Tree pruning - I nearly DESTROYED our new greenhouse!

[@marilynbates5939]

Hi Andy, cut the ivy at the base of the trees. Ivy can kill a tree by restricting growth and sapping nutrients. Eventually you can pull much of it off. Speaking from experience in Northern California. I enjoy your blogs especially the cats.

[@asleandere8852]

I concur. We did exactly the same thing with our Willow tree, cut off at the base, then - some time later, it does peel off more easily. Once done, you can see the tendrils and grips Ivy makes inside the bark - dependent on the tree. Can't be great for the tree.

[@843thebear]

No leave it for the birds to nest in, Ivy and trees live perfectly fine alongside each other. No need to kill the ivy, it's amazing for wildlife and a great source of food for bees when in flower. Wish people wouldn't cut it down all the time.

[@castleladpaza76]

Definitely, Ivy is the suffocater of trees that tree is dying by the year

[@AndyMac]

Defo seems to be opposing views on this!! 😬

[@jambo7545]

@@AndyMac For what its worth, both RHS and Woodland Trust seem to think ivy is OK for trees. Early flowers on both ivy and sycamore are good for early pollinators too. Personally, I'd take that sycamore branch you chopped right back to the stem btw, its never going to be pretty now and will put loads of shoots out where you've just cut it back from!

[@scottyandhutch]

Two suggestions Andy - if you do an undercut on the branch before you do your main cut (a little way towards the centre of the tree than your main cut) it will stop the wood splitting down the branch from the main cut. This prevents large wounds to the tree which are areas for disease to enter. Also this would stop the three foot tear that almost cost you your greenhouse. Secondly get on to the ivy asap, it is killing your tree as we speak. I agree with the comments below about severing the ivy's trunks at the base of the tree - cutting out a 15cm section of each ivy trunk.

[@AndyMac]

Cheers! Unfortunately it's impossible to do an undercut with the pole saw but I'll tidy those cuts up now that the main branches are gone 👍. A lot of folk are saying the ivy is fine so I just don't know! 🤷‍♂️

[@johannes.f.r.]

You can make a second cut with the pole saw from the ground. The cuts are usually quite decent. Once the weight is off the branch, you can get a clean cut.

[@AndyMac]

Yeah, or might even be able to get the ladder up there now. They're big branches and take forever to cut with the pole saw relying on gravity. 😂

[@bobrice3957]

The tree surgeon would just climb up and trim with a chain saw. All those branches would turn to chippings for mulch.

[@AndyMac]

Trouble is they'd have to trim really close to the trunk but I wanted the lower half left for the rope swing. 👍

[@bobrice3957]

@@AndyMac Looking at my three oak trees the guys cut the branches with loads of room for a swing. Even at 50 ft. Think you are confusing it with coppiceing.

[@andyc972]

Really pleased to hear you're going down the native route Andy, that will be so much more in keeping with the natural feel of the bottom of the garden and the Burn. I would be inclined to avoid Blackthorn though, we made that mistake when planting our native hedge and it tends to run by the roots, so it can end up coming up in your lawn or encroaching on other plants. Besides the Hawthorn and Hazel, you could try Field Maple, Dogwood or a Willow which won't mind the damp conditions ( not a Weeping Willow mind - Beautiful but huge ). Personally I'd leave the Ivy, it's great for wildlife and it's main risk to a tree is if the tree is old and at risk of high winds the ivy will catch the wind in winter when the tree is otherwise bare - your tree seems to be in good condition and it's just a Sycamore so nothing fancy or delicate so not much risk I'd say - The Birds & Bees will love you for it ! We have extensive Ivy on a number of our trees and I'm perfectly happy with that ! I want to know what Mrs Mac would've said if you'd hit the Greenhouse badly - I can only guess based on what my Mrs would say and it wouldn't be repeatable ! 😳 The Pole saw seems reasonable value, I have the Bahco one, which is good, but it's not quite that long and it's a good deal more expensive now ! I'd love to get a "Silky" one (as their blades are superb) which is what the Professional Arborists use but they start around £200 ! It's always a surprise how much more is up there than you can estimate from the ground both in length and thickness ( and thus also weight ). It's worth reversing the saw if you can to establish a relief cut under the branch you're cutting as this will help to stop the split like you had and also help to stop the bark tearing, but this isn't always easy as you're working against gravity.

[@AndyMac]

Cheers! That sycamore seems solid - pretty old but plenty life in it still 💪. I'm all for more bees! 👍

[@andyc972]

@@AndyMac You might even get Bats roosting too, down by the Burn, it's great to watch them flitting around while you're relaxing with a drink by a fire using some of that firewood ( they might even eat some of the midges ) !

