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Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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Posted by seereno CA (My Page) on Wed, Dec 17, 08 at 23:59
| Hi there, My gardener thought he was doing me a favor by "trimming" really topping my 20-25ft Juniper skyrocket trees(3). I was curious to find out if my Skyrocket juniper tree will come back from being topped? Or what will happen to them now that they are about 10 feet tall? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| Go top one of his trees and see what he thinks. After all turnabout is fair play! ;-) Now your Skyrocket's will continually need to be maintained at their 10' current height or you will need to remove them and start again. Plus now they are opened up for the entrance and spread of disease. Not a good story, I wish I had a better one for you. Dax |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| Require him to replace them with 3 new ones the same size as yours were before, at his own expense. Resin |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| "Require him to replace them with 3 new ones the same size as yours were before, at his own expense." Good luck...In this day and age nobody is held accountable for their misdeeds. Anybody stupid enough to top a Skyrocket has both shoes on the wrong feet. This guy calls himself a Gardner??? Three guesses where he came from... Better replace him with a real Gardner. Dave |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| To be specific, if you let them gain height again it will be by growing secondary leaders but those will never be as strong or reliable as the original. Their shape will also likely be affected. Seems to me there is a question of survival for the relationship as well as for the trees. Taking 10 feet off a 20' tree is not a case of a well-intentioned snip gone sideways. How did he come to think this might constitute a "favour?" Perhaps it is time to assess just how you provide instructions, or clarify the parameters of the job. If it's "general maintenance" then there is a lot left for interpretation, especially if the trees are in hedge-like format, and you can't entirely blame him. If you don't fire (which I'm not advocating, as I believe in people's capacity to learn, and it is right before Christmas!), it seems time to lay out the assigned tasks more clearly. To help keep a cool head, keep in mind that these plants are neither rare nor that expensive... KarinL |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Thu, Dec 18, 08 at 17:29
| Maybe he does in fact consider himself a "gardner". If cut in half your trees probably aren't likely to recover well, anytime soon. |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| Hey Karin, Just imagine the guy was trying to do himself a favour by acquiring a few cheap Xmas trees .Or worse,imagine him selling the tops on a street corner to make a few $$$...Now THAT would be a reason to get peaced off,even at Xmas time! T. |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| Someone taking those kinds of liberties would leave me wondering what other liberties may be taken. What's the phrase...oh, yes, "Bye-bye now". tj |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Thu, Dec 18, 08 at 20:01
| Many people working in landscape maintenance operations have little, if any horticultural training. |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| Well to say the least the guy has been let go. I am not expecting to receive any compensation, so I will just have to move on. Thanks for all the advice. Now on my new problem, how deep is the root system on these types of trees? Will it be difficult to remove? It has only been a day but I have a feeling seeing the topped trees will bug me everytime I pull up to my house, so easiest way is to remove them and replace them with either the same thing or something similar. Any suggestions? |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| I agree the best thing is to remove the plants and start over. I have used Reciprocal Saws in the past to do this. Use the longest blade possible and go slowly around the plant. If need be you can dig down about 10" with a spade and then start the saw action holding the saw at an angle so that the tip of the blade will eventually reach the middle of the root ball. Once completely around you should be able to remove the plant with ease. The saw is a very fast way of digging. Works real well with hostas. You are able to cut through hostas leaving 1/4 to 1/2 of the plant in the ground and still in tacked. Dave |
RE: Gardener topped my 20ft skyrocket juniper
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| Hi. I have used a heavy-duty trolley-jack to remove tree stumps.Dig a sloping hole at the base of the tree as far under the stem as is possible.Put a sturdy plank in the hole and slide the trolley-jack underneath the stump.Jack up and 'Bob's your uncle'.Usually the stump comes out with most of the roots still attached.Most important,especially if you're in an area where Bootlace fungus (Armillaria something) is lurking. T. |
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