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Branches break

broken branchesTabebuia (trumpet tree) in hurricanes loose branches or blow over. Blow over is often due to poor root systems resulting from being root bound in the nursery container, not slicing the root balls at planting, and planting too deeply. This tree was damaged extensively but can be pruned to help it recover. Begin by making reduction cuts back to live lateral branches where possible. When there are no lateral branches to cut back to, make a smooth heading cut. Remove any portion of the branch that is cracked. Train sprouts that emerge in the next two years into a strong canopy structure. (See: Details of training sprouts).

broken branches