A few years ago (2?) I cut back my tallllll Riviera Rainbow down to a 2-1/2' trunk. I was scared but it made me brave. I have one of the cuttings growing great in the ground, still waiting for a bloom from it though. But now the mother plant has 4 new branches that are so long and leggy, I need 4 separate stakes to keep them growing like a proper tree or it will fall over! Seriously. They must be 4 ft in length leaning this way and that! It I got a bloom from one branch so it's branching out making it more top heavy. If I cut them, and I will, they won't bloom for another 2-3 years. How in the heck do I maintain this giant lanky tree and get blooms??

Can you show us a pic, Cheryl? I hope some of the Florida people will have an answer for you.

I'll try tomorrow morning. I have it leaning up and supported between other trees. If I can capture it, it aint gonna be pretty!

Good luck!

Ok, it's worse than I thought. The branches are about 5-6 ft long on a 30" trunk. Here are two opposite views. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Riviera Rainbow is a tall grower, but yours is excessively lanky and thin-branched and I suspect it is not growing in optimal conditions. Most specifically, full sun.

Yes. And as my screenname suggests, I have a shady yard. But it is in the sunniest place in the yard, on the driveway where additional heat is attained from the bottom through the cement. Enough sun, in fact, some of the leaves are getting sunburned right now. So, @Dutchlady1 are you saying there is no solution since this is as much sun I can give it and it still appears to need more?

Just to add, this is the 2-3 yr old cutting in the ground. I see its heading the same lanky direction. It gets about 8 hrs of sunlight a day.

Like I said, it tends to be a tall grower, but I'm a bit puzzled why yours is so excessively lanky and (especially) thin. Are you maybe over-fertilizing, encouraging a lot of growth?

No extra fertilizing at all. In fact, with all the Medical drama in my life right now, sorry to say they haven't had bloom fertilizer since March. I'd venture to say they have grown 12-15" this season alone. In the bottom pic of the in-ground tree, the shorter branch is brand new this year. The tip had frozen back and I cut it off. This is new growth, it's about 14" long! They grow like weeds. Some branches are thicker than others. One is ready to snap, it's so long. I have it braced and staked. I'm thinking of trimming them all back to encouage lower branching. But the new branches will grow just as tall. Then that also means no flowers for another 2 yrs. Dilemma.

Well, i went ahead and staked it up with some of the looooong bamboo I just got until I figure out what to do. It needs a new pot but it will only grow faster. So, Ixll put it in the ground next year and dig it up each winter. I hope the bamboo doesnt start growing. I needed the stakes before I could dry them. It looks like a regulation tree now. But still lanky. Anyone else have a clue?


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@ShadyGreenThumb I know this is years old but any updates?

nuswodahs said:@ShadyGreenThumb I know this is years old but any updates?

Sorry. I went AWall for a time. The only update I have for you is the tree is about 14 ft tall! It finally flowered at about 12 feet so it branched out at least. I did some pruning, cutting it in half. but the tree just shot up unfazed. I've pruned and gifted 2 main branches leaving 2 others as is. As you can see, they all 4 are pretty much the same size except one branch that got hit by the freeze. The branch didn't die but it's stunted com[are to the others. I find it keeps the taller trees from falling over. But I still have to stake them. Another friend has Black Bamboo that he generously shares with me in pieces so long I have to trim to fit into my car. . It's gorgeous bamboo! I took the time to spray varnish them. They look like nice furniture! So at least my stakes are pretty. heh heh heh Photo later...