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DALE NAPIER
As a lawn care service professional from Nixa, Missouri, it is my goal to answer some of the most commonly asked customer questions about lawn care. |
DALE NAPIER
As a lawn care service professional from Nixa, Missouri, it is my goal to answer some of the most commonly asked customer questions about lawn care. |
Knowing how to properly prune your trees can enhance your landscape curb appeal. While I'm out servicing properties, I see so many trees pruned improperly. This can hurt your curb appeal, and cause unwanted disease. The most common mistake I see out in the field is improper cuts, or over pruning. So in this blog I'm going to walk you through how to prune a tree the proper way. To start off on any pruning job you will need to determine what pruning method needs to take place. There are two types of pruning, thinning and raising the canopy. These are two basic methods that any home owner can tackle as a DIY, with just a little bit of research, and a few tools. Here is a list of tools needed:
The third mistake I see people making is improper cuts. Often I see the cuts too close to the bark ridge, or too far from the branch collar. I also see people pruning the tree in the right spot but still doing it incorrectly. By this I mean, pruning in the right spot but only making one cut and leaving the branch too long and causing it to rip away from the tree and causing wounds. To properly make a cut, you will want to practice a 3 cut method as shown in the diagram below. Now, lets talk about tree thinning. Thinning is a process where you take selective branches and cut them out to increase light penetration, air movement, and tree structure. The most common mistake I see with thinning is over pruning. People taking too much off at once. It is better to under prune then over prune. Cutting too much can lead to decaying. Any cut on a tree is a wound that must be healed. The fewer cuts, the better. Over pruning can also lead to reduced food storage, decreased tip growth, as well as increase the chance of sun injury. The second most common mistake I see is timing of thinning. Timing has a huge factor on how the tree heals. The best time I would recommend to properly prune your tree is in the fall, or late winter. While the tree is in its dormant stage it will put less stress on the tree and give it plenty of time for recovery. Check out the photo below on a example of a proper thinning. A good rule of thumb when it comes to pruning is: don't take off more then 1/3rd of the tree. After reading this article, if you're still not sure if you can tackle your tree pruning yourself, make sure you call a professional. Just because your neighbor has a chainsaw and a truck, doesn't mean he knows what he is doing.
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