I'm relatively new to gardening and I've heard topping trees is a bad idea. I want to know how I can maintain the height of my holly tree and some ornamental cherry trees from the previous owner without damaging them. I need some pruning advice that won't involve cutting off the main leader. Any tips on keeping these trees healthy while managing their size?
3 Answers
The best time to prune is during autumn or winter when the trees are dormant. Pollarding can actually help the tree stay healthy, contrary to some advice you've heard. Just be mindful about how much you take off; keeping it to about 20-33% of the tree at a time is a good rule.
To maintain shape without topping, focus on removing branches that are close to a joint and redirecting some branches. It’s important to look into "water sprouts" so you can avoid making common mistakes when pruning. Target pruning is key to ensuring the reductions don’t stand out too much.
Great advice! I wasn’t sure what those water sprouts were, but now I know!
Hollies are pretty tough, and if you prune them back, they'll often come back even thicker! I once heavily pruned one, and it bounced back twice as strong. As for ornamental cherries, while I can't speak for those specifically, I've had a Rowan that got its top cut off a while back, and it's grown back to its original size.
That's a solid tip! I didn’t realize pollarding was beneficial. I'll definitely consider that approach.