Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Help please to indentify tree and pruning
Hello, am new to this forum. My hubby and I have just moved to a new house and are unsure about this tree in our garden.
Initially I thought it may have been Elder, but now not so sure. I was horrified to find a huge branch had come down and was almost on the ground. I have tied it up but feel it will be too heavy to keep back. I'm afraid to cut it off without damaging the tree. I doubt whether it has been pruned at all for some time. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks Aberdeen |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
You don't normally prune them very much except if you need to reduce it or repair damage. Prune it when dormant in the winter, don't reduce it too much at once, try to keep it balanced, would seem to be sensible. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Sorry, I realise I'm wrong, I've spotted the leaves now. It's a cotoneaster. Cotoneaster can be hacked back quite ruthlessly whenver you want and are practically unkillable.
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Thank you echinosum. Actually stupidly I didn't think of it as a grapevine!!! It's so heavy at the moment with thick woody branches, one which has all but collapsed. Would be grateful for advice on pruning back?? Thank you for the advice on the Cotoneaster, that sounds easier to handle. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Overview - you need to establish a core network of main branches, which you should in general support on wires or other supports. This should be fairly simple. One central stem with two or three branches on each side supported on 2 or 3 wires would be a very basic formation. There are also systems with 2 main stems and parallel wires. Having formed this basic structure, you then prune all of the new growth right back to the basic structure in the dormant season, say around Feb, each year, though being careful not to damage the incipient buds at the joints. New shoots readily form from these joints in the old wood. However you probably don't have a good basic structure at the moment. It is important not to cut any of the thick woody branches during the growing season, as it can result in weeping. So what you do is, while the green stems are reasonably pliable in the growing season, is choose some vigorous shoots that you are going to make your main branches, and train them along wires, tying them in. You may even be able to rearrange and select few now, though they get a bit stiff later in the season and may break if you arent' gentle. Then having chosen your structure, wait till winter, when its fully dormant, and cut everything else off. If you have some bits missing, or its not quite right, you can train some more shoots where you want the next season, much easier to tie them where you want to go while they are soft in early summer, and then keep those rather than cut them back. Then for good production and not collapsing under its own weight, you probably need to do a bit of summer pruning. You can always cut through new green shoots in the summer without risk of bleeding. Since grapes are only borne on about the first 2 or 3 nodes of any new shoot coming out of the old wood, you can always cut a new shoot back to about 4 to 5 nodes. Those new shoots may then also produce side shoots, which won't fruit at all, so you can cut those back to just one leaf. And then, in our cool climate, it is a good idea to cut off leaves that are hiding the grapes from the sun. Once you have seen how well the grapes have set after pollination, you may want to thin them out to a reasonable number as they are more likely to ripen if there aren't too many. Vines are often very vigorous so you can end up doing quite a bit of management to get a good crop. It's been a very bad year because of cool weather at the wrong times, and you'll be lucky to have ripe grapes. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
No there doesn't seem to be any structure at all, it seems to laying one way from the main trunk and not really supported. Most of it it's shooting about 8ft into the air! it doesn't seem to have had any TLC for a long time. You are right about the grapes too, abundant but very tiny!! |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Help please to indentify tree and pruning
On 10/12/12 5:44 AM, echinosum wrote:
aberdeen;970688 Wrote: Hello, am new to this forum. My hubby and I have just moved to a new house and are unsure about this tree in our garden. Initially I thought it may have been Elder, but now not so sure. The green berries are grapes, as I hope you realise, they have specific pruning requirements, but I guess you are not asking about those. The white berries are I presume what you are asking about. They something in the Sorbus family, closely related to a rowan. Sorbus with white berries are often S fruticosa or S cashmeriana, but there are other possibilities. But knowing it is a sorbus fairly similar to a rowan is probably enough for you. You don't normally prune them very much except if you need to reduce it or repair damage. Prune it when dormant in the winter, don't reduce it too much at once, try to keep it balanced, would seem to be sensible. If the grape vine is growing on the tree, you have a problem. Grape vines can become very heavy to the extent of breaking the tree. From your photo, I believe the grape vine is quite mature and thus quite heavy. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean, see http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
indentify volunteer flower? | Gardening | |||
Help indentify caterpillar | Gardening | |||
Can you help me indentify this flower? (extremely vauge description) | Plant Science | |||
Indentify plants | Australia | |||
Can some please help me indentify this grass/weed | Gardening |