[@AndyMac]

I also want to encourage more dragonfly - apparently they're good for mosquito control. We get a few but we can encourage more.

[@Richardincancale]

Next episode - see Andy up the sketchy ladder with 26 foot pole saw!! I am actually just waiting on a quote for someone to tidy up my 9 35 metre high poplar trees - by climbing them with ropes!

[@AndyMac]

Ooh that sounds expensive! 😬

[@JRP58]

Great job. I would definitely remove the ivy, because it can choke your tree. You may want to prune back the remaining stub of the large branch where it split.

[@AndyMac]

Cheers - seems to be a lot of opposing views on the ivy! 😂

[@jsanders5419]

If you can, try to tidy up the branches that have split and torn as they are effectively "wounds". They may allow disease and rot to penetrate.

[@AndyMac]

Yup defo - on my list! 👍

[@C4sp3r123]

We have the (much more expensive) Silky Hayate 7.7m pole saw. Have had it probably a decade and used it countless times. It is expensive in comparison to yours but it is well worth the money, paid for itself the first time we used it. Looks much lighter, has almost no flex even at full height (the pole is more octangle in shape and is aluminium) and the blade is amazing even a decade on. Silky blades arent cheap but they are the best you can get and would be a good upgrade to your pole. Some tips on using it. Do your rough cuts a good meter or so away from where you want the final cut to be. Then if it splits it isnt an issue. If thick wood, do perhaps two final cuts so the last section to be cut off is perhaps 6 inches or so in length. This way you get perfect cut surfaces and minimise the risk of rot. You will need to do final cuts on your branches as is. Always wear a helmet, when doing large branches often the ends can move about quite a bit and often bits break off on the branch or hit other branches and bits come off them. Coming from such a height they can often easily reach you despite being far away. Even a small branch from that height can cause you a bad injury. Also put the visor down, ive had bits come off and hit my visor, it would have been my face but for the visor. Take your time, dont rush, ideally switch out regularly with a partner, it gives your arms a rest but also your neck from looking up all the time. Its also good to have the other person act as a spotter for you. Let the weight of the saw do all the work, your only going to cut on the down stroke. We have used ours to cut really thick pieces, over 12 inches thick. It took time but not as long as you might think when regularly swapping out and having a rest. Had you got a tree surgeon in they would either use a pole saw or more likely would have climbed and used ropes. It is amazing how little they need to tie off. I recommend checking out the August Hunicke KZbin channel, he is an amazing Tree Surgeon and youtuber. His back catalogue of videos have some amazing jobs where he ropes of crazy trees and takes down huge trees over houses all off ropes, though he now uses his crane much more. Brilliant channel to subscribe too 👍

[@843thebear]

Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time covered the ivy topic today, with all the panel agreeing that ivy does no harm to trees at all, and its environmental contribution makes it very beneficial. When in flower it will be covered in bees.

[@RolyHolzgrawe]

Hello Andy just thought it is worth a mention, in the video it looks like you have a stump and a large log on its side by the river it looks to me as if they have both got some nice looking burrs (burls if your American) on them. Burrs are highly prized by wood turners and woodworkers it mite be worth looking at selling them. just a thought. keep up the good work. Roly

[@terrytopliss9506]

Good job well done Andy.👍👍

[@AndyMac]

Cheers! 👍

[@Karl-p6h]

Honestly I’d have got a tree surgeon in ✋🏻 regarding the ivy just cut it at ground level.

[@AndyMac]

I'm not sure what they'd have done differently! Nowhere to climb and nowhere to put a ladder. 😬

[@DeborahKenny-w9x]

Mostly pole saws cut only on the pull action- makes it simpler and less strenuous

[@raydriver7300]

You are a hard worker Andy. Thank you for inviting me round 🌞

[@mikhaildavidenko3841]

use three cut method next time

[@AndyMac]

Unfortunately you can't do an undercut with the pole saw. 😭

[@farangkinok]

Are you going to get rid of those 2 big stumps lad ?

[@THE-AIDEN-PROJECT]

Ahaa that's a handy bit of kit 👍

[@AndyMac]

Hey Aiden! Yeah, cheap and cheerful but does the job! 😁

[@janevivian-smith4578]

Ivy on trees causes them to struggle when its windy - have taken ours out and with all the wind we have had lately all trees have survived unscathed ❤

[@AndyMac]

Heard that too! It's quite sheltered down there from all the other trees but if they ivy grows much higher it might be another story. 😬

[@janevivian-smith4578]

Cut the stems of the ivy low down and it will eventually rot off and ome down on it's own no need to climb ladder so no risk 😁

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

You need to get rid of all that ivy, the branches will be weakened by it and could brake at points where it could land on your greenhouse.

