|
Photinia Pruning
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20
years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis |
Photinia Pruning
Curtis wrote:
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? I've seen it happen at my next door neighbors. My own photinias are full to the ground because I made sure the sun could get down to ground level on both sides by trimming with a bit of taper bottom to top. / \ |
Photinia Pruning
"Curtis" wrote in message s.com... I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? Probably. However, I did that about three years ago for the same reasons, and three of the six have never recovered. They have yellowed leaves and look burnt. I understand there's a virus that attacks red tips (which are not native, despite their proliferation here). The sick ones are just now putting out new growth. If the new leaves wither, I'll be digging them out. |
Photinia Pruning
"Curtis" wrote in message s.com... I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? Probably. However, I did that about three years ago for the same reasons, and three of the six have never recovered. They have yellowed leaves and look burnt. I understand there's a virus that attacks red tips (which are not native, despite their proliferation here). The sick ones are just now putting out new growth. If the new leaves wither, I'll be digging them out. |
Photinia Pruning
IMHO, the best way to prune these weeds is to dig them up and throw them
away! "Curtis" wrote in message s.com... I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis |
Photinia Pruning
IMHO, the best way to prune these weeds is to dig them up and throw them
away! "Curtis" wrote in message s.com... I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis |
Photinia Pruning
On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 19:16:40 GMT, Curtis wrote:
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis The problems with red-tips are well documented, but if you're not ready to yank them out yet you can probably restore them to a screen without such drastic measures. Most plants put all their growth into the dominant buds at the tips of branches. If you remove that tip, the latent buds farther down the branch will be stimulated and make for a bushier form. Cut the low tips off, cut the top down a foot or two, and make the high branches shorter than the low ones (i.e., taper to the top as was already mentioned). This should get some new growth started in the lower branches. It will take some time to go from where you are to a well-balanced hedge, but probably no more than if you lop them off near the ground, and the plants will weather this treatment far better. good luck, Keith For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp. For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/ |
Photinia Pruning
On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 19:16:40 GMT, Curtis wrote:
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis The problems with red-tips are well documented, but if you're not ready to yank them out yet you can probably restore them to a screen without such drastic measures. Most plants put all their growth into the dominant buds at the tips of branches. If you remove that tip, the latent buds farther down the branch will be stimulated and make for a bushier form. Cut the low tips off, cut the top down a foot or two, and make the high branches shorter than the low ones (i.e., taper to the top as was already mentioned). This should get some new growth started in the lower branches. It will take some time to go from where you are to a well-balanced hedge, but probably no more than if you lop them off near the ground, and the plants will weather this treatment far better. good luck, Keith For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp. For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/ |
Photinia Pruning
On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 19:16:40 GMT, Curtis wrote:
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis The problems with red-tips are well documented, but if you're not ready to yank them out yet you can probably restore them to a screen without such drastic measures. Most plants put all their growth into the dominant buds at the tips of branches. If you remove that tip, the latent buds farther down the branch will be stimulated and make for a bushier form. Cut the low tips off, cut the top down a foot or two, and make the high branches shorter than the low ones (i.e., taper to the top as was already mentioned). This should get some new growth started in the lower branches. It will take some time to go from where you are to a well-balanced hedge, but probably no more than if you lop them off near the ground, and the plants will weather this treatment far better. good luck, Keith For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp. For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/ |
Photinia Pruning
On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 19:16:40 GMT, Curtis wrote:
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis The problems with red-tips are well documented, but if you're not ready to yank them out yet you can probably restore them to a screen without such drastic measures. Most plants put all their growth into the dominant buds at the tips of branches. If you remove that tip, the latent buds farther down the branch will be stimulated and make for a bushier form. Cut the low tips off, cut the top down a foot or two, and make the high branches shorter than the low ones (i.e., taper to the top as was already mentioned). This should get some new growth started in the lower branches. It will take some time to go from where you are to a well-balanced hedge, but probably no more than if you lop them off near the ground, and the plants will weather this treatment far better. good luck, Keith For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp. For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/ |
Photinia Pruning
On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 19:16:40 GMT, Curtis wrote:
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20 years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground. Will new branches sprout and bush out? -- Curtis The problems with red-tips are well documented, but if you're not ready to yank them out yet you can probably restore them to a screen without such drastic measures. Most plants put all their growth into the dominant buds at the tips of branches. If you remove that tip, the latent buds farther down the branch will be stimulated and make for a bushier form. Cut the low tips off, cut the top down a foot or two, and make the high branches shorter than the low ones (i.e., taper to the top as was already mentioned). This should get some new growth started in the lower branches. It will take some time to go from where you are to a well-balanced hedge, but probably no more than if you lop them off near the ground, and the plants will weather this treatment far better. good luck, Keith For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp. For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/ |
Photinia Pruning
Thanks all for the tips. I have a plan now. -- Curtis |
Photinia Pruning
Thanks all for the tips. I have a plan now. -- Curtis |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:34 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter