Can A Tree Die From Pruning?

While you enjoy a good sip of afternoon tea in your backyard, you notice dead branches and dried leaves on your trees. It just doesn’t look good and healthy as it used to be. Maybe it’s time for some tree pruning.

At some point, we have to prune the trees on our property. This is a basic concept when we love to grow and care for one. Tree pruning is essential to maintain the tree’s health, aesthetics, and structure. Otherwise, the tree could be jammed, making it unstable and dangerous.

The answer to whether a tree can die from pruning is that all trees can potentially die due to pruning. Trees may die from pruning if the cuts are too severe or if the tree is already in deteriorating health. However, it’s important to note, proper pruning techniques performed by qualified tree professionals can help maintain the tree’s health and structural integrity.

Pruning is pretty common, especially for tree growers, but it’s a fairly difficult practice. Pruning is not merely trimming or pulling out leaves or removing tree portions. It is getting rid of unwanted, dead, or infested leaves and branches to encourage healthier growth. That being said, improper pruning can do more harm than good.

In this article, we break down the topic of whether trees can die from pruning more in-depth.

The Damage of Improper Pruning

Allowing your tree to grow without pruning (even minor hand pruning) can only lead to more problems. Your trees can grow unhealthily, with unstable structures and ugly canopies. The branches can overgrow and become too heavy, which poses serious risks, not to mention excess leaf clutter in your backyard. What a headache!

Being so, pruning is a must part of tree care. However, pruning can be immensely detrimental if it is done poorly and not within the proper time frame.

Every time you cut a portion of a tree, you open a wound. If you’re not careful and do a lousy job, it’ll only allow pests and infection to penetrate fast, which essentially causes long-term damage.

While we don’t notice it at first (and just hope we did a good — or even just a decent job), poor pruning techniques will allow diseases to spread that’ll slowly kill the tree. When it is already weak and dying, it can most likely collapse in strong winds and cause damage to properties and people nearby.

Even if we’re not trained arborists, we must be aware of common pruning mistakes to save our trees without hurting or damaging them.

Common Mistakes While Pruning

Proper pruning will ensure safer growth in your trees. Who would not want that, right? So, we must turn our backs on the old ways and start learning how to do it properly.

One of the most common mistakes is pruning your tree at the wrong time. There is no simple answer to when is the right time to prune our trees.

However, in general, we have to avoid pruning, specifically during spring when new buds are starting to grow and form — by mistakenly doing so, you can hinder an essential time of their growth.

Another mistake is using the wrong cutting method. Improper cutting can cause bark harm and flakes. Also, flush cuts can damage the trees’ defence mechanism, potentially creating slow healing wounds and callus formation. Moreover, over-pruning will most likely interfere with plant growth and expose it to more diseases. It’s better to prune at appropriate times and only when needed.

Lastly, using improper pruning tools will further hurt a sick tree. Pruning tools, like hand pruners or loppers, should reduce robust and difficult branches without inflicting more damage.

Takeaway

One of the primary goals of pruning trees is to make them prosper. When trees are pruned properly, they won’t die. They will benefit a lot. By getting rid of dead, unwanted branches and leaves; you’ll help the tree have a second (longer) chance to live. But doing it in the wrong way can magnify existing issues.

So, if you don’t have the time or right tools to prune your trees properly, get the pruning done by a professional. Our experts provide professional tree removal in Sydney and are always ready to help bring out your trees’ fullest potential while keeping your backyards green-waste-free

7 Trees You Should Never Plant in Sydney

Any gardener in Sydney knows the feeling of planting a new tree in their humble yard. Trees drastically add beauty and shade to your garden, giving it a more natural yet aesthetic value.

But not all trees bring good news to your green space. Some species carry inevitable urban residential and commercial landscape problems, while other invasive trees are better left in Australia’s forests.

Here are five trees you should never plant in Sydney to help you with your next garden tree planting, especially in urban residential areas and commercial spaces. If you’ve crossed these out on the list but are still unsure what to plant, consult your local arborists at Trees Down Under.

1. Golden Robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Robinias have been popular trees since the 1980s, especially for vast garden landscapes. It’s particularly common in Australian green spaces, but most garden owners share the same plight with this tree.

Before you consider growing a Golden Robinia, it’s worth noting that it produces suckers on damaged root systems. That said, hurting its extensive root system by mowing, trimming, or tilling will lead to unwanted suckers.

Besides, while it isn’t the worst tree to grow, you should think carefully before planting one in your garden.

2. Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora)

While a Camphor Laurel is a majestic tree, it is highly self-propagating and has an aggressive root system to cause sewage pipe leakages. Gardeners near Sydney’s woodlands usually treat these trees as weeds because of their invasive and aggressive species.

You can frequently spot Camphor trees on moist gullies and slopes, forming a dense canopy. They tightly compete against Sydney’s native species and continue reproducing despite removal efforts.

3. Poplar (Populus)

Poplar trees come in many variants. However, most of them share the same unfavourable traits as an average gardener. Poplars have aggressive root systems that can disrupt concrete sidewalks, block and damage pipelines, and deteriorate solid foundations.

Moreover, poplars are also known to produce suckers, which means you might end up with more poplars in your backyard and in places you don’t want to. They are also fast-growing trees, which most variants are growing up to 50 metres tall and 3 metres in diameter, making them unsuitable for smaller green spaces.

4. Pride of Bolivia (Tipuana tipu)

Like the previous tree species, the Pride of Bolivia, commonly known as Tipuana, are a fast-growing tree with invasive and aggressive root systems.

Its roots are strong enough to disrupt sewage lines and lift concrete driveways, making it dangerous to plant nearby households and buildings. That said, only consider growing this tree if you have a vast yard and aren’t planning to have it nearby your house or any establishments.

Additionally, Pride of Bolivia is too invasive that Queensland classifies it as a weed and not an ornamental tree. That’s because its root system will spread out looking for water, usually causing leaks on taps and damaged sewer lines.

5. Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)

While it’s famed for its distinct beauty and characteristics, the Weeping Willow carries a few consequences that can be detrimental to your garden. One is that it multiplies through layering, forming new roots from its stems.

Furthermore, the tree produces suckers from its roots, and because of that, many local councils classify the Weeping Willow as weeds. Its root system can also interfere with pipelines and should only grow more than 15 metres away from gas, water, and electrical lines.

6. African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata)

This tree is native to tropical Africa and is considered an invasive species in Australia. It can grow up to 30 meters tall and has a very fast growth rate. It can easily outcompete native plant species and is difficult to control once it becomes established.

7. Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii)

The Leyland Cypress tree is native to the UK and is commonly used as a hedge plant in Australia. However, it can grow up to 50 meters tall and is prone to disease and wind damage. It is also not well-suited to the dry conditions in many parts of Australia.

Conclusion

There are tons of ideal tree choices for every type of garden landscape. However, the trees discussed above have root systems and reproduction characteristics that gardeners and arborists deem to be invasive and destructure to Sydney’s natural landscapes.

Choosing the right tree is only the first step towards a beautiful garden. Planning, maintaining, and cultivating trees are also part of the long-term commitment to growing them. That said, you need a committed and passionate team of arborists to lend a helping hand.

Trees Down Under Sydney is a team of professional arborists serving hundreds of clients in Sydney for more than 30 years. Our tools and experience in tree services ensure that your garden will get the care it deserves.

We cater to all residential and commercial tree projects in Sydney. Speak to our friendly staff at 0475 463 597 for more questions and to get a free estimate.