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.