Pruning Monkey Puzzle Tree
Peter
time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
Thanks
nm...@cam.ac.uk
Peter <spam...@spambouncer.org> wrote:
>I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right
>time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
As far as I know, they are effectively unprunable, like other
conifers. You can prune very young wood, and remove branches,
but it will not regrow from old wood. If you need to do more,
the best thing is to remove it. Sorry.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
Jake
wrote:
>I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right
>time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
>Thanks
This is ultimately a *BIG* tree, too often planted in too small a
space. It can eventually grow to 80 feet tall in the UK and its main
trunk can grow to 6 feet wide! If you prune it you will effectively
destroy its shape, you should only "tip prune" at most, other than
removing dead branches.
As it ages and gets taller, the lower branches die naturally so maybe,
if it is tall enough, say 30 feet or more, that's the answer to your
problem - take out the lower branches back to the main trunk up to
about 7 feet from the ground. If it's not that tall, then probably
better to reroute your path!
Caution, when pruning, wear stout gloves and eye protection. The tree
can fight back!
Some friends inherited one in their garden and, in the end, the only
course of action was to remove it. And, of course, it's not a cheap
tree to buy!
Fuschia
All you can really do is take the lower branches off so that you can
walk underneath it. I've seen that done with a very large one and it
looks OK. It wouldn't be appropriate for a smaller one though.
Bill Grey
"Peter" <spam...@spambouncer.org> wrote in message
news:8pdqa2...@mid.individual.net...
>I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the right
>time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
> Thanks
Each to his own, but if it were mine I'd say prune it about 1 ft above
ground with a chain saw the get a JCB to remove the root.
Sorry, but I don't like Monkey Puzzle trees. :-)
Bill
Darkside
Like pet tigers, they look so sweet when they're young.
--
Sue ]:(:)
Pete
"Darkside" wrote in message news:ccpYKTB4...@mashtub.demon.co.uk...
Like pet tigers, they look so sweet when they're young.
--
Sue ]:(:)
And likewise,majestic when mature - (:-)
Pete
Ilyan
'Peter[_14_ Wrote:
> ;910135']I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When
> is the right
> time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
> Thanks
Can you tell if it is a him or a her. If a her try to find ways to
take cuttings for multpication with a view to future food supply. My
old copy of Dirr's the Propagation of Woody Plants makes no mention.
Anyone have recent info?
--
Ilyan
kay
'Pete[_9_ Wrote:
> ;910161']"Darkside" wrote in message
.. but you wouldn't necessarily want to cuddle one
--
kay
Jeff Layman
My favourite conifer. BUT it has an unfortunate habit of shedding its
dead branches without warning. How many Monkey Puzzles more than, say,
a dozen metres in height have you seen without bare trunks to several
metres? A Monkey Puzzle overhanging a path is not a good idea.
Cutting the lower branches off can be done, but I'm not sure the tree
will look right!
--
Jeff
Charlie Pridham
Ilyan....@gardenbanter.co.uk says...
but then I have never wanted to do either so could be wrong about
cuttings!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea
Charlie Pridham
> these. There's a wonderful avenue of them at Bicton College in Devon.
> They were planted in 1843 and the largest has a trunk girth of 13' and
> is 85' tall so they're not something for a restricted space.
>
Indeed, I think these are the second oldest in the country having been
part of the first batch of seed sent back by William Lobb to Veitches,
the oldest are at Penjerrick as these were brought/sent back by Charles
Darwin from his trip on the Beagle 1831-1836
aquachimp
As others have said, your options are limited.
And you need a hardy pair of gloves and a couple of layers of
clothing, preferably, something with a hood, or, is you've got no
protective glasses..; a peaked cap (if that's the right term for a
baseball cap style item)
In the event that you wish to remove dead branches at a height that
entails going up a ladder, I suggest you also take a draw-hoe up with
you; use this to shove the dead branch upwards.. that'll cause it to
snap, and then you can pull it downward.
having such a hoe (not a Dutch hoe) will afford you far greater reach
and the fact that you can dislodge branches from a bit if a distance
away from you will reduce the amount of bird shit and armour-plated
"leaves" that the would otherwise engulf you.
aquachimp
wrote:
er, when I said "that'll cause it to snap" I meant flush with the main
stem and not snapping in the middle of a dead branch leaving you with
ugly jagged edged spikes.
At ground level you can just yank the dead branch upwards in an abrupt
manner and it just comes off at the main tree trunk.
