"gray" wrote in message
...
Any ideas on the best way to prune a Monkey Puzzle tree.

Its overall height is about 20 ft with long straggly branches.

Do I just top it and then just shorten its branches ??
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It cannot be pruned. The dead branches will defy any saw and ruin a
good one. The normal wood is soft but the branches are totally
different~~like iron.
You would find it impossible to remove by digging as it seems to have
a vertical tap root~~ I've never seen one blown down ~~though I did once try
to have one blown up!! Surprisingly it is capable of suckering at the
base~ one of mine does so regularly and some idiots have managed to remove
and root them! If you have it cut down you will find the wood looks as if
it can be planked well but the multitude of knots shrink and fall out~~as I
discovered to my cost!! The stumps did not sucker and rotted reasonably
well.
Sorry not to be more helpful but it is a tree to avoid.
Best Wishes Brian. .