Severity of pruning on Olea?

blair duncanson · 17th March 2008, 11:31 AM

All,
Have been asked to severly prune a small,(10ft),Olea Europaea. The tree in question is approx 25yrold and has been butchered twice before. First time at 5yr old it was topped to 1ft, seems that only three shoots derived from that initial whack, they now form the main tree. Second pruning, 3yrs ago, liontailed all three stems. Olive appears to be quite healthy despite the loss off dignity and form. The lassie now wants me to whack it all back to just above the 1ft cuts, to hopefully form a lower, bushier Olea? How would the Olea react,ie would it send out profuse epicormic, to later form bushiness or would it only send out couple of shoots, not much use for bush.Trying to make the best of the situ. Again sorry for no pics, will be getting digital camera in April

JohN Dee · 17th March 2008, 09:39 PM

The typical form to train this tree to would be a single leader and remove the suckers as they appear... On maturity it will gain a nice dense canopy...

But having said that, they are a very hardy tree. Can tolerate a good whacking(they send out quite alot of epicormics) and do make a nice hedge if you keep on top of it.

A picture would really help and tell a thousand words on your current situation.

TreeDimensional · 17th March 2008, 10:07 PM

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Crown restoration is one of the hardest things for an arborist to do. I personally am conflicted at times as to whether to attempt a plan for fixing someone else's aggressive actions or to suggest a more site appropriate tree (bush). I have worked on previously topped American Elms before and it is pernickety work, and more often than not, you are still left with a tree that will NEVER represent or be as gracious as it's non-topped cousins.

I believe John Dee has offered a good advice as to the tolerance of this species to severe pruning. The other thing to consider is the climate and surroundings of this particular tree. The owner also has to be made aware that IF it is going to be a small tree rather than a bush, repeated visits from you will be required often, probably annually.

I don't think a picture is needed, most of us have seen wacked trees before, I shake my head every time I see one, and frankly, I am getting a SORE neck.

blair duncanson · 19th March 2008, 06:19 AM

Cheers folks, thinka thats been answered, she is still constantly changing her mind what she wants done with it! Patience is a virtue?

17th March 2008, 11:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
blair duncanson Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: argyll Posts: 100	Severity of pruning on Olea? All, Have been asked to severly prune a small,(10ft),Olea Europaea. The tree in question is approx 25yrold and has been butchered twice before. First time at 5yr old it was topped to 1ft, seems that only three shoots derived from that initial whack, they now form the main tree. Second pruning, 3yrs ago, liontailed all three stems. Olive appears to be quite healthy despite the loss off dignity and form. The lassie now wants me to whack it all back to just above the 1ft cuts, to hopefully form a lower, bushier Olea? How would the Olea react,ie would it send out profuse epicormic, to later form bushiness or would it only send out couple of shoots, not much use for bush.Trying to make the best of the situ. Again sorry for no pics, will be getting digital camera in April

17th March 2008, 09:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
JohN Dee Over mature heritage tree Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 751	Re: Severity of pruning on Olea? The typical form to train this tree to would be a single leader and remove the suckers as they appear... On maturity it will gain a nice dense canopy... But having said that, they are a very hardy tree. Can tolerate a good whacking(they send out quite alot of epicormics) and do make a nice hedge if you keep on top of it. A picture would really help and tell a thousand words on your current situation. __________________ Climber with slow climbing speed, must make up with mighty chainsaw roar. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Red : Green : Blue

17th March 2008, 10:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
TreeDimensional Banned Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 381	Re: Severity of pruning on Olea? Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Crown restoration is one of the hardest things for an arborist to do. I personally am conflicted at times as to whether to attempt a plan for fixing someone else's aggressive actions or to suggest a more site appropriate tree (bush). I have worked on previously topped American Elms before and it is pernickety work, and more often than not, you are still left with a tree that will NEVER represent or be as gracious as it's non-topped cousins. I believe John Dee has offered a good advice as to the tolerance of this species to severe pruning. The other thing to consider is the climate and surroundings of this particular tree. The owner also has to be made aware that IF it is going to be a small tree rather than a bush, repeated visits from you will be required often, probably annually. I don't think a picture is needed, most of us have seen wacked trees before, I shake my head every time I see one, and frankly, I am getting a SORE neck.

19th March 2008, 06:19 AM	#4 (permalink)
blair duncanson Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: argyll Posts: 100	Re: Severity of pruning on Olea? Cheers folks, thinka thats been answered, she is still constantly changing her mind what she wants done with it! Patience is a virtue?

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