|
Basic pruning Its better to learn pruning with an
experienced person, then by some pictures on the web, but sometimes you need
to do some pruning in order to use your daily path to the toilet or something
likewise, then there are some important things to think about before, because
you don’t want to make more damage to the tree, do you? (wow , that was a
long sentence…) If you made some pruning together with
someone before, and need some reminding, here is the checklist. Time of pruning All trees will deal the best with your
interruption by the time it has the biggest strength in leaves, when the
leaves are full grown and dark green. This is because the leaves produce is the
energy that helps the tree to heal itself.
|
What
to start with 1: Start
with dead wood, you can clear it out any time of the year, but when the buds
are loose, like in spring, if you need to drag the branches around in the
tree , it is best to leave it. 2 Clear
out crossing branches, and take away branches that are growing inwards/towards
the stem. 3: If
thinning is needed, do it. 4: If
there is a lot of watershots, you can remove 1/3 of them. You dont want this
kinds of branches since they are weaker than others, If you take them all
away you will have the same amount of them next year. This is what you get if
you prune the tree to hard at any point. 5: Have a
look at the tree, and listen to your heart. 6:
Remember that you dont have to prune it all in one year, the tree has been
growing for many years, and does not like sudden changes. To hard/to much
pruning may cause a lot of watershots and you will have a problem for years. 7: Have a
nice rest under the tree and feel good about it. |
|
To cut
a big branch If the
branch is smaller than 10 cm, or smaller than 1/3 of the stem, you do like
this: You have
to do it in three steps: If the
branch is bigger than 10 cm or bigger than 1/3 of the stem, consider to not
cut it at all or see if you can cut it somewhere else with the same result.
If you still have to get rid of this branch follow the steps |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Step: 2: make another cut from above, a
little further out on the branch. Saw til the branch starts to fall, put your saw
somewhere safe and let the branch fall. |
|
|
This is what it is about to look like. |
|
|
Step 3: Very important, don’t miss it. Make
the final cut just outside the “branch collar” (directly translated from
Swedish) which is the part where the branch and the stem connect. If you
created a circle shaped wound and not an oval, you can be pretty sure that
you made a good cut. Sometimes the border between the branch and its collar,
the branch bark ridge, is clearly visible, and on other branches, like this,
you just have to draw an imaginary line. This is the place where to cut any branch by
the way, thin or thick. |
|
If the
cut was placed good the tree will start to heal the wound like this.
|
If you
skip step one and two, and go straight to step three, there is a risk that
the branch will fall from it´s own weight, and pull a lot of bark and a bit
of the stem down, so you create a bigger wound than necessary like
this. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Smaller cuts A good rule if you need to shorten a branch
is to prune it above another smaller branch that leads the sap. Make the cut in an angle. You can also do this above a bud, look so the
bud points in the direction you want the branch to grow. Protect the bud by
holding it with your fingers and make the cut in an angel. In that way you
are likely to put the cut in the right position.
|
