silver birch epicormic growth.

daveyeff

hi all, i posted on here last summer, my neighbour had badgered me into cutting back the silver birch in my garden, cos, (according to him) it was blocking out his sunlight, i made the mistake of letting him cut it back as i cant climb due to having arthritis, and he totally butchered it, i was gutted, it looked like a christmas tree with top two thirds cut off and the bare trunk up the middle. anyhow, someone on here told me to expect epicormic growth to take over. this seems to now be the case. could anyone advise me if this is strong growth with this tree. will it look anything like it used to. could it be left or would it need to be kept in check. im erecting a pergola underneath what is left of it, and have a couple of climbers and a wisteria near to it. if they grow up the birch what could i expect. any advice would be greatly appreciated. many thanks.....davey.

Eric Frei

Wont he want to cut it again if it grows tall?

we need pics to see the tree, but it sounds bad and personally, I'd say get rid of it and replant something more suitable that wont have neighbours fueding.

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daveyeff

thats what im asking, will it grow as tall again,? there was about 25/30 ft lopped of the top, is epicormic growth on these trees strong or weak. ive heard they are protected trees over here, besides it was NOT blocking his sun, he,s in his garden mostly around our summer soltice, june 21st, up until august, on hot days and when the sun is highest in the sky. its way way above the tree. he,s just being a tosser, will it grow normally. sorry i dont know how to put pictures on here, im still new on computers, just learnt to crawl. thanks anyway

Brent Ferris

It may well grow tall again. The epicormic growth is normally weak. BUt you said you were planning on planting a wisteria nearby and a pergola near the birch., Once the wisteria takes off, and covers the birch, what the birch does will be a moot point. THe wisteria will envelop and suffocate the birch.
Incidentally, it seldom pays to let a neighbour trim your tree - their idea of trimming and yours are practically never the same.

Eric Frei

Often epicormic shoots will grow faster and taller than the original, it will never be as strong as the original. There will be crowding issues too, we really need a decent pic but frankly .... I'd move on.

PS: There's no shortage of tossers, especially as neighbours!

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daveyeff

so when you say the wisteria will envelope and suffocate the birch, are you saying it will kill the birch off altogether.

Brent Ferris

That is usually what happens when a vine completely covers a tree - foliage and branches-- that likes to grow in full sun, and dies off if shaded. Plants that can tolerate shade, have shade leaves which are far more efficient at converting low levels of light thru the process of photosynthesis. Trees that grow in the sun have minimal to no capability this way.

daveyeff

decided against putting the wisteria near the birch, would hate to lose the birch, besides, its coming on in leaps and bounds now(albeit epicormic). i,ve put the wisteria at the front of the house. i,ve fixed tressled support to the wall for it to climb up, but me mate reckons that they can cover the whole side of a house and the supports need to be more substantial. is that correct.

jmcg.insight.gardens

Hi Daveyeff,

well mistake one is done, let's take a moment to consider the growing of Wisteria on the side of your house, before potentially you make mistake two.

Wisteria is a robust vine that will grow prolifically, it also has incredible strength in it's branching structure, I personally have seen it lift the corner post of carports and start to dismantle pergolas, grow under and around roof gutters . It is also a beautiful vine, but I always recommend that you grow it away from any tree or structure that you would prefer to remain intact, the preferred method to grow Wisteria is on a trellis, although I have seen some wonderful standards formed by committed people whom have the time to do the required pruning.

So on to pruning, you say you have trouble with ladder climbing, how will you prune the wisteria, to keep it under control, they require summer and winter pruning. The lovely examples you see on peoples houses are certainly pruned.

I've put in some links for you to see the size that Wisteria will attain, note the eventual diameter of the trunk formed.


This is how Wisteria should be grown,


Now, if you do have your heart set on a wisteria on the side of your house their are some smaller double varieties that do grow so rampantly, namely American Wisteria Wisteria frutescens Amethyst Falls is a good example.

regards Julie

Attached Files

Wisteria.pdf (33.8 KB, 2910 views)

Thdaoub

Best wishes for you!