Reducing and Indian bean tree?

[Chris at eden]

Will the leaves come back bigger after a hard prune?

 

Yes, I have a jungle theme garden. I have a purple leaved Catalpa which I coppice at 3ft annually. Leaves are huge as a result which was the intention. It also puts on at least 6ft growth over the summer. I do the same with a Paulownia. Same result. The downside is no flowers.

 

Cheers

[Gary Prentice]

Yes, I have a jungle theme garden. I have a purple leaved Catalpa which I coppice at 3ft annually. Leaves are huge as a result which was the intention. It also puts on at least 6ft growth over the summer. I do the same with a Paulownia. Same result. The downside is no flowers.

 

Cheers

 

I have a jungle theme garden too. Everything is left to grow until we can't get around it, then the chainsaw comes out. Half a day of maintenance a year, way to go:biggrin:

[Chris at eden]

I have a jungle theme garden too. Everything is left to grow until we can't get around it, then the chainsaw comes out. Half a day of maintenance a year, way to go:biggrin:

 

Boom! My kind of gardening. I have two choc labs that can pretty much annihilate everything within 3 mins if left unsupervised. Easier than a chainsaw mate.

[Gary Prentice]

I'm still trying to find out if there are any grants available, for the non-intervention element of our land use:biggrin:

[treeseer]

Catalpa fairly common here. Big cuts hollow out so as always the smaller the cut the better to meet the objective and of course aim for buds.

[treeseer]

What was the owner's goal in having it reduced? What's their long-term goal for the tree?

[Mick Dempsey]

Did you read the OP Guy?

[treeseer]

Did you read the OP Guy?

 

Good advice, Mick: "I have been asked to reduce a small/medium sized Indian bean tree for a customer and just want a little bit of advice as to how had I can cut them back. With the growth being on the outside I guess I am limited and I would assume they don't take to pollarding to well, don't want to loose it but it is taking up a all her front garden and I would like to do what I can to help. Maybe thinning may be an option if I cans reduce it enough without risking the trees health.

Any advice would be much appreciated."

 

My advice would be to focus on the buds and not the leaves, and reduce away. The assumption that they do not take to hard reduction to buds aka pollarding has been answered by others. I also have a Catalpa that I pollard, to enjoy the new foliage every year.

 

If the client's long term goal is to keep the tree without having it take up the whole garden, I think we have agreed on a way to do just that!