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Goat willow tree: to prune or not to prune

AnomanderAnomander Posts: 88
in Problem solving

Come hither, dear petals, and give me thy counsel- by root and leaf I summon thee! image

I have a goat willow tree at the back of our north-facing garden and I would like some more sunlight in the garden. I am therefore thinking of having it pruned....possibly doing it myself, as tree surgeons are quite expensive.

Questions:

1. Would you recommend pruning it? I ask this because I would not wish to damage the tree irreparably but I believe that willows in general have a strong survival power- I have cut long twigs from it to use as plant supports and they always start sprouting!

2. If so, when is the best time to prune goat willow trees?

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Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Winter is the moment.

    If you slice it off at ground level it will regrow, so just trim to the size and shape you want.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • AnomanderAnomander Posts: 88

    Thank you Nutcutlet image

    It is a properly established tree though! The trunk is probably 18 or more inches in diameter so I was more thinking to do the canopy. I have noticed lots of growth on the lower trunk- twigs sprouting down there!

    I will upload a picture later.

  • Invicta2Invicta2 Posts: 663

    Once you start coppicing or pollarding Willows you need to repeat it every few years as the new branches are weak at the point they spring from, so dont let them get too big.

  • AnomanderAnomander Posts: 88

    Thank you Invicta2

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    You won't kill it whatever you do.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Our tree man told us not to remove more than a third of the branches, otherwise you will stimulate even more growth.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • AnomanderAnomander Posts: 88

    I can understand that to an extent but with something as persistent as goat willow, there is a minimal risk of serious harm to the tree and if it is severely pruned, I would think that next year's growth spurt would be relatively easy to control. Once the thicker branches are dealt with, I think I could control the more accessible spurt of new twigs.

    Pruning it by a third however....well that seems like another job for the tree man becomes a reality fairly soon. image

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Up to you of course, but if you prune severely you'll end up with loads of water shoots and a sort of untidy lollipop/pollard effect.

    I took notice of the aboriculturist I employed because he came highly recommended, was properly qualified and knew what he was doing.  He lifted and thinned the crowns of our large ash trees four years ago - there've been no new branches grow out from where the branches were reduced which is what happens when this is done wrongly and he has not had to come back to do more work.  I have however recommended him highly to friends.

    As a farmer's daughter I've watched farmers and farmworkers pollarding, coppicing, pruning etc all my life and have seen what happens when differents regimes are followed. 

    However, to be honest, unless I'd got several acres and had room for lots of trees, I wouldn't waste the limited space in my garden on a goat willow.  It'll seed everywhere and while they can look fantastic en masse around watermeadows etc they're hardly a beautiful tree in isolation, especially when hacked about. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • AnomanderAnomander Posts: 88

    Ah.... image fair enough. Thank you for some very good advice, Dovefromabove.

    Personally, I would sooner be rid of the goat willow but 1. We're renting; 2. My partner thinks I'm evil for even wanting to PRUNE it! image; and 3. While it is a nuisance indeed and not particularly attractive, to boot, it does host a lot of bees and other wildlife.

    If I had my way, there would have been one of the shorter species of crab apple growing there, I hear that the dried wood sounds lovely in a fire and we have a fireplace but the life of this tree is not mine to decide. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    Have a look at how to thin the crown of a tree here http://www.trees.gov.hk/filemanager/content/attachments/factsheet.pdf

    Do remember to take out whole branches rather than shorten them.  If you shorten branches you'll lose the elegance and natural form of the tree.  Do it in the winter when you can see the shape properly.

    Perhaps you can convince your partner that this will improve the health of the tree and also improve your quality of life by letting more light into your garden image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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