rowans

[banchoryquine]

Hi , I have oawee forest of seven year old rowans in front of my house and would like some advice as to how turn them into a hedge...many thanks

[artdemole]

Just prune to required height.Trim side branches only a little to thicken the main stem.

[banchoryquine]

thank you. I thought that that was what to do , I was thinking of leaving it until the winter, to be kind.

[Paul mabbott]

I don't have much experience of pruning rowans but there are a couple of points that, I think, are applicable to most all hedges.

(a) on your initial prune, cut it back 20cms or more below the height that you eventually want - this will thicken the crown and allow you space for subsequent pruning.

(b) winter is often the worst time to trim - it exposes the wood to moulds, bacteria and other nasties. For most purposes I would always prune late August, early September. Spring (late March, early April most years) is often tolerated and is the best time for some!

Good luck.

[banchoryquine]

thank you so much, I will leave it till the spring now, we had our first heavy frost last night. I would have done it in the winter if you hadn't let me know of the perils. I have lot to learn
best wishes

[Monkey Orchid]

I would usually do work of this sort during late autumn or winter months. But if you are concerned about mould and bacteria (not sure why winter would be worse for these rather than any other time of year?) then it's better to do the work in August/September rather than spring. Spring is often the worst time to prune or otherwise work on trees on hedgerows, for two reasons:

1) Spring is when birds are nesting so if they're using your trees you will seriously disturb them.

2) Spring is when the sap is rising in most trees and shrubs, so if you start lopping bits off them then they will lose copious quantities of sap, which does stress the tree.

There's a lot of advice out on the Internet on how to prune Rowan, e.g. on various arboricultural and horticultural sites. Happy hedgerow creating!

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

(b) winter is often the worst time to trim - it exposes the wood to moulds, bacteria and other nasties. For most purposes I would always prune late August, early September. Spring (late March, early April most years) is often tolerated and is the best time for some!

I'm not sure this is useful advice. It very much depends upon species but in general it is best to do major work on deciduous trees when they are dormant. There is an issue about frost damage of new cut in species that have naturually high water content even during the winter months, and of course species that are planted at the extent of their hardiness range need careful management. On balance, other than for fruit trees, I'd prefer always to cut in the dormant period, only avoiding periods of sustained cold - i.e daytime below 0c for more than one day. I certainly would not have any anxiety about cutting back Rowan during the winter, other than in the most exposed locations.

CM

[banchoryquine]

oh dear, before posting the request for info I was planning to do it when the last of the leaves have gone, I hadn't considered the risk of bacteria. I am a bit reluctant to do it at all but realise that it is necessary and had thought that doing it in their dormant phase would be least intrusive.

[Paul mabbott]

I bow to experience, not having made a rowan hedge.

Originally Posted by Cotham Marble

I'm not sure this is useful advice. It very much depends upon species but in general it is best to do major work on deciduous trees when they are dormant. There is an issue about frost damage of new cut in species that have naturually high water content even during the winter months, and of course species that are planted at the extent of their hardiness range need careful management. On balance, other than for fruit trees, I'd prefer always to cut in the dormant period, only avoiding periods of sustained cold - i.e daytime below 0c for more than one day. I certainly would not have any anxiety about cutting back Rowan during the winter, other than in the most exposed locations.

CM

[alinicoll]

Trees are most prone to infection just after the leaves have dropped and after the buds have burst. The best times for pruning are when the leaves are mature or in the full dormant season. There are always fungal spores present in the air so the times specified are when the tree will have the most available energy to compartmentalize any infection.

I would wait until at least December before doing any major pruning.