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Crown raising advice please?

longylonglongylong Posts: 54
in Problem solving
Hi Can anyone please give me some advice on which branches I should cut to raise the crown of this tree? It seems pretty obvious to the untrained eye but wanted to check first before cutting. Also a tree ID would be good if poss?

Thanks

Posts

  • glasgowdanglasgowdan Posts: 632
    It's not something we can really do from a 2D photo. You won't kill it, just trim to a shape that pleases you. Nice clean cuts fairly close to the main trunk. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think I'd take some of the minor branches away from a couple of feet above that chair, cleanly back to their main branches as dan says. Do a 'ring' round the tree at that height, and then see how it looks. 
    I'd leave all the big ones, which are closer to the ground, as they're forming the main shape of the tree, apart from that finer one [arm/leg thickness] which is at about 2 o'clock in the pic, and goes across to the gate on the far right. Again, take it right back to the main trunk.
    It's a personal choice though, and better to  do a little, then step back and look to see the effect. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I agree with Fairy.  It's a lovely shape so leave the main stems and just take out that smaller branch at 2pm and then any more like it further up the main stems.   You want to remove any that are crossing and rubbing too and open up the centre a bit to let in more air flow.

    Need some foliage for a proper id.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    edited November 2018
    Great shape, leave it mainly be.  What is it? 
  • treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,923
    anything smaller than your forearm take off, anything bigger leave it.
    take anything crossing or rubbing out first
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    You do need to identify it as you don't want to prune certain species at this time of the year.  The bark looks a bit like a cherry and prunus species are susceptible to silver leaf disease if pruned when dormant so are best cut back in summer.  If you can post a close-up of the bark, some twigs on the end of branches and a photo of any leaves left under it, someone may be able to ID it.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • AsarumAsarum Posts: 661
    It’s not really the sort of shape that would respond to ‘lifting the skirts’. It’s a lovely shape now and allows light to the grass underneath already. The crown could be thinned out a bit but I don’t see the point. 
    East Anglia
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I think the same as Asarum.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • longylonglongylong Posts: 54
    Hi All

    Thanks the advice. I will get some pics when I'm there again.

    The reason for raising the crown is because in the summer the lower hanging branches came down around the swinging chair so I thought raising some lower ones will make the chair more enjoyable and have a "view" to look out from when sat in it rather than just being surrounded by low hanging leaves. I did go around with a pruner and cut some of the lower hanging bits but it just didn't quite seem enough.

    Thanks
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