Overheard a homeowner say trees don't need pruning and almost choked on my coffee

I was waiting at a supply shop last Tuesday and this guy told his buddy that trees just grow fine on their own. He was serious too, said he had a 40 foot silver maple in his yard he hasn't touched in 10 years. I kept my mouth shut but I wanted to grab him by the shoulder and explain branch failure and decay pockets. Has anyone else run into a homeowner with some wild ideas about tree care that made you bite your tongue?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam5305d ago

Man that hurts. Some folks just don't get how trees work.

taylor.jessica5d agoMost Upvoted

The thing is, trees are actually pretty smart about how they grow. When you top a tree like that, it sends up a bunch of weak shoots instead of one strong leader. Those new branches are attached poorly and can snap off in a storm way easier than the original top would have. Plus the big wounds from cutting are hard for the tree to seal over, so rot gets in and makes the whole thing hollow over time. A proper pruning cut would have been made at a branch collar so the tree could heal right. Some folks think they're helping when they really just mess up the tree for years to come.