Tips on topping coniferous trees...

Bernice101

I have several mature coniferous trees, about 50 ft tall and 40 years old. They have become quite bare and I would like them to thicken up. I understand I will need to cut the top off them. How much should I cut off the top to encourage them to thicken up?


I have several mature coniferous trees, about 50 ft tall and 40 years old. They have become quite bare and I would like them to thicken up. I understand I will need to cut the top off them. How much should I cut off the top to encourage them to thicken up?

Thanks for reading

magicbastarder

if memory serves, topping a conifer is not something you'd want to do without good reason and approaching it properly - conifers don't react the same way to pruning as deciduous trees do.

given the complications and size, i suspect this is not something i think you should do without engaging professional help.

looksee

I agree with magicbastarder; and topping them will be unlikely to cause them to become more bushy - conifers do not usually regrow in that way, and in fact some trees specifically grow in the manner you are suggesting, losing cover as they get older.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Agreed. Topping 50ft conifers will definitely not cause them to bush up. Confers just don't grow that way. The secret with a conifer hedge is to keep it low and regularly trimmed from the beginning.

Lumen

Conifers grow in dense forests where light doesn't reach the bottoms. They've evolved to save energy by dropping foliage from the lower branches as they get taller.

But depends on species. What exactly are they?

Bernice101

Hi there op here
They are what we would call 'regular' palm trees.

They are planted in a line in front of a house. I'm half debating with myself if I should just cut them down and plant a hedge..

magicbastarder

google leylandii - would that match what you have in the garden?
or more like a cordyline?

Bernice101

Op here again,
Thanks everyone for your advice.
I've decided to cut down the trees and start from scratch. Something like the leylandi would work if it grows up to 1 meter per year. Are there any more ornate options than the laylandii? Something that would also provide cover all year round. Perhaps in a nicer colour? I also seen somewhere a beautiful drooping palm tree (Germany if I recall correctly) would something like that work in limestone soil? But perhaps something like that would loose its effect if kept trimmed into a hedge?
Thanks in advance for your recommendations

magicbastarder

leylandii will need annual maintenance or it will turn into a potentially expensive, potentially ugly issue for you.

it depends what you need the trees for - a windbreak, a barrier, to block a view, or simply to look good?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Bernice101 wrote: »

Op here again,
Thanks everyone for your advice.
I've decided to cut down the trees and start from scratch. Something like the leylandi would work if it grows up to 1 meter per year. Are there any more ornate options than the laylandii? Something that would also provide cover all year round. Perhaps in a nicer colour? I also seen somewhere a beautiful drooping palm tree (Germany if I recall correctly) would something like that work in limestone soil? But perhaps something like that would loose its effect if kept trimmed into a hedge?
Thanks in advance for your recommendations

Planting more leylandii is a big mistake. How high do you want this? Is it a hedge or a screen that you ****? There are many options depending on what you want the planting for.

macraignil

Bernice101 wrote: »

Op here again,
Thanks everyone for your advice.
I've decided to cut down the trees and start from scratch. Something like the leylandi would work if it grows up to 1 meter per year. Are there any more ornate options than the laylandii? Something that would also provide cover all year round. Perhaps in a nicer colour? I also seen somewhere a beautiful drooping palm tree (Germany if I recall correctly) would something like that work in limestone soil? But perhaps something like that would loose its effect if kept trimmed into a hedge?
Thanks in advance for your recommendations

Privet, photinia red robin, laurel, olearia and vibunum tinus can make a nice hedge, but not sure how fast they would grow each year. I reckon the laurel would be the fastest growing. The privet is also fairly fast and has nice white flowers in the summer. The viburneum is good for flowers in the winter months and red robin has interesting red colour to new leaves all year round. I think the conifer hedges are a bit too vigorous and labour intensive and for a decent length of hedge you probably should have some mechanical trimmer available.

Lumen

Holden Scrawny Ceremony wrote: »

Planting more leylandii is a big mistake. How high do you want this? Is it a hedge or a screen that you ****? There are many options depending on what you want the planting for.

:eek:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Lumen wrote: »

:eek:

What's that supposed to signify?

looksee

read what you typed a little more closely S.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

looksee wrote: »

read what you typed a little more closely S.

I see! Not having a dirty mind, I had to look word by word twice. Not a word I'd normally read as anything other than a typographic error, not one I've ever uttered nor written intentionally.

Lumen

Holden Scrawny Ceremony wrote: »

I see! Not having a dirty mind, I had to look word by word twice. Not a word I'd normally read as anything other than a typographic error, not one I've ever uttered nor written intentionally.

Well, at least your sense of humour is fully intact :pac: