No one purchases a tree at the nursery or garden center, hauls it home, plants it, and intends for it to die! Likewise, no one works on or around their landscape trees, young, adolescent, or old, with notions of causing potentially lethal damage. These care tips and pearls of gardening wisdom apply to trees of all ages. Follow these instructions and those in my next post… part 2.

This is a Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 430-210: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-210/430-210.html Author: Bonnie Appleton, Extension Specialist, Hampton Roads AREC

How NOT to Kill a Tree

1. Do not top trees. Tree heights can be lowered by proper crown reduction that doesn’t stimulate watersprout production.
2. When a tree is young, select one or the other of the competing upright branches to be the main branch and cut the other off.
3. Remove branches that cross and rub in order to prevent bark wounds.
4. Monitor for insects and diseases and treat appropriately if they are found.
5. Do not use anything to cover pruning cuts or wounds– trees seal their own wounds.
6. Cut broken branches off at the branch bark collar.
7. Spray the lawn with herbicides that will not damage trees. FORM &  FUNCTION note: use of any type of herbicides should be kept to an absolute minimum. ! 
8. Mulch around the tree to avoid hitting the tree trunk with lawn or edging equipment and to protect surface roots.
9. Dig around roots whenever possible but when not, make a clean pruning cut on the tree side of the root.
10. Know how big a tree will grow (height and width) and space accordingly away from houses and other obstacles.
11. Insert a nail or screw into your tree to which a wire or line can be attached. The tree will seal around the small wound made by the nail or screw. FORM & FUNCTION note- Not sure why this is included in this VA Cooperative Extension publication, or what the purpose is.
12. Cut branches back to laterals so you don’t leave stubs to which the branches will die back.

I post this in honor of the late Bonnie Appleton, whose contributions , teachings, and research of production and management strategies for the nursery, landscape, and arboriculture industries are extraordinary. Thank you Bonnie for you dedication and service!

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A Winding Path