Even a Tree Needs Love I: Biological Love..

By: Carrie Paulk - [home]
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Even a Tree Needs Love II: Physical Love

Second of a two-part series on tree care . . .

Pruning and trimming isn't just for shrubs. Every once in a while our trees could do with a haircut as well. Unlike shrubs, however, maintaining a tree is less understood and even less implemented in the landscape. Trees are usually the largest objects on your property (after your house), and therefore are very prominent aspects of your landscape. Learning how to properly take care of these treasures is a very rewarding endeavor for yourself, the landscape, and of course, the trees.

Last week we discussed the biological ways of caring for your mature and established trees. Now we turn to the different physical ways of maintaining these towering plants. These different physical practices are trimming, pruning, and preventative measures to take during a construction process. By following these guidelines along with the guides for biological care, your trees will stay strong, be healthy, and look magnificent for many years to come.

Though most are surprised to hear it, trimming and pruning are two different practices. Pruning is a way to train the plant to grow in a specific way, whereas trimming is a less invasive procedure that removes excess growth and helps to reshape an already existing form. When trimming your trees, your goal is to create a trunk clear of suckers and side shoots. You also might want to trim the branches for a good canopy shape when necessary. However, don't attempt to trim large trees without the proper equipment and knowledge on how to perform it successfully. Not only could you potentially harm the tree, you could harm yourself as well!

One of the most useful techniques for trimming trees is a process called the three-step cut. It is used for trimming wayward branches from trees. You make the first cut about 6 to 9 inches from where the branch that is being removed connects with the parent branch or trunk. Cut a notch on the bottom of the branch that cuts in a little less than halfway through. For the second cut, go farther out on the branch and completely cut off the rest of the branch. The first notch cut that you made helps prevent the weight of the branch peeling off the bark back down to the trunk. Once you have removed the majority of the branch and it's accompanying weight, you can make the first cut, which you make on the branch just slightly out from where the branch connects to the trunk. Cut all the way through and remove the remaining part of the branch.

Though you trim a tree more often than you prune one, there are times when pruning is needed. As was mentioned above, pruning is an intensified trimming to train the tree or shrub to grow in a certain way. Pruning does have it's benefits -- it promotes new growth, a good crop of flowers or fruit, helps to maintain air flow, and allows light into the canopy, which all results in a well-shaped, healthy plant. Like with most things, though, it's all in moderation. Too much severe pruning, or the topping of trees (a process known as 'pollarding'), can do more harm than good. Try not to get too fanatical with the pruning shears.

One common form of pruning is called limbing up. This pruning process helps to reveal the architecture of the tree or large shrub. To limb up a plant, you selectively remove the lower branches and any suckers coming from the bottom of the plant. This is a common practice for small trees such as crapemyrtle, waxleaf ligustrum, and some hollies. Take care not to limb up more than one half the height of the tree. Limbing up a tree not only gives it a more airy look, it increases the amount of light reaching the ground and creates more headroom under the tree canopy, which opens up that space to a number of possibilities. You can grow grass or other groundcover underneath, and even add in a seating area. That area under your tree never looked more inviting!

A last way to care for your established trees isn't required all the time, but when it is, it can be very crucial to your tree's health. Caring for your trees when they are close to any sort of construction going on plays a major role in their continued survival. Much like an iceberg, most of your tree is concealed from view by the soil line, underneath which is where the root system resides. The root system can reach far and wide, though you rarely notice it. Only when a root from a tree twenty feet away begins to buckle your sidewalk do you realize how far it spreads.

To protect your tree's root zone, first you have to know where it is. To do this, first find out the caliper* or D.B.H.** of the tree. For every one inch of caliper or D.B.H., multiply that number by 20. The resulting number is the root zone radius from the trunk, in inches. For example, if you have a three inch caliper tree, it would have a root zone radius of five feet from the tree trunk (3 inches x 20 equals 60 inches, which is equal to five feet). Knowing your tree's root zone gives you a guideline as to where you can and cannot do construction work.

Once you know your root zone areas, you want to take care not to excessively agitate it. During construction, absolutely do not disturb more than 40% of the root system of the tree. Also, try to avoid heavy equipment going across the root zone, and deter from heavy digging as well. Removing or otherwise disturbing a lot of a tree's root zone will hinder it's ability to take up nutrients through the roots.

You will also want to take care not to alter the ground level or cover it with a non-porous surface. Changing the elevation around the tree and the tree's root zone can be very damaging. If you remove soil, you remove some of the roots, and adding soil on top of the original level will smother the root system. You can also smother the roots by paving over or otherwise blocking air and water access to the roots. If adding some sort of hardscape is unavoidable, try to use a wood deck or loose material that will leave the soil open for air and water to penetrate. Once trees establish themselves in their soil, they are very picky about it, and are very slow to change when the surrounding area shifts about.

Combining these physical aspects of tree care into your landscape maintenance regimen with the biological practices discussed in the previous article will be a great benefit to your property. To know that you are helping these splendid plants grow into healthy, mature towers of nature can make you feel very proud. It is always wondrous to know that we have the power to make our landscape a gorgeous symphony of nature, even if it is by one tree at a time.

*caliper -- this is a form of measurement of tree size. The number of caliper for a tree equals the diameter of the trunk measured from six inches off the ground for trees with 4" caliper or less. For trees larger than 4", the measurement is taken from 12 inches off the ground.

**D.B.H. -- this is an acronym for "diameter at breast height." It is a form of measurement of the size of trees. The number of D.B.H. equals the diameter of the trunk taken at 1.5 metres off the ground, or 4.92'.

Carrie Paulk is a professional landscape designer with Turf Tamer, Inc. She has written many informative landscaping articles for Turf Tamer's Tip of the Week program. Want to learn more landscaping tips and tricks? Go to HYPERLINK "http://www.turftamerinc.com/tip.shtm"http://www.turftamerinc.com/tip.sh tm to sign up for the 'Tip of the Week' and learn more tips!

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