Hi all, I bought this about 10 years ago, info on web said 4 feet in 10 years but... its probably close to 15 feet already and no sign of stopping. (Maybe it was a mislabel?) It's wayy too big for its current spot. Total beauty, would hate to kill it, but is there any solution? Is a careful move at this point impossible? Is prune checking it viable? (I'd think not) Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Yes, mislabelled; from the longer needles and drooping branch tips, it's Cedrus deodara (Deodar Cedar). It is showing every sign of wanting to become a large tree, 20-30 metres tall eventually . . .
Cedrus deodara 'Silver Mist' / Silver Mist Deodar cedar | Conifer Trinomial | American Conifer Society The growing out of character could be due to the influence of a seedling rootstock of normal vigor.
Yes, indeed it is Cedrus deodara - I mistyped that. Is there any hope to relocate it at this point. Is there even a 10% chance of surviving a careful trasplant. If not, is aggressively pruning it an option or will it just end up looking strange?
Bumping as this is my mom's tree which she loves but now feels she must uproot so as not to take over the garden. Garner wants $200 to hack it off and dispose of. Hate to see such a magnificent specimen tossed out though. I'm guessing this is probably cedrus deodara aurea. IS there any method of keeping it the same size that it is? Would pruning new growth each year back to where it is work? Any odds of transplanting it and keeping alive?
Transplanting it would almost certainly cost more than $200 at this stage (I'm guessing it will have a healthy-sized rootball), and pruning to keep size will just push it toward becoming a monstrosity: When Can I Trim a Deodar Cedar Tree? Not sure what the best advice is, @Ron B or @Michael F will have more informed suggestions.
Cedrus can be pruned to control size without spoiling the shape when a body knows how to do naturalistic pruning. Also cutting back half the roots each year or so by plunging a spade in half circle patterns will have a slowing effect on top growth. Without involving any direct snipping at it - there is a lot that can be done to dwarf a tree without killing it, look at bonsai practices and how some examples have been kept miniature for centuries.
