Pruning trees is similar to getting a particular haircut for trees, despite its apparent complexity. You should expect your trees to flourish and look more attractive as a result. And yet, would you believe it? Even the most careful tree pruners can make a mistake now and again.
But have no fear! The proper approach to pruning trees is discussed in detail here on the site. We’ll go over several no-nos and demonstrate some smart trimming techniques.
This manual will assist you in caring for your trees whether you are a complete tree care novice or have some experience. Let’s start on this uncomplicated path to becoming expert tree pruners and ensuring the well-being of your trees.
What Not To Do When Pruning?
Learning to prune trees and shrubs properly is a crucial skill for every gardener. Only attempt a pruning job that you believe is manageable and within your ability, such as removing a major branch or cutting down the entire tree. If you care about your and others’ safety, hire certified arborists or tree surgeons.
In this article, we’ll show you how to avoid making the most typical errors in trimming.
The Process of Pruning Without a Specific Objective
Pruning should improve the plant’s health and vitality while pursuing a specific aim (such as removing dead limbs or enhancing fruit or blossom production). When a tree or shrub is pruned without a clear purpose, it suffers unnecessary harm. Extensive incorrect pruning, at best, takes time and effort to cure and, at worst, causes irreparable injury. Carefully consider your options before making any incisions.
Improper Timing of Pruning
It’s important to know when it is best to prune your trees, as doing so at the wrong time of year might stunt their development or even kill them.
In the spring and summer, when trees are actively growing, pruning causes significant sap loss from pruning wounds, which weakens the plants and provides pests and disease with an entry point.
The dormant seasons of autumn and winter are ideal for pruning deciduous trees (those that shed their leaves at the end of summer) right before the leaf buds grow and open.
Plums, gauges, apricots, fruit trees, almond trees, and cherry trees are the exception to this rule since they are susceptible to silver leaf disease. Chondrostereum purpureum is the fungus responsible for silver leaf. Since the spores are most active in the fall and winter and enter the plant through cuts made during pruning, the most sensitive kinds should be pruned in the summer.
The disease causes a silver sheen on leaves, black stains when cut, and bracket fungi on dead branches. Remove the affected wood to restore healthy growth. Remove the infected wood from circulation and sterilise any tools that come into contact with it. Diseased wood should never be shredded, composted, or mulched because doing so can aid in the spread of the disease to other plants.
After you have pruned trees and mulched them, you may feed their roots by giving them a general fertiliser for trees and shrubs in the spring, such as this one sold on Amazon by Bioadvance. This will give them a boost as the growing season begins.
Pruning evergreen trees in the fall or winter can result in frost burns and stem dieback, so it’s best to wait until spring to do the job.
Poorly Executed Pruning
A well-executed pruning cut causes as little trauma to the tree as possible, allowing it to recover rapidly. An incorrect cut, such as a flush cut (where the branch is cut flush to the trunk) or a stub cut (where the branch is cut too far from the stem), can kill a tree. The branch collar is lost after making a flush cut, leaving a gaping wound in the tree’s side that can’t heal. Too much of the dead branch is left on the tree after a stub cut, increasing the risk of degradation via the root collar and into the trunk. These two severe wounds can be fatal because they cause deterioration.
Height Reduction Through Plant Topping
Trees should never be topped, and large shrubs should be pruned using methods other than topping. When you prune away a significant portion of the length of a huge branch, many new stems will grow from buds that form just below the cut. As each new branch grows larger and more easily broken, the new development threatens the tree and its inhabitants.
Instead, you can prune a tree or shrub to a more manageable size by cutting back its branches to their nearest neighbouring branches (in the case of trees) or the ground (in the case of shrubs). To prune a tree, you can also cut back a long branch to a lateral branch that is one-third as wide as the one you’re cutting. This side shoot quickly fills in for the severed main stem and continues to thrive.
