Trimming pine trees...

[Bogger]

I really have never trimmed any kind of tree for looks...but i want to get some advice. My mother has the pine trees along her driveway that are growing out of control so what i was wondering what is the best way to trimm them maintainning there look??
Thanks
Luke

 

[treeclimber165]

Most types of pine do not handle topping or 'crown reduction' very well. About all I have ever done with pines is elevation for clearance or deadwooding.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Members of the Pine family are what we call "radial growers" the produce buds on wood "X" years old only, or a recieving a certain amount of light. if the tree is trimmed bcak farther then budding brances then the limb will die back when the final needles have been shed. Different trees species will hold their needls for different numbers of years.

One method of controling pine growth is candle pruning, by removin some or all of the new bud as it extends. this can be used to give the plant a fuller apearance and control size.

To restate Brian's comment, topping, or reducing the crown of a pine may seem like a good short term solution, it makes matters worse in the long run.

Look through here for more on pruning pines.

http://search.dogpile.com/texis/search?q=pruning+pines&geo=no&fs=web

Maybe play with the search criteria a little too.

 

[John Paul McMillin]

just going to add a little to that . White Pines can only be sheared in May when the candles are elongating, but if you want to prune back some over extending branches then make sure you cut the limb back to the point where the previous limbs or branches came out. like was said before , there are no buds along the branch to make new limbs if you make the cut in the middle of the limb. I like to let Pines grow naturally. Is there something or structure that they need to be pruned away from ? jpm

 

[Bogger]

yup..

Yea, thats the whole problem..its my driveway...I am gonna need to cut some of the lower limbs of right at the trunk, is this ok? So i can get my law mower under it. What will happen if i just prune it up to look nice al the way up the tree?
thanks luke

 

[treeclimber165]

Yup, that's the right idea. Cut the limbs back to the branch collar, which should be fairly visible at the base of the limb. Try not to cut into the collar, it is part of the trunk and will not close over if you 'flush cut'.
Don't take too much in any one year. No more than 20%-25% of the total green on the tree.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

And remember that since the tree is wider at the base, the first 30% of hight has near 60% of the canopy.

 

[francieb]

I need to trim one branch that hangs over my driveway. What time of year is best to trim? I've always heard winter because of the sap. Help!

 

[MasterBlaster]

WTF? :blob5:

 

[treeseer]

I need to trim one branch that hangs over my driveway. What time of year is best to trim? I've always heard winter because of the sap. Help!

Send a picture and we can help. Also look at Pruning Mature Trees under the link below for basic info.