If you have a maple tree in your home's backyard that you have never pruned before, then it is important that you know how to accomplish this task without injuring the tree. While you may be tempted to take out your chainsaw or pole saw and start randomly removing branches, this is one of the worst things you can do to the tree. Instead, follow these helpful hints to ensure that your maple tree is properly trimmed and not damaged in the process:
Prune Your Maple Tree at the Right Time of Year
While most trees should be pruned during the winter when they are dormant, this is not the case for maple trees. Maple trees produce a lot of sap until their leaves have been completely formed. If you trim your tree before the leaves are formed, then the tree will drip a lot of sap and will make a mess on your saw's blade. So, when pruning a maple tree, always wait until the leaves are completely formed before you cut into the tree.
Remove All Dead Branches from Your Maple Tree
Since dead branches can fall and injure people and serve no purpose for the tree's health, you should always remove all dead branches from your maple tree when you are pruning it. If you do this first, then you can more easily identify the other branches you want to remove to shape the tree.
Leave About a Foot of Growth Where You Remove a Large Limb
While you may be tempted to cut-off your maple tree's branches at the trunk, this is very bad for the tree. Cut branches can expose the trunk to bacteria and fungus spores that can get into the main trunk of the tree and make it ill. Instead, when you trim your maple tree, leave about a foot of growth between the tree's trunk and where you cut the branch off. This extra growth will help to protect the tree's trunk from damage.
Use a Tar Sealant on All Cut Areas
Finally, any branches that are removed from your yard's maple tree open your tree up to the outside elements in the same way that a cut on your skin opens up your body. To prevent infections and bug infestations in the newly exposed areas of your maple tree, you should coat any areas that you have cut with a tar sealant. The tar sealant will keep bugs, spores, and moisture from getting into the trunk of the tree and making it sick or killing it.
For more information and tips, contact a tree trimming service.
