Terry L. Ettinger Horticulture Consulting Services
Meeting The Needs Of Today With A Vision For The Future
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Your Tree May Be in Trouble If . . .
It's Not Pruned Correctly
Many trees are mere shells of their former selves after storm-damaged limbs are removed.
Also, as in the case of the tree at right, it's become a hazard as
the limbs at the very top of the tree will create a "sail" when
leaved out, resulting in an increased chance that the top will blow
out onto the adjacent home during a future storm.
Their recovery, however, often appears to be rapid as fast-growing “watersprouts” shoot out from incorrectly pruned branches, below left.
Unfortunately, these sprouts rarely develop into healthy branches because they’re weakly attached to the limbs from which
they arise.
And, because they tend to grow in tightly packed clusters, below right, they often rub against each other creating open wounds. Some sprouts eventually grow together resulting in structurally weak seams of “imbedded” bark.
In other instances, trees may simply be pruned incorrectly,
leaving large wounds that even an otherwise healthy, vigorously
growing tree will cannot seal off/compartmentalize. Over time, decay
becomes established in these wounds, resulting in potentially
serious structural weakness.