"McBad" wrote in message
...
Hi, we have a large flowering cherry in our garden which is getting too
big.
I need some advice on pruning it. I'm guessing now might be about the
right
time as it is shedding it's leaves all over our and our neighbours
gardens.

The main trunk must be about a foot in diameter and comes up to about five
feet height where, through some horrible arboricultural wizardry, the
trunk
splits into eight to ten major branches. These branches go up in a
roughly
conical overall shape to a guesstimated overall height of thirty feet
plus.

Because of all these extra branches the centre of the cone / crown is very
crowded. I also wonder if they are 'over loading' the main trunk beneath,
because at times that has split and wept sap and there looks as if there
is
a hollow area behind the bark at one point.

What I intended to do was select two or three of the major branches and
cut
them out just above the five foot level. There are some on the 'down
wind'
side that could go and give the main cone a more regular shape.
Thereafter
I'd want to cut at least five foot off the top and thin the centre a
bit...

Any comments or advice would be apreciated. Is this the right time of
year
to do it for example?

Thanks,

M

I would advise being very careful, I killed a cherry by pruning it in late
spring.
I'm not actually sure when the *right* time is, but late spring, its isnt!

--
Tumbleweed

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