Hornbeam growth question

[farmer rod]

I planted some hornbeam two years ago, and although they look healthy and are growing, only a couple have made any effort to grow upwards. Some of the trees almost look like a weeping variety.

 

Have I bought the wrong plants? or given time will they pick up and put on some vertical growth?

[woodyguy]

Reduce side branches by a third. Then the sugars produced by the leaves on those branches will go towards thickening the stem but the top growing point will get a boost.

now is a good time, pair of secateurs and a few secs per tree. Take them off entirely in a year or two when they're growing tall and straight. Any genuine forks in the growing point should be removed entirely.

[Paul Cleaver]

So would it be best to prune now, ie during the growing season, or wait till winter and take side branches out, or even leave it for couple of years and then have a go?

 

woody has nailed it - (above)

[openspaceman]

woody has nailed it - (above)

 

Yes Woody's is a good concise answer

[farmer rod]

I'm on it when when the sun next shines, thanks for the advice.

 

Rod

[openspaceman]

I'm on it when when the sun next shines, thanks for the advice.

 

Rod

 

Aim to keep at least 40% of the height in crown, try not to have pruning cuts at the stem greater than 25mm and keep pruning wounds in first 100mm of stem. We used to stop pruning at 6 metres.

 

Being itinerant I often never saw the process through and I can point to a lime avenue I planted in 1980 where the pruning stopped at 1.5 metres, subsequent pruning was not done until the branches started interfering with mowers and vehicles so final wounds are large, trees have heavy low branching and because limes are not good at CODIT...

[face cord]

I have similar hornbeam trees mine are even more droopy & side branchy looking useful advice thanks

[Eddy_t]

And yet as either a pollard or coppice, the regrowth is bolt upright, but as a whip they go all over the place

 

 

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[Ruskins Trees]

My recommendations are:

 

Mulch to 3" deep as wide as you can, this will reduce significantly the competition for the grass / weeds (which will have deeper roots than the trees), retain moisture, stop the need for grass maintenance around the trees and most importantly of all, increases Mycorrhizal activity by 15 times over a grass cover. Use woodchips - get from local tree surgeon, try to avoid too much conifer, try to get composted woodchip. Maintain woodchip levels.

 

If you did not add Mycorrhizal on planting, do so now. Buy UK sourced Mycorrhizal (google friendlyfungi), ignore the instructions, wait until the ground is soft, take a metal spike and push down close to the tree, add a bit of Mycorrhizal and heel over. The fungi has to be in contact with roots. I suggest six holes per tree.

 

Do not fertilize, it reduces the fungi.

 

When it gets hot and dry, water.

 

Agree entirely about the pruning.

[farmer rod]

My recommendations are:

 

Mulch to 3" deep as wide as you can, this will reduce significantly the competition for the grass / weeds (which will have deeper roots than the trees), retain moisture, stop the need for grass maintenance around the trees and most importantly of all, increases Mycorrhizal activity by 15 times over a grass cover. Use woodchips - get from local tree surgeon, try to avoid too much conifer, try to get composted woodchip. Maintain woodchip levels.

 

If you did not add Mycorrhizal on planting, do so now. Buy UK sourced Mycorrhizal (google friendlyfungi), ignore the instructions, wait until the ground is soft, take a metal spike and push down close to the tree, add a bit of Mycorrhizal and heel over. The fungi has to be in contact with roots. I suggest six holes per tree.

 

Do not fertilize, it reduces the fungi.

 

When it gets hot and dry, water.

 

Agree entirely about the pruning.

 

Thanks to everyone for the pointers, I have mulched with bark fairly liberally for the first two years, could go again with the bark as we have a heap of it, but would the addition of FYM be a benefit or the complete opposite? (being a farm we have more FYM than anything else)

[Ruskins Trees]

Rod

 

If your soil is satisfactory I would leave the FYM at present. I would advise establishing the symbiotic Mycorrhizal relationship first. It is by far the most important thing you could do, this is highlighted by the information below.

 

A mature Beech tree

If its roots were placed end to end, they would stretch five miles.

If its mycorrhizal were placed end to end they would go around the world.

 

Mulch then assists this relationship.

 

If you do use FYM, ensure it is very well rotted.