kellybee

Thanks both. Rough idea on price would be handy too if you want to inbox that. Our postcode is CV4

Hi folks, I have two acres of brambles that I ideally need flailing... to be honest I did the other two acres over the summer with a brushcutter and loppers, but I don't have the daylight hours or the will to do the other half by hand. The brambles are only around the borders, but in places they're 5/6ft high. Does anyone do this kind of contracting work in the West Mids, specifically Coventry?

Thank you guys so much! We've spent the day pruning the treeswhich run along the opposite hedgerow - some are growing horizontal branches and knowing how our horses like to gallop round a lot, and the fact the trees are so wild it seemed the logical thing to do (esp as the shetland climbed under a hawthorn hedge this summer). Post and rail all the way it looks like - the only way to keep her contained. I'll get onto the plum tree tomorrow with the pruning saw, if my biceps can deal with it! I think it will be easier to take whole branches anyway, because they've grown right over the shelter and there's only a small gap (where the water tank is) to get underneath it. I really appreciate your advice! Will come back in a few weeks with pics of the ripe fruit if I can find any - I only found three in total when I took the photos. Thanks again Kelly

Thanks so much for the reply. The advice I was looking for really was whether I was right in thinking it was some kind of plum. If it wasn't I'd hate for my horses to be made ill by eating some unknown berry. Because its so overgrown, the higher branches are climbing all over the field shelter and are blocking the rear gutter, which in turn means the water tank is nearly empty. There's also a branch which is weighing on the roof, making it a bit of a hazard for the horses in the event of a collapse. The other thing is, I didn't want to kill it by over-pruning or pruning at the wrong time of year, which I guess would be dependent on the species. I'm not an arborist by any stretch of the imagination, and wouldn't want to kill the poor thing off by making asssumptions or just hacking it to pieces, but I didn't want to vut it down completely either. The shade will come in handy on hot days I'm sure. Thanks again, much appreciated! Kelly

Hi folks, This is my first post but hopefully I'm in the right place I've just rented a paddock to put my horses on, and am in the process of clearing it up/checking the plants are safe for them but I have one tree I haven't been able to identify. Not only that, it's very overgrown and creeping all over the field shelter so I was hoping its safe for me to prune it (I know with oaks you should only cut in winter when the bugs aren't drawn to the sap). The tree has been there for at least 20 years (we kept ponies on the same paddock years and years ago) but I have no idea what it is. Looking at the fruit which doesn't have a Calyx (and has a stone inside) I'm guessing its a plum, but they're small and hard, and not yet ripe so I can't be sure. There are only a few fruits I've been able to find on it at all, so I'm guessing the tree isn't very healthy. The leaves seem somewhat poorly, and many of the branches seem dead except for a few shoots. They're also covered in some sort of dry fungus, I can't help but feel very sorry for it! Here are some photos, I'd be grateful for any advice you could give... Thanks, Kelly