Tree Pruning Houston
As leaves fall out of the trees each autumn, branches previously covered in a canopy of dense leaves come from hiding. Although a lot of gardeners would rather never deal with the falling jumble of leaves, we relish this time as an chance to inspect every tree canopy. This is the time to carefully make note of any branches that might need to be removed in trees on your property. The dormant months give time to come up with a plan for trimming and pruning trees in your landscape. Tree limbs are pruned for multiple reasons, all which result in a better looking and healthier tree. Although trees do grow very naturally without pruning, this routine landscape maintenance allows your trees to reach their full potential and live a long life. However, before you can learn how to trim a tree correctly, you have to know the reason you should trim a tree.
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Opening the canopy up to let air and light filter throughout the whole tree allows for greater foliage and reduces the risk of disease. By helping a tree set one main trunk along with a dominant leader, you create a solid tree that's ultimately able to withstand harsh storms and high winds. Landscape upkeep and appearance pruning combine to create the perfect tree you envision. By trimming and pruning trees in specific ways, you are able to promote fruiting and flowering, shape plants into specific forms and control plant size.
Security concerns aren't frequently considered, but they are definitely a fantastic reason to prune your trees. Trimming the trees in your yard creates a safe environment for your loved ones and friends. Well-pruned trees are fitter and stronger. Dead branches, diseased trees and weak limbs are all a threat to property and people. When pruning trees, take a little time to check if tree branches are growing too close to safety lights, electrical lines or are blocking traffic viewpoints. Based on where you reside, it's also important to prune trees to thin out branches and dead limbs prior to hurricane seasons. Too much foliage could lead to trees becoming top heavy and falling over in storms, and falling branches can damage a home or property beneath.
Proper Way to Prune a Tree Limb
When thinning, reducing and shaping limbs and branches small enough to cut with hand tools, keep in mind that your cuts are going to encourage new development. This will be the direction of this new growth. Maintain your cuts in a 45-degree angle to prevent water damage and disorder.
Properly pruned tree branches form a callus where the removed branch formerly was. Most tree branches that are cut back to the trunk or a major branch will need three cuts to stop damage to the bark. The first two cuts remove the weight from the tree branch, and the last cut is designed for the ideal callus development.
Step one: Travel approximately 18 inches up the bottom of the branch you are removing. This is the best place for the first cut. Cut up about halfway through the division.
Step two: Proceed to the top side of the branch. Choose a location an inch farther out from your first cut. Carefully cut down until the branch breaks free.
Step three: Find the branch collar. This can be the stem tissue around the base of the branch. With the majority of trees, you'll observe a slight swelling and rougher bark within this area. You should make your final cut into the exterior of the collar, but without leaving a stub. Create a complete cut with a 45-degree angle kicking out from the base of this tree. This prevents water damage and also promotes the quick formation of the callus.
Pruning trees can appear to be a large project -- and it can be. We recommend leaving big, established shade trees to the qualified arborists and tree care professionals at Tree Service of Houston. Our experts are equipped with the appropriate tools and training to remove large branches. Ornamental and fruit trees are an ideal place to get started learning how to prune a tree. Most are readily accessible and require tools that are simple.
A Favorable homeowner begins pruning the moment a tree is planted. Diseased, dead and broken branches should be removed right away. Pruning for shape isn't necessary until the first winter after planting. Regular pruning throughout the life of a tree reduces the quantity of work required and the strain on the tree. Pruning a tree a little annually creates a strong and gorgeous tree from the very beginning.
There is not ever a bad time to get rid of dead, damaged or diseased branches. But most trees benefit from pruning in mid to late winter. Pruning during dormancy promotes new growth as soon as the weather begins to warm. The lack of leaves after autumn allows you to readily identify branches and limbs requiring removal. Be aware that some trees can bleed sap when pruned during late winter. For example, pruning maple trees in winter is ideal but can result in bleeding. Don't worry -- the sap will stop flowing as soon as the tree starts to put on leaves. It isn't dangerous and it will not damage your tree.
Although we prefer a pruning strategy in the autumn, sometimes it is okay to wait a few months to before beginning to actually prune. Pruning trees in fall can pose disease. In the event of a warm autumn, it could even promote new growth which will be ruined when temperatures fall.
Pruning trees in summer isn't a popular alternative, but sometimes can be valuable if done with caution. Experienced arborists utilize summer pruning to direct growth by slowing down the evolution of a tree or branch. The best timing for this form of pruning is just following the seasonal growth once it has reached its peak. By taking away the total leaf surface of the plant, you reduce the amount of nutrients delivered to the roots and the total development of the tree. Now that we have established when the best time of the year will be to prune trees, let us discuss flowering trees. They do not exactly follow the rules. Flowering trees drop into two classes: early bloomers and late bloomers.
