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[Tony H]

Hi all I have a conifer that needs Topping by about five feet can anyone tell me if i need to seal the cut end of the tree and if that is the case what do I seal it with
tia

Tony

[Tony H]

Oops!!! posted in wrong section can mods please move to general chat
Thanks
Tony

[Shackeng]

I didn't seal mine and they are still alive after 10 years. I only took about 2 feet off though.

[amba]

The more you cut a conifer..especially Leylandii the more they will grow.

Growth is from the sides and tend to appear as a curved upward branch trunk with the new shoots forming .Over time these die back and new take over giving the appearance of dead wood inside .

We have a row of 30 conifers at the back of our garden forming a screen to a primary school playground and have them infrequently cut due to the costs involved being around 30ft tall now.They used to be cut down to about 12/15 ft but after 2 years you could hardly tell they had ever been cut back.


Have just had them done in the last few weeks as they were stopping a hug amount of light into the garden and they are now down to around 12ft and look very sorry for them selves appearing almost just dead branches ,but can assure you in 2 years time they will be as green and bushy as before

[biggriffin]

Done mine yesterday, tools needed. 1chainsaw,,1hedge trimmer, and a bow saw. O and a ladder, large tarpaulin to catch trimmings.

Depending on how much you want to chop off and how high is the issue, when I first did mine they were 20ft high, took two people, decided were to cut, tied a piece of rope around trunk, then cut below rope and pulled, then tidied up with the hedge trimmer,  yesterday just cut the top growth back with the trimmer..  Or find a local gardener/odd job type,, beware if they turn up in a transit and caravan.

[aaronjb]

beware if they turn up in a transit and caravan.

Because they might be jimmy944? Wait, no, he declined the idea of a Transit 

I am petrified of heights, so my suggestion would just be: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=liverpool+arborist 

[biggriffin]

beware if they turn up in a transit and caravan.

Because they might be jimmy944? Wait, no, he declined the idea of a Transit 

I am petrified of heights, so my suggestion would just be: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=liverpool+arborist 

I once asked a local arborist how much, he said £450, I replied how much, well it's a days work,and we have all the proper kit and insurance,  it took me 3hours including tea break, loading cuttings on van and going to the tip.

[Doctor Gollum]

A bit early for sorting out the Christmas tree... 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Cut 5 feet out of the bottom of the tree, so you don't lose the shape at the top. 



 

[biggriffin]

I'd rather cut the bloody things down, but I don't want to try and dig the roots out.

[Omegatoy]

3 conifers at bottom of our garden when we moved in,looked very nice! her indoors wanted them topped as no light in kitchen?ok I said I will do it, no way was the reply im going to get an estimate from a tree surgeon! ok hun I respect your opinion but remeber for the last 5 years in spain al i did was ground maintenance and teee felling?
yes but i think your to old now darling you cant go climbing trees,really? wtf ? ok get an estimate i said,2 quotes of 900 and 950,up the trees i went while she was shopping,conifers 51feet high,private yard behiind them and 25ft garden to the house,hmm she comes back from shopping to find the biggest tree now has 26feet removed from the top and garden full of branches and stuff, all done with a handsaw as the chainsaw was to dodgy to use overhead!,how you going to get rid of that? simple cut it all up into 6inch lengths and put it in the brown bin! that was 6 weeks ago and yesterday,i removed the last of the branches on the third tree they are now approx 23 feet high,she liked the extra light so much i now have to remove the trunks and remaining branches, so fired up the chainsaw, after its sat in the shed for a year, and will be doing the lot as soon as i arrange a trailer to remove the trunks!

