PRUNING BASICS ..For begginers!!!

  • November 26, 2012
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The location is a community garden down town of a South Florida Beach City..The decision to cut down an overgrowing ponciana tree was sought three years ago.

A plot that once flourished now has been struggling to grow flowers and vegetables but in vain..The ponciana tree was shedding its branches and leaves and continuing to damage the soil and plants that fall under its shadow.What a picture to draw of a tree that was fell amid the neem baby trees and other vegetation.

The least to say a “Massacre” after a chain saw amateur tree cutter was asked to trim down the Ponciana and Neem trees that are growing in the plot as they were labeled as INVASIVE.Ignorance is the worst enemy and it is not outside but rather within.So this motivated me to turn the lemon into LMONADE and write something about pruning for those who wish to trim trees and educate them about the BASIC PROPER  KNOW HOW PROCEDURES.

1-First of all get the experts to do the work.One must be licenced and insured because INJURIES or ACCIDENTS might happen .In the worse scenario when experts can not be found then get an informed experienced gardener who have some prunning experience be present to direct the Chain Saw Operator.

2-Second step is to obtain the proper equipment and tools.Next is to map the area and prepare a plan to take down the trees or branches on STAGES .Start taking down the Large branches from below as closest to the tree trunk.Imploy the ELBOW technique.What is the elbow technique?If you do not know the answer then you have failed the first test and you are not qualified to prune period.Read on…

3-Cutting down a large branch on stages mean the following:Never cut it on a single shot as SOOOO close to the trunk but rather on multiple shots or stages.Cut several parts of the large branch in pieces that are manageable  to handle or move.

4-Cutting position should be from the  above part of the branch  and never from the below part.You may rotate the chain saw in a circle starting deom above to below.Cut 2/3 of the branch with chain saw and the rest with a HAND SAW prior to final cut!

5-Make sure that no vegetations or life forms including humans,animals etc are in harms way of the fallinfg branch.Clear area and rescue plants by transplanting into a safer location.

cut branches so close to the Main Tree Trunk.

6-Do not employ chain saw to cut infant trees or shrubs  or early young hedges.Use hand held  manual cutters of different sizes to match the trees or hedges.The uneducated PRUNER OPERATOR ,who massacred my neem trees ,did so with a chain saw…instead of using approtriate manual cutters/pruners.

7-Remember that to prune hedges ,fruit trees,shrubs,roses etc..requuires different kind of tools ..so do not go ballistic terminating and cutting all with a CHAIN SAW…you might be doing more damages than you can comrehend in the long run and trees or shrubs will be prone to getting diseases from you uneducated ignorant pruning!

8-Make sure to follow BIODYNAMIC laws fpor pruning..For example  it is best time to prune during qa waxing moon not a full moon.Or never prune a fruit tree while it is having fruits on display on its branches or when it is blooming…there are months for best time to prune and you might be interested to learn more by just reading a book on pruning!

For more information about Basic Pruning , please visit your bookstore or the internet favorite pruning sites and go  google  before you prune…

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