Bob Hobden
"Sacha" wrote ...
Charlie Pridham said:
"Peter" said:
>>
>>> I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the
>>> right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
>>> Thanks
>>
>> All you can do is remove the lower branches. You can't 'prune' one of
>> these. There's a wonderful avenue of them at Bicton College in Devon.
>> They were planted in 1843 and the largest has a trunk girth of 13' and
>> is 85' tall so they're not something for a restricted space.
>>
> Indeed, I think these are the second oldest in the country having been
> part of the first batch of seed sent back by William Lobb to Veitches,
> the oldest are at Penjerrick as these were brought/sent back by Charles
> Darwin from his trip on the Beagle 1831-1836
I can't say monkey puzzles are my favourite trees but when grown as
those are at Bicton, they're very imposing. Someone has planted one in
our local churchyard and I can't think of anything less appropriate,
somehow!
I love Monkey Puzzles as long as they aren't mutilated, there is a "young"
one in the lawn near the Orangery at Kew and it's truly magnificent with
branches so thick you can't see the trunk and they come down to the ground
allowing children (and those who should know better) to feel the reason it's
got it's name.
They have also planted three in a group at Winkworth Arboretum down towards
the lake and it will be interesting to see how they grow. They are so
different in growth from the one at Kew that I think there must be different
varieties.
BTW don't try to move an established little tree, I helped a chap do that
once and when I saw the roots I knew it couldn't be done but he insisted,
very long thick roots and no fibrous roots at all. It died, an expensive
mistake.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK
Tahi
> once and when I saw the roots I knew it couldn't be done but he insisted,
> very long thick roots and no fibrous roots at all. It died, an expensive
> mistake.
>
four foot high. (and was very potbound when originally planted) How high was
the one you moved?
Bob Hobden
"Tahi" wrote ...
About 8ft tall. I suggest carefully digging a ring around the plant and
seeing what the roots are doing. If, like the one we killed, they are
shooting out straight all around and continuing on with no fibrous roots
near the trunk and with certainty of damaging them seriously if you try to
move it, don't bother.
Charlie Pridham
> On 2011-01-16 12:41:20 +0000, Charlie Pridham
>
> > In article <8pdvil...@mid.individual.net>, sa...@nowhere.com says...
> >> On 2011-01-15 14:46:45 +0000, "Peter" <spam...@spambouncer.org> said:
> >>
> >>> I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When is the
> >>> right time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
> >>> Thanks
> >>
> >> All you can do is remove the lower branches. You can't 'prune' one of
> >> these. There's a wonderful avenue of them at Bicton College in Devon.
> >> They were planted in 1843 and the largest has a trunk girth of 13' and
> >> is 85' tall so they're not something for a restricted space.
> >>
> > Indeed, I think these are the second oldest in the country having been
> > part of the first batch of seed sent back by William Lobb to Veitches,
> > the oldest are at Penjerrick as these were brought/sent back by Charles
> > Darwin from his trip on the Beagle 1831-1836
>
> those are at Bicton, they're very imposing. Someone has planted one in
> our local churchyard and I can't think of anything less appropriate,
> somehow!
>
very old but ugly specimen here (1867) but the bits it dropped were
forever stabbing childrens feet and our hands, very unforgiving plant.
Fortunately mother nature removed the problem when it was struck by
lightening and caught fire.
However I agree that from a distance and planted in someone elses patch
they look stunning and I wish we could grow some of its cousins
Ilyan
'Charlie Pridham[_2_ Wrote:
> ;910178']In article Ilyan....@gardenbanter.co.uk,
> Ilyan....@gardenbanter.co.uk says...-
>
> 'Peter[_14_ Wrote: -
> ;910135']I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path.
> When
> is the right
> time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
>
> Can you tell if it is a him or a her. If a her try to find ways to
> old copy of Dirr's the Propagation of Woody Plants makes no mention.
> Anyone have recent info?
> --
> Ilyan
> As far as I know you can not do cuttings and all trees are seed raised,
>
> but then I have never wanted to do either so could be wrong about
> cuttings!
> --
> Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
> Lapageria rosea
Thanks Charlie, Used to be I did not like Monkey Puzzlers. Then I
heard that twelve trees could provide a years support for a person, I
plant all I can afford in a forest as I see farmers planting non food
producing trees in the fields that used to feed us. The trees were
sacred in their homeland, but are now an endangered species there.
