Good pruning practices for deciduous trees
Since we are all stuck at home, why not take the opportunity to do a little yard work, as long as the weather permits. Mother Nature could really give us a boost with a healthy, extended dose of vitamin D and warm weather, right?
Last week I talked about rejuvenating overgrown shrubs. This week, let’s go over good pruning practices for deciduous trees. Next week, I will discuss pruning evergreen trees.
Pruning trees is both an art and a science. It requires proper cuts in the right location for the branches to seal and compartmentalize. This is garden speak for “healing.”
Trees don’t heal, they close off wounds so that decay is closed off and won’t continue down into the main trunk of the tree. If a tree is pruned in the proper way, decay is kept to the area of the wound.
If an improper cut is made, decay progresses further into the branch or trunk and potentially leads to structural instability.
A proper cut is made at the branch bark collar and one that leaves the smallest wound possible. The branch bark collar is at the junction between the branch and the trunk and is easily identified by a ring or circle around the branch. This branch bark collar area will be swollen with that distinct ring,
But cutting across the branch at this collar or along the ring, you make the smallest cut possible and the least amount of wounding. Compartmentalization occurs and prevents decay from creeping into the trunk.
In some tree species and branch structures, you may not find a distinct collar. The branch may seem to go right into the trunk with a rather large area with the ring blending right into the trunk.
In this case, we call it the branch bark ridge. Don’t cut along this ridge as you will notice that a very large wound is the result. Rather, cut from the line at the top of the ridge straight across the branch, leaving the smallest wound possible.
If you are unsure about these definitions, search online at university websites for fact sheets on pruning or go to the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)for details.
The last thing you ever want to do in pruning tree branches is make a flush cut. This results in a large wound which won’t compartmentalize. Decay will proceed into the trunk of the tree, weakening that area.
In addition, you don’t need to use pruning paints or tree coating materials to protect the wound except for oaks. We have seen some research that pruning paints may prevent oak wilt from occurring.
If you have large trees, consult a professional arborist who is ISA certified. They go through extensive training and re-certification to maintain their certification and they know what they are doing.
We had a pruning workshop planned but had to cancel due to recent times. Hopefully we will be able to do this next season as hands-on is the best way to learn how to prune trees!
Stay safe and keep your family healthy!