pollarding Acer platanoides 'Globosum'????

[The Rutland Arborist]

Hi

 

Has anyone any experience pollarding Acer platanoides 'Globosum?'

One of my clients has an avenue of them in her garden and they are now too big they have lost there nice tight form and very rounded shape. It is a formal designed garden and these trees are supposed to look like lolipops! (as opposed to natural looking trees!)

 

My client requested we trimmed them back into shape, however i feel it may be better to pollard them in the winter as this may well give a better result as often is the case with Limes when in the same setting.

 

Need advice from someone who has first hand experience with this tree please!

[John Hancock]

Hello chap, what do you mean by the term ‘pollard’? Are we talking about complete crown removal, reduction or topping?

 

Cheers, John.

[The Rutland Arborist]

Cutting back all the growth to just a framework, not necessarily back to the main trunk though. They are about 10ft high. I think this will be the best way to get them all uniform again.

Depending how they take it, it could be done every winter or every other!

[combined tree services]

to be honest i was of the oppinion that this kind of work could only be done in the trees dormant period but after talking the my local tree officer and asking him why an avenue of limes were being pollarded now he said that its because now is a great time because of the high levels of photosynthesis and that the tree is in nbetter state to recover and allomos imediatly start to put on new growth , i have been monitoring the tree of the past month and yes they have already put on hew gtrowth , what do you guys think to this theory ???

[The Rutland Arborist]

It seems there is mixed opinion here, even amongst the dip arbs! The only time I personally reccomend not doing work is just before bud burst and just before leaf abcsission.

[skyhuck]

The only time I personally reccomend not doing work is just before bud burst and just before leaf abcsission.

 

[gibbon]

what do you guys think to this theory ???

 

I honestly don't mean to cause you any offence, but if you are in a position where you are advising potential customers on how and when pruning should be carried out then this is something you ought know. If you were pricing a job and someone asked you if it was a good time to prune, what would you say?

[skyhuck]

I honestly don't mean to cause you any offence, but if you are in a position where you are advising potential customers on how and when pruning should be carried out then this is something you ought know. If you were pricing a job and someone asked you if it was a good time to prune, what would you say?

 

So its not a good idea to see what others think??

 

Not a good idea to see if there is new research that says something new??

 

Not a good idea to get a second opinion??

 

May as well quit the forum now

[gibbon]

So its not a good idea to see what others think??

 

Not a good idea to see if there is new research that says something new??

 

Not a good idea to get a second opinion??

 

May as well quit the forum now

 

Not what I meant at all. My piont was that if you advertise yourself as a proffesional tree worker and you are out there giving advice you should have a good understanding of timings of pruning work. I believe this is knowledge that should be gained BEFORE you put your self in a position where people regard you as a proffesional and seek your advice.

 

IMO it would be different if the question was asked by someone who was in a different possition.

 

Of course ideas change over time and you can learn alot through forums such as this, but I don't think that the idea of summer pruning is a new concept in arb.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Not what I meant at all. My piont was that if you advertise yourself as a proffesional tree worker and you are out there giving advice you should have a good understanding of timings of pruning work.

 

But he is not asking a customer, he is asking other professionals opinion, there is imo no definate answer.

 

IMO all there is is a worst time to prune and to me (as you say) that is just before bud burst and for the first month after leaf formation when reserves are at their lowest and being paid back