trim leaders of green giants

10 years ago

I have a ton of green giants I have planted over the years. but some seem to be growing very tall but are remaining thin. I've heard that if I trim off part of the leader it will start to encourage bushier growth of the tree. In some cases its been kind of a problem. they grown so tall that a recent wind & rain storm unsettled them from the ground and have begun to tip, so I had to stake them off. they were planted about 3 years ago at 5-6ft and are now easily twice that size now. For privacy reason I would also like to "fatten" them up. No much use as a privacy screen if they just remain tall & skinny. Any thoughts? waste of time? thanks

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Comments (3)

scotjute Z8
10 years ago
If conifers are infirm in the ground, recommend ceasing watering, you will either have to restake or perhaps cut down and replant. If you must water water, do it no closer than drip line of tree and slowly move that out. The idea is to force the tree to grow roots further and further out.
That said, hybrids can be a different animal than std. trees. Will be interested to hear what those with experience in GG recommend.
Mike72
10 years ago
I have heard that trimming the leader on a Green Giant will cause them to fill out more, but I have never tried it on the 16 that I planted. A deer destroyed 2ft of a 4ft one I didn't have caged last fall and I trimmed it hoping it puts out a new leader since they cannot grow in height without one. I never had a Green Giant become loose in the ground. When I plant one I make a 5 ft. circle removing all grass, then break up the ground and plant it in the center with the root ball even or slightly above the surface. I keep the circle mulched and keep increasing the diameter as the branches reach the edge which is about every two years or so and every time I do I find the roots already there. These roots compete directly with the grass and it's best to keep the grass away so the roots can move out further. Right now all of mine are solid in the ground and the circles on the largest ones are around 8ft.
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Thanks for the response everyone.I will try and get a pic this weekend.One thing I want to clear up is I gave these green giants a decent amount of room. We both live on rural lots, so a 8 inches of infringement vs privacy should be taken into consideration!! I'm not blocking his driveway or garage, and we are a good 30 feet away from any structure.I actually had the land surveyed today and the green giants limbs were 8 inches over the property line!! He clearly went 2 feet over to my property line and cut at the tree tree trunk!s! I just think the neighborly thing to do was to ask to trim the trees. My response is to put the ugliest fence there is, directly on my property line so that is what they have to see every day!!!!My side of the green giants have not been cut, so I won't see to much of the fence I plan on installing. I just wanted to know know if long term if this will effect the tree growth.I honestly don't want to do this, but I don't want to look at his garage.Will the fence hinder the growth?I would be willing to take the fence down in a few years if the trees grow back and they allow me to trim them properly! Thanks again!!
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thetman
Original Author
10 years ago
actually I haven't had to water at all this month. we've had probably 10 inches of rain this june- and more this week coming. The area with the loose trees are planted in an area with much more sandy soil which I think with all the rain just loosened them up enough so when it got really windy they started to topple a bit. Other green giants I planted around the same time from the same stock in different areas of the yard have made it no problem- including a few blizzards with 70mph gusts and 3ft. of snow. The area is all mulch too- so there is no grass in the area. These were container trees not B&B. They were kind of leggy when I bought them and have grown quickly, just not width wise. So I may try trimming them up a bit just to see. I mean it won't hurt it. but just wasn't sure if it was a waste of time or not or if anyone has had any experience with doing this.

trim leaders of green giants

Comments (3)

scotjute Z8

Mike72

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trim leaders of green giants

Comments (3)

scotjute Z8

Mike72

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thetmanOriginal Author

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thetman
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