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Pruning Dormant Deciduous Trees
The goals of pruning deciduous trees are giving them a good framework for growth, keeping them healthy, and improving their appearance and shape.
The Value of Pruning
We prune deciduous trees to shape young trees, to keep mature trees healthy, and to allow more light into their canopy so their foliage remains dense and beautiful.
Young trees need a good framework for future growth. For shade trees, the ideal structure is a strong central trunk with five to eight branches radiating from the trunk at different heights. The first branches should be above head height.
At the beginning of each growing season, remove branches that grow inward or rub across nearby limbs. Examine the tree for “weak-crotch” branches. Cut away any that grow at angles of less than 45 degrees to the main trunk.
As the young trees grow, gradually remove lower branches to raise the crown to the desired height. It’s important to eliminate low branches while they are small. Make thecuts as close to the trunk as possible, so that new bark will heal them.
Be sure that the inner branches of the trees receive lots of sunlight. Open up their canopy. New shoots should develop on inner branches with healthy leaves, rather than dying out from lack of sun.
Pruning Techniques
Make a habit of checking your trees every year. If heavy pruning is required on large trees, consult with an expert such as a certified arborist or a tree surgeon.
Take a moment to examine the tree from all angles before beginning to prune. Find the branch collar—the ring of rough bark that encircles the area where a limb attaches to the trunk.
You’ll make your cuts just outside this branch collar. Leave the cut open to the air—avoid wound-dressing compounds, which once were commonly— because they’re unnecessary and may actually cause harm.
On mature trees, prune out any diseased, dead, or decaying branches. They threaten the overall health of the tree. Also remove any crossed limbs—this helps the remaining branches stay strong. An open canopy lets dappled sunlight into the foliage layer nearer the tree’s center.
Remove large limbs from a mature tree with the three-cut method, using either a hand pruning saw or a cordless reciprocating saw.
Make a first cut on the underside of the limb, about 1-foot (30 cm) from the main trunk. It should extend about one-quarter of the way through the limb. This cut keeps the bark from tearing away during limb removal, skinning the trunk.
Make your second cut on the branch’s top, about 1 inch (25 mm) further out on the limb than the first, or bottom, cut. Cut all the way through the limb, removing the limb. You’ll be left with a 1 inch (25-mm) stub at the trunk.
Make the third cut flush with the tree’s branch collar to remove the stub and finish the job.
Make other cuts on smaller limbs, branches, shoots, and suckers with long-handled lopping shears or hand pruning shears.
Always use sharp shears and sterilize them before and after use to avoid spreading disease between your landscape trees. Use either rubbing alcohol or a mix of 1 part household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) with 12 parts of water. Apply oil after sterilizing to prevent corrosion and rust.
We demonstrate and illustrate each of the various steps of annual pruning of deciduous trees.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Pruning deciduous trees channels growth to their strongest branches.
Prune flowering species after they bloom if they form flowers on their second-year wood; otherwise, prune in autumn after leaves fall.
Corrective pruning may be performed throughout the season, if necessary, to shape, control growth, or remove diseased wood.
Gather hand shears, a pole pruner, lopping shears, a pruning saw, and gloves, then follow these steps:
How to Prune Deciduous Trees in Autumn
Remove all dead wood, broken branches, or those with sign of disease such as fungus, borers, or dripping sap.
Remove branches and laterals that cross the centerline of the tree. Trim off suckers and sprouts from the main trunk.
Make the tree more compact by pruning terminal branches at their end, or at each end of forking branches.
On rounded species, remove vertical shoots growing from the crown’s top to create a smooth, dense, rounded head.
On conical or upright species, cut away shoots and branches that break the tree’s outer plane to restore symmetry.
Some trees and shrubs produce suckers at their root crown. Prune them away to maintain a treelike appearance.