How to Prune Garden Shade Trees

Carefully place trees can offer cooling from the summer heat, as well as protect for the cold winter winds. Properly placed and pruned trees can cut a home annual energy use by about 20 to 30 percent. How you prune your shade tree during its first couple years will affect its strength, shape, and life span. Proper pruning will save money and provide a safer, healthier, and easy to maintain tree.

Keys to Good Pruning

Prune early in the tree's life. Begin pruning about after the third year of growth when the tree is dormant. Best times of year to prune is in the late fall and early winter or later winter and early spring. Before pruning, remove any defective or dead parts. Before pruning, identify the best leader for the trunk and lateral branches. It is best to find and use lateral branches that from a "10 o'clock or 2 o'clock" angle.

Prune for the future

Try to visualize what a particular branch will look like later. Remove branches that will cause obvious problems. Prune as lightly as possible and when there is good reason to prune. Never remove more than one-fourth of the trees crown in a season. Thin out branches in the crown that compete for light. Maintain only one dominate leader for a trunk, remove all other leaders. Cut off suckers growing from the roots or at the trunk base. Rapidly growing suckers and water-sprouts weaken the attached branches and trunk. Remove the suckers and water-sprouts as soon as possible. Remove branches that rub against other branches or are growing in an undesirable direction.

Pruning cuts

Cut large heavy limbs part way through the branch from beneath about two inches from leader. Make a second on the top of the branch, several inches out from the first cut. The last cut next to the trunk. Cover all cuts larger than one inch with tree-wound paint to prevent disease. For smaller branches, the cut should be just beyond a lateral bud or small later branch. The ideal cut is sharp, clean and on a slight angle.

Pruning tools

Keep the pruning tools sharp and clean. One-handed pruning shears with a curve blade works the best on younger trees and for removing shoots. For large stems and branches, use long-handled loping shears or a pruning saw. For cuts larger than one inch, use a sharp knife to trim round the cut to remove jagged edges. Use tree-wound paint to seal large cuts. When a latter or chainsaws are required, it is best to consult a profession tree surgeon.