All good advice here. Some additional notes that back up these recommendations:
- Hormones going up the stem that might be disrupted by notching have no consequence here, as reported in the video. Rather, it is hormones going down the stem from "above" that normally suppress branching that are disrupted, and so allow for new branching.
- Similarly, hormones have consequence in incredibly tiny amounts, and I can't stress enough how minuscule that is. For many plants, as tarev suggests, just cutting of the tiny tiny tiny amount of hormones that a leaf produces by removing the leaf, can stimulate bud growth.
- Dormant buds (technically called adventitious buds) attach to the stem rather weakly, originating from the outer part of the stem. Axillary buds (the ones that form naturally, in general) attach from deep inside the stem and are stronger and won't fall off so easily with excessive weight or break off as easily with an inadvertent bump. The bud that tarev is suggesting is an axillary bud.
- Notching (when appropriate) tends to be with woody plants, not to with succulents, since the comparatively non-fibrous, juicy stem of succulents is also more prone to infection, and the benefit in the end overall isn't always beneficial for other reasons, too. FYI, notching can stimulate both adventitious and axillary buds, but it could b hard to tell the difference.
Despite all this, experimenting is always fun and educational, whether it achieves your goal or not. If you want to try notching, go for it!
P.S. Tarev, great photos!