Disfigured Holly
#1
07-10-20, 06:46 AM
Disfigured Holly
This holly was probably misplaced to begin with. Too close to the house. The last painter chopped it flat in the back to create space for himself and it's gotten uglier ever since.
It also grows tall and requires a shaky ladder operation to trim the top section.
And it has all those empty barren spaces.
Would it make sense for me to saw off the top half and concentrate on shaping and trimming it to be shorter and fuller (and easier to maintain long term)? I've considered pulling it out or just sawing it away to the ground and leaving the stump.
Location = Upstate South Carolina
Any comments and suggestions warmly welcomed. Many thanks.
Any
It also grows tall and requires a shaky ladder operation to trim the top section.
And it has all those empty barren spaces.
Would it make sense for me to saw off the top half and concentrate on shaping and trimming it to be shorter and fuller (and easier to maintain long term)? I've considered pulling it out or just sawing it away to the ground and leaving the stump.
Location = Upstate South Carolina
Any comments and suggestions warmly welcomed. Many thanks.
Any
#2
07-10-20, 07:58 AM
Group Moderator
Depending on the type of holly it will always want to grow big and tall. If you are up to regular pruning you can bonsai it to almost any shape or size you want. Holes will eventually fill in if it gets good direct sunlight. A healthy holly can tolerate heavy pruning pretty well though I would wait until the heat of summer has past before putting it through the stress. If you don't really care if it lives or dies then whack away at it now.
dusibellissimo
voted this post useful.
#3
07-10-20, 12:44 PM
Bonsaied and then some...
Started to prune it down and this happened...
Reckon I'll either cut the remains down to the ground or maybe get someone with the equipment and know-how to pull it out for me.
Reckon I'll either cut the remains down to the ground or maybe get someone with the equipment and know-how to pull it out for me.
#4
07-10-20, 01:10 PM
Group Moderator
It it was sorta an accident then wait for it to bud out with new branches. In a year or three you'll have a decent looking shrub.
Will we see you posting again asking for an easy way to remove a holly stump & roots?
Will we see you posting again asking for an easy way to remove a holly stump & roots?
dusibellissimo
voted this post useful.
#5
07-10-20, 05:54 PM
Do what now? It would survive such a mutilation and come back to be a shrub again? Wouldn't have thought so but maybe that's a plan that will please the lazy devil on my left shoulder...
If the hard-working angel on the other shoulder wants to pull it out and plant something else there, we find it hard to believe there is an 'easy way' to remove the stump? Do tell!
And many many thanks again!
If the hard-working angel on the other shoulder wants to pull it out and plant something else there, we find it hard to believe there is an 'easy way' to remove the stump? Do tell!
And many many thanks again!
#6
07-11-20, 04:17 AM
Group Moderator
#8
07-11-20, 06:37 AM
Member
Here is a radical thought.....cut it again, to 6 inches off the ground. Water frequently while adding small amounts of nitrogen fertilizer each time. If you don't like it in 6 months, pull it out in the winter time and.............
dusibellissimo
voted this post useful.
#9
07-11-20, 11:26 AM
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'... cut it again, to 6 inches off the ground. Water frequently while adding small amounts of nitrogen fertilizer each time..
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Thanks. I can do that. Without an excavator!
What is gained by letting it regrow that way rather than leaving as is?
'... cut it again, to 6 inches off the ground. Water frequently while adding small amounts of nitrogen fertilizer each time..
-------
Thanks. I can do that. Without an excavator!
What is gained by letting it regrow that way rather than leaving as is?
#10
07-11-20, 03:23 PM
Originally Posted by YaddaYadda
.. cut it again, to 6 inches off the ground. Water frequently while adding small amounts of nitrogen fertilizer each time..
What you WILL have to to is train the plant, because the first thing it will do is push long skinny "water sprouts" which is the tree's version of gasping for air...
You can literally pinch off leaves to control how the plant re-grows, which means you can basically re-shape the tree as you wish.
dusibellissimo
voted this post useful.
#11
07-12-20, 06:20 PM
Member
To the OP.....what is gained is.....a smaller, compact shrub which is under control right from the start. You can prune or let go.....whatever you think best. You have options.
