"You butchered it!"
- Thread starter RopeArmour
- Start date
- Replies 85
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Ha, btw, if left to my own instincts, I'm all about doing a good natural looking pruning job, the kind where the tree looks great and doesn't need any work but you can't tell at a glance anything was done. And more and more over the years it has become apparent that most folks instead prefer that you hack the shit out of their trees.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Water oak, and if it does, it will look like shit.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Re customer satisfaction, I remember back in the day, we pruned a tree, custy came home, my boss asked how she liked the way it came out, she said I don't like it, he said, well you still gotta pay...
Aaaaand that is exactly how I handled that row of trees I pruned that got topped a week later. Guy told me they weren't pruned right.....
Yes, I agree Cory. I could make many more people happy if I rounded trees over. Hell, I could be doubling what I gross by now if I was operating on a lot of perennial re-hacks. Maybe Im the dummy, and not them........
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
ya, that last bit, feels that way sometimes.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
How I try to spec my bids...
Goal is for safety, tree health, increased sunlight on lawn on eastern and southern side, with 10+' vertical clearance over house and garage.
Less than 20 percent foliage removal. 80% of pruning wounds to be less than 3" diameter. No wounds over 6" diameter.
Homeowner specifies to protect the rhododendron and other perennials, lawn damage/ divots okay (will be filled with owners soil and seed by homeowner).
or
Goal is xxx
Homeowner specifies approximately 50% foliage to be removed, against advice of South Sound Tree and Landscape. SSTL advises no more than 15% foliage loss on this construction impacted, mature, XXXXX.
SSTL will prune for 30' vertical/ horizontal clearance from home, resulting in pruning wounds of approximately 10".
I'm likely to walk the the second job unless the only alternative is that they will remove it. Around here, most people don't ask for anything too extreme.
I retopped a twice topped row of 80' cedars, reduction by 60%. Very mature Rhododendrons underneath, which removal would kill with sun. They want to have a hedge. If it lives, fine. If it starts dying, start underplanting.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
My worst hack job was a row where the owner said he wanted cut way back and didn't mind if they died. I get a weird feeling when going by the place and seeing the one that did.
Mick!
TreeHouser
Steve Mack
Life Member.
Ha. I've seen a few like that, got a picture here somewhere of one just like it.
It is upside down but I just learned if you right click then click on View Image it rotates. (Windows 7) Gonna save me a few neck aches.
It is upside down but I just learned if you right click then click on View Image it rotates. (Windows 7) Gonna save me a few neck aches.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
iPads SUCK!
Mick!
TreeHouser
You 'avin a giraffe? They're brilliant. 'Bout time you sorted this issue out! Or us youngsters under 57 who are down with the new stuff will leave.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Nothing I can do about it. Steve seems to have found a cure.
rangerdanger
TreeHouser
Dad has always said the best compliment he can get is when someone says that can't tell the trees been pruned. His goal is for things to look as natural as possible so you can hardly tell we've been there unless you know what to look for.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mick!
TreeHouser
I am familiar with this school of thought. I don't agree with it. I like the look of a well pruned tree that has been brought into a good shape.species dependent of course So do the majority of clients. No matter. How much we "educate" them (college taught nonsense)
I also like to see its regrowth year on year until it's time to re do it. It's in an urban environment, it's been planted or left there when the house was built to provide amenity value to people. It's usually only "arborists" who get their knickers in a twist about "natural looking"
I also like to see its regrowth year on year until it's time to re do it. It's in an urban environment, it's been planted or left there when the house was built to provide amenity value to people. It's usually only "arborists" who get their knickers in a twist about "natural looking"
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
I see trees die from getting hammered. I don't want to do something that kills a tree by accident. Its like my mechanic doing a tune up that he suspects might blow up my engine. I hear of a number of trees in Europe that respond well to a good ass whipping. Here in my neck of the woods, these hardwoods around here wont take kindly to it. They'll die or hollow out bad.
Thor's Hammer
Wolfish. Sometimes Bites.
Most things respond well to a good ass whipping.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
I usually do.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
I might enjoy giving a tree a good beating. Spike up the thing, and just start torching leads off wherever it easy to reach. Maybe some brutal tearing cuts. Spike back down and start cleaning up. That might be awesome......
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Maybe it's just around here then that trees start to decay heavily while the new 'sucker' growth shoots for the sky with elongated week shoots that are attached to a point on the tree where all sorts of rot is setting in. Creating a future hazard, be sure to write that in your quotes. I guess I live in a awesome area and am established enough to be able to hold to my standards and turn down some work. If no one changes nothing will change. To turn a blind eye to what you know is right for the tree.......for me the works to hard as it is to be knowingly doing something I feel is wrong. Been there done that, done with that.
I did that to a black Locust last week. I hated it except that it was quick. The lady loved that I made some"wind pockets" in the tree so the wind wouldn't blow it over. Her neighbor asked what the hell did I just do.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Anyone ever cut back Magnolias? Near my shop was a gorgeous tree that was severely cut bak in what seemed a haphazard way, four or five years ago. It blew my mind that anyone could be so crude to such a nice specimen. Now it is back to beautiful again, very symmetrical like a fireworks explosion going off. Some uncanny ability has that tree. I should put up a pic.
