Kathy Berryhill
Creek County Master Gardener
Pruning is the selective removal of a part of a plant for a specific reason. Forethought, knowledge, practice and observation are skills that need to be applied to this process. Pruning is thought of as a winter task when the plant is dormant, but there are many reasons to prune trees and shrubs in the summer. One reason is to help the plant regain its health after it has been compromised by a storm. This is known as restorative pruning.
Many trees in our area were damaged by strong winds recently. The cleanup process usually requires a quick removal of downed limbs. With some general pruning tips, it is advisable to revisit the initial cuts to see if improvements can be made.
“Topping a tree” refers to the removal of large branches. The resulting unsightly stubs leaves a tree open to disease and encourages suckering (sprouting of weak branches). Consider just removing the entire tree if it has received a large amount of damage. If trees still have viable limbs, gather good, sharp tools to make clean cuts. Match the tool to the size of the branch to prevent tissue damage.
A reduction cut can be made in the middle of a branch to remove a damaged portion, or to reduce the canopy size of a tree. This cut will be made immediately past a limb and will serve to invigorate existing growth.
A removal cut will completely remove a branch back to its point of origin, but cuts that are flush with the trunk will not heal properly. Instead, use the 3-cut method for a removal cut. The 1st cut is an undercut, which prevents the weight of a large limb from tearing the bark. The 2nd top cut removes the weight of the branch and the final 3rd cut is the actual pruning cut.
To make the final cut, locate the collar where the limb emerges from the tree. Cut from the collar downward to leave a wound that is round in shape. The result will be a symmetrical “shoulder” that will encourage the tree to heal. Adding paints or dressings will not enhance the healing of the wound. The trick is in making the proper cut!
