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trimming my canadian hemlock

14 years ago

I have a can. hem. on the corner of my house that is about as tall as the house. I would like to control it's growth with shearing. Just not sure exactly how to do this. Should I cut the leader back and then trim the branches back around the trunk? I guess I need instructions on how to trim this tree. I'm afraid of making a mistake with it and killing it. I do love this tree. It is about 10 years old but is big enough for the spot it is in. Thank you in advance for your help.

Featured Answer

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱

14 years ago

Well, a picture would help and knowing where you are would too. Since it's a 10 year old hemlock, you must be in a cooler clime so here's what I would do if I had such a tree. Wait until spring to prune it. Hemlocks have multiple growth spurts during the year and you don't want to trigger one this late in the season. Pick a day when its been dry for a spell to lessen the chance of disease. Although hemlocks are forgiving, you can cut too far and kill a branch. Make sure you leave ample green leaves (needles).

Another question is whether you want to do this forever? You say its as big as your house, if you have a one story house, you may want to think about moving the tree, if a two story house, you may want to think about planting a replacement. After all, if this is a species tree (not a cultivar) it wants to be 100 ft (30m) tall.

tj

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Comments (6)

in ny zone5
14 years ago
I also have a canadian hemlock at the corner of my house, for 22 years, actually it is as tall as the gutter on my one-story attached garage. Every year I prune it by cutting back by hand individual branches such that remaining branchlets with needles are still left. On top I cut off all leaders to get a round top. Due to this manual pruning I am able to maintain its size, but probably in 5 to 10 years it will outgrow its place anyway, and will need to get replaced with a different conifer, as I did with one hemlock in the front of the house.
Good luck!
Bernd
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whats the hurry ... you can always trim a tree later ... dig a hole NEXT to the ball of soil you planted.. AND FIND OUT... if water is getting down into the whole root mass ... NO GUESSING .... if not .. water deeply.. .. is its soggy down there.. quit watering ... otherwise ... give us a pic.. so we can see what is going on ... if the brown part is dead.. it can wait to be pruned.. if its not dead.. it might releaf.. even next spring... i cant tell you anything about bugs.. on words alone.. but i can say.. if you dont find anything.. then using a chemical.. is pollution ... and trust me.. i dont have anything against such.. when there is something to use it on ... but again.. no guessing ... pix??? do you have a warranty???? might want to think about using it.. but personally .. i wouldnt plant until the next proper planting time ... but the question will be.. will they have a replacement in fall???? might want to talk to them now and find out what your options might be... ken
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User
14 years ago
Don't know if it is recommended or not but what I did was cut off all the lower branches of the hemlock, cut out anything dead or dying and left the central leaders in tact (there's a grouping of five of them). Then I planted the area beneath them with shade tolerant plants (ferns, Pieris, Dwarf Skimmia, Pachysandra, and Irish moss. I do some lateral cutting if they get too wide but they look good and no sign of woolly adelgid. I think that by increasing sunlight and air circulation to this little hemlock grove, they have gotten healthier. Good luck!
virgmueller
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I live in the suburbs of St. Louis and have a six foot Canadian Hemlock that was planted in August of 2014. It is growing very well with full new healthy growth from top to bottom. I would like to maintain its' height at no more than seven feet. May I use my electric trimmer to shear these longer new growths now so that I can maintain the cone shape of the shrub to complement my other Canadian Hemlocks in my landscape? I was encouraged to wait a full year before any shearing, but I'm fearful of waiting because the new growth is so long and I would like to maintain the thick cone shaped fullness of this new shrub.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
so you planted a plant.. in deep summer.. that was already bigger than the spot that you planted it in ... so you need to already start shearing it???

do whatever pleases you ...

ken
virgmueller
8 years ago
Ken,

Your assumptions missed the mark, as assumptions normally do, and your response failed to address the sincere post that I submitted. Sorry to have bothered you with my question when things are obviously not going well for you. May I suggest that you continue trying with your desire to become a competent advisor on the forum, but in the interim, do your best to refrain from trying to interject attempts at sarcasm because it will only highlight your lack of confidence in your ability to address questions submitted to the forum.

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