conifer topping whats your view

[detritus21]

My take on them not growing upwards after a heavy reduction will be down to removal of significant amounts of dynamic and static mass and hence upsetting the dynamic and potential energy ratio. The tree will still be creating energy but for a period it may struggle to produce enough to promote excessive growth. Once even the smallest amount of upward growth occurs then auxins will cause each new leader to compete and as a result you will end up with rapid growth upwards. This may only take a year or may take 5. We have reduced conifers where they've put on 6 feet of growth in a couple of years and others very little. That's my take anyway.

[daveatdave]

always cut conifers lower than the desired height to let them regrow into the middle so you are not cutting back to the original topping point.

there is at least three different aphids affecting conifers and killing them off and i don't think there is a cure to the problem as yet due to the EEC baning a lot of the pesticides

[treebloke]

I am surprised that 'topping' conifers or hedges generally is not covered by any college course I have ever been on considering the amount of work it produces.

 

My advice to customers is, keep the bit which gives them their privacy and anything above that may as well go as it serves little purpose and cost's more to maintain, so if they need 10' to hide the factory next door then no point in having them 20' tall.