Pruning Using Soiled Instruments
Use high-quality implements for pruning. You should always maintain your pruning tools with soap and oil. Pruning shears that are regularly oiled and sharpened outperform their dull and rusty counterparts and are safer to use.
Cuts cannot be made cleanly using blunt instruments. Untidy wounds take longer to heal and leave your plant more susceptible to illness.
If you want to maintain your pruning equipment germ-free, you can use alcohol. You can sterilise your pruning tools with rubbing alcohol or any other household disinfectant. To maintain your pruning tools plant-safe, you can purchase ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.
Tools can be disinfected with alcohol without being soaked for as long. Disinfecting instruments requires a quick dip or wipe with some alcohol.
After each usage, give your pruning instruments a thorough cleaning and disinfect them. Then, you risk infecting your plants with illness from your pruning instruments.
An Excessive Amount Of Pruning At Any Time Of The Year
Over-pruning a tree at any time of year, especially during the growing season, can stress it and make it more prone to disease.
Remember that each pruning cut is a wound to the tree and should be treated as such. Removing branches from a tree deprives it of stored resources, stunts its future development, and decreases its ability to produce photosynthesis.
Even worse, pruning opens up channels via which wood-rotting organisms might enter and begin rotting the tree from the inside. Too many careless pruning cuts can kill a tree.
Misaligned Plant Pruning
When pruning, cut at a downward angle. This aids in the evaporation of moisture from the cut region. In most cases, a 45-degree angle is a good starting point for plant pruning.
If you make a flat cut in your plant, water will pool there. Water that collects at the site of a plant’s injury provides a breeding ground for fungi. As a result, you risk a fungal infection spreading throughout your plants.
Ignoring Dieback and Disease
Do not prune a tree or shrub that shows signs of disease or dieback, no matter how little the affected area may seem. If left unchecked, the disease or dieback will spread and kill the plant.
When pruning, the first step is to identify and remove damaged, dead, or diseased branches back to good wood.
Protecting fresh cuts with wound paint is unnecessary, but sharpening and disinfecting equipment regularly will help prevent the spread of disease.
Suddenly Pruning
Careful trimming requires patience. Pruning is something to take time and effort. Either you’ll make cuts that take years to undo, or you won’t make the cuts you need to fix a systemic issue in time.
It would help if you didn’t prune in a rush. The simple things to cut should be the first. Take out any rotten, infected, or broken boards. Cut back any limbs that are touching or rubbing against one another. Now that you’ve taken a step back examine the plant from every angle. Cut back the plant by cutting off its lower branches.
If you’re doing tree pruning, look for branches joined to the trunk at a sharp angle and cut them off. Don’t take out more than a third of the plant’s bulk at a time.
Correctly Making Pruning Cuts
No Flush Cuts
The flush cut is a typical pruning error. This is the result of severing a branch exactly at the point where it joins the bark of the tree trunk or another larger branch.
No matter how smooth the cut, a flush cut removes the branch collar, which seals the pruning cut. When a plant is cut flush, it cannot heal the wound and is vulnerable to attack from pests and diseases.
The branch collar is the extended area around the branch’s base. Cut just beyond it to avoid a flush cut. When you prune here, the branch collar will heal over your cut.
No Stub Cuts
In contrast to flush cuts, which remove all visible remnants of the branch, stub cuts leave a stub long enough to prevent the branch collar from growing over it.
To avoid stub cuts, a good rule of thumb is to see if a branch stub is long enough to hang a hat off.
No Lion Tailing
The practice known as “lion tailing,” in which only the outermost branches are left with leaves and growth, is another typical error. This is not a recommended practice because it:
- Takes away too much of the tree’s leaves (necessary for photosynthesis).
- Damages the tree’s integrity by shifting the load to the tips of its branches.
- exposes the crown to the elements (wind and sun) and
- Plants respond to stress by sending more reaction shoots (“water sprouts”) along the main stem and branches. Over-pruning causes the tree to send out rapid new growth (response sprouts) to continue photosynthesis and survive.
