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Spindly, scraggly male holly tree

 
 
Noddy24
 
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 01:00 pm
What with one damn thing after another, for several years I've been an armchair gardener and neglect and wilderness have taken over my plantings.

I have a row of six holly trees--five females downwind and the male at the end of the row. The female trees are more bushy than tree-like which is fine with me. The hollies were planted as a screen between me and the neighbors floodlights.

The male holly tree has a main trunk, lots of low, low branches at ground level and occasional twiggy branches from knee height to well above my head. Several vital branches were done in by the winter ice storms.

A friend suggested vigorous pruning to encourage new growth, but I'm afraid that if new growth isn't encouraged, I'll have no male flowers for pollination and no berries.

Yesterday I experimented with hog tying the low, low branches to the trunk to encourage them to grow up rather than out. I figure as I bend the twigs and branches, I can tighten the lashing and eventually I'll have a bushier bush.

Is early July too late in the season to give the tree a dose of fertilizer? It has been lovingly mulched, but it is close to a very greedy oak tree.

Any advice will be appreciated.
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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 7,434 • Replies: 13
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Lord Ellpus
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 01:20 pm
Is it taller than the female ones? If so, it may be searching for some light, as it is near an oak tree.

Also, are there any other male Holly trees in the immediate vicinity, as they could do the pollinating service, while your pruned Holly re-grows.
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littlek
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 01:25 pm
I don't think that trying to train the branches up will get you anywhere. I think pruning is key, but I dunno if you have to go as far as "vigorous". I think your hollies should have bloomed by now. It's usualy a good time to prune right after bloom (not for the females if you want to keep the berries). Either way, after he blooms, snip back all of the branches a little bit.
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littlek
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 01:27 pm
Noddy, what are the odds of you posting a picture of the scraggly guy?
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edgarblythe
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 01:51 pm
The Lord may have a point. . .
0 Replies
 
Piffka
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 01:54 pm
I once tried to remove a small male holly tree by clipping off every single branch and leaf. I was left with a single upright... bare-naked, as it were. The trunk was slightly too big for my pruning lops, so I made arrangements with Mr.P to cut it off at ground level. He never got round to it and now that critter is bushier and more vigorous than ever. I just checked... about fifteen month ago it was a single stick 5 feet high. It is just over 5 feet high now.... and about five feet across. There are multiple stems (where'd they come from?) and a passle of broad leafy branches.

I remember when it first started its regrowth, the holly leaves were so tiny and cute that I was entranced. Unfortunately they've grown back to full-size. My experience is that Holly is an extremely strong plant that responds very well to pruning. You may, however, want to wait to prune until late fall... just so you can use the leaves for Yule decorations.

(I guess I should have known better. I later found out that cutting down holly and other thorny trees is considered bad luck by the Celts and other inhabitants of the British Isles... these trees are the homes of fairies and other wood sprites. Wink )
0 Replies
 
Noddy24
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 01:58 pm
Edgar & The Lord--

The male is near an oak tree, but gets full southern sun all year round.

It is the only male English holly tree for miles.


LittleK--

Chances for a picture are zilch.

A branch that I tied up earlier in the spring as an experiment is changing direction. I had to tighten the tether yesterday. Still, you're more expert in the gardening department than I am.

Yes, the hollies have bloomed. Berries are forming on the females.
0 Replies
 
littlek
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 02:22 pm
Noddy - Well, wouldn't ya know it - those hollies are damned adaptable. I haven't had much luck manipulating the one I have. Hmm.....
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Lord Ellpus
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 02:35 pm
Here's an interesting little site............

http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00058.asp


Snippet:- " To rejuvenate a holly, "hat rack" it in late winter by cutting back the branches by half to three-quarters of their length. The remaining plant will have few leaves and look like a hat rack, but in spring it will flush out with new foliage from all the pruning cuts. In two to three years, it will be fully covered in leaves. Hat racking will result in a plant much reduced in size, but still full of foliage."
0 Replies
 
Noddy24
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Jul, 2005 03:30 pm
Piffka--

I missed your very cheering post. Thank you. You may have emboldened me.

Lord Ellpus--

So if I gather the holiday holly while I may....


People, I'm delighted. I love having back up plans and I treasure the knowledge that ruthless wacking will actually work. Thank you
0 Replies
 
Noddy24
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Feb, 2006 03:42 pm
Wish me luck. I trimmed the holly today, saving one long bottom branch that I managed to train up-up-up as an emergency reserve.

Then Mr. Noddy appeared and started hacking.

The branches had some spring to them, so sap is rising.
0 Replies
 
sozobe
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Feb, 2006 03:44 pm
Luck.

(Do you mean that Mr. Noddy hacked the one long bottom branch...?)
0 Replies
 
Noddy24
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Feb, 2006 04:03 pm
Hacked at it.

Unfortunately, if that branch weren't needed as an emergency backup for the holly harem, I'd promised a friend with two female holly trees and no stud that if the pruning worked, I'd root that cutting for her.

Mr. Noddy is growing more and more efficient.
0 Replies
 
sozobe
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 Feb, 2006 04:06 pm
Oof.
0 Replies
 
 

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