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#1
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Ring Barking
Can anyone explain why ring barking a tree will usually eventually
kill it, but cutting the stem either at head height as in pollarding or at ground level as in coppicing will merely produce shoots from where the cut was made. East Devon England Remove 's' from Upslyme when emailing |
#2
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In article , John H Wood
writes Can anyone explain why ring barking a tree will usually eventually kill it, but cutting the stem either at head height as in pollarding or at ground level as in coppicing will merely produce shoots from where the cut was made. The food from the roots travels up the tree in a thin zone just inside the bark, so ring barking will prevent food getting to anywhere above the ring. Water travels up much deeper in, so the death is quite slow since the tree is still getting water to all parts. Food obviously can still get to anywhere below the ring or the cut, so those trees which throw new shoots readily (and not all do) will produce new shoots from below the cut. The two extremes are probably willow, which re-shoots very easily, and therefore is often pollarded or cut to ground level, especially if you're after young shoots for basket work or for their winter colour; and conifers, which don't like throwing new shoots, so if cut back either just grow the branches they already have or, if cut right back to the ground, die. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
#3
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"John H Wood" wrote in message ... Can anyone explain why ring barking a tree will usually eventually kill it, but cutting the stem either at head height as in pollarding or at ground level as in coppicing will merely produce shoots from where the cut was made. East Devon England Some plants can re-shoot from dormant buds, others can not, and some can to start with, then lose the ability as the plant ages and dormant buds die off. Ring barking will therefore not always prove fatal, although it will nearly always do for the section above the ring barking! -- Charlie, gardening in Cornwall. http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs) |
#4
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In article ,
Kay wrote: In article , John H Wood writes Can anyone explain why ring barking a tree will usually eventually kill it, but cutting the stem either at head height as in pollarding or at ground level as in coppicing will merely produce shoots from where the cut was made. The food from the roots travels up the tree in a thin zone just inside the bark, so ring barking will prevent food getting to anywhere above the ring. Water travels up much deeper in, so the death is quite slow since the tree is still getting water to all parts. Food obviously can still get to anywhere below the ring or the cut, so those trees which throw new shoots readily (and not all do) will produce new shoots from below the cut. Yes, precisely. One other aspect that is important is that many trees throw new shoots readily when young, but not when old - and, as Rackham points out, coppicing effectively resets the clock. This is a major reason why mature oaks (and many other trees) do not regrow from their stumps after being cut down, but can be coppiced over hundreds of years. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#5
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In article , Kay
writes The two extremes are probably willow, which re-shoots very easily, and therefore is often pollarded or cut to ground level, especially if you're after young shoots for basket work or for their winter colour; and conifers, which don't like throwing new shoots, so if cut back either just grow the branches they already have or, if cut right back to the ground, die. I cut back a 4 foot variegated Cornus about three years ago, to about a foot. It 'bled' profusely with a white sticky sort of substance and never really recovered. So, although books say shrubs such as dogwood van be pruned back severalty to encourage coloured shoots in the winter, I guess not all of them like severe hacking! Janet -- Janet Tweedy Dalmatian Telegraph http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk |
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