Anyone know how to prune a too tall cedar/Arborvitae?

sixdogs · Jan 11, 2015

The wife planted some Northern White Cedars (American Arborvitae) next to the house and they are getting to be 8 ft tall when 5 or 6 ft would be plenty. They need to be severely pruned or removed.

Now, I spent lot of years in the northern woods and have cut many cedars in half and they did fine. I've nearly cut them off at the ground and they did fine. The wife is not so sure, however and needs more reassurance from others that may have done this in a professional or at least repetitive way. So I'm asking here.

If we look into the dead zone of the tree I can see a number of green shoots that I figure we could maybe prune back to them and let it grow off of those. I could take off about two or tree feet that way. I know to leave three leaders. As mentioned, I have done stuff like this for years but my wife finds advice on the net that says not to cut them back so severely but just to replace the tree. That just seems wrong.

Any advice appreciated on this topic because I'm stumped.

jimmyj · Jan 11, 2015

I have some of those same trees I my aviary. They grow up to the top and push the netting so I cut about 3 or4 feet off the top. Without a central leader a side branch takes over and curves up. But, they look deformed and are not the sort of thing you will want as a landscape item near the house. I think that you are best o remove and replace. I won't cost you anything to give it a try though, so why not.

oosik · Jan 11, 2015

Any time you "prune" a conifer by cutting out the top - a side branch will become the leader-unless the tree dies. It will curve around and more or less take over. Lets face it - conifers are not meant to be pruned like that. You end up with an ugly mess. There is advice on the internet - search - - "pruning cedars". Its a little more complicated than I want to repeat here.

Creamer · Jan 11, 2015

It is very difficult to get it to look good again. My suggestion is to do it in stages, i.e. cut the center stem off to keep it from growing anymore plus you can cut it down 6-8" with this first pruning. Then you can cut some of the other branches around the top to shape it. You will need to thin it as you go so that you get depth in the green so that when you take the outside branches off there is still a green color to it. After you get the outer ones cut back you can cut he top stem again as it will start to stick out.

This is a 3 year plan and pruning 2-3 times per year if you want to keep it looking decent but you will end up with a plant you like.

sixdogs · Jan 11, 2015

Wow, great info so far. Thank you.

2LaneCruzer · Jan 11, 2015

sixdogs said:
Wow, great info so far. Thank you.

You might check the fire hazards associated with evergreens next to the house. Around here, we have occasional wildfires and evergreens, especially the indigenous Cedars will burn like gasoline. I cut all of them down years ago.

s219 · Jan 11, 2015

How much are you going to cut off the top? At our old house, some Leyland cypresses got too tall next to the house, so I lopped off about 3' from a 20' tree. Kept repeating every 1-2 years to keep it in check. With such a tall tree, we didn't really notice the difference. Eventually took the trees out and replaced with something smaller and tidier when we sold the house. But in those previous years, the trees did OK.

the old grind · Jan 11, 2015

I had cedars at the front corners of my last house. They never got very wide, but when 2x as tall as the eaves high strong winds had them bumping the gutters as they swayed. I lopped them off at 10' or so. From there they grew no higher but outward in all directions till, barrel-shaped and against the siding from top to bottom. Different issue when the wind blew. :banghead: Sold the place to my BIL & he dug 'em up before re-siding.

What's been said about whacking & whittling rings true. There's no fix without continued seasonal trimming to maintain size & shape. I imagine why so many grub them out vs taking on another 'hobby'. Lessons re-learned: Some things get big for their britches and can be a hassle later if planted too close to buildings. btw: I always chuckle when folks plant knee-high evergreens along driveways within a foot or two of the pavement. Some last 4-5 yrs before being yanked to fit a car/truck down the lane. :laughing:

dave1949 · Jan 11, 2015

I don't think shrubbery planted around homes is expected to last forever. It gets too big, the roots can mess with sidewalks, foundations and drains. What started as a landscaping accent becomes a main focal point.

I would yank them and start with something fresh.