The ABCs of Tree Pruning In Palo Alto
Tree Pruning in Palo Alto is usually done during late winter or early spring in temperate climates, prune out crossing, crowded and weakly attached branches to open up the canopy of your tree to allow light into the interior of the tree. This will encourage new growth in the middle of the tree canopy and reduce problems with insects and disease in heavily shaded areas. Remove dead limbs anytime they are encountered on your tree.
What to Prune?
Prune out broken, damaged and injured branches. Remove branches that are crossing or rubbing against each other. Remove suckers or water sprouts as they appear. Suckers and waterspouts are vigorous growths that originate from a tree's rootstock, trunk, or branches. They have no place in a healthy tree so remove them when they appear. Remove branches that are growing toward the center of the tree, those rubbing against other branches and those growing at narrow angles to the trunk or other large branches. Also, remove excess stems from the base, vertical sprouts from the trunk (called water sprouts), and suckers from the root collar area.
Perform structural Tree Pruning in Palo Alto on young shade trees to develop strong branch angles with wide crotch angles. This is best done before the tree gets too tall for safe climbing or before the trunk diameter exceeds one inch (2.5 cm). This gives you plenty of time to plan the structure of your tree and to make necessary adjustments as it grows.
Pruning older trees requires more thought than pruning younger plants. Do not remove more than one-fourth of the living crown at any one time. If a large branch must be removed, do it gradually over two or three years by first eliminating part of it, then removing more until it is gone. This reduces stress on the tree and helps prevent decay from entering through large wounds left by improper pruning cuts.
Benefits of Pruning
The three main reasons for Tree Pruning in Palo Alto young trees are training, improving the structure and reducing potential hazards. Training refers to establishing or maintaining a central leader and developing a solid branch structure, both of which will result in a safe and stable tree as it matures. Improving structure involves raising or lowering branches to not interfere with installations such as power lines, sidewalks or driveways. The final pruning objective is to reduce hazards such as interfering branches or weak crotches that may cause problems later. Visit Here: Bay Area Tree Specialists