Top cut on dogwood.
 

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? ;-))

dont try to seal cuts on trees. I am truly surprised a dogwood would need heading
back since they dont grow all that tall. Ingrid

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.)

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

FACE sarcastic? me? ;-))



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

Thanks for the answer and that is a valid question. A property i have had
for some years now had a dogwood planted near the house and walk which was
just fine for them and for several years afterward but has now reached it's
expected 25' and was in the utility lines coming into the house -- besides
just being oversized for it's position.

I never use a sealant for branch trimming but this morning i read that
topcuts were particularly inviting to disease invasion since they rotted
somewhat and so I thought that to tar it might be reasonable. Also, taking
that info, i considered that a bluntish angle cut might be a better idea
than a straight cut. The article gave no idea how to do top it, just that
to do so was a really, really, bad thing. :-)

As far as heighth, most of the standard southern dogwoods run to about 25
feet, with some cultivars like the Cherokee (?) being less. However, in a
wooded area i have one over 40 feet tall with about a five inch trunk. It
has been competing with pines to stay at the canopy top. It is losing. :-)

As far as the subject tree, I have cut the branches over the last few weeks
and have it in the shape that i want it, I still have not cut the 8 feet or
so of the trunk though.

FACE


On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 19:00:00 GMT, in rec.gardens wrote:

dont try to seal cuts on trees. I am truly surprised a dogwood would need heading
back since they dont grow all that tall. Ingrid

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.)

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

FACE sarcastic? me? ;-))



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~
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.

It will make no real difference how you top third out of your (soon to be
moribund) dogwood tree. Hack away.

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



"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? ;-))

I have several dogwood trees, some native to the area. I have not
trimmed any of them and they all do well. A straight cut will leave
less cross-sectional area exposed to disease. Do not use tree sealer.
Dogwoods bruise easily and heal very slowly.

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 13:44:48 -0500, 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.)

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

FACE sarcastic? me? ;-))

Thanks, I realize the cross-sectional surface would be larger with an angle
cut. I agree wit the non-sealant approach on branches but with the grain
open and upright I considered it in this case, and in particular tar.

FACE


On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 00:32:56 GMT, Phisherman in
rec.gardens wrote:

I have several dogwood trees, some native to the area. I have not
trimmed any of them and they all do well. A straight cut will leave
less cross-sectional area exposed to disease. Do not use tree sealer.
Dogwoods bruise easily and heal very slowly.

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 13:44:48 -0500, 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.)

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

FACE sarcastic? me? ;-))

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




On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 19:24:25 -0500, "Mike LaMana"
fake@MikeatHeartwoodConsultingdotnet in rec.gardens wrote:

It will make no real difference how you top third out of your (soon to be
moribund) dogwood tree. Hack away.

FACE wrote in message . ..

I never use a sealant for branch trimming

Just read this comment. Is branch sealant bad? And, if so, why?

Patrick

If the tree is actually growing thru the lines and the electric company thinks it is
dangerous, then it is best to simply remove the tree. southern dogwoods are dying
from anthracnose and having to cut one like that is going to make it an incubator for
disease that will be better able to spread to the rest of the dogwoods.
dogwoods are under story trees, they do best in hot climes under taller trees.
Ingrid

FACE wrote:
Thanks for the answer and that is a valid question. A property i have had
for some years now had a dogwood planted near the house and walk which was
just fine for them and for several years afterward but has now reached it's
expected 25' and was in the utility lines coming into the house -- besides
just being oversized for it's position.

I never use a sealant for branch trimming but this morning i read that
topcuts were particularly inviting to disease invasion since they rotted
somewhat and so I thought that to tar it might be reasonable. Also, taking
that info, i considered that a bluntish angle cut might be a better idea
than a straight cut. The article gave no idea how to do top it, just that
to do so was a really, really, bad thing. :-)

As far as heighth, most of the standard southern dogwoods run to about 25
feet, with some cultivars like the Cherokee (?) being less. However, in a
wooded area i have one over 40 feet tall with about a five inch trunk. It
has been competing with pines to stay at the canopy top. It is losing. :-)

As far as the subject tree, I have cut the branches over the last few weeks
and have it in the shape that i want it, I still have not cut the 8 feet or
so of the trunk though.

FACE


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

(Patrick) wrote:

FACE wrote in message . ..

I never use a sealant for branch trimming

Just read this comment. Is branch sealant bad? And, if so, why?


The latest thoughts on it are that it seals in bacteria/bugs that the
plant can handle on its own with no assistance.

I never did a side-by-side comparison, but I haven't used a sealant in
20 years because it never seemed to help at all.

Here's a quick synapses--- with a couple of exceptions to the 'no
dressing' rule;
http://www.colorwithplants.com/phc/p...tingwounds.asp
[oaks & elms during certain periods]

Jim

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

If the tree is actually growing thru the lines and the electric company thinks it is
dangerous, then it is best to simply remove the tree. southern dogwoods are dying
from anthracnose and having to cut one like that is going to make it an incubator for
disease that will be better able to spread to the rest of the dogwoods.
dogwoods are under story trees, they do best in hot climes under taller trees.
Ingrid


The utility lines are phone and cable and are not as securely fastened to
the house and street pole as electric. If it were electric, i would not
consider the branches in the winds to be of any danger.

The tree was planted as an ornamental anchor on one corner of the house
without apparent thought as to it's mature size. The upper branches had
begun to scrape the cedar-sided house.

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.

Essentially -- and literally -- this is an experiment. one that i have
thought over since August and the bottom line keeps coming out to what do I
have to lose if it fails versus what do i have to gain if it works.

If it dies, then a couple of hours with me, a shovel and a chainsaw can
remove all traces of it's former existence. (So far, I have used a manual
limb saw exclusively to trim it.)

If it lives, I will either have what I want or it will be ugly enough for me
to finish it off. If the latter, then clean-up and disposal will be easier
than it is now.

And all of that, so to speak, is the complete nut and branch of the thing.

Many responses i have seen remind me of the scientist who refuses to perform
an experiment to prove his pet theory lest he be proved wrong.

Cheers,

FACE

I

On 19 Nov 2004 19:18:21 -0800, (Patrick) in rec.gardens
wrote:

FACE wrote in message . ..

I never use a sealant for branch trimming

Just read this comment. Is branch sealant bad? And, if so, why?

Patrick

I would not say that it is "bad". I would say that it is unnecessary.
What I know that it will do, and is desirable is some cases, is to prevent
regrowth from that area. I will also use a sealant, even latex house paint,
on what i consider to be a significant wound -- like bark stripping --that
has opened the growth wood to disease invasion.

But, in the all in all, what works for you works best.

FACE

In the long run it will probably be better to make a bottom cut and
remove the tree entirely rather than watch it's slow decline to your
pruning.
Plant something appropriate to the site.

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

Thank you for non-scolding answers,

Fat chance!

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

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.