Pruning poplar and landscaping around them

[YkDave]

So, I’ve got this wind strip along the west and south border of my lawn. Mostly all mature poplar (sorry don’t know the exact flavour, I can tell you what engine is in a vehicle driving by 1/2 mile away but a tree is a tree to me )

most of the old growth has low hanging branches that are unsightly and make it a pain to maintain the grass around them

I would like to knock off all of these lower branches, some being upwards of 4”. How would I go about doing this safely without causing fatal harm to the tree?

I would also like to spruce things up a bit underneath all of these trees as it’s pretty much just the weeds that’ll grow sparsely under the drip line. I was thinking mulch, maybe cedar if I can get some at the right price (total area is about 650m2) then throwing some creeping thyme and a few Other things in there for low maintenance ground cover.

as far as I’ve read, I shouldn’t have too much issue working with mulch and planting under the tree, within reason of course.

thoughts, ideas? Would really like to not kill these trees as they provide great wind block and sun block for the house and yard!

 

[buzz sawyer]

Pics would help a lot. 4" branch is pretty big for removal w/o damage.

 

[YkDave]

I’d like to lob off all the lower branches on the older growth that are going down to the ground or otherwise pose an issue for lawn maintenance. maybe do some light work on the smaller growth inbetween them as to not cause too much damage there. Basically the whole tree line looks like this.

was hoping the larger branches wouldn’t be an issue if done properly, but I did half expect them to be an issue

 

[YkDave]

Just went out and measured, maybe I lied a bit, the larger branches are in the 2.5-3” range. looked like 4” from the couch lol

 

[YkDave]

end goal is to clean up this whole strip so they don’t look so awful and plant some kind of low maintenance cover/flowers under them for easy yard maintenance

 

[buzz sawyer]

I'm no expert, but the large branch on the end tree in the last pic might be a problem. If this is Tulip Poplar, it will likely not compartmentalize the wound before rot sets in. You may be ok cutting the others but be sure to leave the branch collar - don't cut flush to the trunk. Also make sure the time of year is correct for pruning. Hopefully someone else will chime in on this.

 

[YkDave]

Like I say, a tree is pretty much a tree to me. I’m not sure what species it’d be. Balsam and trembling aspen are native to this area and I’d assume they were just transplants from another piece of the property many years ago when this yard site was set up

 

[Harmon]

Those look like cottonwood / balsam poplar / aspen / populus spp. In my experience they are hard to kill and have very soft wood. Grow like weeds. Pruning off lower branches would probably not slow them down a bit though the thought is generally prune them when they are dormant. Like Buzz sawyer said though dont flush cut to the trunk but leave the branch collar - the tree will compartmentalize ("heal") faster. Also if you put down fabric or mulch don't cover the root collar - where the trunk meets the roots - it needs air. As far as landscape planting underneath might not be a good use of time, these trees give off chemicals and drop sticks and limbs and cotton and usually all that grows well under them is baby poplar trees.

 

[YkDave]

Yes from what I’ve read, now is probably the time to do this as the trees are still dormant

you don’t think creeping thyme or some other kind of ground cover would survive? At the south end theirs a couple spruce that would definitely pose an issue, dandelions don’t even grow under those!

even just having mulch under the trees would look better than it does currently

 

[djones]

You don't want to plant anything under the tree because you want to be able to mow the fresh growth of new trees that will pop up. Trim up around the trunk as high as you can reach or, my preferred method, cut it off 2" from the ground and make boards or firewood out of it and then plant some decent trees. Red Maple or Redbud or something to attract birds.

 

[YkDave]

Haha id like to just take the iron wolf and turn the whole works of them into fresh mulch and throw some nicer looking trees in there! Unfortunately not really an option at the moment

red maple would be a beautiful tree to put in their place, but I’m not sure how well they would thrive in a zone 3

 

[djones]

DO not turn into mulch, you'd have thousands of those things pop up everywhere you spread it. Pay attention, they are weeds made of wood.

 

[YkDave]

Nothing a little 2,4-d can’t handle haha.

i mulch as a part time gig when things are slow. We have great luck controlling saplings after the iron wolf goes through, we cut 10-16” below grade or down to subsoil level let the area set for a while and let the saplings come through. Smoke them with some 2,4-d and that usually takes care of the regrowth. By second year, they’re usually completely gone

It would be a lot of wood to just mulch into that little strip though, and I’m not too keen on running a 50ton mulcher around my septic system lol

 

[djones]

You must have a spring or high water level nearby for the trees to suck up the water. Once they get big they become a problem. They will drop limbs, split, rot in the middle. I've cut many that were split for a 20 to 40 ft. stretch and others that were dangerously close to homes and needed to be winched away and cut down.

 

[YkDave]

The red maples your talking about?

this side of the yard is the high side, but their is a low spot at the north end that collects water pretty well if we have a big dump of rain. Short of that, the only thing keeping the yard thriving is watering the crap out of it. I’ve got a 15,000m2 (4m gallon) dugout that I pump out of steady to water that side of the yard and my garden.

 

[djones]

Ok, there you go. remove the trees before they become a septic problem. They are like weeping willows, they like the water and can clog your septic. I'm sure others will not agree with me but I have a nasty dislike for Poplar trees. One tree cost me 8 g's in boat damage. The only ones I have around the farm now are on the banks of the creek and lean towards the water, not towards any buildings or equipment and certainly not near the septic.

 

[Del_]

Low limbs are a thing of beauty.

They will never looks as good after they are cut.

 

[djones]

Red Maple is a nice looking shade tree, RedBud is a smallish ornamental tree that has purple blossoms in the spring. IMO anything is better than Poplar.

 

[djones]

Low limbs are a thing of beauty.

They will never looks as good after they are cut.

Low limbs are not hat and glasses friendly while on a lawnmower.

 

[djones]

It's all fun and games until somebody gets an eye poked out.