LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, February 27

What is “Topping”?

Sometimes the branches of a tree are in the way of the power lines, so arborists for hire (sometimes untrained) are directed to clear the lines. If a tall-growing tree inadvertently has been planted directly underneath the lines, sometimes they are “topped”. This refers to the unskilled practice of removing or severely cutting back large limbs using a chain saw so that only large, unsightly stubs are left.

The practice is similar to flat-top shearing of a hedge, but topping disfigures trees by creating heavy stubs out of proportion to the tree. Crabapple LandscapExperts NEVER top trees, but recommend selective thinning and limb removal of branches, a practice often accomplished over a number of years, to bring down the height of a tree. In other cases, we recommend complete removal and replanting with appropriate, lower-growing plant choices.

A similar practice the LandscapExpert Team abhors is as “Crape Murder”. Sometimes unknowledgeable crews top Crape Myrtles in order to stimulate new growth with  resulting heavy flowering on new wood.  This leaves an unsightly shape, and sometimes knobs calluse and build up over the years. The pity is, graceful, untouched Crape Myrtles also bloom reliably.

This practice calls to mind the Group on Facebook called “Crimes Against Horticulture.” 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Feb. 20

Tree Wrap has Fallen Out of Favor

Tree wrap originally was designed to protect thin or smooth bark on young deciduous trees and fruit trees from sunscald while they were newly planted and getting established. Tree wrap options included Kraft paper, burlap, whitewash, insulation, white plastic and even bubble wrap among others.

But the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) has concluded that tree wrap does not provide the hoped-for protection particularly during rapid fluctuations of temperature in winter. Another reason it has fallen from favor is because the wrapping holds excess moisture against the bark, which can then rot and support the growth of decay fungus. Furthermore, wrap that has been left in place too long can begin to physically girdle the tree.

Your Crabapple LandscapExperts Team keeps up to date on best landscaping practices. 

LanscapeExperts Tip of the Week, Feb. 13

Leave the Branch Collar Intact When Limbing-Up a Low Branch

If sight lines or activities are blocked by low branches of a tree, it is acceptable to “limb up” the tree by removing the lower limbs.

However, the way this is done is crucial, and Crabapple LandscapExperts advise that the limbs be cut off nearly flush with the trunk in order to eliminate long stubs that can die back and serve as entry ports for insects and diseases.

Further, Crabapple recommends that the “branch collar” of the limb should  be left intact. This is the region of the branch where the trunk wood and the branch wood naturally intersect with a slight swelling. When a branch is removed the branch collar quickly heals over, preventing infections from entering from the pruning cut and infecting the main trunk of the tree. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Feb. 6

Tree Staking and the Importance of Timely Unstaking

If guy wires used to stake a young tree to prevent blow over while it is newly planted are left in place too long the wires can girdle the tree as it grows larger. “Girdling,” also known as ring-barking, disrupts or impedes the flow of sugars produced in the leaves during photosynthesis from moving downward in the cambium layer to the root system. This in turn causes a swelling above the girdling wire that is caused by the accumulation of these sugars that are hindered on their way down to the roots-- because it is blocked by the strangulating wire. The roots will slowly starve and the tree will eventually die needlessly.

CrabappleLandscapExperts remove stakes and wires after the newly planted tree is rooted into the native soil—a process that occurs within 3 to 6 months.