Trimming arbs...

[fga]

i looked at a hedge of arbs.... there are 17 arbs about 15' tall and up alittle. they want to trim them down to about 10, maybe 12'. not looking for a price, just wondering what would your method and timeing would be to do this. at the recommended height, the trunks are too thick to use my echo trimmer, maybe 2 1/2". would you use a chainsaw, or a hand pruner/saw? would you wait until the season gets alittle colder, for the safety of the plants? and would you let them heal on their own, or use that paste?

[Coffeecraver]

Cut them at ground level it would be faster than the slow death you will cause
them by topping.


:blob3:

[impactlandscaping]

He's right, Adam. Arborvitae don't take well to severe cut back.I hate dealing with them, most people let them get way out of control and then expect to see a disney topiary after trimming them. Ususally there's so much inside foliage that is dead, you can only go back in about 3-4 inches, max. I always go for removals when they are overgrown and out of control / split tops, etc..

[fga]

He's right, Adam. Arborvitae don't take well to severe cut back.I hate dealing with them, most people let them get way out of control and then expect to see a disney topiary after trimming them. Ususally there's so much inside foliage that is dead, you can only go back in about 3-4 inches, max. I always go for removals when they are overgrown and out of control / split tops, etc..
bill,
do you mean topping them off, or routine trimming? the regular trimming , their pretty tight considering they've been neglected, there just about a few feet too tall for the customers liking.

[fga]

Cut them at ground level it would be faster than the slow death you will cause
them by topping.


:blob3:how low do you mean? it would actually make my job easier the lower i go. half the hedge is behind and inground pool. great if i didn't have to climb a 10' ladder. are you saying lower then 6'? they want to block out the huge TV antenna the neighbors have, so that's one of there major concerns.

[Coffeecraver]

Getting into reducing the height by that much will wound them more than
they can handle.

http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/topping.asp

[fga]

thanks for the link....
but just for arguement sake, what method would you use. hand pruner, or otherwise?
I guess i could warn them, and give them options that if they don't survive, we could put some new ones in their place. :)

[dishboy]

Are we talking about pyramid arbs?

[activelandscaping]

Would the customer consider replacing the current screen with a more suitable plant material, something that will tolerate shearing?

Regards,
Active

[bobbygedd]

maybe i got lucky but....i took a row of arbs down from like 15 ft to 12 two yrs ago,used a chainsaw, they were bald at first but grew in nicely. just trimmed some more growth this summer.

[dvlscape]

IME they will take that hard of a trim, but will look unsightly for 1-2 seasons. Worth a shot if they are doing a good job of screening or being usefull in some other way. Just explain to cust.

[jd boy]

i agree, this won't kill the arbs, but will cause them to look pretty nasty for a season. This might not be too big of a problem since your talking about cutting them to 10'. no one will see the tops anyway.

tag team them with lopers & shears

[NNJLandman]

Arbs are a tricky plant as the others said, severe cut back could hurt, the best time would be in spring if you would even consider. They aren't too much like forsythia for example, you can trim forsythia to the ground and itll be back in half a season.

Jeff

[bobbygedd]

i thought the best time to do any heavy pruning or cutting back was fall. i understand that you wont get replacement growth, but for the safety of the plant, isn't it better to cut back hard going into winter, and not hot muggy summer?

[NNJLandman]

Well im not positively sure i think a hard winter could shock a plant like that after cutting it back. Im thinking either early fall or early spring.

[wallzwallz]

I've topped hundreds of aborvites and never had one die. I use my power pruner w/ the chainsaw head. There's usually 2-4 bigger branches inside. Cut these first, about 1-2 feet below desired height. Try to cut just above where a smaller branch shoots out. Then use hedge trimmers to even off the line or round at top. I have done it at this time of year but usually spring .

[dvmcmrhp52]

I don't believe they will die either.
If you want to, get some sealer for the wounds and apply it after cutting them back so they don't dry excessively during the winter. I've never had a problem topping arbs. On the other hand, arbs that are consistently trimmed, do tend to get diseased and die.
Get the chain saw and top them, then seal them.

[Coffeecraver]

Trees do not heal they seal.When you reduce the size by that much the wounds that you create will not heal and therefore Be an entry for disease,insects and rot.You should make it clear in writing that you will not be responcible for the damage the pruning may cause to the trees.

Pruning cuts do not need to be sealed with a sealer.
Research has proven this does not help and may even hinder a tree.

A tree with oak wilt may be the exception to the rule.

[dvmcmrhp52]

Cofeecraver,
Your points are all true, My suggestion of using sealer was simply because of the flat top that will be created after cutting the arbs back, creating the perfect situation for water to lay on top and disease as well as rot to work its way down into the main trunk.

[Lux Lawn]

Adam
A friend of mine has a house that he has to do that to and he used a chainsaw sounds dangerous to me I did it at a house a few years back the arbs were in really bad shape and used loppers and they didn't look real pretty when I was done put it that way.

[BCSteel]

Same as Mr.Wall said. I have topped hundreds of arbs, either pyrmidalis or smaragd with no negative long term effects. It will be ugly on top until they grow in but I dont think you would have a problem with them.

[sildoc]

Cofeecraver,
Your points are all true, My suggestion of using sealer was simply because of the flat top that will be created after cutting the arbs back, creating the perfect situation for water to lay on top and disease as well as rot to work its way down into the main trunk.
This is true. I always use a chainsaw and cut at a 20-40 degree angle so that the water runs off. it does leave a little more exposed but have never had a problem with disease or such. Insects are usually the big problem. Thus you sell them on a pest treatment 2-4 times a year. I have loped/ chopped/ and masacured arbs and they still seem to survive as long as you can keep the disease and bugs away.