How hard to cut a Hawthorn tree ?

[Flyguy]

Please excuse my ignorance, but as a non tree person I wonder if I might ask a question of the experts that know these things....

 

I have a largish Hawthorn in my back garden that has grown into a 25 foot tree. It looks great but has got a bit too big and has a very dense crown.

 

I would like to thin it out a bit and reduce its height and breadth. This doesnt seem to be a technically difficult job that a good pair of gloves and a pole saw wont cope with.

 

However I wanted to ask some advice about what the best time would be to cut it back. Also how hard it could be cut ? - as a hedging shrub am I right in thinking it can be cut back pretty extensively ?

 

Hints or tips from those that know would be much appreciated !

 

 

Cheers

[Matthew Arnold]

Please excuse my ignorance, but as a non tree person I wonder if I might ask a question of the experts that know these things....

 

I have a largish Hawthorn in my back garden that has grown into a 25 foot tree. It looks great but has got a bit too big and has a very dense crown.

 

I would like to thin it out a bit and reduce its height and breadth. This doesnt seem to be a technically difficult job that a good pair of gloves and a pole saw wont cope with.

 

However I wanted to ask some advice about what the best time would be to cut it back. Also how hard it could be cut ? - as a hedging shrub am I right in thinking it can be cut back pretty extensively ?

 

Hints or tips from those that know would be much appreciated !

 

 

Cheers

 

Best time to cut it would be in the winter and hammer it back as much as you want. It grows like mad (depending on growing conditions). Even if you knock down to a 3 foot high stump it would only take a couple of years or so to become a nicely shaped and easily managed bush.

[yorkshire pudding]

Yeah, very sturdy bugger, should be fine to do a little trimming around now.

Ever seen hedge laying done? The trunk is almost severed in the making of the hedgerow, and they stand that well. Just mind your eye's and get some thick gloves/someone else to drag.

[testcricket01]

you could cut it down to a 1 foot stem it would still sprout out

[agg221]

The natural form is a very dense crown though - so consider whether you want a bush or a reduced-height tree. If the latter, pretty much trim round the edges until you get what you want, and do it again every few years.

 

Alec

[Jesse]

you may think you need to prune it, put up with it for another 5 years , enjoy it for what it is now and when you really feel you need to prune it ,,,,, fell it. and plant another sp of tree that you can leave alone.

[muldonach]

Please excuse my ignorance, but as a non tree person I wonder if I might ask a question of the experts that know these things....

 

I have a largish Hawthorn in my back garden that has grown into a 25 foot tree. It looks great but has got a bit too big and has a very dense crown.

 

I would like to thin it out a bit and reduce its height and breadth. This doesnt seem to be a technically difficult job that a good pair of gloves and a pole saw wont cope with.

 

However I wanted to ask some advice about what the best time would be to cut it back. Also how hard it could be cut ? - as a hedging shrub am I right in thinking it can be cut back pretty extensively ?

 

It will be almost impossible to reduce a how

 

Hints or tips from those that know would be much appreciated !

 

 

Cheers

 

It will be almost impossible to reduce a hawthorn crown with a polesaw unless you are really really luck - the very dense growing habit makes it very difficult to get anything you cut out of the crown unless you can get a really good grip on it.

 

A good deal of patience may be required but as others have said they are impossible to kill with a saw - winter is best and cut it back as much as you want.

 

We had some hedges on the farm which had grown into trees - well past the stage of being able to lay them so we simply felled them and put a sloping cut on the stump - they have never looked back and the regrowth is just about due to be layed.

 

cheers

mac

[scotspine1]

I have a largish Hawthorn

 

I would like to thin it out a bit

 

Probably not a good idea.

 

Its a very difficult job that few pro tree surgeons would take on as some of the inner branches will be woven through the crown and each other, making them nigh on impossible to remove without damaging other stems which are being retained.

 

Reducing the crown size should achieve decent results, ideally done between autumn and early spring.

[Flyguy]

Thanks for all the feedback guys ! Great advice.

 

You are right - there are a fair few crossing branches up in the crown and I see what you mean in terms of these being very difficult to get out with everything so dense.

 

 

How about this for a plan B:

 

Would it be feasible to just cut the main trunk at around 8 feet off the ground just below where the crown starts to branch out ? Would the regrowth then sprount from this cut ? How long would it take before it doesnt look like a pole with some leaves on top ?

 

Thanks again !

[scottythepinetree]

Any chance of a photo or 2 of the tree and the setting? You can cut them pretty much any way you like, I find with hawthorn pretty much anything can be achieved with a polesaw, a hook (usually insulated rods and a silky, control hook) and the right level of ignorance. Oh, and later, a good pair of tweezers and/or sterilised pin.