redeeming butchered trees?

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imagineero

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Pretty much 100% of my work is residential, with maybe a 65/35 split of removals vs prunings for property clearance or weight reduction. Most of the trees we get called in to do are big enough (30'+) that HO's can't get up there to hack away, so that leaves things pretty good....

But every now and then you get called in to prune something that someone has absolutely butchered, or you see something on the property while out on the job that just makes you cringe. I don't have a lot of sympathy for hedges/shrubs, and most species that end up getting cut in this way do fine going down that path so it's not a tragedy. I do get a little big of hedging of big oversize hedges (20'+) that have just gotten out of hand, cyprus pines etc.

The sad cases are either fruit trees, or species of trees that just don't grow that tall so a likely to be within reach of anyone with a brush saw or whatever like jap maples. The standard result is that they've end pruned pretty much ever single branch on the tree and the tree has responded with massive epicormic growth, turned into a bush, plenty of deadwood, poor shape etc.

With fruit trees I've had hit and miss results. Citrus seem to respond ok as long as you can bring them back into a good open shape and centre prune them, give them some air, they still fruit ok and don't seem to mind that much. Some other fruit trees don't go that well. I start with removing deadwood, then crossed over branches, then removing stubs and anything that doesnt look like it's going to produce in future. Of what's left (if I haven't already taken off too much) I try to thin to give the tree some room to fruit and let sun and air get through.

I've so far never had any luck with redeeming non-fruiting trees. I've got a soft spot for jap maples, and have been called out to reduce a few, but they seem almost completely ruined and I'm at a loss as to how to bring then back (if at all). HO gets in, and pretty much hedges the tree, taking the end of every branch. All branches left with tips reach for the sky and epicormic fuzz is jumping off everything. Sometimes very tall epi reaching for the sky too. Can you do anything with this situation?

Usually I start by removing the epi, dead wood and any stubs that look like they've not got enough secondary branches to ever come good. Of what's left I try to thin back 1 in 3, and generally it's either height reduction (remove branches heading up) or spread reduction (favor branches heading up and trim lowers). If they want to reduce both I just try to sell a straight removal, these tiny trees are only a half hour job and redeeming them just seems so expensive and tough.

I'd really appreciate any feedback others have had with trying to fix up hack jobs. We've all seen lots of trees with a branch or two hacked, but I'm talking whole tree jobs here, and mainly smaller stuff.

Shaun
 
I've so far never had any luck with redeeming non-fruiting trees. I've got a soft spot for jap maples, and have been called out to reduce a few, but they seem almost completely ruined and I'm at a loss as to how to bring then back (if at all). HO gets in, and pretty much hedges the tree, taking the end of every branch. All branches left with tips reach for the sky and epicormic fuzz is jumping off everything. Sometimes very tall epi reaching for the sky too. Can you do anything with this situation?

Usually I start by removing the epi, dead wood and any stubs that look like they've not got enough secondary branches to ever come good. Of what's left I try to thin back 1 in 3, ...
Shearing a Japanese maple should be a capital offense, but it sounds like maybe you are overpruning too. are all epicormics no good? will all those stubs never produce enough laterals? gotta think in tree time.

post a pic if you get a chance. the attached may be of interest.

View attachment 186421
 
I find it much better now than in the past. 30 years ago almost all prunning work was reparing loppers vandalism. I try and pick the strongest branches heading in the right direction and remove the weaker ones.
 
Shearing a Japanese maple should be a capital offense, but it sounds like maybe you are overpruning too. are all epicormics no good? will all those stubs never produce enough laterals? gotta think in tree time.

post a pic if you get a chance. the attached may be of interest.

View attachment 186421

I really am working in the dark here, so I'm open to any suggestions. For fruit trees I try to prune to standard fruiting shapes depending on the tree - the vase shape for example, and go for openness and reducing crossed over branches. Aesthetics come in to play much less. Reduction of height for fruit access in a residential setting adds amenity to the tree.

For non fruiting trees I'm very much more in the dark. The standard approach for most tree workers is to remove epi on site, as it's considered to be aesthetically unpleasing and weak. I don't have enough knowledge to say whether epi in general or on a species specific basis will grow to have enough strength to support laterals, but I'd be interested in gaining more knowldge in this area.

Regardless of the approach I try to think mid term, like a 5 year approach with the limit of not removing much more than about 1/3 of the tree over the 5 years, and not more than 15% on the first prune. Most trees I get called in on haven't been pruned in a long time. With the earlier '1 in 3' reference I made I should have specified "no more than 1 in 3 in areas I'm reducing", not for the whole tree.

I wish I'd kept better records and could go back to look at trees I'd done in past and see what the outcome is, but I dont keep great records. Properties seem to change hands so fast in the city anyway.

Shaun
 
I will prune off the fuzzy end completely if it is a real mess and right back to a good sprout.
Sometimes it is too much, just gotta say "it will grow " just takes time and be patient.
I try to go 4" between sprouts and remove any competing aswell.
I like the challenge of taking an old Juniper or Yew or whatever that has been sheared for years and giving it back its dignity with proper architecture and letting it be the big ol beast it wants to be.
Some clients appreciate and some don't. Naturalized pruning IMO is saleable!

Hope this helps:msp_smile:
 

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