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Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right
time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks |
Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
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Peter wrote: I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? As far as I know, they are effectively unprunable, like other conifers. You can prune very young wood, and remove branches, but it will not regrow from old wood. If you need to do more, the best thing is to remove it. Sorry. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 14:46:45 -0000, "Peter"
wrote: I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks This is ultimately a *BIG* tree, too often planted in too small a space. It can eventually grow to 80 feet tall in the UK and its main trunk can grow to 6 feet wide! If you prune it you will effectively destroy its shape, you should only "tip prune" at most, other than removing dead branches. As it ages and gets taller, the lower branches die naturally so maybe, if it is tall enough, say 30 feet or more, that's the answer to your problem - take out the lower branches back to the main trunk up to about 7 feet from the ground. If it's not that tall, then probably better to reroute your path! Caution, when pruning, wear stout gloves and eye protection. The tree can fight back! Some friends inherited one in their garden and, in the end, the only course of action was to remove it. And, of course, it's not a cheap tree to buy! |
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Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
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Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
"Peter" wrote in message ... I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks Each to his own, but if it were mine I'd say prune it about 1 ft above ground with a chain saw the get a JCB to remove the root. Sorry, but I don't like Monkey Puzzle trees. :-) Bill |
Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
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Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
"Darkside" wrote in message ... Like pet tigers, they look so sweet when they're young. -- Sue ]:(:) And likewise,majestic when mature - (:-) Pete |
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Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
On 15/01/2011 14:46, Peter wrote:
I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks My favourite conifer. BUT it has an unfortunate habit of shedding its dead branches without warning. How many Monkey Puzzles more than, say, a dozen metres in height have you seen without bare trunks to several metres? A Monkey Puzzle overhanging a path is not a good idea. Cutting the lower branches off can be done, but I'm not sure the tree will look right! -- Jeff |
Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
In article ,
says... 'Peter[_14_ Wrote: ;910135']I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks Can you tell if it is a him or a her. If a her try to find ways to take cuttings for multpication with a view to future food supply. My old copy of Dirr's the Propagation of Woody Plants makes no mention. Anyone have recent info? -- Ilyan As far as I know you can not do cuttings and all trees are seed raised, but then I have never wanted to do either so could be wrong about cuttings! -- Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and Lapageria rosea |
Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
On Jan 15, 3:46*pm, "Peter" wrote:
I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. *When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks As others have said, your options are limited. And you need a hardy pair of gloves and a couple of layers of clothing, preferably, something with a hood, or, is you've got no protective glasses..; a peaked cap (if that's the right term for a baseball cap style item) In the event that you wish to remove dead branches at a height that entails going up a ladder, I suggest you also take a draw-hoe up with you; use this to shove the dead branch upwards.. that'll cause it to snap, and then you can pull it downward. having such a hoe (not a Dutch hoe) will afford you far greater reach and the fact that you can dislodge branches from a bit if a distance away from you will reduce the amount of bird shit and armour-plated "leaves" that the would otherwise engulf you. |
Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
On Jan 16, 2:47*pm, aquachimp
wrote: On Jan 15, 3:46*pm, "Peter" wrote: I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. *When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks As others have said, your options are limited. And you need a hardy pair of gloves and *a *couple of layers of clothing, preferably, something with a hood, or, is you've got no protective glasses..; a peaked cap (if that's the right term for a baseball cap style item) In the event that you wish to remove dead branches at a height that entails going up a ladder, I suggest you also take a draw-hoe up with you; use this to shove the dead branch upwards.. that'll cause it to snap, and then you can pull it downward. having such a hoe (not a Dutch hoe) will afford you far greater reach and the fact that you can dislodge branches from a bit if a distance away from you will reduce the amount of bird shit and armour-plated "leaves" that the would otherwise engulf you. er, when I said "that'll cause it to snap" I meant flush with the main stem and not snapping in the middle of a dead branch leaving you with ugly jagged edged spikes. At ground level you can just yank the dead branch upwards in an abrupt manner and it just comes off at the main tree trunk. |
Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
"Sacha" wrote ... Charlie Pridham said: "Peter" said: I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know? Thanks All you can do is remove the lower branches. You can't 'prune' one of these. There's a wonderful avenue of them at Bicton College in Devon. They were planted in 1843 and the largest has a trunk girth of 13' and is 85' tall so they're not something for a restricted space. Indeed, I think these are the second oldest in the country having been part of the first batch of seed sent back by William Lobb to Veitches, the oldest are at Penjerrick as these were brought/sent back by Charles Darwin from his trip on the Beagle 1831-1836 I can't say monkey puzzles are my favourite trees but when grown as those are at Bicton, they're very imposing. Someone has planted one in our local churchyard and I can't think of anything less appropriate, somehow! I love Monkey Puzzles as long as they aren't mutilated, there is a "young" one in the lawn near the Orangery at Kew and it's truly magnificent with branches so thick you can't see the trunk and they come down to the ground allowing children (and those who should know better) to feel the reason it's got it's name. They have also planted three in a group at Winkworth Arboretum down towards the lake and it will be interesting to see how they grow. They are so different in growth from the one at Kew that I think there must be different varieties. BTW don't try to move an established little tree, I helped a chap do that once and when I saw the roots I knew it couldn't be done but he insisted, very long thick roots and no fibrous roots at all. It died, an expensive mistake. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK |
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