How to Prune a Tree

You can control many undesirable plants and trees by keeping them pruned back. If the plants you want to prune are over 10 or 15 feet tall, it is best to hire a professional arborist because of the potential danger involved.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Good leather gloves
• Chain saw
• Large loppers

1. Don't prune unless you must; many native trees do fine without pruning, but if you want to control an undesirable tree, of course this is an instance where you will want to prune and keep on pruning to keep it under control. You can manage its sprouts or young volunteers more easily than you can the parent tree.

2. If a tree is less than 10 feet tall and less than about 8 inches in diameter, you can coppice it, which is a simple method of chopping off the top 5 to 6 feet of the tree, leaving a 5 to 6 foot "stump." You can chop up the top part and simply stack it around the base of other plants, which serves as both mulch and nutrient.

3. Choose your tool. For large branches, you might need a chain saw. For smaller branches, a lopper will work well.

4. Saw the branch off at the branch “collar,” being careful not to cut into the trunk.

5. Take the cut branches to your yard waste recycling center or chop them up into small pieces and put them in your own compost pile.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove dead or diseased wood as soon as possible.
• Cut off branches that rub against each other.
• Invest some time and your trees will thank you for it by thriving as healthy, long-lived and valuable members of your property.
• It's not necessary to treat pruning wounds with tar or asphalt or other commercial products designed for that purpose. Most pruning cuts will heal just fine by themselves and some gardeners believe that applying sealing products to open wounds does nothing but seal in bacteria.