planting / pruning

[regasp]

I just purchased a variety of trees to plant. (Aristocrat Pear, Silver Maple, Lombardy Poplar (tag says it's an evergreen, is this true?). I've read conflicting advice regarding pruning (at the time of planting) to stimulate growth and for shaping. One site I visited said that the terminal bud contains hormone vital to root growth and therefore, should not be pruned. Another site said it is fine to prune the terminal bud. Please help this novice tree planter. Thanks.

 

[treetrunk]

In my opinion it would be better to plant the trees and just care for them to help them establish their roots before carrying out formative pruning, but this is just an opinion I`m afraid. Also no Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra "Italica") is not evergreen, it is a large, fast growing, upright deciduous tree.

 

[Treeman14]

That's right, Lombardy Poplar is not evergreen. They also live for only about 10 or 15 years, so plan for this when you plant them. Don't do any pruning until they have been established for a while. Then prune only deadwood or lower limbs for clearance. No topping.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The only reason to do any prunning on a new instalation is if you have say one or two branches with poor structure. Remove them so the rest of the tree can grow right.

The site speaking of hormones (Giberillin?) that influance root growth is correct. The old root:shoot ratio is old school intuitive thinking that has been debunked by the scientific method.

So prune to establish a single leader, or a bad crossing branch and you'll be ok.

To confuse matters a little more, I often will stunt a branch (prune it back) so that I can remove it at a later date. I can do this since I maintane specific trees, where a comercial installer cannot always come back. You could do it my way.

 

[Treeman14]

John Paul,
Are you familiar with the research being done by Dr. Ed Gilman at the University of Florida? He has been working on co-dominant stems, suppressing growth to form a suitable branch collar for future removal of the less desirable stem.

 

[regasp]

Thanks for the advice. I'll just prune the few apparently dead branches now, let the roots establish themselves, and then think about some formative pruning in the late fall. I wonder why the tag that came with the trees (Lombardy Poplars) listed the tree as having "evergreen foilage". Have I simply misintepreted the true meaning? I thought it meant it would keep it's leaves year round. That is the main reason I planted them, to provide a screen for road that is soon to be constructed at the rear of my property. Oh well, live and learn. I'll probably move before the 10 years (life expectancy of the poplar). Thanks again.

 

[Jen]

Research in Florida

Treeman14

How would one get there hands on the research paper you described re: co-dominant stems. I find this very interesting and would like more info

Thanks
Jennifer McLean
Arborist, Ontario, Canada

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by Treeman14
John Paul,
Are you familiar with the research being done by Dr. Ed Gilman <snip>removal of the less desirable stem.

Hey Brett, Dr. Gilman spoke at the WSA Conv this spring. I was sitting there and saying "Wow! this is what I have been saying for four years!" Even the part about ratio/percentage of branch to stem. I was nhot able to put it into words but just felt that it was bad to remove something that was near 1/4 the caliper. In timber they talk about a logas four faces, and here we ahve a sapling that we may be compromising the integrity of one.

I have see where a larege cut cased cambial dieback on a foung tree under the former union, even when the cut wa on "target".

I want to get his CD.

Jen,

I did a search and couldn't find anything, so I asked Dr. Gilman to drop us a line. We'll see what happens.

 

[Jen]

Dr.Gilman's research

Thanks, I really appreciate that.

Sincerely,
Jen McLean

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Attn Jenr. Gilmans reply

Subject:
RE: Reducing co-dom leaders
Date:
Fri, 20 Jul 2001 13:08:54 -0400
From:
"Gilman, Ed F." <[email protected]>
To:
"'John Paul Sanborn'" <[email protected]>




We have a paper coming out in J Arboriculture at the end of the year
regarding removal of branches and the decay that follows. It will show that
the larger the branch is relative to the trunk diameter, the more extensive
the discoloration behind the cut. Ed Gilman

-----Original Message-----
From: John Paul Sanborn [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2001 6:37 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Reducing co-dom leaders


On this I brought up stunting large low branches and and co-dom's on
small trees. Your study was brought up.

http://www.ArboristSite.com/showthread.php?s=e45570e355799a158fc7ec6bf08d949
f&postid=3055#post3055

I did a pretty extensive search on the net and could not find anything.
I was wondering if you'd like to comment.

 

[Jen]

finding Dr. Gilman's reseach

Thanks for all your troubles, his response sounds like what we were taught in school. Still, I will try to get my hands on the article he stated, and read up on it.

Jen McLean
Arborist in training,
tree Climber
Belleville, Ontario

 

[treeclimber165]

I listened to him at a seminar when I was working for a local city. He made a lot of sense and I have carried that knowledge forward in my years of caring for trees. I'd be interested in brushing up on what he might have published if it's available anywhere.