craig1410
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 03:33 PM |
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Rowan tree pruning advice please?
Hi,
I've got a rowan tree in the front garden and it is badly in need of pruning to reduce size as it is encroaching on my next door
neighbour's property and I expect the root ball will be getting too close to our house. It's also starting to block the light from our
living room window.
So, I've read up a bit on this and apparently they are hardy trees and difficult to 'kill' but I'd like some specific advice
if anyone out there has green fingers. I'm particularly keen because a combination of radical pruning and last winter's severe weather
killed off a supposedly indestructible eucalyptus tree in our back garden. Probably just as well though as it would not have survived the recent
storms I don't think and was tall enough that it could have hit our house if it fell.
Anyway, here's a pic of the rowan tree. Any tips on how best to go about reducing the size without killing it or leaving it looking ridiculous
would be appreciated. I want to reduce the canopy to around 50-70% of the current diameter if possible.
Many thanks,
Craig.
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jacko
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 04:02 PM |
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Maybe not what you want , but i would think about cutting it down and say planting a small ever green tree/ bush colour all year round , before the
roots start to do damage to your house
the only fingers i have are oily fingers 
jacko
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craig1410
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 04:05 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by jacko
Maybe not what you want , but i would think about cutting it down and say planting a small ever green tree/ bush colour all year round , before the
roots start to do damage to your house
the only fingers i have are oily fingers
jacko
Not ruling anything out at this stage so what you suggest is perfectly reasonable. It might well come to that because the tree trunk and main branches
are now of a size where it might be difficult to prune to 50% canopy size without it looking stupid and out of proportion. I'd like a nice
cherry tree but they make a hell of a mess when they drop their petals... 
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foskid
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 04:38 PM |
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I would think it would be pretty difficult to reduce the canopy of a tree like that without it looking odd. You could cut it off at about 3-4 feet and
put a sundial on it or even a nice bird table, that would keep it tidy and decorative.
He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.
George Bernard Shaw
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LoMoss
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 06:18 PM |
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Do not flat top it. People will just think you have had the gypos around.
Best practice is to remove any dead and crossing branches first. Stand back and look at it. You want to make it look more of a wine glass shape. Try
and cut any braches at a Y where the transition in diameters is not too noticeable. Nothing worse than seeing a 3" branch cut back to a
.5" side branch. Leave as many twiggy branches as possible, this will slow down the growth in its height.
Remove the basal shoots too.
HTH
Hall
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britishtrident
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 06:35 PM |
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It is at a stage where it would still be easy to take the whole tree out , two or three years down the line it will be a major job to remove.
Cut as near the surface as possible if you find any roots near the surface chop through them.
For a replacement look to a suitable Cherry loads to choose from many varieties of Japanese Cherry, or the shaped Flagpole Cherry, Weeping
Cherry and Wine Glass Cherry. You could also put in a suitable self-fertile fruiting cherry such as the Marello.
You alternatively plant a an apple tree on suitable dwarfing root stock but they need looking after ie pruning and spraying, a Plum tree
would do well but plums tend to a very untidy after a few years.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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motorcycle_mayhem
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 07:03 PM |
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If it were me, that 'thing' would be reduced to nothingness. I'd then shutter up the grassy bit and apply several inches of
concrete.
Funnily enough, I've just had the tree surgeons do one helluva job at the house. Many enormous (making yours look like a minature) firs, beeches
and others removed. They were interfering with the driveway, power lines, everything.
Whatever you do, don't wait until the thing gets *huge*
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catman
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 07:25 PM |
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im an arborist, i would suggest a 30% crown reduction and a crown thin, this will reduce the canopy but this will need to be carried out every couple
of years. if carried out properly this can done without any harm to the tree. As said above maybe think about a smaller tree. Rowan although a
relativily small tree at 10-15 m high, it has a wide crown, if you go for a smaller species such as Betula pendula youngii (under 10m) this might be
better suited
HTH
Ed
caged supersix
Carbon/GRP
210 bhp silvertop
190 lbft
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craig1410
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 07:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by motorcycle_mayhem
If it were me, that 'thing' would be reduced to nothingness. I'd then shutter up the grassy bit and apply several inches of
concrete.
Funnily enough, I've just had the tree surgeons do one helluva job at the house. Many enormous (making yours look like a minature) firs, beeches
and others removed. They were interfering with the driveway, power lines, everything.
Whatever you do, don't wait until the thing gets *huge*
Ha ha, it looks lovely in the summer. And in the winter even more so. It comes out in nice pink berries which the birds love.
It's been growing steadily for the last 10 years. I've got pictures from 2005 when we moved in and it was certainly a lot thinner but not
much difference in height.
Keep the advice coming guys, I'm taking it all in!
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craig1410
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 07:31 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by catman
im an arborist, i would suggest a 30% crown reduction and a crown thin, this will reduce the canopy but this will need to be carried out every couple
of years. if carried out properly this can done without any harm to the tree. As said above maybe think about a smaller tree. Rowan although a
relativily small tree at 10-15 m high, it has a wide crown, if you go for a smaller species such as Betula pendula youngii (under 10m) this might be
better suited
HTH
Ed
I knew there would be an arborist out there somewhere....good old LB forum!
Okay, when you say 30% crown reduction, is this overall diameter? Are we talking about taking a 2 meter branch (say) down to 1.4m?
Crown thinning - Is that removing dead wood and reducing the number of twigs? Apologies for my lack of arborist vocabulary...
Properly? I was thinking garden cutters for small twigs and branches, tree loppers for the thumb size branches and a saw for larger ones. Does that
sound right? Do I need to seal up the wounds with sealer?
I'd like to try and recover the tree if I can but plan B will definitely be a remove and replant and I'll take a look at your recommended
species when that time comes.
Thanks!
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catman
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| posted on 29/1/12 at 09:35 PM |
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a third crown reduction is......... i will try to explain. reduce the crowns height and width by 30%, keeping the same natural shape. for a tree that
size you might be taking 2m of the top and 1m of all the sides ie. 2m less overall width, you then shape the crown so it looks natural. you would be
better off using secaturs and a folding saw, make sure you cut just above a bud or branch union. the crown thin is removing the three D's dead
diseased and dying, anything that looks unhealthy normally is. dont remove any branch over 10cm unless you have to (probably not relavant in this
case)
HTH
Ed
caged supersix
Carbon/GRP
210 bhp silvertop
190 lbft
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craig1410
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| posted on 4/3/12 at 11:34 PM |
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Hi guys,
Well I had a go at my Rowan tree today and am pretty happy with the results. I didn't go overboard with the pruning but I can do some more next
year if necessary. I just hope I haven't killed it!
Thanks for all advice offered, I'll let you know how it goes...
Craig.
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