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Heavy snow and ice can damage tree branches.ice storm damage image by BJ Clark from Fotolia.com
Evaluate the tree and determine the reasons you are trimming it. Trim storm-damaged trees as soon as possible to avoid disease or insect infection. Otherwise, prune trees in the late winter or early spring before spring growth begins. - 2). Remove dead, broken or diseased limbs. Use the pruning shears if the limb to be cut is one-half inch or less in diameter, otherwise the lopping shears. Cut the branches at the point of origin or back to a strong lateral branch. Make all cuts clean and smooth to encourage swift healing of wounds. Undercut larger branches before cutting to prevent the bark from peeling back.
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Young fruit trees need training cuts several subsequent years.fruit tree image by ab from Fotolia.com
Evaluate whether training cuts are necessary. If the tree is a young fruit tree with few or no branches, prune off the top about three feet from the ground, 1/4 inch above a bud. This will cause branching. On a new fruit tree with branches, cut only dead or damages branches the first year. The second year, select well-spaced branches and eliminate all others. Avoid cutting too close to the tree, to leave in place the protective "collar" often found at the base of a branch. - 4). Make any additional cuts necessary to trim off weak branch crotches that are likely to break or to eliminate one of two central leaders. When in doubt, prune less, not more. Texas A&M Extension Horticulturists say that more trees are lost each year to improper pruning than to pests.
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