How to prune a scraggly Mela ?

Sysmod

We have a young Mela that has grown lopsided.
Last year its branches were weighed to the ground.
Can anyone recommend how to prune it?
Thank you
Patrick
Photo:

https://twitter.com/PatrickROBeirne/status/1365592310550003713?s=20

How do I attach pictures to a Boards post using an Android phone?

lottpaul

You have a few options - stake and tie the main/leaning branch or remove that leader and let the others grow to replace it.
The tree might take a year to recover fully but the alternative is to leave it leaning and it will eventually crack and break.
One other thing I'd do is get rid of the grass growing at the base of the trunk - grass is a big competitor for young trees and should be removed.

looksee

I have a couple of small fruit trees that were lying sideways from the roots and had been that way for some time. By putting on guy ropes, and more propping than staking, they have been pushed upright and they are already after 12 months looking better. That tree looks more flexible and younger and would probably be improved by tying to a stake to hold it upright. Don't try and force it absolutely straight immediately, just pull against it as far as you can without danger of breaking, then adjust it as it straightens. You might need to put a guy or a diagonal on the stake.

Sysmod

Thank you @lottpaul - how far back would you cut the long branch?
I could pull out the grass all right but it won't be long growing back. Maybe a heap of wood chippings around it would act as a mask?

@looksee that looks kinder all right, I'll see if we have a stake strong enough.

lottpaul

If you wanted to cut it back I'd go to the junction with the strongest leader, but as looksee says if staking is an option it's still flexible enough to do that and would be better in the longer run.
Pulling the grass will help - a radius of maybe 30cm or so would be good - a piece of old carpet is good, or wet cardboard, mulch etc -- you just need to exclude light from the grass and it will die off but it's better to have something that will allow moisture through (i.e. not plastic) or the plant won't get enough water.

Sysmod

Thanks @lottpaul, the tip about allowing moisture through is good. I can use cardboard - now that I remember it featured on some Nationwide programme about no-dig gardening. I have used plastic roofing sheets to kill off patches of low gorse, it takes a few months to finish them off as I recollect.

lottpaul

Gorse is very hard to get rid of but depriving anything of light will work in the end. Remember though that there will always be seeds in the ground and they will germinate once you let light in again but a good pair of gloves and an eagle eye and it's easy to pull them out as little seedlings.

Sysmod

Off the gardening topic:

Sysmod wrote: »

How do I attach pictures to a Boards post using an Android phone?

I'm now on a PC and can see the icons for attaching a picture - I guess it's not possible from a phone. I thought it only inserts from an URL, not a local file but I now see a "Go Advanced" button which reveals a paperclip icon. "Upload" is off the right, I need to expand the window to see it.
Now under "Attach files" I see
Screenshot 2021-03-02 121326.png (14.0 KB)

(It's not the photo, just a test screenshot, the photo is not on my computer. Life gets complicated)