How to Prune Western Cedar
The Western cedar is a coniferous tree that thrives in USDA hardiness zones 5-9, which includes states such as Nevada, California and Oklahoma. The Western cedar features reddish-brown cones and green foliage. With careful trimming of the cedar, you can use the plant as a hedge or allow it to grow into a tree. While basic tree pruning guidelines apply, the cedar is a slow-growing tree and will look less attractive after pruning. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Consider what you want your cedar's overall appearance to be like, and how much growth you wish to remove. Note that the best time to trim the cedar is between mid-June and mid-July, according to horticultural experts at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.
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Locate a pair of sharp clippers. Using dull or rusted clippers can damage the wood and will also make your work more difficult.
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Trim excess growth using the clippers. While you can trim fresh green growth, you must leave some so the plant can continue to grow.
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Inspect the tree for damaged or dead branches, easily identifiable by the dried texture of the bark and a hollow feel. Remove these branches, trimming back to the main branch or trunk.
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Cut back any branches that point straight up toward the sky or down to the earth, referred to as suckers. Also remove any branches that criss-cross or scrape other branches, since the friction will damage the cedar's bark.
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Continue pruning until you are satisfied with the shape of the tree. Be careful not to prune too much, since the Western cedar is a slow-growing tree and the tree will look naked for a few seasons until new growth fills in.
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Tips & Warnings
You can trim the cedar tree several times within the mid-June to mid-July pruning window if you wish, but trimming after that time can cause the cedar to develop new growth, which would leave the tree without adequate resources for winter.
Stripping all of the green growth from a cedar branch will leave the branch with only a slim chance of producing new growth and foliage, and may cause the branch to die.
