markm Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) Have this tree outside the front of the house. It's approx 6-7 meters in height. I've cut small branches / whips off as it's grown. Should I cut off the 3 bottom branches to manage the shape? Or are they ok left? Edited April 21, 2017 by markm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me matt Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 I can't view the picture but if it's a tall as you say it is- removing lower branches (raising the crown) won't be a problem, just make the cuts clean and close to the trunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) Prune only in Autumn, and never reduce the crown by more than 1/3.If you pick at it randomly it will just end up a miss shapen mess. Edited April 21, 2017 by Davyo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Prune only in Autumn, and never reduce the crown by more than 1/3.If you pick at it randomly it will just end up a miss shapen mess. Perfectly true, but markm was referring to taking off the lower branches. The tree looks like Aesculus hippocastanum to me and if it is I would be more concerned about taking off the crown shoots as Dayvo mentions to limit it's height. Can you imagine the tree being allowed to grow unchecked and ending up 50 feet high? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markm Posted April 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Perfectly true, but markm was referring to taking off the lower branches. The tree looks like Aesculus hippocastanum to me and if it is I would be more concerned about taking off the crown shoots as Dayvo mentions to limit it's height. Can you imagine the tree being allowed to grow unchecked and ending up 50 feet high? Correct. The 'conker' was planted by my son. If you zoom in, there are 3 branches half way up the cord, i didn't know if they needed pruning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Just took some Conifer trees down,they grew into monsters..60ft.. Bloke next door had a 75ftr took down £850. That is serious money for one tree.. Keep it manageable mate.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 If its close to ur house the best advice would be to 'prune' it at ground level Not a great tree species to have close to houses roads etc.Very fast growing for a hard wood, grows big and tall and is very brittle timber can be a nightmare to cut/climb. If u want to prune it i'd leave it till leaves come of now and try to prune some of the leaders back as it will very quickly grow too tall and become a nightmare. But once u strat pruning leaders u have to keep pruning them every few years as u create weak points, if u don't constantly prune the above timber will eventually get big and snap of at the old pruning site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masmiffy Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Im not the ideal person to answer this the last two trees I pruned were done so 2" from the ground. Never had to prune them again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Just took some Conifer trees down,they grew into monsters..60ft.. Bloke next door had a 75ftr took down £850. That is serious money for one tree.. Keep it manageable mate.. Wow think I am in the wrong job that seem a lot of money for a conifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 I had a chestnut in the garden at last house that grew alongside a conifer hedge, I just chopped it back as I felt every year sometimes just pruning the leaders and every other year take out a big limb just so it didn't get carried away, also had an early flowering clematis growing up it, lovely tree if kept on top of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 scotslad has the answer IMO, horse chestnuts will destroy foundations and drains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Just took some Conifer trees down,they grew into monsters..60ft.. Bloke next door had a 75ftr took down £850. That is serious money for one tree.. Keep it manageable mate.. Wow think I am in the wrong job that seem a lot of money for a conifer While it may not be cheap depending on the circumstances can be a lot of work taking down big leyandi, usually generate a lot of brash/chip so could be a few runs to dump (charge for green waste) plus if u have 2 or 3 men to pay, possibly a long drag to chipper/motor, bad access, possibly sectiioned and lowered on ropes, bt/electric cables, sheds/greenhouses below?? Basically taking any 50ft+ tree out of a garden environment is not always easy as usually no room for straight felling, so will it does seem dear they may well be very good reasons for it. Plus ins, van, saws, chippers even training ropes checked and inspected every 6 month not a cheap trade to set up in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog1408 Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Just had 5 conifer taken down and chipped/removed, 5 sycamore pruned to 35ft charge for the 3 guys using rope access was £1200 it was a good two days work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) Wow think I am in the wrong job that seem a lot of money for a coniferSorry mate gave the wrong impression,it was a Big chestnut tree,mine were Conifers..My lads took them down,had to drop them halfway for a start,as they were coming down between two sheds 20ft apart,did a grand job,Cost,,,,,!! Nothing.lol. The chestnut next door took all day,about 9hrs,bloke kept the wood for stove,but burnt all the small branches.. Edited April 21, 2017 by subsonicnat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 I watched about6 blokes take down a beech tree next door lovely big tree but blocked a lot of light off neighbours so they asked to remove it and paid for the job, I want to know now how much it was as I have always done all my own tree work but never done a monster like the one's mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) I watched about6 blokes take down a beech tree next door lovely big tree but blocked a lot of light off neighbours so they asked to remove it and paid for the job, I want to know now how much it was as I have always done all my own tree work but never done a monster like the one's mentioned above.Take Down and Take Away,somewhere between £850 // £1250..Bet your Boots. Ask.?. These prices are aimed at Live Trees.. If it is dead or dying,more,,these trees can Explode in all directions.. They do not call these type of trees WIDOW MAKERS For nothing. They are Very Dangerous.. Edited April 21, 2017 by subsonicnat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Just to add for the OP generally chestnuts are quite hardy and can stand heavy pruning throughout winter time, infact often pollarded or coppiced (basically all branches cut back to the main stem, wether ground level (copice) or higher (pollard) My advice if u keep it would be to make sure u can always reach the leaders with a ladder and long handled loper things or long handled saw, once it gets away it could/will be a nightmare Must admit in my area tend to call hung up branches or hung up trees widow makers rather than dead 1's, so if ur felling 1 tree another can land on u. Can happen very easily if u don't really look up before felling, and when doing commercial forestry u don't always look up as much as u should. Been there and got that t shirt For tree surgery prices tend to be very tree dependent, access, size tree type. While generally speaking dead trees are more dangerous than live, some dead trees can stil be more predicatable than some live tree's (esp ur willow's, sycamores, chestnuts, pita when alive and a real nightmare when dead) wheras a dead oak can keep its strength for a while. Really all depends on the tree species Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) Chestnut trees are great in a wood but not in town or near dwellings. They grow very large. It looks like this one is pretty close to your home and I would be tempted to prune as low as you can get it then apply brushwood/stump killer to the stump. That tree also has almost as much below ground as above and sucking water from the area around your property and can cause ground shrinkage. I am giving you the worst scenario on purpose. I hate destroying trees but that one is in the wrong place. Edited April 21, 2017 by Walker570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandringstar Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 Before I moved I had to suffer a eucalyptus tree that my lunatic neighbour had planted, the speed with which this thing grew and the amount it shedded was incredible, I read up that they are not meant for people with postage stamp sized gardens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted April 24, 2017 Report Share Posted April 24, 2017 Eucalyptus and some Poplars very prone to shedding huge limbs without warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted May 26, 2017 Report Share Posted May 26, 2017 Take Down and Take Away,somewhere between £850 // £1250.. Bet your Boots. Ask.?. These prices are aimed at Live Trees.. If it is dead or dying,more,,these trees can Explode in all directions.. They do not call these type of trees WIDOW MAKERS For nothing. They are Very Dangerous.. Well the search function finally worked for me, couldn't find the thread but don't think I went back far enough. Cost of the job cut down and removal of the beech tree plus half a big conifer was....... £570 I kid you not they got 3 prices a grand £850 and the winner. What size are your boots 👢 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.