Pruning at planting

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1) While pruning at planting appears to have little, if any, positive impact on transplant survival and growth after planting, structural defects should be corrected if pruning is not planned for the next few years. This is typically the case.

The main objective when pruning young medium- and large-maturing shade trees is to develop a dominant leader or trunk by shortening or removing codominant stems and clustered and competing branches. Clustered and fast-growing branches can form included bark in the branch unions which indicates a weak point on the tree. Clean the canopy by removing branches broken or badly damaged during shipping or planting.

2) Little if any pruning should be necessary at transplanting if quality trees were purchased. Do not prune the plant to compensate for root loss. The latest research indicates that in most instances pruning does not help the plant overcome transplanting shock. Carbohydrates produced in leaves are needed for new root growth so the more leaves on the tree the better the root growth.

If you feel that the top may die back from lack of irrigation after planting, and you would like to remove branches (leaves on palms) by pruning before they die anyway, then you purchased nursery stock too big for your irrigation capabilities. If you still feel compelled to prune field-grown trees at planting to compensate for root loose, reduce codominant stems and perhaps thin the canopy. Do not randomly top the tree or round it over.