Topping out leylandii's

[Patchwork]

Somone wants me to top out a 35-45ft leylandii, for more light into their garden. just wanted to know what every one thinks about this practice, as its a grey area at colleage. iv topped trees befor, but only when dismanteling. have never liked the appearance of connifers with the tops taken off, but this guy is pretty determined and their are maby bad tree surgons round my area that would quitehapply do it. i told him if i was going to do it i would only take out 3 meters at most. and as its staying in after its been topped i wanted to question the issue about spikes.

[Tree cutter Stu]

who are the bad tree surgeons in your area then ???

 

3m is a 3rd and thats what people normally take off conifers.

[Patchwork]

well not bad companys as such (and if their were i wouldnt name names on here), but just alot of people who will do the tree work, but not really know what their doing. comming from surrey/hampshire u must know how much money their is to be made around here. Lots of big trees + well off people wanted to keep them in their large gardens = pikeys wet dream. what about spiking? or is it possible to secure yourself safley with Work position strops and/or timber hitch ariel rescure style anchor points?

[Tree cutter Stu]

i live very close to merrist wood is that where u done your ND ? there are alot of big trees over this way but as you call them pikeys mostly do little jobs.

 

leaving the bigger jobs to people such as my self. I only ever wear my spikes when im taking sumthing big down. If the conifer is only small cant you just climb up it like a ladder????

[kevwrenn]

surely shouldnt be using spikes on anything that you are not taking down totally??????

[Husqvarna King]

when topping conifers i normally only take up a cheap Eurostop, these are cheap and theres plenty to stand on when your up there, never wear spikes unless a takedown!!

[Patchwork]

yeah i was being anti spikes in asking. just didnt wanna get up their put my cuts in see the top go over and be shaken out the tree. + this is my first time topping a conifer out that is staying in. its got a hell of alot of growth on, so i dont think ladder is an option. and also its pretty high where i wanna top it so not sure it would reach. yeah i just finished my 1st year at merrist wood, was staying for a second but now going to NZ for 18months, at the end of that i may come back and do the second year or stay out their. again i was being anti spiking a live tree staying in, just wanted to make 100% sure i was going about it the correct way.

[benedmonds]

Do what he wants, it's only a leylandii. It will survive 50% off the top probably more. It might look stupid but the alternative is to take it out and plant something else. If he won't go for that think of it as a big hedge. No need for spikes.

[kevwrenn]

they are usually pretty ladder like to climb anyway.... as in previous post, i normally just use harness and strop, no rope.... unless they are massive of course, never had any shake before... have they ever been topped before?? if so there will be a few smaller stems rather than a single bigger one anyway.... biggest problem will be branches getting hung up as they fall...

[Patchwork]

hasnt been topped befor, one unbroken stem all the way up, yeah proably will climb with my work position strop and a steel flip line for the cuts. tried to tell him it would be better to take the whoal thing out and replant somthing else, but he seems to think a topped leylandii will look better. how do they react with regrowth after topping? much growth from adventatious buds?