Timely tree trimming tips

        Here's an outdoor project for you to do right now.  Master Gardener Gene Frye provides helpful hints about pruning your trees and shrubs. Late winter/early spring is the optimum time for cleaning up and shaping up. (Plus, think of the exercise you'll get before it's really hot and humidJ)

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 [naviga:font face="Calibri"]THE BASICS OF PRUNING WOODY PLANTS[/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"]Proper pruning is an important and often neglected step in caring for woody plants,  mainly trees and shrubs. [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"]WHY PRUNE?[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"]The main objectives of pruning woody plants are to control their size and shape, to correct defects in the plant's structure and to repair storm or animal damage.[/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"]WHAT TO PRUNE?[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"]One of the highest priority items to prune is narrow-angled crotches, for they are mechanically weak and subject to rot, hence they are vulnerable to storm damage.  Another category is branches that are dead, broken or diseased, for they are traditional entry points for rot to get started.  Finally, misplaced branches should be pruned out.[/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"]WHEN TO PRUNE?[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"]For most woody plants, late winter to early spring is the best time to prune, for the pruning wounds are exposed to the weather for a minimum amount of time before healing starts to take place.  A major exception is that spring-flowering shrubs should be pruned just after the blooms fade In order to avoid destroying flower buds.  Do not prune late in the growing season, for then the new growth that results may not have sufficient time to harden off before it gets cold.  This results in stressing the plant to the point where it may not survive the winter.[/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"]It is important to avoid pruning oaks between mid-March and late September to minimize the chance of Oak Wilt disease being introduced to the tree.[/naviga:font]

[naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"]HOW TO PRUNE?[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]Use the correct tools - regular pruning saws but no carpenter or bow saws.[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]Do not make cuts flush with the trunk.  Instead make the cut just outside of the branch collar. 

(See Extension Publication SUL 5 for more specific directions.)[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]Do not use wound dressings except when pruning oaks during the growing season.[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]Do not remove more than one third of the plant tissues in any one year.[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]The chances of rot getting started increase rapidly for wounds over three inches in diameter. 

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[naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"]REFERENCES[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]Extension Publication SUL 5, “Pruning Trees and Shrubs”[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]ISU Extension Publication Pm 1958, “Pruning Ornamental Shrubs”[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]Extension Publication SUL 6, “Managing Storm Damaged Trees”[/naviga:font]

·        [naviga:font face="Calibri"]ISU Extension Publication RG 104, “Horticulture Publications”[/naviga:font][naviga:font face="Calibri"] [/naviga:font]