Thinning Tips - put in your 10p's worth

[Dr.Green]

im fairly new to this arb game - any good tips for thinning and any realy handy tools you have come across to get out to those very thin branches at the ends (appart from a rope)

 

i like the idea of less is more.

[Brad_28]

A light weight pole set with pruner on the end give u a longer reach without the need to put weight on the branch tips. Can be handy sumtimes

[David Goss]

I like the Fiskars pole pruner to get to the tips and Silky Zubat pole saw for the thicker stuff the fiskars cant handle. As for the thinning itself that comes with experience. I always break the tree into sections like quarters or eighths and work on each section at a time, working from top down unless its real hairy and then i work from bottom up or you just end up making a huge nest for yourself. Look at each group of branches and decide which ones will become problems later, like crossing/damaged branches and take them out first then if you still need to take more then look at which ones are being suppressed by others or occupying the same space and take either one out depending which you feel is best to leave. Always make good pruning cuts and try to leave the crown as balanced as possible and you will do good work.

[RobArb]

don't "lion tail" by thinning the middle of the crown, only thin the outer crown whenever possible

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Depends how you define thinning.

 

There's been a bit of hot debate about this with some people seemingly extolling the virtues of thinning to produce a 'lighter more airy crown'.

The others say this is bad, causing lion tailing and removing the branches that the tree is developing for the mature phase of it's life:001_smile:

 

Well there's a can of worms right there:laugh1:

Sorry for the side track but it's relevant.

 

Apart from that, use a silky saw:thumbup1:

[Tree cutter Stu]

dont bother its a waste of time and money.

[David Goss]

dont bother its a waste of time and money.

 

Why do you say that?

[Le Sanglier]

dont bother its a waste of time and money.

 

firm but fair

[Adam Bourne]

don't "lion tail" by thinning the middle of the crown, only thin the outer crown whenever possible

 

 

[matt.akers]

Stupid question, but what's lion tailing?