We bought a piece of property that has acreage with lots of different types of trees. My husband and I disagree on whether to prune some of the trees or not. Question: Is pruning old, established trees really necessary?
Pruning trees and shrubs serves many purposes, which include but are not limited to:
1. Removing branches and/or dead brush too close to a house or building for safety (and fire) purposes (includes low-growing and broken limbs).
2. Increased vigor and production on both fruit-bearing and citrus-bearing trees.
3. Removal of dead, weak, diseased and insect-infested limbs will improve the health of the tree as well as appearance.
4. Opening up the top of the tree to allow more light to penetrate into interior leaves and branches improves tree health. It also increases production and access in fruit trees.
5. Established oaks and other native trees may only require cleanup of dead or broken branches, and on large areas with lots of acreage it may not be economically feasible or necessary.
Reference: CA Master Gardener Handbook pg. 324. For further information visit Web site at ceplacernevada.ucdavis.edu
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If you have gardening questions contact the master gardeners at:
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