once they see the results.
Happy Disbudding!!!