I've got some kind of pine tree in front of my house, which shades the
light into my dining room. It's basically a huge Christmas, very thick
and bushy, and about 15 ft tall and almost as wide.

I want to reduce it to a manageable size (maybe in half). If I take
such drastic measures, and reduce the tree to the woody framework,
will I have any foliage at all next year?

Greg Miller wrote:

I've got some kind of pine tree in front of my house, which shades the
light into my dining room. It's basically a huge Christmas, very thick
and bushy, and about 15 ft tall and almost as wide.

I want to reduce it to a manageable size (maybe in half). If I take
such drastic measures, and reduce the tree to the woody framework,
will I have any foliage at all next year?

Conifers do not like such drastic pruning. If there is a Plant
Amnesty chapter in your town they may help find a new home for your tree.

--
Travis in Shoreline Washington

"Greg Miller" wrote in message
om...
I've got some kind of pine tree in front of my house, which shades the
light into my dining room. It's basically a huge Christmas, very thick
and bushy, and about 15 ft tall and almost as wide.

I want to reduce it to a manageable size (maybe in half). If I take
such drastic measures, and reduce the tree to the woody framework,
will I have any foliage at all next year?

No. Pines and most other conifers will not sprout new growth from bare wood.
And if you remove all the foliage, the tree will die.

Hire a qualified arborist and have the tree thinned. Otherwise, consider
removal and replace with something more suitable in size and light
dispersal.

pam - gardengal

Most pines drop their bottom branches with age. If you want to accelerate
the process, try pruning the lowest branches off first.
"Greg Miller" wrote in message
om...
I've got some kind of pine tree in front of my house, which shades the
light into my dining room. It's basically a huge Christmas, very thick
and bushy, and about 15 ft tall and almost as wide.

I want to reduce it to a manageable size (maybe in half). If I take
such drastic measures, and reduce the tree to the woody framework,
will I have any foliage at all next year?

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 21:30:08 -0400, Pam - gardengal wrote
Pines and most other conifers will not sprout new growth from bare wood.

Exceptions exist, notably the southern shortleaf pine. It will put up
multiple shoots from a bare stump. Doesn't act like a pine at all. It's
a weed, good post-burn colonizer.

Unfortunately most shortleaf are not very attractive, so if it were a
shortleaf, then the recommendation to remove it would still be valid.

Edward

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 18:21:42 -0400, Edward Reid in
rec.gardens wrote:

Unfortunately most shortleaf are not very attractive, so if it were a
shortleaf, then the recommendation to remove it would still be valid.

Edward

Have you ever seen one allowed to grow fully in the open, as in a field?

They can be striking. The problem with most is that they grow tightly
clustered and have a tendency to become thin trunked and tall with
asymmetrical branching from crowding and trying to get above the canopy.

Actually they are quite pretty when allowed to grow in the open.


Just my opinion....

FACE

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 20:37:24 -0400, FACE wrote
Actually they are quite pretty when allowed to grow in the open.

I agree, they can be -- that's why I said most. They seem to have
sub-varieties too. The last place we lived, out in the country, had
lots of shortleaf. One is a much larger one and has a very nice shape.
It also holds a lot more cones than the others -- I don't know why but
assume it must differ genetically.

But then there were the hundreds of seedlings in other parts ...

Edward