Can podocarpus trees be made bushier?

Question

I have 8, approximately 20' high, podocarpus trees around our spa. Four of them are really sparse in the middle. I was told by one nursery worker to cut the tops off and fertilize them. Another guy, different day, told me they won't grow any more branches even if I prune them. Does anyone know how to get these trees/shrubs to become the privacy screen they are meant to be? I see them at Disneyland and they look perfect the way I want mine to look.

Answer 1

Yes, by cutting back the terminal branch (central leader), it will promote lateral branching and you'll acquire a more compact/dense tree. This method of eliminating the terminal branch is called: "Heading back".

When you cut the terminal branch, select the maximum height where you'd like the tree to be and cut it back approximately 2 feet lower. The tree will grow-in and hide where you've cut the branch and allow you to use it as a hedge. Within a couple of years, you should be able to have a dense screen much like those you see at Disneyland by trimming and shaping the foilage once or twice a year.

Following are a couple of sites you can visit to see what I've described;

http://www.urbantree.org/pruning_mature_trees.asp

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:xTsqXzSP7gcJ:urbanforestry.ifas.ufl.edu/Pruning%2520Landscape%2520Trees%2520and%2520Shrubs.pdf+heading+back+podocarpus+trees&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us

Hope this answered your question. Good luck!