Tree trimming back

bumblesquatt

Hello all.

After a lovely day sat in the sun out in my yard the other day, I looked through the empty branches of the tree and thought that no sun is going to get through there when all the leaves return.

I dont want the whole thing chopping down but it could do with cutting back not only to try let more light into the garden but also to keep the neighbours happy. (ive heard them a couple of times complaining about it and the leaves getting everywhere )

can anyone give me an idea of how much it would be to get the tree cut back and/or thinned out?

I dont know what type of tree it is unfortunately (greenfingered novice), but its about the same size of my house (victorian terrace)

Just a rough estimate would be helpful

Thank you so much in advance!!

gardenroute

It depends on the tree. A tree that looses its leaves in winter can usually be thinned by a third without damaging the tree. This is normally carried out in winter to reduce the harm to the tree (again depends on the species).
A fully grown tree thinned by experienced professionals, could cost up to a couple of thousand; definitely not much under a thousand.
If its in an urban or conservation area it may well have a tree preservation order on it. This is well worth looking into first. It should be free to enquire to the council about this. Any work on a tree with a TPO, even digging at the roots can result in a massive fine.

mum1plus1

hi there. we've just had our apple tree thinned and it cost us £120 which I felt was pretty good for 2 hrs solid work. Most of our friends have paid that amount upto the £200 plus area. Our tree is huge and about 100 years old. Hope this helps:)

bumblesquatt

thanks a lot for your help peoples :beer:

timbim_2

Depending on the size of the branches, how climbable the tree is and how brave you're feeling, grab a couple of mates, a rope and a pruning saw. It's what I'd do, but then I've had a bit of experience cutting bits off trees as a National Trust volunteer.

davemorton

Could you not use something like this??...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Telescopic-Ratchet-Pruner-Lopper-colours/dp/B0012TW79A
It what I used and is dead easy to use, and if you were o a sturdy set of steps, you could probably get up to 5 -7 meters high. (I found it cheaper on a different site, but could not link directly to the one product).

bumblesquatt

cheers guys,

if i tried scaling the tree, i would end up in hospital all summer instead of enjoying the garden :rotfl::rotfl:

the extendable loppers are an idea, thanks