Molalla1
Elite Member
Just like a big umbrella . . . Your neighbor probably prunes it every year.
Tractors and wood! Show your pics
- Thread starter Bota4me
- Start date
Definitely. If you just leave the tree to grow on it's own you get more wood and fewer, smaller apples. It doesn't take long for them to get away from you, either. I prune my trees every year.
About 17 years ago I approached the owner of an orchard I had worked for in the past and told him I would take care of his trees as long as he needed me to... not realizing how badly he had let them get. You couldn't even drive between the rows, I don't know how he ever kept them sprayed. I also didn't consider that I wasn't 20 anymore... between my age and the condition of the trees, what I once did in 1/2 hour now takes me two or three.
Before I could cut the outer branches back I had to build wood inside. I also slowly brought the height down, as he couldn't even reach the tops with his sprayer and my days of pruning from a 20 foot ladder are long gone. It took me 10 years just to get them where I wanted them. If I couldn't reach something from my 13' ladder I cut it off; there's no sense growing what you can't pick.
I finally gave up on them 4 years ago. I never really made money, was burning up all of my vacation time pruning, and letting my own projects slide. H passed away two years ago and that orchard is rapidly looking like it did when I started working the trees 17 years ago.
Gordon Gould
Super Member
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- NorthEastern, VT
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- Kubota L3010DT, Kubota M5640SUD, Dresser TD7G Dozer
So are you guys saying you can top any tree if you do it a little at a time or it is only OK on fruit trees. Not a farmer, just curious.
gg
gg
Molalla1
Elite Member
Depends Gordon, fruit trees for sure . . . say a maple getting too high next to your house/shop careful a little bit at a time . . . just enough.
Molalla1
Elite Member
Another thing, do it when they are dormant . . . any species.
hunt4570
Super Member
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Yes, I too prune my fruit trees and berries (black and blue) Had a couple wildly overgrown pears when I bought this place and buchered them accordingly, they are doing great now with more pears than we can eat or even can!
goeduck
Super Star Member
Took me a year's worth of foul words, but I put this round in position manually and split it up. I probably should go to confession for the names I called it.
Gordon Gould
Super Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2007
- Messages
- 6,235
- Location
- NorthEastern, VT
- Tractor
- Kubota L3010DT, Kubota M5640SUD, Dresser TD7G Dozer
I find foul language helps quite a bit. The hard part is finding the right expression.
gg
Woodstock Walt
Silver Member
Yeah, I agree. Gives you that extra oomph for attaching stubborn implements and ect. It's like Popeye's can of spinach.
Woodstock Walt
Silver Member
Also, I've been meaning to share this. It's a short video of me using our new Fransgard to fell a hillside oak tree.
I'd been wanting to fell the tree for years to improve our view a little, but it grew on the precipice of a steep slope and leaned heavily downhill. I didn't want to fell it downhill, because it contains some quality firewood and it would be quite a struggle to get the cordwood back up to the yard.
Not shown in the video is me climbing a ladder to attach the choker ~18' up on the stem, then taking tension on the line. I then notched the tree and plunge-cut it, leaving a thick hinge. Back cut it leaving just a small tag remaining. As I've posted before in this thread, I was a commercial logger when I was younger and routinely used this procedure with a JD 540B cable skidder.
I take the time to thoroughly clear my work area around the base of the tree before I begin anything else, including a planned and cleared escape route for if/when I have to get out of there in a hurry. For example, if the tension I had already put on the line was enough to pop the tag and send the tree over. That was not the case in this situation, but I was prepared for it.
A small bump from the winch was enough to pop the tag, then I continue to pull until it's about halfway down to help prevent the tree twisting from the downhill lean and shearing the hinge. First winch-assisted fell I've made with the Fransgard, and I'm very impressed with it's capabilities. Wish I'd bought one years ago.
I'd been wanting to fell the tree for years to improve our view a little, but it grew on the precipice of a steep slope and leaned heavily downhill. I didn't want to fell it downhill, because it contains some quality firewood and it would be quite a struggle to get the cordwood back up to the yard.
Not shown in the video is me climbing a ladder to attach the choker ~18' up on the stem, then taking tension on the line. I then notched the tree and plunge-cut it, leaving a thick hinge. Back cut it leaving just a small tag remaining. As I've posted before in this thread, I was a commercial logger when I was younger and routinely used this procedure with a JD 540B cable skidder.
I take the time to thoroughly clear my work area around the base of the tree before I begin anything else, including a planned and cleared escape route for if/when I have to get out of there in a hurry. For example, if the tension I had already put on the line was enough to pop the tag and send the tree over. That was not the case in this situation, but I was prepared for it.
A small bump from the winch was enough to pop the tag, then I continue to pull until it's about halfway down to help prevent the tree twisting from the downhill lean and shearing the hinge. First winch-assisted fell I've made with the Fransgard, and I'm very impressed with it's capabilities. Wish I'd bought one years ago.