Large pines with dead lower branches

I have a row a pines (blue spruce & ?) along one properly line that are
30'-40' tall. Most of the lower branches are dead, I assume because they
are no longer getting any light because the upper branches. Is it ok to
remove these branches so that the trunk is clean up to about 5 feet from the
ground? I'm thinking about doing that and then planting pachysandra or some
other shade-loving ground cover underneath. They run right along side the
deck and the brown, needleless sections are ugly.

[LM]

> wrote in message news:Tg9He.1948$va1.1274@trndny09...
> I have a row a pines (blue spruce & ?) along one properly line that are
> 30'-40' tall. Most of the lower branches are dead, I assume because they
> are no longer getting any light because the upper branches. Is it ok to
> remove these branches so that the trunk is clean up to about 5 feet from
the
> ground?

Yes - we trim our evergreens ( cedar,hemlock, fir & spruce) all the time.
The deer also trim them if we don't.

[John Crichton]

What part of the country are you in?

wrote:

> I have a row a pines (blue spruce & ?) along one properly line that are
> 30'-40' tall. Most of the lower branches are dead, I assume because they
> are no longer getting any light because the upper branches. Is it ok to
> remove these branches so that the trunk is clean up to about 5 feet from the
> ground? I'm thinking about doing that and then planting pachysandra or some
> other shade-loving ground cover underneath. They run right along side the
> deck and the brown, needleless sections are ugly.
>
>

[Joe Zorzin]

You can, if you have a need, also trim live branches. Most conifers will not
suffer at all with as little as a third of the stem with live branches, as
that's what happens in the forest.
--
*************
Joe
Licensed Forester in Massachusetts

> wrote in message news:Tg9He.1948$va1.1274@trndny09...
> I have a row a pines (blue spruce & ?) along one properly line that are
> 30'-40' tall. Most of the lower branches are dead, I assume because they
> are no longer getting any light because the upper branches. Is it ok to
> remove these branches so that the trunk is clean up to about 5 feet from
the
> ground? I'm thinking about doing that and then planting pachysandra or
some
> other shade-loving ground cover underneath. They run right along side the
> deck and the brown, needleless sections are ugly.
>
>

[dicko]

On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 06:58:53 -0400, "Joe Zorzin" > wrote:

>
>You can, if you have a need, also trim live branches. Most conifers will not
>suffer at all with as little as a third of the stem with live branches, as
>that's what happens in the forest.

I have a Blue Spruce that has grown tall enough to have its lower
branches impinging into the airspace of my driveway. Every time I
prune one of them back, the branch dies.

Is there a right and wrong way to prune a Blue Spruce?

dickm

[Romy Beeck]

"dicko" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 06:58:53 -0400, "Joe Zorzin" > wrote:
>
>>
>>You can, if you have a need, also trim live branches. Most conifers will
>>not
>>suffer at all with as little as a third of the stem with live branches, as
>>that's what happens in the forest.
>
> I have a Blue Spruce that has grown tall enough to have its lower
> branches impinging into the airspace of my driveway. Every time I
> prune one of them back, the branch dies.
>
> Is there a right and wrong way to prune a Blue Spruce?
>
> dickm
>
Icut off all the branches on my blue spruce about 7ft from the ground so can
walk right under the tree
and have no problem. It looks nice and no mess under the tree. It is a very
large tree and about 50yrs old.