We are in full swing with the summer, and those trees and bushes are starting to look a bit overgrown. I thought I would do a short post on how to keep your trees and shrubs looking great and healthy. Check out these tips for what and how to #prune:
Use The ⅓ and ¼ Rules of #Pruning
- Never remove more than ¼ of a tree’s crown in a season
- Ideally, main side branches should be at least ⅓ smaller than the diameter of the trunk.
- For most deciduous (broadleaf) trees, don’t prune up from the bottom any more than ⅓ of the tree’s total height.
- Where possible, try to encourage side branches that form angles that are ⅓ off vertical that form “10 o’clock” or “2 o’clock” angles with the trunk.
- Don’t worry about protecting pruning cuts. For aesthetics, you may feel better painting large wounds but it doesn’t prevent or reduce decay.
- Keep tools sharp. One-hand pruning shears with curved blades work best on young trees.
For those that want a visual explination, check out this video where he talks about how to prune shrubs:
Finally, there is some confusion over how to prune a tree. Where should you cut the branch, and how? Check out this article that talks about the proper way to prune a tree:
The following tips and techniques will help guide you if you’re planning on pruning a tree or if you just want to educate yourself about typical tree trimming care and maintenance techniques.
Crown Thinning
If you need to thin the crown of a tree, you should keep the following tips and techniques in mind:
- Keep lateral branches as evenly spaced as possible, especially on young trees.
- Prune away branches that cross other branches or run against them.
- Never remove more than one-fourth of a living crown at once. If you need to remove more than that, spread it out over a number of years.
Crown Raising
- To provide clearance for pedestrians and for other reasons, you can raise the crown by carefully pruning the tree. Maintain live branches on at least two-thirds of a tree’s height. If you remove too many branches near the bottom half, the tree may not be able to develop a strong stem.
I hope this has been a timely post to help you cut back all the growth in your yard. As always, be sure to give us a phone call if you would like a bid for professional pruning in your yard.