[biggriffin]

3 conifers at bottom of our garden when we moved in,looked very nice! her indoors wanted them topped as no light in kitchen?ok I said I will do it, no way was the reply im going to get an estimate from a tree surgeon! ok hun I respect your opinion but remeber for the last 5 years in spain al i did was ground maintenance and teee felling?
yes but i think your to old now darling you cant go climbing trees,really? wtf ? ok get an estimate i said,2 quotes of 900 and 950,up the trees i went while she was shopping,conifers 51feet high,private yard behiind them and 25ft garden to the house,hmm she comes back from shopping to find the biggest tree now has 26feet removed from the top and garden full of branches and stuff, all done with a handsaw as the chainsaw was to dodgy to use overhead!,how you going to get rid of that? simple cut it all up into 6inch lengths and put it in the brown bin! that was 6 weeks ago and yesterday,i removed the last of the branches on the third tree they are now approx 23 feet high,she liked the extra light so much i now have to remove the trunks and remaining branches, so fired up the chainsaw, after its sat in the shed for a year, and will be doing the lot as soon as i arrange a trailer to remove the trunks!

Now if you had a decent sized estate car.

[Tony H]

Thanks for all the advice peeps good stuff 

[Omegatoy]

3 conifers at bottom of our garden when we moved in,looked very nice! her indoors wanted them topped as no light in kitchen?ok I said I will do it, no way was the reply im going to get an estimate from a tree surgeon! ok hun I respect your opinion but remeber for the last 5 years in spain al i did was ground maintenance and teee felling?
yes but i think your to old now darling you cant go climbing trees,really? wtf ? ok get an estimate i said,2 quotes of 900 and 950,up the trees i went while she was shopping,conifers 51feet high,private yard behiind them and 25ft garden to the house,hmm she comes back from shopping to find the biggest tree now has 26feet removed from the top and garden full of branches and stuff, all done with a handsaw as the chainsaw was to dodgy to use overhead!,how you going to get rid of that? simple cut it all up into 6inch lengths and put it in the brown bin! that was 6 weeks ago and yesterday,i removed the last of the branches on the third tree they are now approx 23 feet high,she liked the extra light so much i now have to remove the trunks and remaining branches, so fired up the chainsaw, after its sat in the shed for a year, and will be doing the lot as soon as i arrange a trailer to remove the trunks!

Now if you had a decent sized estate car.

sprinter is plenty big enough!

[deviator]

I'd rather cut the bloody things down, but I don't want to try and dig the roots out.

All you need is some evil weedkiller. I bought some from eBay, (Yes, I Know) the instructions describe how much to dilute it to kill tree stumps and how many ml you need per acre of field. I own an end terrace 

[Auto Addict]

Thinking of getting one of these:-

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/ryobi-rpt4545m-telescopic-articulating-pole-he/

Any opinions gratefully received

[amba]

Best advise is get a petrol unit as they have a lot more grunt as the smaller ones really aren't much use other than cutting very thin stems.

I have a stihl multi tool with a 10inch chainsaw attachment.The pole is telescopic and will extend to 2.8mtrs so can easily cut over 3.0mtrs at any angle.Hedge cutter is 18inch and makes very short work of anything upto about 30mm thick.Bit heavy but have a full strap harness..bit like a rucksack back to front ..and it makes the job a whole lot easier.

[Auto Addict]

Best advise is get a petrol unit as they have a lot more grunt as the smaller ones really aren't much use other than cutting very thin stems.

I have a stihl multi tool with a 10inch chainsaw attachment.The pole is telescopic and will extend to 2.8mtrs so can easily cut over 3.0mtrs at any angle.Hedge cutter is 18inch and makes very short work of anything upto about 30mm thick.Bit heavy but have a full strap harness..bit like a rucksack back to front ..and it makes the job a whole lot easier.

Petrol types would be too heavy for me to handle at my age.

[amba]

Think you might find with the harness it would be quite ok.

Basically it just hangs infront of you and your arms just support the pole

[amba]

Also depends what you intend "snipping" and at what height.

I have a row of now cut Leylandii still about 12ft high and being over 35 years old they are quite brutes even with a major haircut

[Sir Tigger KC]

I have a Flymo battery hedge trimmer that is very similar to the Ryobi AA linked to and it's excellent! 

