Understand what the cepe is in nature
We are talking about a tree with a sloping shape when several trunks emerge from its stump, a bit as if several trees had been planted side by side. These trees are also said to be multi-stemmed, multi-stemmed or multi-stemmed in the case of shrubs.
Some shrubs or trees naturally have a clustered shape. This is the case of hazel, birch, Judas tree, arbutus, Japanese medlar, but also certain magnolias, certain palm trees and sometimes Indian lilac. The sloping port being very decorative, you may want to reproduce it on other trees. It is then necessary to go through the coppicing
Forming or pruning into a tree, what is it?
Even if, as we have just seen, certain trees and shrubs have a natural clustering habit, it is possible to obtain this habit through extreme size.
This size consists of cut the tree at the base, i.e. at the collarwith the aim of force the strain to produce several suckers and, therefore, several trunks. This is a radical technique, but in the past it was justified not by the search for a certain aesthetic, but by its practical aspect, because it was used to obtain firewood, as well as flexible stems. intended for making woven fences or basketry objects.
What are the advantages of coppicing?
This extreme pruning technique has several advantages:
- It allows you to obtain a multi-stemmed tree with a very graphic appearance.
- It allows you to give a shrub a facelift, because more vigorous branches will grow from the stump.
- It allows you to better manage the height of a tree. It will be more imposing in width, which means that pruning work will be limited. Furthermore, if you have a small garden, the vine shape is more suitable.
- It helps restore vigor to the root system.
- Planted alone, a tree pruned into a clump will create a decor in itself with the beauty of its silhouette alone and will offer more shade.
What trees or shrubs can be formed into a clump?
If you have a small garden, certain trees and shrubs more suited to pruning will give it a spectacular touch. Here are some examples of plants that lend themselves well to coppicing:
- Paulownia : because the growth of this shrub is rapid, you will be able, after coppicing, to enjoy its beautiful graphic appearance without waiting too long. On the other hand, this size definitely compromises its flowering.
- Maple: it also lends itself well to cluster training, especially varieties with decorative bark.
- The Tibetan cherry tree: a cluster pruning allows it to be highlighted.
- The white willow.
- The Canadian Saskatoon berry.
- etc.
Not all trees and shrubs can be coppiced, as some do not produce suckers. This is the case for boxwood, holly, broom, mimosa, etc., but also for apple trees, cherry trees, plum trees, etc. In the same way, most conifers do not appreciate being cut into a clump.
When to train or prune a tree into a clump?
It is important not to prune a tree into a clump as long as it has not passed into its vegetative rest phase. In other words, you can act from fall to the end of winter. If these periods are essential, it is because if you do not choose the right time and you embark on this pruning in spring or summer, you are putting your tree or shrub at serious risk: it could not unable to withstand such severe pruning while it is in full activity and die.
How to get a vine tree?
While it is possible to buy a tree already trained into a clump from a nursery, it is also possible to carry out this training yourself. To do this, it is important to follow these tips:
- The tree you want to prune must be healthy and young: he must not be more than 5 or 6 years old.
- To make the cut, use a sawnot a chainsaw.
- Cut the trunk cleanly 2 or 3 cm above the ground. Remember that if the cut is made too high above the collar, the wood of the stump will degrade over the years and the shoots will be poorly anchored.
- In the case of a grafted tree, the cut must be made above the grafting point.
If some create a trumped shape starting from the stump, it is also possible not to cut the tree at its base, but to do it at height, i.e. 1 meter high, or even more. You will only keep one trunk, but your tree will go like a parasol.
Keep only the most beautiful rejects
Once the pruning has been carried out, monitor the shoots which will come from the stump so as to keep only the most beautiful ones and, above all, those which are well placed and well away from each other in order to avoid a problem of included bark which would weaken the tree.
This selection, which is to be made in the spring, will allow you to choose the number of trunks you want to keep depending on the desired effect. In this search for aesthetics, do not forget that it is important that your tree maintains a natural and open habit.
Among the shoots not to be kept, there are also those which start on the scarred edge of the stump: prefer those which are located lower on the stump, or even at its base, because the latter can develop an autonomous root system which will greatly simplify their start-up.
Maintaining a tree formed into a clump
After being trained into a clump, a tree requires limited maintenance. In fact, it will be enough to remove the poorly placed or too low branches to maintain a certain transparency. You can install mulch or possibly perennial plants at the foot of the tree. In addition to creating a beautiful space, you will keep the area moist.