Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Gardening Tip of the Week: Pruning

Plan before you prune.


Proper planning before you prune your plants will help to ensure an attractive outcome. If you want to prune your live oak tree into the shape of a Tootsie Pop, be sure your equipment will reach the top of the tree or it may look like your Tootsie Pop has a little fuzz on top.

12 comments:

  1. Excellent tip Michael. Someone needs to cut the top off that tree so stays shorter and is easier to reach next time. I am fascinated by the shearing of the trees in Plano.

    I thought most of the sheared lollipops and gumdrops were yaupons and other shrubs, but I see someone has branched out to live oaks.

    Yikes!







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    Replies
    1. I do not understand why people want to make high maintenance topiaries out of their trees and shrubs. It seems like a lot of unnecessary extra work to me. I prefer the natural look.

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  2. Replies
    1. The widespread damage that homeowners and landscape workers inflict on crepe myrtles every year is probably the worst. Everybody thinks they have to do it because everybody else does it.

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  3. LOL! Well this has been admittedly a well done job, at least until it reach (or didn't) the top of the tree: you can see some real monster trees around, this Tootsie pop has just a bad hair day... Lucky it!

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    Replies
    1. My hair looks like that when I get out of bed in the mornings.
      It will be interesting to watch the tree to see if they continue to prune it this way or if they try to let it grow out of this.

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  4. Mom always said the lollipop is for after the haircut, not during!

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  5. People that do this have scary minds.

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  6. Please tell me that the workers are coming back to finish. I am trying to imagine trying to control and entire tree this way. But the sad part is....is this your across the street neighbor?
    Viva la Live Oaks!
    David/:0)

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  7. Ha! Good tip! That tree is hideous. I crepe murdered our tree a few years ago - duh - slowly declined until we removed it :(

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  8. I have a real pet peeve about the way trees are trimmed here in North Texas. The next time a storm with a lot of rain and wind comes along these oddly trimmed trees will likely topple over. A properly trimmed tree will be thinned out so that air can move through the branches making it healthier.

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