Is apple wood any good for anything?

[Agi-Smash]

Wow a special upside down tree, lets try again.

[Peasgood]

You are going to have to tie it to the ground or it will fall off.

[Peasgood]

Drag it upright, stake it securely and reduce the top by upto a third is my advice.

[Agi-Smash]

How would you decide which third to take out? Is it worth removing the hollly before i upright it again?

[Peasgood]

Just a general overall reduction of a third of the growth, make sure it isn't the third nearest the ground.

Not easy to tell from an upside down pic that isn't all that anyway (no offense)

Top reduction is to compensate for the obvious root damage and to give the tree the best chance.

I have one lying on the floor that is flourishing.

[agg221]

Can't see a holly?

 

Since this hasn't gone by lifting the root plate, but rather by dragging particular roots out, I would dig out the ground where you need the roots to go back in, slightly deeper than they are going, then lift it upright and fill in the holes - don't stamp the earth down as you want it aerated (and the tree will be held up while the ground settles anyway.

 

It's a fair sized tree so I would probably prop it rather than stake it. Straight up (or currently down!) from the blue fencing stake there is an obvious point to put a prop under once it's upright. I would use an old railway sleeper or length of telegraph pole, resting on its base on a concrete block (standard concrete construction block) and with the top sculpted to lie neatly against the branch, on a bit of old inner tube.

 

Once it's upright you can see what to prune (I agree entirely with Peasgood's comment on taking a third off). You are looking to retain a balanced structure, probably shorter, maybe with a single 'layer', thinning out some of the spur structure where the branches are straggling to reduce wind resistance.

 

It's hard to describe how to do this but if you can put up more pictures I'll try to mark it up.

 

Alec

[Agi-Smash]

None taken, i dont claim to be any good at taking pictures, and i think the ipad is having an off day as it shows upright in photo file. Ah well, i will get woman to do a better picture when its back upright.

What did you think about the mistletoe, remove it or leave it?