One big benefit in my forest is that the deer do not eat them. Deer do
a lot of damage to my favourite young trees Sequoia Sempervirens... see
http:'The Judi Bari Website' (http://www.judibari.org) for a reason to
guerrilla plant Coast Redwoods, they come well from cuttings.
If they bring in a JCB get a big bucket to take a really big rootball
as Araucaria A do not like being moved and they are expensive trees.
--
Ilyan
echinosum
'Charlie Pridham[_2_ Wrote:
> ;910178']As far as I know you can not do cuttings and all trees are seed
> raised,
> but then I have never wanted to do either so could be wrong about
> cuttings!
why you don't know whether you are getting a boy or a girl, and they
often take 30-odd years to let you know. But the seeds grow easily, and
are produced in large quantities, so it would suffice for the vegetative
propagation to be tricky that you just wouldn't bother. Few people
specifically ask for specific sexes, though of course there are some of
us who would like specifically to buy the female because we want the
seeds - they are good eating.
But Wollemi pines have been raised vegetatively, and they are pretty
closely related, so I would presume it was possible.
So, on some research, I read that Araucarias are "plagiotropic", which
means that branch material knows that it is a branch and will only
propagate more branch. So to grow new trees you need stem material. So
that isn't very convenient, and is probably why it isn't done very often
in practice. No doubt the Wollemi propagation was micro-prop and they
got a lot of plants from a small amount of material.
A monkeypuzzle near me, absurdly growing in a pocket handkerchief front
garden of a terraced hose, was beheaded when it started to get too big.
It has sprouted two new leaders, both growing vertically and close
together. What a disaster. I suppose, if they had sense, they would
take one out. Though if they had sense they would never have put such a
tree there, or cut it down completely when it reached unmanageable size.
--
echinosum
Jeff Layman
(snip)
>
> Thanks Charlie, Used to be I did not like Monkey Puzzlers. Then I
> heard that twelve trees could provide a years support for a person, I
> plant all I can afford in a forest as I see farmers planting non food
> producing trees in the fields that used to feed us. The trees were
> sacred in their homeland, but are now an endangered species there.
I think that you will find they are classed as "vulnerable" rather than
"endangered" (you have to take the "E" in CITES with a bit of
flexibility). Having been fortunate enough to visit the Chilean and
Argentinian Andes in 1990 and 1991, and seen forests of Araucaria
araucana from horizon to horizon, I still find it strange to hear of
them being under threat.
--
Jeff
Jake
<cha...@roselandhouse.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <Ilyan....@gardenbanter.co.uk>,
>Ilyan....@gardenbanter.co.uk says...
>>
>> 'Peter[_14_ Wrote:
>> > ;910135']I have a Monkey Puzzle tree that is now blocking a path. When
>> > is the right
>> > time of year to prune it and is there anything I need to know?
>> > Thanks
>>
>> Can you tell if it is a him or a her. If a her try to find ways to
>> take cuttings for multpication with a view to future food supply. My
>> old copy of Dirr's the Propagation of Woody Plants makes no mention.
>> Anyone have recent info?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Ilyan
>>
>As far as I know you can not do cuttings and all trees are seed raised,
>but then I have never wanted to do either so could be wrong about
>cuttings!
Hi Charlie
My RHS Dictionary of Gardening says to propagate you follow the
instructions for Hoya. When I look at the instructions for Hoya I
guess that things are relatively impossible in the UK or in any
climate equal to or colder than the UK, unless someone is prepared to
invest a lot in heating. This is probably why a MP tree is so
expensive to buy.
My other reference books refer to a mature tree's propensity to drop
branches without warning (hope you're not underneath) or to drop
extremely sharp bits that wait for someone to walk on them - seems the
spikes can penetrate an average density shoe sole!
Propagation is by seed. As to growing as a food source probably
something for the great grandchildren to harvest as something you can
eat between meals without ruining your appetite (provided nothing
falls on you while you're harvesting). I'll stick to a Milky Way bar!
;-))
Jake
kay
Janet;910277 Wrote:
>
>
> ? There are some very large mature specimens here, but I've never
> seen one in flower or fruit.
>
You do see them in fruit - there used to be one 100 yards from us which
had fruit, and I've seen them elsewhere. Easier to see once the fruit
has dropped to the ground, rather than 60ft up in the canopy!
