| Show Supplement to The Richfield Reaper'Reaper Extra March 161994 55 Prune Your Trees With An Eye To Beauty By Clyde Hurst USU Extension Agent It is spring (or nearly so) and "In the spring a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love" or something to that effect For others it may be that thoughts turn to pruning trees Some may like to prune I suppose there arc even recreational pruners w ho just can't wait to get out the loppers and saws — even chain saw s Others w ould rather not have anything to do with pruning Some fear the job thinking it is too complicated or that there is something mysterious about it It is important to do pruning right but for the most part it is not a terribly difficult process It is simpler for ornamental and shade trees than for fruit trees but with a little instruction and common sense anyone can do what i neces- sary Shade trees require pruning for health and to be sure they get olf to a good start so they will develop a form typical of the species Of course if the right tree were planted in the wrong place so that it is growing into power lines caves nxifs or the side of a building then try ing to come of the mess with something that still looks like a tree is a little more diilicult but not impossible The thing that must always be done is to make proper pruning cuts Cuts are always made at a crotch If a side branch is to come off then the cut is made just outside the collar and the branch bark ridge If the main stem is being taken off to a side branch (which must be at least one-thir- d to one-ha- lf the diameter of the part being taken off) then the cut is made just above the branch bark ridge Never leave stubs and never take d of the fomore than alxiul foilage-bearin- g or potential liage one-thir- branches Back by popular demand is a reI did two years ago of a bulletin — "Don't Top Trees" That is the title of "Tree City USA Bulletin No 8" I picked up this little bulletin at the Utah Slate University Botanical Cardens in Farming-to- n With the spring pruning season upon us topping of trees may be on the minds ol some of you Whatever the tree whatever the problem there is always a better view way than topping On the front page of the bulletin was a short letter from John Roscnow executive director of the National Arbor Day Foundation which I thought might be of interest to anyone w ith trees "Tree lopping is the senseless brutalizing of older trees It brings about the uglification of America's urban forest striking some communities like a plague “Seeing trees that have been permanently desecrated by topping both angers and saddens me I'm angered because it is so senseless and so destructive I'm saddened because I know that people have spent good money to perform this mutilation — often with the best of intentions Mr Roscnow has some strong feelings about topping trees and not with out good reason Certainly a topped tree never looks the same and often the treatment leads to the demise of the tree Of course the ultimate size of a tree is determined by species but given that limitation some control can be maintained by proper pruning while conserving shape and health of the tree James Fazio writer of the bulletin lists eight reasons not to lop inspection we sec that it was not a topping job at all but a carefully e planned and pruning method called pollarding These trees look somew hat like a lopped tree docs the first summer but a pollarded tree looks that way every year The maintenance of such a system requires a lot of work every year It is not "topping labor-intensiv- Pruning demonstrations can be arranged in our neighborhood For more information call Clyde Hurst Utah State University Extension extension 275 agent at 896-926- trees Starvation - Good pruning practices rarely remove more than d of the crown to which in turn docs not seriously interfere with the tree’s ability to manufacture food Topping usually removes so much of the crow n that it upsets an older tree's crown-to-roration temporarily culling off g its ability Shade - The tree shades itself When the lop is removed previously shaded bark is exposed to direct sun energy and injury may folshrubs and low Shade-toleraflowers may also be exposed to a harsh new sunny environment Insects and Disease - Stubs don't form callus the healing tissue of cut or broken surfaces and w ill invite invasion by disease organisms Stress caused by harsh treatment like topping also attracts borers and other insects Weak Limbs - The sprouts that grow after lopping arc only weakly attached to the stubbed branch They arc more likely to break off and often don’t seem to get nutrients as well as normally developed branches Rapid New Growth - The goal of topping ic to reduce height is Water sprouts often short-live- d lend to grow straight up and at a very fast rate The tree is often back to the troublesome height much sooner than if it had been properly one-four- th one-thir- TTDIUJ'RE DlMVQTrEED TTO PCTAfECTFOJJD SHOW OLr GCSAlTDiraDIDH' food-makin- pruned Tree Death - Some older trees arc more tolerant of lopping than others Some will just die outright As mentioned above the stress often attracts insects or allow s disease entry that will lead to an early death Ugliness - A lopped tree is a disfigured tree Even with its regrowth it never regains the grace and character of its species This is most apparent in the first few years (if it survives) but even years later the disfigurement is evident in the winter when branch form could be an aesthetic complement to the landscape Cost - Topping may seem to be less expensive than proper pruning but for the most part that is only true of the short run Ultimately proper pruning and maintenance w ill prove to be the least costly In many cases good planning will eliminate height and shape problems There is a tree size and shape for almost any situation It is just good sense to put a small narrow tree in a narrow parking strip w ith a utility line overhead Putting a tree that w ill have a low spreading form of 20 feet in 10 years five feet from a structure is asking for problems Sometimes people w ill point out very old trees usually from pictures of European settings that appear to have been topped On more careful ANNOUNCING CASE IH DAYS CUSTOMER APPRECIATION We know what s most important to our dealership You 7200 That s why we re encore— the debut of inviting you to see the MAGNUM the new Plus there will be on entertaining Series MAGNUM hoc tors video presentation lots of other Cose International equipment and dozens of door prizes including A Deluxe Weber' Gas Grill Sweatshirts Case Be sure to register for one of Jackets Case five Regional a chance Grand Prizes — Use Of A New MAGNUM Tractor For 50 Hours! Check below for the time And find out how it date and location feels to be appreciated Thursday March 17 8:00 am IH And much much more MAGNUM Caps to win IH - 5:00 pm At The Equipment Center 2 |
