How to Prune Trees
The best advice concerning proper care for your trees is to hire a certified arborist, who can safely and properly prune trees in order to increase the chance of survival and recovery of your trees. At LawnAmerica, we do have access to good arborists who can properly assess your trees and prune them or remove if needed.
Reasons for Pruning
Most trees and shrubs in the landscape should be pruned for safety, health, or aesthetic reasons. Dead branches that can fall and damage property or people need to be removed. Removing dead or insect and disease infested wood also provides for a healthier tree. Pruning can help trees develop a stronger and more beautiful appearance. As turfgrass managers, good pruning will lead to better airflow and more sunlight reaching the turf, which is good for your lawn.
When to Prune and Tools to Use
Generally, the late fall and winter dormant season is a great time to prune most trees. Hand pruners can be used to prune small branches, either anvil or by-pass pruners. Larger branches (over 1”) can be cut with a small pruning saw or lopping shears, which have more leverage than hand pruners. Chain saws are necessary for larger branches, and must be handled with care (I know, and have a 4” scar on my shin from 30 years ago to prove it!) Pole pruners can be used to reach higher branches. Whichever you use, it is important to keep tools sharp for clean cuts, and to sanitize between trees to minimize spreading of disease causing pathogens. Sanitize with 70% denatured alcohol, or with liquid household bleach diluted 1:9 with water. Bleach is corrosive to metal, so make sure to clean with soap and water after final use.
How to Prune
Proper pruning cuts are made cleanly at a node, the point at which one branch attaches to another. A branch should always be cut at the same angle as the branch collar, which is the shoulder or bulge at the base of a branch where smaller branches grow out from larger branches or the trunk of the tree. Do not do what is called a stub cut, which are pruning cuts made too far outside the branch collar that leaves too much of the branch tissue remaining.
Do not top the tree, which is an indiscriminate cutting of branches and stems at right angles leaving long stubs. This not only looks bad, but will lead to new busy growth that is poorly attached to the trunk, leading to even more possible ice or wind damage down the road. We have seen many trees that have been quickly pruned like this, and many trees with just a trunk left. These trunks will not magically grow into a healthy properly formed tree again. You should either call the chain saw sculptor in town or just remove the tree and plant grass (yea!).
Assess how you will prune the tree from the top down, and make sure the lateral branches are evenly spaced on the main stem or trunk. If it is necessary to remove more than half of the foliage from a branch, just remove the total branch.
What Next?
If you remove whole trees and prune others, it is important this spring more than ever to fertilize and water your trees to help them recover. At LawnAmerica, we have always provided one deep-root tree & shrub fertilization in late fall to early winter for our customers who choose this service. To schedule this service, visit the home page of your local operator at and request this service. We do have a spring deep-root feeding as an option also, with the added benefit of a systemic insecticide added for summer insect control.
Most bare-rooted trees and shrubs should be planted in February or March.
This year we are very excited to be able to provide a new service that will convenience our Tulsa, OK based customers as well as our office staff. Many Tulsa customers call in from time to time wanting information regarding their account relating to payments, scheduled services, and past treatments that have been performed.