--
kay
echinosum
'Jeff Layman[_2_ Wrote:
> ;910278']I think that you will find they are classed as "vulnerable"
> rather than
> "endangered" (you have to take the "E" in CITES with a bit of
> flexibility). Having been fortunate enough to visit the Chilean and
> Argentinian Andes in 1990 and 1991, and seen forests of Araucaria
> araucana from horizon to horizon, I still find it strange to hear of
> them being under threat.
several of those forests, including a couple of the best, are highly
vulnerable to destruction by volcanic eruption. Their original range,
which was always limited to a rather narrow latitude band, has been very
substantially reduced by logging, and, because of the large seed size,
they don't expand back into logged forests, at least over human scales
of time, without human intervention. Vast areas of their original range
are now covered in bio-desert monocultural forestry of non-native pine
and eucalyptus. And since the large mature specimens are over 100 years
old, forest restoration, which I am not aware is even happening, will
take centuries.
Frequently they grow in mixed woodland with Nothofagus dombeyi, which is
equally majestic when mature, and even larger. Though you also see
forests without it, typically in the higher and/or drier areas.
--
echinosum
nm...@cam.ac.uk
Janet <H...@invalid.net> wrote:
>In article <kay.7...@gardenbanter.co.uk>, kay.7aab2f6
>@gardenbanter.co.uk says...
>walk directly under one of the local ones most days so could not have
>missed any falling fruit from it. Maybe the specimens here are males; I
>must take a closer look for flowers.(when do they flower?). They are
>both such old trees they are mostly bare trunked with very high
>canopies.
Why? There are lots of reasons why a plant might fruit in Yorkshire
(or Cambridge) and not Arran. Higher insolation, lower winter
temperatures and (most commonly) higher summer daytime temperatures.
The last are 8 Celsius higher in Leeds than Benbecula for July.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
Dave Hill
> In article <MPG.279f8214ec86e51c989...@news.eternal-september.org>,
>
>
>
>
>
> Janet <H...@invalid.net> wrote:
> >In article <kay.7aab...@gardenbanter.co.uk>, kay.7aab2f6
>
> - Show quoted text -
I bought a batch of young Monkey puzzle trees last year, when I potted
them I looked at the roots, they all had dangley bits so does that
mean that they are all male?
nm...@cam.ac.uk
Janet <H...@invalid.net> wrote:
>>
>> Why? There are lots of reasons why a plant might fruit in Yorkshire
>> (or Cambridge) and not Arran. Higher insolation, lower winter
>> temperatures and (most commonly) higher summer daytime temperatures.
>> The last are 8 Celsius higher in Leeds than Benbecula for July.
>
>which is so windy it's virtually treeless. Arran is far more sheltered
>(by Kintyre) and rather warmer than Benbecula.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds#Climate
>
> suggests an summer average high of 19 C or so,
Try www.weatherbase.com, which is derived from 'official' sites.
There are a surprising number of plants that do 'better' in some
respects on the east than on the west, though I accept that the
other way round is far more common.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
nm...@cam.ac.uk
>doesn't have a weather station afaik. The only MET office weather
>station on Arran, is at the opposite end of the island at Brodick.
I said derived from. It isn't uncommon with such databases
for the labelling to get screwy, often because the tagging does
not get updated when the source does. Arran is not a very large
place, after all!
For another source, try:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/
The statistics aren't the same, so you can't check weatherbase, but
it shows Sheffield with higher summer temperatures and much higher
summer sunshine levels than the stations up near Arran.
I can't remember which plants they were now, but I have several
times had gardeners from the north-west surprised at Cambridge's
success with 'warmth-loving' plants. It depends critically on WHAT
aspect is important to them.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
nm...@cam.ac.uk
Janet <H...@invalid.net> wrote:
>
>That is true, but within that small area there's a significant
>variation; (for instance some areas get twice the annual rainfall of
>others) and those variations have a very obvious effect on what can grow
>where. Parts of Arran rival the Scillies while others are closer to
>tundra .
I think that you will find that the weather stations, like the
population, are located close to sea level and there is not that
much variation. There is nowhere in the UK that has anything even
approximating a tundra-like climate close to sea level.
>I agree that Cambridge's climate is significantly hotter, colder and
>drier than Sheffield (or Leeds,Arran, and Benbecula). I've forgotten the
>name of that tree in Cambridge botanic garden that has fruits a bit like
>lumpy oranges from planet zog.
Osage orange. Maclura pomifera. It's extremely hardy, though perhaps
not in Arran (sic).
And Cambridge's climate is not or much different from Sheffield's as
Leeds as those are from Arran. Look it up.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.