Trees topped :((

[Chiara]

My fantastic Polish builder has done such a great job on our house that I trusted him wholly when he recommended a supposed qualified aborist to crop a bit of height off our gorgeous cherry plum trees. Unfortunately it would seem he had no idea what he was doing as I came home to x2 completely butchered trees - every single leaf bearing branch removed. I am completely and utterly devastated

What do you recommend I do??

Do I keep them and wait for them to grow back??

Does anyone know how long this will take?!

Will we see any green this summer??

And will they ever blossom again??

How quickly might they grow back??

I'm not sure how long I can stand seeing the depressing stumps for that long...

Would be great to hear any advice or recommendations that might help us through this dreadful situation.

Thanks so much.

[padman]

I have seen worse - I would leave them as I sure they will bounce back

[jaime bray]

You could leave them, they will highly likely grow back with lots of quick growing shoots.

You could try and make good the shape that you have been left with to enable a more easy on the eye crown to develop. Some reshaping of the remaining trees crown to bring it into balance as best as possible, with a eye for future regrowth and shape being considered. With either advice option you are likely to have some branches not recover and will die. This can be good for ecological habitat etc.

Alternatively cut your losses, fell and grind out stumps, replant another tree, and position it to enable it to grow without the need for pruning. You should consider many things when choosing a species to plant. But the right tree in the right place should not need much pruning if chosen with an informed decision being made.

You do not have to grind out stumps, you could leave at six foot and use as framework y top grow honeysuckle up, and it will be dead wood habitat to.

Edited March 3, 2015 by jaime bray

[agg221]

I would also leave them and expect them to grow back. The problem is that the re growth will be very upright and will not look natural. I would overcome this using fruit training techniques such as thinning water shoots in mid-summer to only leave ones which are well placed, together with branch tying. I reckon in 2-3yrs it could be got back to a decent form and after 5yrs you wouldn't notice what had been done.

 

Might not be a bad idea to plant something else at the bottom in the middle though. There is an excellent new walnut called Chiara which has a compact habit, is frost tolerant and comes into bearing at a young age...

 

Alec

[Ian C]

I would also leave them and expect them to grow back. The problem is that the re growth will be very upright and will not look natural. I would overcome this using fruit training techniques such as thinning water shoots in mid-summer to only leave ones which are well placed, together with branch tying. I reckon in 2-3yrs it could be got back to a decent form and after 5yrs you wouldn't notice what had been done.

 

Might not be a bad idea to plant something else at the bottom in the middle though. There is an excellent new walnut called Chiara which has a compact habit, is frost tolerant and comes into bearing at a young age...

 

Alec

 

In 5 years you won't know what's been done......really???? I beg to differ, also with this formative pruning comes a fair cost which in my opinion out weights the end result, leave alone and let them put growth on but accept there butchered or fell and re plant.

[oakum]

Butchery aside, the thing that first struck me first was the proximity of the new fence and its chances of survival.

[bumble B]

Fellas. I don't think the lady is a tree surgeon?! You may want to try and polish a turd because you have time and expertise. They are facked! Fell grind and replant away from boundary with a suitable species!

[Goaty]

Fellas. I don't think the lady is a tree surgeon?! You may want to try and polish a turd because you have time and expertise. They are facked! Fell grind and replant away from boundary with a suitable species!

 

 

Their are various possible outcomes and their choices on this.

You acknowledge this is a homeowner here, yet you fail professionalism by misspelling profanity! Not wishing to create enemies here, but there is a whole vocabulary out there to use.

[agg221]

In 5 years you won't know what's been done......really???? I beg to differ, also with this formative pruning comes a fair cost which in my opinion out weights the end result, leave alone and let them put growth on but accept there butchered or fell and re plant.

 

Yes, really, I reckon in 5yrs it would be possible (subject to strong re-growth) to achieve a result where at a casual glance you wouldn't spot the recent 'works'.

 

I accept it would come at a cost, but there is no heavy work involved so it would be pretty quick each visit. Also hard to gauge height on these, which would have a bearing.

 

I think a lot depends on required time to result. If you want to get back to what was there before you can either pay to fell and grind, then replant with small specimens and wait 10+yrs for the full effect, or pay a lot more for larger specimens to get the effect faster, or work with what you've got. It's the balance of cost/time/quality that will determine which.

 

Alec

[Ian C]

I will take a pic tomorrow of next doors topped cherry that us nearly 5 yrs growth, it looks nothing like a tree and neither will those no matter how you play about with them.

 

What you should do is get a pro in fell grind and re plant with some extra heavy standards (approx £100 each ) and get the builder to pay or take it out of money you owe him.

 

Those trees have been ruined so why should the customer "make do" and pay for extra work.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Ian C

[Mountain man]

I will take a pic tomorrow of next doors topped cherry that us nearly 5 yrs growth, it looks nothing like a tree and neither will those no matter how you play about with them.

 

What you should do is get a pro in fell grind and re plant with some extra heavy standards (approx £100 each ) and get the builder to pay or take it out of money you owe him.

 

Those trees have been ruined so why should the customer "make do" and pay for extra work.

 

Pretty sure they're plums of some description (probably purple plums)

Different reaction to pruning than cherries.