Early Blooming Trees
Early blooming trees set buds on last season's growth. For example, a tree flowering early in 2018 is booming on growth from 2017. If you prune over the winter, your tree won't bloom. Rather, prune right after the tree finishes blooming.
Early flowering trees include:
Apricot
Chokecherry
Magnolia
Late Blooming Trees
Trees that bloom in late spring to early summertime buds with this year's new expansion. For example, a tree flowering in June of 2018 is booming on expansion from 2018. These trees must be pruned in early spring for the best blossom:
Catalpa
Dogwood
American smoke tree
Hawthorn
Japanese tree lilac
There are many ways to enhance the health and the shape of a tree. The goal of each is to give a tree great light and air flow, attractive qualities and strength. The four hottest tree pruning techniques for general pruning are crown thinning, crown increasing, crown reduction and crown cleaning. You will notice that each pruning method involves the crown of this tree. That's because the crown of the tree is essential for producing leaves for photosynthesis. Without a robust and healthy crown, the rest of the shrub will weaken over time.
Crown Thinning
Thinning the crown involves trimming a tree to remove specific live branches to reduce the overall density of a tree. Thinning is the most usual pruning performed on mature trees. It heavily increases sunlight penetration and air flow. In addition, it can reduce stress on selected limbs from gravity, wind, ice or snow. Because the objective is not to change the size or shape of the tree, thinning should be constant throughout the tree. You should only remove 10 to 20% of the tree branches from the edge of the canopy. Large trees gain from removing end portions of limbs between 1 to 4 inches in diameter. Little ornamental landscape trees and fruit trees can be thinned by eliminating smaller limbs involving 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. You should trim trees for crown thinning so that the tree still looks completely unpruned.
Crown raising lifts the base edge of tree limbs up to clear area for visitors, buildings or simply because it is more desirable. This tree pruning method ought to be performed gradually over a long period of time. Removing too many lower branches at once may produce a weak tree. Remove only a couple limbs less than four inches when trimming every year. From a couple steps back, have a look at the general equilibrium of the tree. The live crown deciduous trees must make up 60 percent of this tree. If the trunk starts to go over 40 per cent, the tree may become weakened. Most conifers can be balanced at a 50 percent crown and 50 percent back ration and still remain strong and healthy.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction is a tree pruning method generally used on older, more mature trees. It helps strengthen the tree and promote new growth. Crown reduction restricts a tree branch back into a growing lateral branch. As soon as the growing season starts in the spring, then this lateral division will become part of the tree crown. We believe this method is a gentler alternative to tree trimming. You will find smaller reductions, less of the crown is removed and a good deal of old growth stays for development. While crown thinning is done to reduce foliage and limbs, the goal of crown reduction is to remove old growth whilst promoting new.
Crown Cleaning
Crown cleaning is the removal of dead, diseased and broken branches when trimming a tree. It can be carried out at any time and should be included as a part of crown thinning, increasing and reduction. Cleaning the tree crown strengthens the entire tree, and also prevents potential damage to both the tree and surrounding property whilst improving the overall safety of your own landscaping.
Security concerns aren't frequently considered, but they are definitely a fantastic reason to prune your trees. Trimming the trees in your yard creates a safe environment for your loved ones and friends. Well-pruned trees are fitter and stronger. Dead branches, diseased trees and weak limbs are all a threat to property and people. When pruning trees, take a little time to check if tree branches are growing too close to safety lights, electrical lines or are blocking traffic viewpoints. Based on where you reside, it's also important to prune trees to thin out branches and dead limbs prior to hurricane seasons. Too much foliage could lead to trees becoming top heavy and falling over in storms, and falling branches can damage a home or property beneath.
Proper Way to Prune a Tree Limb
When thinning, reducing and shaping limbs and branches small enough to cut with hand tools, keep in mind that your cuts are going to encourage new development. This will be the direction of this new growth. Maintain your cuts in a 45-degree angle to prevent water damage and disorder.
Properly pruned tree branches form a callus where the removed branch formerly was. Most tree branches that are cut back to the trunk or a major branch will need three cuts to stop damage to the bark. The first two cuts remove the weight from the tree branch, and the last cut is designed for the ideal callus development.
Step one: Travel approximately 18 inches up the bottom of the branch you are removing. This is the best place for the first cut. Cut up about halfway through the division.
Step two: Proceed to the top side of the branch. Choose a location an inch farther out from your first cut. Carefully cut down until the branch breaks free.
Step three: Find the branch collar. This can be the stem tissue around the base of the branch. With the majority of trees, you'll observe a slight swelling and rougher bark within this area. You should make your final cut into the exterior of the collar, but without leaving a stub. Create a complete cut with a 45-degree angle kicking out from the base of this tree. This prevents water damage and also promotes the quick formation of the callus.
Pruning trees can appear to be a large project -- and it can be. We recommend leaving big, established shade trees to the qualified arborists and tree care professionals at Tree Service of Houston. Our experts are equipped with the appropriate tools and training to remove large branches. Ornamental and fruit trees are an ideal place to get started learning how to prune a tree. Most are readily accessible and require tools that are simple.
