Whether shortening a conifer makes sense or not is not discussed in this article - sometimes you actually only have the choice between trimming the top or completely clearing the entire tree. However, in order to limit the damage as much as possible, you should heed our tips.
How do I properly trim the top of a conifer?
To professionally cut the top of a conifer, first shorten the tree to the desired height, select two strong leading branches and tie them together vertically upwards. Then cut back all the side branches so that they are longer from top to bottom.
The right time
No matter how much the neighbor pushes, you can't just pick up the saw and trim the tree at any time. Especially with large, old trees, you can quickly get into legal trouble for several reasons:
1. The shortening and felling of trees is not permitted between March 1st and September 30th of each year for bird protection reasons.
2. The shortening and felling of large and old trees often requires official approval, even on private property, in accordance with the Tree Protection Ordinance. It is best to submit relevant applications to the city or district office responsible for you.
Taken all together, February is probably the best month for such a project: At this point the tree is still in the vegetation break, but can soon sprout again as spring approaches.
Cut back the coniferous tree in a pyramid shape
It's not enough to just cut off the top of the conifer and hope for the best - the result will definitely look extremely unpleasant for years to come. Instead, it has proven useful to cut the tree back according to its natural growth form - often pyramid-shaped in the case of conifers. This means the result is not too drastic and the tree remains aesthetic. Proceed as follows:
- In a first step, shorten the tree as desired.
- Cut straight at right angles to a branch.
- Select two strong guide branches and tie them together vertically upwards.
- They should form the new top.
- Then cut back all side branches.
- They should get longer and longer from top to bottom.
- But only cut this year's new shoots.
- Old shoots often no longer sprout, which is why a gap remains after a cut.
One to two years after cutting, you also remove the weaker of the two new top branches, which remains stronger as the new tip.
Tip
Before you start cutting with hope, consider the following: In order for the result to remain aesthetic, you will have to use a saw (€45.00 on Amazon) or scissors every year from now on. The tree will try to form a new top itself, which is why several strong branches will sprout and from now on compete with each other.