5 Tree Pruning Mistakes to Avoid

Tree Pruning Mistakes to Avoid

Tree Pruning Hilton Head

You have probably driven past a lot of tall, healthy trees and assumed they naturally grew that way. Their green tops and balanced branch structure are more than likely the consequence of years of careful trimming by skilled and experienced pruners.

Pruning trees is both a science and an art. You risk creating a pattern of damage to your trees if you prune them without understanding the fundamentals of pruning and tree growth. This can lead to their decline. Every pruning cut you make to a tree creates a wound, but a good pruning cut helps the tree to seal off the wound and keep insects and disease out.

If you are interested in learning more about pruning or considering paying someone to do it for you, let's start with what not to do so you do not make significant pruning mistakes. You will never be able to reattach those branches to your tree once they have been taken off!

Find the Best Tree Pruning Service!

Call Monster Tree Service of Hilton Head at (843) 631-8679!

 5 Tree Pruning Mistakes to Avoid

1. Bad Cuts All Over.

You can tell if your trees have been improperly pruned if you notice any of the following types of faulty pruning cuts:

• Stub cuts - leave a stub of branch that hinders the tree from preventing disease from spreading. A stub is a branch that has been chopped off at the end and can be used to hang something.

• Flush cuts - removes the branch collar, which is a slightly expanded area around the base of a branch that prevents the tree from forming a callus to seal the cut.

• Heading cuts - remove the end of a branch at a random position on the tree, leaving it vulnerable to pests and diseases and encouraging the tree to produce a large number of weak branches at the cut end. At the termination of a huge, structural branch, the "pruner" may occasionally leave an undersized branch.

These cuts are not made by trained and experienced pruners, and you should not either.
 

2. Topping A Tree.

Topping is the practice of cutting a tree's main trunk, or branch leader, at a random position below the apex to reduce the tree's overall height. The most crucial part of a tree is the trunk/branch leader. It began as the tree's first sprout, expanded higher, and generated the lateral (side) branches that make up the crown structure. It is why a well-kept, mature tree appears balanced and "correct."

When a tree gets topped, it typically responds by producing a large number of "watersprouts." At the ends of branches and along their length, these spindly, weakly linked branches sprout in a mass. This is the tree's natural stress response in response to the loss of its primary structural limb - and it is not pretty.

Topping also necessitates a lot more tree work in the future. To keep the tree's size and appearance under control, all of the suckering branches will have to be chopped off. Plus, these weakly linked limbs are prone to breaking and falling due to wind damage.

3. Pruning Large Branches

Pruning huge tree branches with diameters greater than 3 or 4 inches can result in wounds that the tree is unable to seal. It may be preferable to cut a large diameter branch back to the trunk, depending on the tree's crown and branch structure. The wound will be sealed by the branch collar in this manner.

There are several major reasons why you should give a second thought about removing huge branches yourself if you are a homeowner.

• Safety - If you cannot reach the branch you want to cut from the ground, you are putting yourself at risk right away. When using trimming tools, even tripod orchard ladders become unstable, and ascending into the branches of a tree with tools is very riskier.

• Liability - The potential of falling or harming yourself with sharp, heavy equipment, as well as property damage to your — or your neighbor's — is real. If you are going to prune, be sure you are insured by the necessary insurance.

• Damage — Heavy branches can possibly fall while being pruned, and many DIYers simply throw all of the branches they are trimming to the ground due to a lack of tools to safely rig and lower branches. Falling branches harm your tree by damaging other branches and pulling bark as they fall, in addition to harming you or your neighbors. That does not even take into account the lawn and planting areas beneath the tree.

• Disposal - When you observe enormous branches on the ground, they sometimes turn out to be so much bigger than you expected! You can end up with an unexpected piece of "sculpture" in your yard if you do not have a simple way of disposing of all that wood.

One of the most risky pruning blunders we encounter is people attempting to cut off huge branches - and it is one that has resulted in significant injuries and even deaths.

4. Lion Tailing. 

You have seen "lion tailing" if you have seen trees with thin, patchy canopies, lots of exposed inner branches, and foliage sprouting exclusively at the extremities of branches. Lion tailing is never done by qualified tree pruners as an alternative for tree crown cleaning or crown reduction.

Lion tail is not used by reputable and experienced tree-care specialists since it Stimulates stress-response leaves on a tree's trunk as well as its branches and branches. These reaction shoots are not an indication of tree strength, but rather of the tree exhausting its energy reserves in order to protect its branches from injury. Also, By irregularly spreading crown weight to the ends of branches, a potential hazard tree is created. And lastly, it removes too much photosynthesis-critical foliage off the tree, leaving the crown vulnerable to wind and sun damage.

5. Removing Too Much Of A Tree’s Crown. 

Pruning a tree is a long-term process that does not occur in a single sitting. It is done in stages throughout time and is tailored to the age, health, and needs of the tree. Before trimming, a pruner assesses the entire tree and then prunes as little as necessary to meet your objectives. Remember that each pruning cut, even if it is flawless, is a wound that puts a tree under stress.

A tree's crown should not be removed more than 5 percent to 20% at a time, depending on its size, age, and condition. The major reason for this is to avoid the tree's stress response of growing a large number of weak suckering branches that may form in the wrong areas in the crown or along the trunk. This unwelcome development puts a strain on a tree's energy reserves and necessitates extra trimming to remove.

Over-pruning can be disastrous for older trees, trees already stressed by disease or drought, and trees in decline as they try to recover. 

Frequently Asked Questions What Is Incorrect Pruning? A tree can be irreversibly damaged by an incorrect cut such as a flush cut (cutting too near to the trunk) or a stub cut (cutting too far from the trunk). The branch collar is removed with a flush cut, leaving a huge wound on the tree's side that will not recover fully.   What Trees Should Not Be Pruned? In the early summer, prune back trees like cherry, ornamental pear, pine, and spruce. Most significantly, tree service providers advise customers to wait until the leaves have fully formed before trimming back trees that create a heavy sap flow in the spring. How Much Can You Trim A Tree Without Killing it? When a tree loses too much of its canopy at once, it might become frail and possibly die as a result of the stress. That is why you should not prune a tree's canopy more than 25% at a time.

Get the Best Services for Tree Pruning in Hilton Head

Monster Tree Service of Hilton Head demonstrates superior expertise and cutting-edge tree-care techniques. Hilton Head Island locals know they can rely on their local arborists to provide honest tree services at a reasonable price. Our Hilton Head tree service professionals take pride in helping our friends, family, and neighbors improve the appearance of their homes.

Choose the Best Tree Pruning Services!

Call Monster Tree Service of Hilton Head at (843) 631-8679!

Monster Tree Service of Hilton Head
​​28 Long Brow Rd
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
854-222-9389