[@AndyMac]

Luckily there's no more branches in the danger area for the greenhouse but it is a concern! 😬👍

[@JohnComeOnMan]

Dad bod, on point.

[@Fionaw64]

Are you getting rid of that big stump?

[@AndyMac]

The big stump isn't attached to the ground - it's just a seat / log chopping block. 👍😁

[@ricard16]

New drinking game, every time Andy says ‘sketchy’ we’ve got to take a shot! 😃… bring on the sketchy jobs!

[@eleanoralba5792]

We took on a large very neglected garden with TPOs covering pretty much everything. After a tree surgeon did some work and identified everything we decided to choose our battles with ivy. As a beekeeper and very mindful of the need to feed many things by extending the season for them please please keep at least a dead tree that you let the ivy take over. We decided that certain living trees would be fine with it and an area of hedge. It doesn't go anywhere near the fences and more delicate specimens but otherwise the garden allows for as much wildlife as possible (but not liking the badger that is currently ploughing up a newly laid turf area, but we share all natural environments.).

[@catherineshiddengarden2596]

Under cutting a bit before cutting the top helps it not split off. I like that pole sew. It has a neat saw attachment.

[@martinwalton2850]

Oooh - lucky! It’s funny how whenever we get a new saw or sharp thing we can’t resist running a thumb down the blade! 😂

[@AndyMac]

😂😂

[@dbat3291]

Glad it turned out okay. There's a large sycamore just beyond the end of my garden, oh and many infants around, which has been cut back many times but it just comes back stronger. It's like pruning to make more shoots! It may be worth taking some branches back to the trunk, raising the canopy but it will be easier to manage. This time of year is also fun as I spend most days going round picking out the germinated helicopter seed 😒

[@AndyMac]

The sycamore seeds get everywhere! 😂

[@shaun30-3-mg9zs]

Hi Andy, that was lucky, you done a good job cutting the sycamore back. At time you got to be aware that branches can just snap in the wrong place I glad it went the right way for you. As always a great video Take care

[@AndyMac]

Cheers - yes, very lucky! If it split another 1ft further down the corner of my greenhouse would have been toast. 😬

[@carolynewilliams1194]

Some crocus bulbs planted there will make it gorgeous next spring. ❤

[@AndyMac]

Already done! There's a few coming through. 😍

[@nick-in-oz]

Watching some of those limbs come down and replant themselves is eye-opening!

[@AndyMac]

Yup - they don't look that big until they're at ground level. Couldn't lift most of them!

[@deanstephens6131]

Never mind the trees and the saw - Love the t-shirt, Andy. Up the Irons 🤘

[@AndyMac]

Too right! First saw them live in 1990. What a gig! 🤘

[@sharonmc5192]

Great job Andy. We need to do something similar as can’t quite get to the top of a beech tree in our garden. We did however trim the lower branches and invested in a compact hand held chain saw. Game changer for speed of chopping up thick branches 👍🏼 Re planting native plants and where, Kate Bradbury does some great books on bring wildlife to your garden with native plants

[@AndyMac]

Great stuff - I could do with one of those! Can you use them one-handed? 🤔

[@sharonmc5192]

@@AndyMactechnically you can but the safety bods do recommend two hands on the device. I’ve got a makita one which has a good guard to protect your hands. Your other hand would likely be holding the branch in question. As long as you have your wits about you, I suppose common sense is key. Perhaps don’t use one whilst up a sketchy ladder setup whilst balancing on one foot! 😉

[@shelleymonson8750]

Another tool you might consider is a pruning shears/secateur on a stick. It has a rope running down along the pole, leading to a lever at the bottom, sort of like a bike brake handle.

[@AndyMac]

Great tip! Although some of these branches are deceptively thick and really need loppers or a saw. 👍

[@happygardener3990]

I've got one of those and it also has a pruning saw attachment. Other than my secateurs, probably my most used tool. Game changer and far safer working from the ground than up a ladder!

[@Quaker521]

That looks a lot more open but a near miss nonetheless. You've mentioned hawthorn and hazel which are good for wildlife but you could also consider blackthorn, rowan, silver birch or even crab apple. All good for various species of wildlife. Thanks for the video.

[@AndyMac]

Yup blackthorn on the list too - there's already some growing down there and in flower. I wanted something that flowers a bit later though if poss since the cherries flower early. 👍

[@Joe90V]

Ivy climbs to the top of a tree if it's already dying. It does not kill a tree, that's an old wives tale. Occasionally, the ivy is what is holding up the tree and sometimes the extra wind shadow causes the tree to fall over. It depends. If in doubt trim the tree, not the ivy, it is an amazing habitat.