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A tree may need tree pruning for a range of reasons : to remove ill or storm-damaged branches to thin the crown to allow new growth and better air movement to scale back the height of a tree to remove obstructing lower branches to shape a tree for design purposes Once the choice has been made to prune, your next call is whether to take on the job yourself. In the case of a huge tree where you need to remove big branches in the upper area of the crown, it could be best to hire experts. Large tree pruning, in particular, can need climbing and heavy saws or even cherry-pickers and chain saws. However there are new tools available that may make this a manageable job.

Targeting a Pruning Cut

Whether the tree is little or big, the trick is to prune the unwelcome branch while defending the stem or trunk wood of the tree.

Tree branches grow from stems at nodes and pruning always happens on the branch side of a stem-branch node. Branches and stems are divided by a lip of tissue called a stem collar which grows out from the stem at the base of the branch.

All pruning cuts should be made on the branch side of this stem collar. This protects the stem and the other branches that could be growing from it.

It also allows the tree to heal more successfully after the prune. To prevent tearing of the bark and stem wood, especially in the case of larger branches, use the following procedure :

Three steps to pruning massive branches.

1. Make a tiny wedge shaped cut on the underside of the branch just on the branch side of the stem collar. This could break the bark at that point and stop a tear from running along the bark and stem tissue.
2. Rather farther along the branch, starting at the head of the branch, cut all of the way through the branch leaving a stub end.
3. Eventually, make a third cut parallel to and just on the branch side of the of the stem collar to cut back the length of the stub as much as feasible. A similar procedure is used in pruning one of 2 branches ( or one large branch and a stem ) joined together in a ‘u’ or ‘v’ crotch.

This is sometimes known as a drop crotch cut. Make the 1st nick cut on the underside of the branch you’re pruning well up from the crotch.

For the second cut, cut fully through the branch from within the crotch well up from the ridge of bark joining the 2 branches. Eventually, to shorten the leftover stub, make the third cut just to one side of the branch bark ridge and approximately parallel to it.

Should I Seal the Wound?

Trees naturally close wounds resulting from branch removal, so ideally, pruning injuries should get left to close without any help from you.

Also, since most pruning should be done in late fall or winter, insects shouldn’t be much of a problem. However there exist some circumstances when it is preferable to seal the wound with a non-asphalt-based pruning sealer like Tanglefoot Latex Pruning Sealer. Particularly, you need to seal pruning wounds on trees that are susceptible to damaging insect infestation like birch, oak, and elm trees.

Also, if the weather is particularly dry, a pruning sealer will help the tree keep more moisture.

When to Prune For most trees, the suspended season, late fall or winter, is the best time to prune though dead branches can and should be removed at any point. Pruning during the inactive period minimizes sap loss and subsequent stress to the tree. It also minimizes the chance of fungus infection or insect infestation as both fungi and insects are probably going to be in dormancy at the same time as the tree.

Finally, in the case of deciduous trees, pruning when the leaves are off will give you a better concept of how your pruning will affect the form of the tree. Some fruiting and flowering trees should be pruned at other times of the year, depending on whether they flower on the previous year’s expansion or not.

After pruning, it is often a good idea to give the tree a good fertilizing so the tree can naturally close the pruning injuries and to reduce the stress placed on the tree.

All prunes place stress on a tree and increase its vulnerability to illness and insects. Never prune more than 25% of the crown and make sure that living branches compose at least 2/3 of the peak of the tree.

Pruning more hazards fatally hurting your tree. In a few cases, typhoon damage, height reduction to avoid crowding utility lines or maybe raising the crown to meet civil bylaws, your pruning decisions are made for you. But even in these instances, prune as little as you can get away with.