Tools to prune your own trees

     What tools do your really need to prune your trees?

Tools make all the difference in doing the job right or wrong. So you will need to make an investment upfront. Considering that a professional will probably cost you what the tools cost, in just one job, this is a good move to make.

This blog really is for home owners with trees under twenty feet. Over that height, you are probably looking for professionals who have lift buckets or have climbing gear. So a chain saw is not necessary.

What you are going to need.

1. Hand clippers are a must, and a case to carry it, so it is always with you in the tree is very handy.

2. Loppers with strong handles for 1" branches.

3. Quality Hand saw, and a carry case for this can be handy too.

4. Pole Pruner with saw and lopper.

These are the basics, and with them you can get a lot done. You'll find a lot of gimmick ergo-dynamic claims etc. but to start with, just get the basic units.

When to use each one of these tools is taught in our videos and books, but often necessity will drive you to the best tool for the job. In example, if you try to cut a branch and are struggling with the lopper, move to the hand saw. If it's tough on your shoulders to reach up and cut a limb, use the pole pruner.

Pruning is very tough on your body, using the right tool for the job can save you a lot of pain.

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There are a few tools that can really improve your reach. One of course is a ladder, but do NOT use your common ladder or you will end up in the ER with your spouse saying, "I told you so."

The only ladder that works for tree pruning is the one designed by fruit orchards that allows you to put the single leg up into the tree. This is NOT a safe ladder on cement, so it really is just for trees, and it is expensive.

If you have a lot of fruit trees you'll need this because you can get up into the tree with the hand pruners and do the job right.

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Another tool most people think is too expensive, and it does run $250 to $380 dollars on ebay, is the most powerful tool available if you have taller trees and need to reach up 30 feet.

It's the only pole saw most Pro's will have on the truck. Lightweight and VERY sharp, it is an amazing tool to have if you have tall trees to deal with. Again, weigh the cost with having a professional come out and do the work, this will help decide which is the best budget decision to make.

 

The saw is called a Silky and is usually available on ebay.
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When pruning, allow yourself time.
Take breaks and step back to see how the tree is looking.

When I had twenty men in the field cutting I had a standing order that they had to walk around the tree twice before making a single cut. The tree needs change as you look from different angles.
You also should leave the cuttings at your feet so you know how much you've already cut off (no more than 25% a year).

So, now you have the right tools to get the job done right, go to the post on doing your own pruning.

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Pruning Trees Yourself

You can Prune your own trees

The real problem in pruning trees is that real professionals are set up for big trees, yet the best way to prune is a little bit every year, when the trees are young. Do not trust a landscaper to know how to prune trees right until you've quizzed them on some basics, to see if they really are able.

Three questions to determine if a landscaper is qualified to prune your trees.
1. Ask them what is a three step cut?
2. Should they prune flush with the tree?
3. What five things are always considered when looking for what needs to be pruned.

Answers
1. Cut bottom five inches out from final cut to keep from peeling the bark like below

2. No, not flush with the tree but leave the branch collar so the wound can heal like below

 

3. Dead limbs, Crossing limbs, Rubbing limbs, suckers growing inside, broken limbs as below.

These are real basic tree 101 questions; so if they don't know this quickly and easily, do not let them touch your trees.

But that may leave you having to do it yourself. You will need the correct tools as covered in another post. You will also need the basic tree knowledge listed above. But that is simple to and you can use several books on the subject plus go though some basic videos, which I'll list. However, trees NEVER look like the trees in the books, so  you will need to make decisions on what is the best cut to help the tree.

My rule with new folks pruning trees is, "if in doubt, leave it for next year and do some more studying." If you are pruning every year, you will grow in your experience. The tree has no plans to run off so you can always take the time to find the information to decide what to do with unique growing situations on the tree.

Some good material to get started:
Tree Basics in Pruning Video

Important Tree Structure Pruning

More Tree Pruning Tips

Cutting down a Tree yourself

When to decide to use a Pro

 

The question of, "is this job too big for us?" is a common one.

Ask yourself some important questions;

1. Is there a chance the tree could fall on anything and damage it in removal? This includes the neighbors old wooden fence, the garden shed; anything that will cost you to replace.

2. Take a yardstick and put it at a point that reaches the top limb, now rotate it to the left and right, and to scale see just how far the limbs could really reach if the tree fell.

3. Is there any dead in the tree? This can be hard to see, professionals look for old growth damage, conks or mushrooms growing out of the tree (these grow out of dead wood). The danger here is you can start cutting into the tree and it is half rotten away. Example video.

4. Is your saw large enough to tackle the girth of the tree? Using a saw that is too small can get you into a lot of trouble and the biggest problem is, once you are started, you are committed. It is very dangerous to weaken a tree with a cut then stop and need to get help.

5. Professionals seldom drop the entire tree at one time. Trimming the tree from the top down is safer, so do you have the ability to get that high safely.

6. The cost of taking a tree down is often in the thousand dollar range and that often starts the driving attitude of "we can't afford it so we'll do it ourselves." The cost is high but if you take into account the damage cost or even life and limb risk, it often is more serious than you think. Would you do your own appendectomy because of the cost? No, you would have to finance the cost. Even though it is not in the budget, you may need to go ahead and finance the cost of a large tree removal.

If it is a situation you are not comfortable with, then get some bids. Draw up a "job scope" sheet like this to make sure you are comparing apples for apples from the bidders.

Job Scope:
A. Are you a certified arborist, please give ISA number.
B. Are you insured and by what company, please give agents phone number.
C. What procedure are you going to do to remove the tree?
D. Will you haul off all debris over three inches in size?
E. Will you do the stump grind including the entire stump and roots, will this include hauling off all chips and debris from stump grind?
F. If the Gutter, sprinkler system or other items are damaged, will you repair them?
G. Please give the references of your last three jobs.

This is a big cost, so don't hesitate to be tough on the bidding and removal process.