Prune now

Shaping trees

It is important to keep a close eye on the overall shape of a tree when pruning. If you do it on your own, you will have to keep walking backwards and forwards to judge the effect. It is much easier to do it with two of you: one prunes and the other stands back to assess the effect and gives instructions.

Heavy branches

Traditionally a lot of corrective pruning takes place in the winter. If heavy branches are being sawn off its important not to tear the bark off the tree.

Sawing in two stages helps with this:
Saw into the bottom of the branch some distance from the trunk, and then saw through the branch from the top a little further from the trunk.

The ‘hook’ that is left can then be sawn a little closer to the trunk, but leave the ‘collar’ alongside the trunk. The tree will seal the wound from that collar. For branches with a diameter of more than two centimetres it is advisable to cover the wound with wound dressing.

Exception: pruning privet

You can still do some heavy pruning on a overgrown privet hedge which has become bare at the bottom. Although it will look a little bear for the rest of winter, it will shoot healthily in the spring.