A common, prickly spruce tree stood right at the entrance to our garden. He looked melancholy and sad. It didn't quite fit in with the rest of the environment. My wife and I thought for a long time what to do with him. Finally I picked up thesecateursandbranch sawand set to work.
First cut
- Removing old branches
FirstI cut off theconifer arms hanging over the path. There was clearance as high as an adult man. The remainder still looked dull. Ignoring the pricks and the resin, I climbed up.I was removing branches according to some unspecified plan. My wife, sitting nearby on the bench, silently accepted my actions.I cutright next to the trunk all the old shoots that I intuitively considered redundant. I did not use garden ointment, as the resin leaking out seemed sufficient protection. Finally, I stood on firm ground and was able to admire the effects of my work. The approximately thirty-year-old spruce still did not look very good. The whole of the seven-meter trunk, covered with a palisade of uneven branches bent in different directions, created a view that was far from aesthetic.
- Branch formation
I tied the unruly shoots with string, pulling them in the desired direction. The ones that stuck out stubbornly were additionally weighed down with sandbags. In these two ways, I brought all the roots to a level. Then, with a loose loop, I fastened the string to the trunk, tied a knot at the desired length, which was the reference point for an even cut around the tree.With the smaller secateurs, I cut the ends of the branches flush with the knot.
Subsequent cuts
It was a hot July. Spruce had the first cut behind it, and I had my first experiences in this direction. The following year, at about the same time, I made acosmetic cuton the fresh roots where the shape could be evened out. After three years, the tree finally got a nice appearance. I am still working on it to get closer to the imaginary ideal.
Tools
The main tools for this work are a ladder and an electric hedge trimmer. This means one thing - the procedure takes a very short time.Now the spruce does not scare you away. On the contrary - it welcomes all our guests and arouses their curiosity.
Cut step by step
The whole task turned out to be easy and can be summarized in a few points. You had to:
- Make a decision.
- Cut off unnecessary branches with a sharp pruner or garden saw.
- Bend the shoots with a string and sandbags (an old shirt sleeve cut into sections, tied and filled with aggregate).
- Make a ruler from a rope loosely tied to the trunk to shorten the ends of the branches with a smaller secateurs on a relatively even circle (for each story with a different diameter).
- Next year, in July, make a leveling cut on the regrowths.
- In each subsequent year, use electric scissors to perform a haircut.
There was little work. And the new look of the old spruce perfectly blends in with the whole surroundings. I encourage all of you to experiment with cutting conifers in your gardens.
Jerzy Zwierzykowski
