"FACE" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 04:27:12 GMT, in rec.gardens
wrote:


The next nearest dogwood is at least 60 feet away and according to
conversations with the county extension agent several years ago, diseases
from the tree will not affect a tree that far away.

This is just not true and I am surprised an extension agent would have the
temerity to suggest it. Fungal diseases that affect dogwood, like
anthracnose, are airborne. It doesn't make any difference how far away
diseased trees are - as long as they are in the general vicinity - and 60'
would certainly constitute that requirement - the spores will spread by wind
and air movement and by birds. How else would these pathogens spread among
native populations?

As far as the pruning is concerned, prune if you must but be aware that
dogwoods do not respond well to heavy pruning. If any disease IS present,
the pruning can aggrevate it, plus dogwoods respond to pruning cuts by
generating lots of suckering shoots at the cut. Not a nice look - very
Medusa-like. Be sure not to leave any stubs - make clean cuts back to growth
points or to the branch collar if larger limbs. Apply NO sealers - the tree
will do a far better job of compartmentalizing and sealing the the cut than
you can.

pam - gardengal

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 16:46:35 GMT, Frogleg in
rec.gardens wrote:

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 13:44:48 -0500, FACE
wrote:

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

Fat chance!

As we have seen. :-)

This is a tree for gawd's sake. Some react as if i was about to practice
vivisection on a small child. (Dear "some", I promise to shoot it with a
30-30 if I hear it crying softly during the night.)

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/c...g_dogwood.html


An interesting and informative article.

does not answer your specific questions, but sounds athoritative
enough to be worth following up with e-mail or phone call. I'm sorry
you have to prune your tree. Some rather unpleasant neighbors sheared
my large old dogwood straight up and down along the property line some
years ago, and it recovered over time with no noticable insect or
disease damage. The cuts were not sealed with anything. This was/is in
SE Virginia, where there are dogwoods all over the place. Good luck.

Thanks for the Good Luck wish.


FACE

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 18:23:24 GMT, "Pam - gardengal"
in rec.gardens wrote:

As far as the pruning is concerned, prune if you must but be aware that
dogwoods do not respond well to heavy pruning. If any disease IS present,
the pruning can aggrevate it, plus dogwoods respond to pruning cuts by
generating lots of suckering shoots at the cut. Not a nice look - very
Medusa-like. Be sure not to leave any stubs - make clean cuts back to growth
points or to the branch collar if larger limbs. Apply NO sealers - the tree
will do a far better job of compartmentalizing and sealing the the cut than
you can.

pam - gardengal

Thanks for all of the information. I am aware of the fact that they do not
respond well to heavy pruning and I have seen the medusa-like growths.

If it lives, it may end up so ugly I take it down anyway.
But hey, maybe in a coupla springs I'll be posting a success picture to the
binaries group.

I appreciate the information on the spreadology of anthracnose.

FACE

My word...don't ruffle so easily FACE. You didn't say you HAD to do the
deed, you merely said you were GOING to do the deed.

My constructive, professional advice is this: It does not matter what type
of cut your going to do because it is my opinion and experience that, to
within a reasonable degree of scientific certainty, the tree will be
seriously and deleteriously effected by the pruning.

Good luck. ML.

--
Mike LaMana, MS, CTE
Consulting Forester & Arborist
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net



"FACE" wrote in message
...
Just had to get that "soon to be moribund" in there didn't you.
Well, if it makes you feel better more power to you, you might try
practicing replies that offer constructive advice in bad situations, but
hey, that's just me. So now you can make your reply insulting me further
for trying something that you do not have the guts to try.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win
glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure,
than to rank with those poor spirits who neither
suffer much nor enjoy much because they live in the
gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

Your good professional advice really isnt required because this has been a bait and
switch on the part of the OP. All advice has been turned down or mocked as not
scientific because he has obviously already decided what he was going to do and why.

Ingrid

"Mike LaMana" fake@MikeatHeartwoodConsultingdotnet wrote:

My word...don't ruffle so easily FACE. You didn't say you HAD to do the
deed, you merely said you were GOING to do the deed.

My constructive, professional advice is this: It does not matter what type
of cut your going to do because it is my opinion and experience that, to
within a reasonable degree of scientific certainty, the tree will be
seriously and deleteriously effected by the pruning.

Good luck. ML.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

FACE wrote:

Since I am going to do it anyway, and have already trimmed the branches,
would someone tell me if I should make an angle cut or a straight cut and
should i tar it when reducing height by about 1/3 with a topping cut of the
main trunk on a dogwood. Or does it make any difference. (I already
realize that I will attract tornadoes, lightning strikes, earthquakes and
kill every living thing within a hundred yard radius of the tree and will
probably set up a domino effect of infestations that will blight the entire
Eastern seaboard.)

Tar and commercial pruning paints containing tar should never be
used. They cause die-back.

I find that white glue (Emler's, Will-Hold, etc) is an excellent
seal for pruning cuts. The cuts seem to heal more quickly if
sealed, especially heading cuts.

