Around our local golf course, we have hundreds of Norway, White and Spruce trees (in Minneapolis area). Many of these trees are 50 to 80 feet tall. Where the trees are thick, lower branches are dead, I assume due to lack of sun. Somebody, professing to know a lot about evergreens, told me that under no circumstances are you to ever prune off the lower dead (or live) brances of any of these trees. He said that it "stresses" them. He brought up point that we have been pretty dry around here for past 5 years which compounds the "stress" problem. As a novice in the tree pruning department, I simply nodded my head.
He then showed me where a limb had been cut off next to trunk of a large white pine (probably cut off 5 or more years ago). He pointed to the crusted over sap around where the cut had been made. I said that that was obviously a live branch when it had been cut. He agreed but still insisted that you should never cut off the dead branches even if you make the cut 2 or more inches away from the trunk. To me, this just defies logic. I am talking about bone dry, brittle, barkless branches that simply cannot have any life in them. How can it hurt the tree to remove these branches which become an eyesore.
Then, somewhere on web, I read where it is okay to trim the live branches of these trees, but it is best to do it when the "sap is not running". I would assume this to mean in the wintertime, however, I am not sure. I also read where if you don't trim the dead branches, they can become a nesting place for parasites.
I would appreciate some real expert advice regarding the pruning and care of these large evergreens. Also would like a recommendation as to a good book that covers these topics.
Thanks,
Jim
He then showed me where a limb had been cut off next to trunk of a large white pine (probably cut off 5 or more years ago). He pointed to the crusted over sap around where the cut had been made. I said that that was obviously a live branch when it had been cut. He agreed but still insisted that you should never cut off the dead branches even if you make the cut 2 or more inches away from the trunk. To me, this just defies logic. I am talking about bone dry, brittle, barkless branches that simply cannot have any life in them. How can it hurt the tree to remove these branches which become an eyesore.
Then, somewhere on web, I read where it is okay to trim the live branches of these trees, but it is best to do it when the "sap is not running". I would assume this to mean in the wintertime, however, I am not sure. I also read where if you don't trim the dead branches, they can become a nesting place for parasites.
I would appreciate some real expert advice regarding the pruning and care of these large evergreens. Also would like a recommendation as to a good book that covers these topics.
Thanks,
Jim
