Pruning Information

When to Prune

Pruning is usually aimed to remove weak, crowded, diseased, or dead limbs. It can be done at any time during the year without causing harmful effects on the tree. Although growth and wound healing is maximized when pruning occurs before the spring growth flush.

Although some diseases, such as oak wilt, can be spread if insects enter pruning wounds providing the access for pathogens (disease-causing agents). Susceptible trees should not be pruned during active insect periods.

Pruning Techniques

Different types of pruning required to maintain a healthy, safe, and attractive tree.

Cleaning out is the removal of dead, dying, diseased, weakly attached, crowded and low downward hanging branches from the crown of a tree.
Thinning is selecting certain branches for removal to improve structure, increase light penetration and air movement through the crown to improve its resistance in storms. Proper thinning opens the foliage of a tree, reduces weight on heavy limbs, and helps retain the tree's natural shape.
Raising removes the lower branches to provide clearance for buildings, vehicles, mowing ect.
Crown Reduction reduces the height and width of a tree, It is often used for utility line clearance. Reducing a tree's height and spread is done by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to at least one-third the diameter of the cut stem. You should never have your trees completely topped out.

Young trees

Pruning is crucial for the development of a young tree as it reaches maturity. In order for a young tree to have a strong structure and desirable form it will need to have correct pruning as it grows. Trees that get the correct pruning techniques while they are young will need less corrective pruning when they are mature.

Structure of main branches should be created while the tree is young. These limbs are a mature tree's structure. Properly trained trees will develop a strong and sound structure that needs only small corrective pruning cuts as the tree matures. For most trees it is critical to maintain a dominant leader growing upward. Do not prune back the tip of this leader or allow secondary branches to outgrow the main leader. It is very common with trees bought at places like lowes or walmart to have a cut top with two main leaders growing.

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