Guidelines and recommendations for pruning practices pertaining to oak wilt prevention have changed several times since the early ’80’s. The original suggestion was Continue reading Tree Pruning & Oak Wilt Prevention: TFS/ISAT Official Recommendation
Category: Pruning
How to Grow Fruit Trees
Growing healthy fruit trees can be very rewarding. There is nothing more satisfying than eating something you have grown yourself. However, fruit trees can be very frustrating. If you lose your crop, 
you miss out for the whole year. There are a number of things to consider when growing fruit trees. Here are some good tips to help you along your way.
site conditions
Ideally, You would want about 7-8 hours of direct morning and mid-day sun with some filtered shade in the afternoon on a well drained site with irrigation. It is rare to Continue reading How to Grow Fruit Trees
Don’t Top Your Crepe Myrtles!
I don’t know where it started, but there is a wives tale out there 
that you need to cut the tops off your crepe myrtle to get them to flower properly. This is absolutely not true! Crepe myrtles will produce abundant flowers and be healthier if you let them be.
Ideal Time to Prune Trees & the Oak Wilt Pruning Season
Today a customer asked me this question, “We will want the trimming done, but don’t have a date yet. It depends on the progress with the construction. What are the ideal dates for trimming?”
What are the ideal dates for trimming?”
Continue reading Ideal Time to Prune Trees & the Oak Wilt Pruning Season
Creative tree trimming, the rules don’t always apply.
Creative tree trimming, the rules don’t always apply.
Most guidelines for tree pruning are built around the idea that all trees already have good health/structural-integrity and have good growing conditions. Well, let me tell you this is not normally the case. Many tree trimming calls I go on here in Austin, Texas require creative techniques to help the tree fit inside its urban environment. The main topic I really want to discuss here is tree topping.
Continue reading Creative tree trimming, the rules don’t always apply.
Tree Pruning: volume 4, When to Prune Trees
“When is the best time to prune trees?” This is one of the most common questions I get asked. The truth is there aren’t many timing concerns for tree pruning in the Austin area.
Continue reading Tree Pruning: volume 4, When to Prune Trees
Tree Pruning: volume 2, What to Prune on Trees
Identifying what limbs to cut can be one of the most difficult parts of pruning a tree. I discussed the three reason’s why to prune trees in volume 1 of my pruning series: for tree health, cosmetics and structural integrity. However, many times these different reasons would lead you determine that different limbs need to be pruned. Balancing these priorities is where experience and an artistic eye really comes into play. Different people will often come to different conclusions. While weighing your priorities for pruning there are a few general rules you can follow to help error on the side of benefit for the tree.
Continue reading Tree Pruning: volume 2, What to Prune on Trees
Tree Pruning: volume 1, Why to Prune Trees in Austin, TX
Tree Pruning in Austin is complicated by many factors. There are several subjects that should be examined such as when to prune, what to prune and how to prune. In this article I’m going to focus on why to prune trees and what factors relate specifically to Austin. Health, cosmetics and safety make up the meat of the formula I use to understand why you should prune your trees.
Continue reading Tree Pruning: volume 1, Why to Prune Trees in Austin, TX
Tree Pruning: volume 3, How to Prune Trees
How to prune trees? The easiest way to prune trees, obviously, is to hire somebody. If your budget or some other factor is preventing this there are a few things you should know to help you on your mission. By now I expect you have read the first three volumes of this 4 volume tree pruning series. If you haven’t read the other articles yet, please do before beginning your pruning session. There is a lot more to know than just how to prune a tree.