Gardening and Horticulture - Trees: cutting off the smaller leafy branches and leaving the thick branch

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fanman
08-05-08, 05:08 PM
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/1858/treeshortsb5.jpg

This tree overhangs from my neighbours I cut off large amounts. I left up some bare think branches. Like that blue line one is like a cross bar of a football post I thought I could lean my ladder against it and climb up to cut various branches.

The fact that I cut more green leafy and small branches off it does that make it weaker or not much difference?

I imagine the branches on the other side of the tree will start growing towards the part i cut to get sun light.

The branch that goes up in the air above the biggest red circle I plan to cut it down so it only sticks up half a foot that I can rest the side of my ladder on.


Wirepuller38
08-05-08, 06:58 PM
Any wood left outside the last leafy branch will rot.

Newt
08-10-08, 07:44 AM
Hi Fanman,

Pruning is part science and part art. Improper pruning can leave a tree open to insect pests, disease and rot. It can also cause an imbalance in the crown of the tree, making it unstable in wind or with ice load or very wet soil from excessive rain. The tree appears to be a honeylocust aka Gleditsia. Fortunately these trees tend to compartmentalize (heal over) any wounds fairly well.

Take a look at these sites about pruning.
Here's some pics of proper pruning cuts and info on pruning. Most of these are a very quick read but will give you a good overview.
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/removingbranches.html
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/pruningdamage.html
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/Largebranch.html
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/structissues4.html
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/Branchspacing.html
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/cleaning.html
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/Canopy2.html
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/htprune.pdf

Never remove more the 20% of live foilage at one time in one year. Here's info on maintaining mature trees.
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/preventivepruning.html

Newt