A Favorable homeowner begins pruning the moment a tree is planted. Diseased, dead and broken branches should be removed right away. Pruning for shape isn't necessary until the first winter after planting. Regular pruning throughout the life of a tree reduces the quantity of work required and the strain on the tree. Pruning a tree a little annually creates a strong and gorgeous tree from the very beginning.
There is not ever a bad time to get rid of dead, damaged or diseased branches. But most trees benefit from pruning in mid to late winter. Pruning during dormancy promotes new growth as soon as the weather begins to warm. The lack of leaves after autumn allows you to readily identify branches and limbs requiring removal. Be aware that some trees can bleed sap when pruned during late winter. For example, pruning maple trees in winter is ideal but can result in bleeding. Don't worry -- the sap will stop flowing as soon as the tree starts to put on leaves. It isn't dangerous and it will not damage your tree.
Although we prefer a pruning strategy in the autumn, sometimes it is okay to wait a few months to before beginning to actually prune. Pruning trees in fall can pose disease. In the event of a warm autumn, it could even promote new growth which will be ruined when temperatures fall.
Pruning trees in summer isn't a popular alternative, but sometimes can be valuable if done with caution. Experienced arborists utilize summer pruning to direct growth by slowing down the evolution of a tree or branch. The best timing for this form of pruning is just following the seasonal growth once it has reached its peak. By taking away the total leaf surface of the plant, you reduce the amount of nutrients delivered to the roots and the total development of the tree. Now that we have established when the best time of the year will be to prune trees, let us discuss flowering trees. They do not exactly follow the rules. Flowering trees drop into two classes: early bloomers and late bloomers.
Early Blooming Trees
Early blooming trees set buds on last season's growth. For example, a tree flowering early in 2018 is booming on growth from 2017. If you prune over the winter, your tree won't bloom. Rather, prune right after the tree finishes blooming.
Early flowering trees include:
Apricot
Chokecherry
Magnolia
Late Blooming Trees
Trees that bloom in late spring to early summertime buds with this year's new expansion. For example, a tree flowering in June of 2018 is booming on expansion from 2018. These trees must be pruned in early spring for the best blossom:
Catalpa
Dogwood
American smoke tree
Hawthorn
Japanese tree lilac
There are many ways to enhance the health and the shape of a tree. The goal of each is to give a tree great light and air flow, attractive qualities and strength. The four hottest tree pruning techniques for general pruning are crown thinning, crown increasing, crown reduction and crown cleaning. You will notice that each pruning method involves the crown of this tree. That's because the crown of the tree is essential for producing leaves for photosynthesis. Without a robust and healthy crown, the rest of the shrub will weaken over time.
Crown Thinning
Thinning the crown involves trimming a tree to remove specific live branches to reduce the overall density of a tree. Thinning is the most usual pruning performed on mature trees. It heavily increases sunlight penetration and air flow. In addition, it can reduce stress on selected limbs from gravity, wind, ice or snow. Because the objective is not to change the size or shape of the tree, thinning should be constant throughout the tree. You should only remove 10 to 20% of the tree branches from the edge of the canopy. Large trees gain from removing end portions of limbs between 1 to 4 inches in diameter. Little ornamental landscape trees and fruit trees can be thinned by eliminating smaller limbs involving 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. You should trim trees for crown thinning so that the tree still looks completely unpruned.
Crown raising lifts the base edge of tree limbs up to clear area for visitors, buildings or simply because it is more desirable. This tree pruning method ought to be performed gradually over a long period of time. Removing too many lower branches at once may produce a weak tree. Remove only a couple limbs less than four inches when trimming every year. From a couple steps back, have a look at the general equilibrium of the tree. The live crown deciduous trees must make up 60 percent of this tree. If the trunk starts to go over 40 per cent, the tree may become weakened. Most conifers can be balanced at a 50 percent crown and 50 percent back ration and still remain strong and healthy.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction is a tree pruning method generally used on older, more mature trees. It helps strengthen the tree and promote new growth. Crown reduction restricts a tree branch back into a growing lateral branch. As soon as the growing season starts in the spring, then this lateral division will become part of the tree crown. We believe this method is a gentler alternative to tree trimming. You will find smaller reductions, less of the crown is removed and a good deal of old growth stays for development. While crown thinning is done to reduce foliage and limbs, the goal of crown reduction is to remove old growth whilst promoting new.
Crown Cleaning
Crown cleaning is the removal of dead, diseased and broken branches when trimming a tree. It can be carried out at any time and should be included as a part of crown thinning, increasing and reduction. Cleaning the tree crown strengthens the entire tree, and also prevents potential damage to both the tree and surrounding property whilst improving the overall safety of your own landscaping.
Have a Tree that needs pruning? Give us a call.