Bad Pruning - A Deadly Mistake

Winter, or the dormant season, is the best time to prune your trees and shrubs. If done properly, pruning will help maintain the health and beauty of your trees and shrubs, but if done hastily, it can cause irreversible damage.
These are a handful of common pruning mistakes that we frequently see in the field. With the proper pruning technique, they are easy to avoid, but it takes planning and patience.
Have questions about pruning? Leave it in a comment below and we'll answer!
Read 6 Pruning Mistakes to Avoid:
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More info:
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[@PrisonerNChristJesus]

Thank you for the concise explanation and for your detailed responses to viewer comments. Great work!

[@dirtysouthhc2936]

Hell yeah treechologist that's what's up. I'm a bit of a tree scientist myself. I constantly focus buns are therefore I constantly mess with all species to learn. I have definitely been properly cut

[@brandenblinn6935]

Okay so I'm in Hawaii about to prune my puakenikeni. I've already done it wrong once. But my questions are do I wait until December to prune it? And is it best to put the branches right under the tree for them to compost naturally or move them to one of my compost piles where i put cut grass, etc., etc?

[@Leaflimb]

Winter when the tree is dormant is defiantly the best time to prune. You can compost them under the tree naturally or put them in your compost pile as long as you are giving some of that composted tree food to the tree.

[@louisbrucetatarsky9817]

Basil, thank you. I never knew the correct word for how the tree heals after a branch cut: compartmentalization Before any professional cuts a branch, they will need to explain where the branch must be cut and why. Thanks again!

[@Leaflimb]

Our pleasure!

[@LauraWickedMoon]

I am moving into a house that has a pretty deep dry creek bed in the backyard. There are some huge beautiful trees that are on the edge of it, and the roots are exposed, and have open pockets around it. The tree appears dead, but I’ll do just about anything to save even a part of it! Is there anything I can do to save it?

[@jacelandadventures1523]

excellent information

[@thegildedswampgirl658]

I have a Japanese blueberry that’s full of sooty mold trunk branches Leaves. I’ve treated washed it with Insecticidal, so neem oil And what I want to know is how aggressively can I prune it to remove the sooty mold on the leaves

[@Leaflimb]

Sadly we cannot analyze the situation with out a firsthand inspection. We recommend contacting a local ISA Certified Arborist to take a look, and they should be able to advise you on next steps.

[@KordTaylor]

Thank you. A great video. Would have liked to see you do a proper cut as part of it.

[@Leaflimb]

We have a newer video about the 3-cut method in the pruning playlist that shows more details about making the actual cut if that is helpful

[@kimkirby2615]

Does this rule of cutting near the collar apply to Glossy Lingustrum?

[@Leaflimb]

Yes, it's for most plants. Though ligustrum is very hardy. It probably does not care either way.

[@jenkapala]

How or where would you prune a branch that you want to keep, but is too long, so you want to shorten?

[@Leaflimb]

It will depend on the branch and situation, but you may be able to prune it back to what is called "an appropriate lateral". This is a side branch that is at least 1/3 the size of the main branch. In theory, this side branch should be able to sustain the life of the branch as a whole. If a branch cannot sustain itself + provide additional resources to the tree as a whole, then it will die (trees shed inefficient growth; this would be considered inefficient). If this appropriate lateral exists, make sure you make a proper pruning cut. I can explain it here but it's quite technical for words; a photo would be better. Here is an example: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/proper-pruning-techniques/

[@kenweis2291]

Never shows where to cut really

[@Leaflimb]

Cut at the branch collar as shown in the video

[@thesuperbruce]

You are both correct. However, perhaps a diagram or demonstration would be more helpful in removing any confusion? Your passion and knowledge are conveyed well, but please make it very simple for us amateurs.

[@cindyronillon9529]

How to save my Italian cypress tree from bad pruning?

[@johnmason803]

So not informative, if I don’t know how can I know the guy who I hired knows

[@Leaflimb]

We have updated pruning videos in our pruning playlist that are more helpful