When I prune my peach, I reseal old cuts where the wood has dried
and cracked, to keep water out of the cracks. This prevents rot.

When I prune my roses, any heading cut on a twig thicker than a
soda straw is sealed. Otherwise, stem borers (solitary wasps
making nests) will enter the cut and drill down 2-3 inches,
weakening the branch.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

wrote:
Your good professional advice really isnt required because this has
been a bait and
switch on the part of the OP. All advice has been turned down or
mocked as not
scientific because he has obviously already decided what he was going
to do and why.

That should have been pretty obvious. The original post roughly
translated to, "I'm going to do something unconventional, and I'd like
someone to tell me that I'm not as dumb as my idea sounds." (His exact
words we "Since I am going to do it anyway...").

Once they say that, it doesn't matter how many of the most respected
people in the group say it's a bad idea, or how many excellent reasons
they have for saying it's a bad idea, any post that doesn't essentially
say, "Go ahead. Your on the right track" will be dismissed at best, but
more likely ridiculed, and maybe even flamed.

Too bad. A lot of good points were brought up in this thread.

On the other hand, even if the OP didn't care for the advice he
pretended to solicit, the discussion was still educational, and
interesting to others. Nothing earth-shattering, but still good
information.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Do Your Holiday Shopping Online
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/

On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 08:50:42 -0800, David Ross in
rec.gardens wrote:

FACE wrote:

Since I am going to do it anyway, and have already trimmed the branches,
would someone tell me if I should make an angle cut or a straight cut and
should i tar it when reducing height by about 1/3 with a topping cut of the
main trunk on a dogwood. Or does it make any difference. (I already
realize that I will attract tornadoes, lightning strikes, earthquakes and
kill every living thing within a hundred yard radius of the tree and will
probably set up a domino effect of infestations that will blight the entire
Eastern seaboard.)

Tar and commercial pruning paints containing tar should never be
used. They cause die-back.

I find that white glue (Emler's, Will-Hold, etc) is an excellent
seal for pruning cuts. The cuts seem to heal more quickly if
sealed, especially heading cuts.

When I prune my peach, I reseal old cuts where the wood has dried
and cracked, to keep water out of the cracks. This prevents rot.

When I prune my roses, any heading cut on a twig thicker than a
soda straw is sealed. Otherwise, stem borers (solitary wasps
making nests) will enter the cut and drill down 2-3 inches,
weakening the branch.

Thank you David, the straight up open grain is
my concern here. I am still leaning towards the bluntish angle cut for
quick water runoff in a trade-off of an increased the wound area.


FACE

--
Your question is a good one. A pruning guide that will help you is "World
Wide Pruning Guide" by Dr. Shigo.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/TPRUNING.html

Remember we must treat the whole system. The systematic approach to the
care of trees is called Modern Arboriculture. The book Modern Arboriculture
can be found here. Again the web site is:
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/MARBOR.html

See "pruning" in our Techno Tree Biology Dictionary
http://www.treedictionary.com


Sincerely,

John A. Keslick, Jr.
http://www.chesco.com/~treeman
Beware of so-called TREE EXPERTS who do not understand TREE BIOLOGY!
www.treedictionary.com

"FACE" wrote in message
...
Since I am going to do it anyway, and have already trimmed the branches,
would someone tell me if I should make an angle cut or a straight cut and
should i tar it when reducing height by about 1/3 with a topping cut of
the
main trunk on a dogwood. Or does it make any difference. (I already
realize that I will attract tornadoes, lightning strikes, earthquakes and
kill every living thing within a hundred yard radius of the tree and will
probably set up a domino effect of infestations that will blight the
entire
Eastern seaboard.)

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

FACE sarcastic? me? ;-))

Thanks John, I will check out those resources you list to see if i can find
a little guidance. I am thinking of waiting until the full onset
(December?) of winter before i make the head cut.


FACE


On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 14:24:34 -0500, "John A. Keslick, Jr."
in rec.gardens wrote:


--
Your question is a good one. A pruning guide that will help you is "World
Wide Pruning Guide" by Dr. Shigo.
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/TPRUNING.html

Remember we must treat the whole system. The systematic approach to the
care of trees is called Modern Arboriculture. The book Modern Arboriculture
can be found here. Again the web site is:
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/MARBOR.html

See "pruning" in our Techno Tree Biology Dictionary
http://www.treedictionary.com


Sincerely,

John A. Keslick, Jr.
http://www.chesco.com/~treeman
Beware of so-called TREE EXPERTS who do not understand TREE BIOLOGY!
www.treedictionary.com

"FACE" wrote in message
.. .
Since I am going to do it anyway, and have already trimmed the branches,
would someone tell me if I should make an angle cut or a straight cut and
should i tar it when reducing height by about 1/3 with a topping cut of
the
main trunk on a dogwood. Or does it make any difference. (I already
realize that I will attract tornadoes, lightning strikes, earthquakes and
kill every living thing within a hundred yard radius of the tree and will
probably set up a domino effect of infestations that will blight the
entire
Eastern seaboard.)

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

FACE sarcastic? me? ;-))