Magazine - AVOID A TRUNK THAT LOOKS LIKE AN ELEPHANTS KNEE
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By Dr Colin Mumford in Tip of the Day on 24th Jan 2012 14:32
Weather permitting this is the time of year we all trim up, chop down, hack off, or just tidy the trees within our private spaces and gardens.
Some of you will have well qualified and experienced tree surgeons climbing up and lopping off excessive growth or interfering limbs on big trees that just seem to get in the way or cause a nuisance to either you or your neighbour.
But what if you have a new young tree whose growth you want to influence before it becomes an unsightly monster?
It depends on the look you are trying to achieve.
Do you want a formal lollipop looking tree, where you have a smooth sleek uniform trunk that rises up out of the ground two metres before it breaks out into a cluster of subdued branches that have been tamed by the sharp snipping action of your secateurs. Or do you let the tree go au naturel and let it grows what it wants where it wants, just trimming off the bits that are hazardous, like the twig jutting out at eye level, or the branch on a collision course with an overhead electric cable.
If you want to achieve the former before the latter occurs you need to act fast. Trim low level branches before they become too big, otherwise you will end up with a scar that looks like an Elephants knee on your sleek uniform trunk (see picture on right). The bigger the branch, the bigger the likely scar.
However the species of tree will dictate to a degree the level of scarring left by removing low level branches.
The preference in shape and form of trees is a personal thing. I prefer the au naturel approach, but then au naturel doesn't necessarily sit well in a trendy suburban garden. Ideally to save you the bother of pruning, lopping and trimming, just select the right tree for the shape you are after and spend your time doing something else in the garden.
For a range of pruning tools click here.
Read more articles in Tip of the Day, by Dr Colin Mumford or from January 2012.
