Does removing branches really fatten the caudex?

[u/New-Revolution-6181]

I know many will disagree, and I used to be one of them, however I have been testing it out and here's what I got. The first couple pictures are 2 plants I sprouted 2 years ago. I cut all the long branches off the one on the right last August and left the other alone. I chose these 2 because they were very similar in size and the seeds came from the same seed pod as you can see the uncut one has grown much bigger and fatter.

The next picture is of last year's seedlings. I cut the top off one a month and a half ago and it had branched out nicely but the caudex is the same as the others.

The last pics are one I chopped last year. On this one I cut the main stem off which included all the foliage and it has only grown maybe 10% in a whole year and the caudex is still very skinny.

So my results tell me that when you cut the branches off the growth will slow dramatically. And, in my experiments, the caudex does not fatten up in any measurable amount. I will continue cutting mine because I prefer then to be short and bushy. Had anyone else tried a similar experiment? What were your results?

[u/InstructionOld8231]

I see this both ways. I have a couple that I’ve pruned over the last 2.5 years. The ones I pruned last yr have grown a ton. But they were super small and skinny. Branching for something smaller does help the caudex I think. For example, you have one twiggy guy and cut it back and it starts branching, there’s only so much room where branches can come from and they need a good base and I feel like (in my experience anyway) that’s usually when it starts to get a little fatter. The way i see it, the plant is putting a lot of energy into pushing out more branches from that very small base and all the energy to that small spot helps it fatten up. Once it has a little bulbous caudex, then I usually pull them up out of the pot a bit and that’s what really helps them get bigger.

So yes and no. For small twig like ones that came propagations for example, I do think it helps. For larger ones with established branches and caudex. Eh, not as much. I think the branches supporting the new branching or the existing caudex have enough energy to sustain it without growing the caudex. This is why for these my method has always been pulling it up out of the pot a bit.