Novice Homeowner Please Help

[TheJpawn]

Hey Everybody,

Couple of quick questions. I'm new to this forum and to yard maintenance in general.

Anyone know what this bush looking tree is in my little front yard? We got some bag a bugs for the Japanese beetles that come every year and try to eat it. Also my friend suggested I trim it like that but I wasn't sure that I was maintaining it properly. Any advice for this little guy?

These trees in my side line are nice and offer shade for the deck but they have a lot of low hanging branches. I was thinking of cutting off one of those lower limbs with a chainsaw this winter. Shouldn't the tree grow up a little higher before shooting out all those limbs? Is it ok to cut one off this winter? Before I have just cut back the worst of the low hanging branches with some clippers.

Thanks in advance!

Josh

[dfw_pilot]

There is a bug in the PostImage software that doesn't properly rotate some smartphone images. To fix it, just import your photos off your phone and onto your computer, then re upload them. As for advice, I'll defer to a northern state person for your trees.

[bpgreen]

The lower one looks like a maple of some sort. I'm not sure what the other one is.

[Kmartel]

The first tree is a weeping cherry. It's an ornamental non fruit bearing cherry tree. Your friend is right, that is how it is supposed to be trimmed.

Second tree is a maple. If you wanted more trunk before the first branches it needed to be pruned when young. You could do it now, but it will get ugly for a bit and I would only prune off 1 or 2 large branches per season.


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[HoosierLawnGnome]

[ Post made via Android ]

[TheJpawn]

The first tree is a weeping cherry. It's an ornamental non fruit bearing cherry tree. Your friend is right, that is how it is supposed to be trimmed.

Second tree is a maple. If you wanted more trunk before the first branches it needed to be pruned when young. You could do it now, but it will get ugly for a bit and I would only prune off 1 or 2 large branches per season.


Sent from my iOS device using the Yard Help App

Thanks for all the replies and Kmartel for identifying my trees and the advice.

I know it sounds kind of drastic but I intend to cut back the lowest large branch with a chainsaw. I will get it as close to the trunk as I can. When is the best time of year to do this? My instinct says winter. Maybe January or February.

Thanks again, I'm glad I found this site.

[bpgreen]

Google says late winter or early spring is the best time to trim a tree.

[dfw_pilot]

I had always heard the best time to trim a tree was in a month that ended in R, i.e. Sept-Dec. because the tree is more dormant so it does less damage. However, recently, I've read that's just folklore and it really doesn't matter, and during active growth during spring and summer is best, so that it heals faster. In the end, I think if you want to trim it, just trim it. Just use lots of care with limbs that big. I watched my uncle get to rebuild his deck because he cut a huge limb that didn't fall the right way. Whoops!

[TimmyG]

I second weeping cherry, likely Snowfountain. Very popular. I just cut down the two have/had; they were infested with scale & fungus, loose, leaning, and poorly maintained (we just moved in this last fall; previous owners clearly didn't have green thumbs), not to mention damaged by the record snow we had in the Boston area this past winter.

I've been going to town with a chainsaw for the past two weeks. Tons of clearing: big trees, little trees, brush, scrub, you name it. It's going to take me 24 hours just to chip all the <4" limbs I have piled up (using a Mackissic 12PT). That said, I wouldn't touch those lower limbs. Gorgeous. I wish I had a specimen tree with such amazing structure. Just imagine what those limbs will look like in 20-30 years. Think of the fun that kids would have with that tree. Go to any arboretum and drool over the old trees with low hanging limbs.

[LoneRanger]

Most maples will bleed alot if cut before summer.