No Heading Cuts
When applied to broad branches, heading cuts are destructive to the structure and aesthetics of the tree.
A heading cut arbitrarily or at a branch junction removes a branch’s terminal node, leaving a short, fruitless offshoot.
When you prune a tree or shrub without considering where the cut will heal, you encourage the development of many new, weakly linked branches that diverge from the original branch structure. Leaving a short stub of a branch after a major heading cut is not only unsightly but also dangerous because it poses the possibility of the small branch growing upward and out of the weakened stub.
Heading cuts rarely turn out nicely, as anybody who has seen a topped tree or sheared forsythia can attest. The ugly tangle of thin shoots can easily break off and requires more frequent trimming to regulate.
Heading cuts are appropriate in some circumstances, but only a Certified Arborist should make that call. They will know when, where, and why to perform the cut.
Use The 3-Cut Method.
By making three separate cuts, the bark is protected, and heavier branches can be removed without causing any damage.
Trees with massive branches cut off by an amateur sometimes have bark that has been pulled off in the process. This is usually the result of the common pruning error of severing the branch with a single cut.
When cutting huge branches for trimming, always follow these three steps:
- Start with a minor incision about an inch or two outside the branch collar on the underside. If the branch should fall while being cut, this barrier will avoid a tear in the bark.
- Second, make a clean cut two to four inches past the branch collar to remove the branch while still leaving a stub.
- Finally, sever the remaining branch portion by making a clean cut just past the collar.
Conclusion
Topping plants to reduce their height, trimming without a clear goal, not cleaning your tools after each cut, and using dirty tools are just a few of the many common mistakes that may be made when pruning trees. The goal of pruning is to increase the plant’s health and vitality by doing things like removing diseased or dead branches or encouraging new growth that will result in more fruit or flowers. Pruning can inflict unnecessary harm and permanent injury if done without a clear goal. If you prune a tree at the incorrect time of year, you could hinder its growth or even kill it. Pruning is best done in the spring or fall for deciduous trees and in the summer for fragile species like plums, gauges, apricots, fruit trees, almond trees, and cherries.
Flush cuts and stub cuttings are examples of pruning mistakes that might destroy a tree. Instead, cut back branches to their nearest neighbouring branches or to the ground to make trees and bushes more manageable. Take care of your pruning tools by keeping them clean and oiled with soap and oil. Using a blunt instrument might leave plants with unsightly wounds that are more likely to spread disease. You can keep your pruning tools clean and clear of germs by disinfecting them with alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, which doesn’t need to be soaked for as long for disinfection. Pruning tools should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each use to prevent the spread of disease.
A tree’s susceptibility to disease might be increased by excessive trimming. Each slash from the pruner should be viewed as a wound that prevents the plant from recovering its previous state, slows its growth, and reduces its ability to generate energy through photosynthesis. Additionally, wood-rotting organisms can access the tree’s interior through wounds created by excessive trimming.
Pruning at an angle of 45 degrees is an excellent place to start when dealing with plants that are not straight. To prevent the spread of fungal infections, avoid making flat cuts where water can collect. Disease or dieback should be ignored, and careful pruning should be done to avoid spreading disease. When pruning, it’s essential to take your time and make precise cuts. Remove any boards that are rotten, sick, or broken and any branches that are touching or rubbing against one another before conducting a thorough inspection of the plant from all sides. Only about a third of the plant should be removed at a time.
Several common blunders should be avoided when making the pruning cuts. Common mistakes include making flush or stub cuts or even “lion tailing.” Only a Certified Arborist should decide whether or not to conduct a heading cut, as doing so can harm the tree’s health and appearance.
When cutting huge branches, it is suggested to use the 3-cut Method since it safeguards the bark and permits the removal of heavier branches without damage. Pruning involves creating a small incision outside the branch collar on the bottom, cutting cleanly two to four inches past the collar, and then cutting cleanly through the remaining length of the branch to sever it.
