How hard to cut a Hawthorn tree ?

[David Goss]

I thinned and reduced a hawthorn that sounds about exactly the same as yours about 3 weeks ago. You will swear a lot and be pulling the tips of thorns out your skin for a few days afterwards. Its up to you how you want to go ahead with it and if you decide to cut it to a stump then that will sprout from just about everywhere. I am not a great fan of hawthorn to work on but they make good looking small trees. If you cut it to a stump it wont look as good anymore but you could do some creative topiary on it to cover up the ugliness of the stump.

[Mark Bolam]

Stump with a hat-tack framework then. My final offer.

 

You'll do well on this site Mr. James.

[18 stoner]

Can it not be left as it is?

 

At 25 feet it will have just about reached its mature height if there's not much competition near it.

 

Any pruning/reduction will be either pointless due to rate of regen, or spoil the tree IMO

[David Goss]

Can it not be left as it is?

 

At 25 feet it will have just about reached its mature height if there's not much competition near it.

 

Any pruning/reduction will be either pointless due to rate of regen, or spoil the tree IMO

 

Best option i have heard so far

[Flyguy]

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.

 

Thanks for the advice ! Much appreciated

 

Sounds like I'm all set - plenty of ignorance and tweezers are not a problem

 

Here are some pics. The tree is growing out of a 5'6" high privet hedge shared with our neighbours. Its a lovely tree, just getting a bit too big for its spot.

 

Other pic shows the rats nest of cris-crossing branches within the crown.

[Flyguy]

Yes you could - it would be called pollarding and would work very satisfactorily with hawthorn. Be warned though, it's an emotive subject on here, but ultimately it's your tree so do as you like!

 

Assuming it's currently looking healthy and putting on reasonable growth (look at this year's shoots and see if they're 6in or more long at the moment) then probably you'll get 3ft growth per year over the first couple of years, so it won't take long to stop looking like a pole.

 

Once you start down this route though you will need to do it again every few years - back to the start of the regrowth rather than making the trunk shorter and shorter, as the regrowth won't be so well attached to the trunk as the original branches. You could probably get away with doing it every 10yrs though if you don't want the hassle, or whenever it gets too big for your liking, so not too difficult.

 

Alec

 

 

Yep - its growing well. Picture shows what its put on this year already.

 

I was wondering about a 'semi-pollard'. Not cutting it right off at the main trunk but rather leaving 6-8 branches 1-2' long coming out. Something like whats shown in red.....

 

Is this potentially the best of both worlds ?

 

Cheers

[Flyguy]

Can it not be left as it is?

 

At 25 feet it will have just about reached its mature height if there's not much competition near it.

 

Any pruning/reduction will be either pointless due to rate of regen, or spoil the tree IMO

 

 

This is obviously the easiest option... and one I would be happy with. But the other 0.5 wants something done. So action is required !

 

Unfortunately the crown has engulfed a telephone line (thankfully not in use at present) that passes over our garden and it is just getting too big for its spot.

 

However I feel more confident that I'll not kill the thing now and if it regrows at 3' per year even the most barbarous of hack-jobs will soon be hidden !

 

Cheers

[David Goss]

seems a shame to cut it right back looking at it there, could you not just take in all the longer branches to where the crown gets tight. that way would be easier to pull them off the top and you would still have the tree.

[wisewood]

Yep - its growing well. Picture shows what its put on this year already.

 

I was wondering about a 'semi-pollard'. Not cutting it right off at the main trunk but rather leaving 6-8 branches 1-2' long coming out. Something like whats shown in red.....

 

Is this potentially the best of both worlds ?

 

Cheers

 

 

Have you been feeding this tree Readybrek?

[scottythepinetree]

If it was my tree, I'd just take the feathery branches off the top, where you can see light coming through in the picture. Bring the side in a foot or so, see what you think, if you still think more needs to come off, hack away.

If I was on the clock, and you were a customer, reckon I'd hack it to where you have marked, take the cash and run. But as you have the time, and money isn't an issue - once it's off it won't go back on.