Agreed .... Another change that recently has come out is where exactly to
prune. They used to tell you to prune as close to the trunk as you can and
this is a big NO now. If you look at the branch, you can almost detect what
you might think of as the turtleneck of where the branch meets the trunk (a
slight thickening like a collar). You want to cut near this but such that
you are not damaging the cells of this "collar" so outside of where the
collar is but not so far away that you have wood that is going to die and
rot and form a barrier for the collar to grow over. On a large branch this
collar can be an inch or more thick so you are leaving a nub of sorts off of
the main branch. If you have done it right, it is amazing how quickly it
heals over.

DKat

"Pam" wrote in message
...


Ian wrote:

I have a few trees (maple, ash) that need some branches pruned as they
are
either dead or hanging too low.

Need I apply something to the trunk of the tree to cover the cuts after
I
have removed the branches, such as shellac?

Thx

If you prune limbs carefully to the branch collar, there is no need to
coat
the cut with anything - the tree will scar over and seal the wound on its
own.
Painting pruning cuts is no longer considered a sound gardening practice -
it
can actually increase problems for the tree and delay natural healing.

pam - gardengal