Content Summary
- Trees can’t maintain their health and beauty without regular pruning.
- Don’t try to do more advanced pruning jobs on your own; instead, seek the services of trained professionals.
- Pruning should be done for a reason to improve the overall health and vitality of the plant.
- Pruning without a specific purpose might be detrimental to the plant.
- Pruning must be done at the right time, or it could cause damage to the plant.
- Sap loss and pest infestation are two potential outcomes of pruning during the growing season.
- Deciduous trees are best pruned in the fall and winter when they are dormant.
- Pruning in the summer can help prevent silverleaf disease on some fruit trees.
- The fungus Chondrostereum purpureum causes silver leaf disease.
- Diseased wood can be removed through pruning to improve plant health.
- After spring pruning, give your trees a good dose of fertiliser.
- Frost burns and stem dieback can occur if evergreen trees are pruned in the fall or winter.
- A properly pruned tree suffers less damage and recovers more quickly.
- A tree can be killed by making a bad cut, such as a flush cut or a stub cut.
- Causing excessive growth and branch failure, topping trees is not recommended.
- It’s essential to use well-maintained, high-quality pruning tools.
- The risk of infection is increased when using dull equipment to treat wounds.
- Pruning shears and secateurs can be sanitised using alcohol or disinfectants.
- Pruning too much, or at the wrong time of year, can weaken and stress a tree.
- Branches that are damaged or rubbing against one another should be removed carefully with each pruning cut.
- Remove any angled branches from the main stem.
- Avoid making haphazard pruning cuts by taking your time to evaluate the situation.
- If you want a branch to mend, you shouldn’t make a flush cut, which would eliminate the collar.
- The branch collar may not heal over a stub cut.
- The process of lion-tailing, in which only the outer branches are left, is harmful to the tree.
- Heading cuts can weaken the appearance and structural integrity of a branch.
- Weak and unattractive new growth is commonly the outcome of heading cuts.
- For larger branches, a 3-cut approach is suggested.
- A small incision should be made underneath the branch, just outside the collar.
- With the second cut, you can eliminate the whole branch instead of just the stub.
- The final slice needs to sever the last bit of the branch.
- The tree’s bark can be better preserved when the 3-cut procedure is used.
- A tree’s health and aesthetics can both benefit from careful pruning.
- Every time you prune, you should be thinking about why.
- Avoiding damage to the tree during pruning requires doing it at the correct time of year.
- Cutting down huge plants by topping them is counterproductive.
- Clean cuts can only be achieved with well-maintained pruning tools.
- An overly pruned tree is more likely to succumb to disease.
- Avoiding damage to the tree during pruning requires taking care when making cuts.
- The tree’s bark can be better protected during branch removal using the 3-cut approach.
FAQs About Pruning
What Is The Correct Way To Make Pruning Cuts On Trees?
Make clean, angled cuts outside the branch collar without leaving stubs or damaging the branch bark ridge. This promotes proper healing and reduces the risk of disease.
Can Pruning During The Growing Season Be A Mistake, And Why?
Pruning during the growing season can stress the tree and leave it vulnerable to pests and diseases. It’s generally best to prune during the dormant season.
What Precautions Should I Take When Removing Large Branches From A Tree?
Use proper equipment, make gradual cuts to avoid tearing the bark, and use the three-cut method to prevent the branch from falling and causing damage.
Should I Apply Wound Dressings Or Sealants After Pruning Cuts?
In most cases, wound dressings are unnecessary and can impede the tree’s natural healing process. Avoid using sealants, as they may do more harm than good.
How Can I Ensure I’m Making The Right Pruning Decisions For My Trees?
Consult with a certified arborist or a tree care professional for guidance on proper pruning techniques and to assess the specific needs of your trees. They can provide expert advice and ensure the best care for your trees.
