Height reduction of a lime in hale, manchester

[Mesterh]

I wonder how many people wouldn't give a second thought to topping a leylandii but think its wrong to top a tree?

 

We are all hypocrites sometimes when it suits.

 

I should know since I am one!

[Frank]

I wouldn't top leylandii specimen tree. I would however reduce a hedgerow for maintenance purposes because as we all know that closely planted leylandii that are left to grow go very leggy and elongated searching for light and become weaker and more likely to snap big pieces out the top.

[Frank]

Taking the height out of a tree for light purposes is a joke. Either thin, and open pockets of blue sky to produce dappled shade or remove tree and replace with something of correct species for the correct spot.

[Mesterh]

I think your right with some trees in that its pointless to reduce and I do try and persuade a thin a lot of the time rather than a reduction but if it was reduce or fell then I would say a reduction is better most of the time. Otherwise we would loose a lot of large native trees.

[Frank]

Reduction or fell isn't the only option?

[Frank]

Anyway. We aren't talking about reductions we are talking about topping heavily.

[Dean Lofthouse]

We have many so called reductions round here that have now got ten times thicker crown than they had before the "reduction". The crowns are now, in only a few years, back to the original size and much much denser on the periphery, made up of straight poled fast growing epicormic.

 

Well done to those that did em, at least you have money in your wallet and the client a worse problem than they had before.

 

Comparing a leylandii topping is desperate

[Mesterh]

Reduction or fell isn't the only option?

 

Thats what you implied,either thin it or remove it, well thats how it came across to me anyhow.

[Mesterh]

Comparing a leylandii topping is desperate

 

How come?

 

Topping a leylandii is the same as say topping a syc,ash,oak etc. It produces the same impact ie more light instantly but as you say causes further problems later on, quicker denser growth and weaker growing points.

 

Besides I've seen more leylandii's fail due to topping than I have with hardwoods.

 

I'm not saying heavy reductions/toppings are a wonderful idea but it can be better than felling and replanting. They do require regular 'topping' pruning etc but thats the customers problem and as long as its been explained then I feel its ok.

 

In an ideal world we would all have massive gardens with untouched trees and no jobs:001_tongue:

[Dean Lofthouse]

How come?

 

 

Haha....I knew you'd be the first to bite