Get your tree pruning done now

in late summer to allow them time to heal over before the onset of winter.

Before pruning any tree take a step back and look at what you want to achieve, shape, height, open crown. Always remove the dead, damaged and diseased wood first then have another look. You can’t put a branch back. When removing a branch first make a small wedge cut underneath close to but not tight to the stem point. This will stop bark tearing and stripping. Then a little further out from the undercut point cut down through the branch which will then break at the undercut point. Tidy the stub that is left close to the stem with a slight angle to allow water to run off. It is generally considered unnecessary to use wound paints as they are not considered beneficial in either keeping out infections or speeding healing.

Once you have completed your pruning you may be left with a considerable amount of wood, branches and twigs. The twigs and small branches can be mulched and used in amongst grass cuttings to absorb some of the moisture as it breaks down providing you with a usable compost rather than a mush. Also they can be used if neatly stacked in an unused garden corner as a wildlife habitat encouraging insects, birds hedgehogs and invertebrates. Only one percent of insects in Irish gardens are considered pests and hedgehogs, birds and invertebrates can feast on your slugs Wood and branches large enough can be cut up and used for firewood although some trees provide better timber than others, ash trees being the best for burning.

There is a lovely poem by Lady Celia Congreve written in 1930 called ‘ The Firewood Poem’ to long to recount in full here but it gives you poetic account of how woods burn. Starting ‘Beechwood fires are bright and clear, if the logs a kept a year’ and finishing with ‘But ash wet or ash dry a king shall warm his slippers by’.