On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 02:20:56 GMT, Shrek wrote:

Hello,
I have a privacy border along my house lined with Eastern White Pines. The pines
have done quite well in the 4 years I have been in this new construction home.
The pines are now about has high as my house and I really don't want them
getting much taller, and I want to maintain the shape of the tress which are
full from top to bottom. I was told by some, to top the trees to maintain height
and keeps them full, top to bottom.

Many pines have a tendency to self-prune the lower branches, too. Keeping the
top pruned might reduce that tendency, but you would be fighting against a
natural tendency. Look at pines in nature and you'll see that using pines as a
privacy screen might not be the best use for them(unless you want to plant a
thick enough stand for the trunks to act as the screen).

From my research on the Internet, topping
is a no-no. My idea is, next spring when the terminal leader growth appears is
to cut this before the wood hardens. This should maintain the height of the
trees. Also, I will stop getting the trees fertilized each year, perhaps just
fertilizing them very other year. Comments please...

Like others have said, you could try it, but it will be a lot of work. If you
want something to block a view at or near ground level, you might want to go
with something shorter.