I bought it as I have a 20ft laurel hedge at the bottom of my garden and I found my petrol hedge trimmer too heavy and unwieldy at the top of the ladder when trimming the top off.    It's more than man enough for most hedge trimming needs and is much lighter than the petrol version. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183443841057?ViewItem=&item=183443841057

[Kevin Wood]

I've got a hedge trimmer attachment for my Ryobi petrol strimmer and I find it rather heavy. It doesn't need the power for 90% of jobs so I tend to find a little mains electric one easier.

[amba]

Never tried a main/battery version so my comments are soley based on what I have used.Although saying that our run of conifers are real brutes and have recently been cut back from over 35ft so they really are a chainsaw/petrol job

[Sir Tigger KC]

Obviously a major cutback needs heavier kit for the job, but my battery Flymo hedge trimmer will cut twigs and stems up to about 15mm, so good for the annual trim. 

[amba]

Wish these brutes only put on 15mm thick growth.

I recon they grow around 1.0 - 1.5 mtrs a year and in that time the lateral growth is around 25/30mm thick .

Perils of having a Leylandii hedge,but as we have a Primary School playground at the back of our garden we need a screen and a sound barrier

[YZ250]

Wish these brutes only put on 15mm thick growth.

I recon they grow around 1.0 - 1.5 mtrs a year and in that time the lateral growth is around 25/30mm thick .

Perils of having a Leylandii hedge,but as we have a Primary School playground at the back of our garden we need a screen and a sound barrier

Same here, but we live in an end house so have them all the way around the outer boundary. My gear is all petrol as I have to go around the other side and a lead would be impractical. Mine are now down to about twelve feet tall but are still about eight feet across. I use a petrol multi tool with one metre extension poles, so it can go just over three metres long, but you need arms like Popeye with all of the extensions on. I use twelve foot, wide rung steps and the petrol pole hedge trimmer attachment for the sides and most of the top but add the chainsaw attachment for the thicker bits. I use my petrol chainsaw to cut the trunk about a foot lower than the outer sides so that trimming for the next two or three years is much easier. You can't see the hollow middle from the ground, only from a bedroom window.
As amba said, the small stuff is only any good for the outer sides and nowhere near man enough for topping 35 year old Leylandii. I have to use the petrol pole cutter just to reach across the tops as they are too wide to be cut from the ground with the angled cutter and the angled trimmer won't cut through branches about ten inches thick. 

[biggriffin]

Perils of having a Leylandii hedge,but as we have a Primary School playground at the back of our garden we need a screen and a sound barrier

So what any self respecting person would do,,,,, complain about the noise the little darlings are making and have the school closed down, as it's infringing you right to a quite life.

[amba]

 

[Shackeng]

Wish these brutes only put on 15mm thick growth.

I recon they grow around 1.0 - 1.5 mtrs a year and in that time the lateral growth is around 25/30mm thick .

Perils of having a Leylandii hedge,but as we have a Primary School playground at the back of our garden we need a screen and a sound barrier

Snap, but we enjoy hearing and seeing, the kids, especially the 1st years at the moment.

[scimmy_man]

so did Jimmy saville

[Doctor Gollum]

so did Jimmy saville

Slightly unnecessary...

I did think that this read a bit off, but knowing Chris, I read it as a nostalgic statement rather than anything untoward

[Shackeng]

so did Jimmy saville

Slightly unnecessary...

I did think that this read a bit off, but knowing Chris, I read it as a nostalgic statement rather than anything untoward

 

I knew when I wrote it that it would attract 'comments', but Hey, at my age, who cares.

PS, It should add something to the house price as an attraction for certain types.

[Doctor Gollum]

Tunnie is thinking of moving

[dave the builder]

so did Jimmy saville

    Dear Jimmy Saville,
 Please can you fix it for me to meet my favourite celebrities, Rolf Harris and Gary Glitter...