How to Prune Trees
Done right, pruning can improve the health and appearance of your trees.
Appearance
Help your trees look their best
with a few snips.
Whether it's keeping a large-growing species in scale or giving a shaggy tree a trim, smart pruning can improve a tree's appearance. Some trees show their attractive bark or flowers more effectively when pruned. Cut off water sprouts and suckers for neatness.
Health
Prune to keep your trees healthy.
Pruning can also help protect a tree's health. Diseased branches sometimes can be removed before they infect the rest of the tree. (Be sure to dip the pruning blade in a 10 percent bleach solution between each cut made to avoid spreading disease.) Dead or broken branches can be removed before insects make a home in there.
Safety
Carefully look at your trees to
find and remove potentially
dangerous branches.
Pruning alleviates potentially hazardous situations. Trimming branches that threaten power lines avoids serious problems, but leave this task to the pros. Large dead or dangling branches should be removed, as well as branches that could interfere with vehicles or lawnmowers. Branches that contact the house on windy days should be cut before they cause damage.
