Pruning a Birch Tree
Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by ski on May 14, 2006 08:51 AM
When is the best time to prune a birch tree? I have some branches almost touching the ground that I want to cutoff.
by Triss on May 14, 2006 08:56 AM
I cut mine this year before it started blooming out. But I am also ready to prune a couple of branches that are getting in the way.
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We are all under the same stars... therefore we are never far apart.
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We are all under the same stars... therefore we are never far apart.
by Deborah L. on May 14, 2006 09:36 AM
BIRCH TREES?????? I have always wanted to meet someone who has a birch tree, as I have a question. At last !!!
OK, my question is, do birch branches or twigs have a sweet piney fragrance?
I once had a bar of birch soap, have never been able to find that brand again, and what a fragrance ! So I was wondering if the twigs have that fragrance?
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OK, my question is, do birch branches or twigs have a sweet piney fragrance?
I once had a bar of birch soap, have never been able to find that brand again, and what a fragrance ! So I was wondering if the twigs have that fragrance?
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by Triss on May 14, 2006 10:48 AM
I have not noticed a fragrance with mine when I cut them. Just went out and checked and it is not really piney to me. Mine is a weeping birch and I have no clue if that would make a difference.
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We are all under the same stars... therefore we are never far apart.
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We are all under the same stars... therefore we are never far apart.
by The Plant Doc on May 15, 2006 09:10 AM
Deborah
The birch that was used to scent that soap is that of the black birch (Betula lenta). It is quite prolific in the north east US. As kids we used to search out the black birch when roasting marshmallows for sticks, the wintergreen flavor from the stick went into the mallow! That is also the variety that birchbeer is made out of![[Smile]](im/smile.gif)
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Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc
The birch that was used to scent that soap is that of the black birch (Betula lenta). It is quite prolific in the north east US. As kids we used to search out the black birch when roasting marshmallows for sticks, the wintergreen flavor from the stick went into the mallow! That is also the variety that birchbeer is made out of
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Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc
by The Plant Doc on May 15, 2006 09:13 AM
Whoops...I almost forgot to answer the original question.
The best time to prune birches is in the late fall or early winter. This way the open wounds will not attract insects which will vector in diseases.
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Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc
The best time to prune birches is in the late fall or early winter. This way the open wounds will not attract insects which will vector in diseases.
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Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc
by Deborah L. on May 26, 2006 01:16 PM
Thanks to The Plant Doc and Triss-now I know what to get when I can.
I love that fragrance !
I wonder if it would grow well in California?
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I love that fragrance !
I wonder if it would grow well in California?
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by plants 'n pots on May 26, 2006 02:15 PM
Hey Mike!
I am not aware of black birch trees around here - am I missing them?
I grew up with a white birch tree in the front yard, til too many ice storms cracked both branches down to the ground. Interestingly, we inherited a large white birch when we moved into this house.
Wish I knew that about roasting marshmallows with the black birch sticks earlier - I love wintergreen!
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Lynne's knitting journal 
"I'm spayed, declawed, and housebound - how's YOUR day going???"
I am not aware of black birch trees around here - am I missing them?
I grew up with a white birch tree in the front yard, til too many ice storms cracked both branches down to the ground. Interestingly, we inherited a large white birch when we moved into this house.
Wish I knew that about roasting marshmallows with the black birch sticks earlier - I love wintergreen!
* * * *
Lynne's knitting journal "I'm spayed, declawed, and housebound - how's YOUR day going???"
by The Plant Doc on May 26, 2006 02:47 PM
Plants and Pots
They should be all around you! I used to own property not far away from Rockland, up by the Port Jervis area, and they are very common.
The bark while it will peel is not as papery as the white birch, here is a pic of a trunk; http://ostermiller.org/tree/blackbirch1.gif
The leaf is a darker green then the white birch but pretty much teh same shape;
http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/birch_black/leaf.jpg
Here is a pic of the whole tree;
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Betula_lenta_subsps_lenta_01-10-
They are usually found growing wild in areas of well drained but not dry soil like a stand of hardwoods such as oaks, and seem to like flat areas over hillsides. You can tell for sure by scraping your fingernail on the bark of one of the branches and sniffing it, it has the wintergreen scent all year long.
* * * *
Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc
They should be all around you! I used to own property not far away from Rockland, up by the Port Jervis area, and they are very common.
The bark while it will peel is not as papery as the white birch, here is a pic of a trunk; http://ostermiller.org/tree/blackbirch1.gif
The leaf is a darker green then the white birch but pretty much teh same shape;
http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/birch_black/leaf.jpg
Here is a pic of the whole tree;
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Betula_lenta_subsps_lenta_01-10-
They are usually found growing wild in areas of well drained but not dry soil like a stand of hardwoods such as oaks, and seem to like flat areas over hillsides. You can tell for sure by scraping your fingernail on the bark of one of the branches and sniffing it, it has the wintergreen scent all year long.
* * * *
Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc
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