To top or not to top?

[fishercat]

i always felt topping is a catch 22.

I hate seeing it and try to not do it but I have.I like a previous poster try to educate the customer and talk them into removal instead.

Unfortunately with this economy,work isn't as plentiful as it once was and competition is fierce. If you refuse to do it,the customer will have no trouble finding someone who will.

Fortunately around here it is heavily frowned upon and I rarely get asked.down south is another story.its by no means a practice to be proud of.

 

[derwoodii]

Your trying to do the best for your trees. After attending a 2009 lecture by Francesco Ferrini one of your countrys arborists, it seems newer methods of tree care in Italy are only just becoming accepted with many still pollarding and loppin. Bat on sport be patient. Rome was not built in day.

http://www.maisonbotanique.com/dyn/2acte_10_ferrini.pdf

Pollarding in Italy
Pollarding has a long tradition in Italy : since the
most ancient times it has allowed multiple uses of
trees located on farmland or in pastures. Indeed,
one of the main uses of pollarded trees was to
provide grazing for domestic animals and, at the
same time, pollarded stands constantly supplied
stovewood for domestic consumption or wood

 

[Neem]

Your trying to do the best for your trees. After attending a 2009 lecture by Francesco Ferrini one of your countrys arborists, it seems newer methods of tree care in Italy are only just becoming accepted with many still pollarding and loppin. Bat on sport be patient. Rome was not built in day.

Thanks Derwoodii, that was interesting. Been reading other articles by Ferrini , think he is still president of the italian section of Isa. Here there are not so many tree climbing companies, most are individual climbers who work on their own. Many gardener companies so take care of trees, the problem is that most of them are just ex-peasants (not everybody but most of them) turned into something else. You try to go askin them what photosyntesis is..or how a tree works, how it grows, produce its food,etc etc... .they will laugh at you ....so you can imagine what can be the result when these people are goin to prune a tree.
The other problem is that if this is the service that 90% of the companies offer ....99% of customers will ask for that....and for sure they will look at you as if you are crazy if you're charging them the right price for a pruning or a removal completely done in safety and as it should be done....."How?...Mr. Peasant said he 's coming with his ladder and chainsaw and doing same work for half of what you're asking...."
More or less this is is the situation but I don't complain...cause if you look the other side of the coin in these conditions it's much more easier that someone will start to notice you are working in a different way...and maybe start asking not to top their cedar but to clean it from deadwood...and so on...like domino effect...

M

 

[lxt]

Matt, what you say is very true my man! however..alot of customers I have met with lately want their trees trimmed the right way, we live in & service basically the same area!

I see the upswing in proper tree care & have been preaching it for awhile, now many customers that passed on my service 2-3 years ago while their neighbors hired me....Now they`re hiring me, they like how the tree of their neighbors turned out & want the same, However.....that is a miracle I cant perform due to the damage done!

If topping is considered dropcrotching or cutting to laterals 1/3rd & pulling the ends in........then Ive done such myself.......but if it is defoliating the entire tree to a point that it looks like the sherill tree poster where the lil cartoon guy thinks it looks good (ala: hatrack) then NO......I wont do that!


LXT................