cable and/or prune???

macrocarpa

macrocarpa

Branched out member
Location
Midwest
I have come across 2 ginkgos (growing very close to houses)that have bad included bark/double leaders. They are fairly mature trees and each leader is around 8-10in dbh. I am trying to decide if pruning is too late and cabling would be best option?

My concerns with pruning is that if I remove one entire leader back to the union, the remaining leader will still be very prone to failing due to have no holding strength on the competing side. For example, I removed one entire side on a red maple several years ago and the remaining side failed anyway. So I wonder if there is a point to just leave both and use them to support each other with a cable?

Or, reduce one side and install a cable at the top of the reduced leader to support the remaining, meanwhile the remaining will hopefully begin to caliper up while the subordinated is stunted?

Similar situation in this video where I chose to just cable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLbcuxuuVWM

Thanks for any input!
 
IT is so hard to say without seeing the trees and the situation.

Gingkos I find to be very difficult to prune. Removing tips and subordinating seems to have a severe effect on plant growth regulators in the plant and many short shoots turn to long shoots and make for a very heavy, dense shorten limb (leader). Removing some limbs back to the trunk does not create this issue.

As for removing one entire 8-10 inch leader you will create a large wound (12+ in). As for weakening the other leader I do not believe that it will as to a large extent we can think of the leaders as seperate structure mechanically and you are not cutting the base of the other leader. You will of course be opening the other leader to new wind forces and possibly sun scald.

Cabling may be the best option here.
 
Based on the tree in the video i agree. that fork looked so bad that bracing might also be a good idea. Cabling alone, esp. dynamic, would allow a lot of twisting and risk torsion failure.

Static cable seems like a better choice imo when extra movement risks failure more than it builds strength. Isn't the goal to limit movement in that fork, per A300:

34.1.1 Objectives should include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:
Limit the movement of codominant stems or branches;
Limit the movement of weakly attached branches;
Provide supplemental support for overextended branches; and,
Provide supplemental support for branches that may be exposed to extra loading.
 
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