Learn the difference between the “garnish” and the appropriate pruning of a tree – the County Orange register

Q. Several times I read: “Never garnish a tree!” I also read that we should keep the fruit trees at 8 feet for easy picking. And lawyer experts recommend keeping avocados at 11 feet. Either I do not understand what the filling of a tree means, or these declarations contradict each other. Can you explain?

I admit that it can be confusing, but there is a significant difference between the filling of a tree and pruning it to control the size.

Topping (sometimes called “CAP”) A tree consists in removing almost the whole canopy, leaving only 3 or 4 (generally) of the main branches very shortened. This is a bad idea for several reasons. First, remove almost all the leaves from a tree is bad because the tree needs these leaves for its energy. Second, this extreme size induces the tree to send hundreds of strains of the stumps where the branches were. It takes a huge amount of energy and weaken the tree. These germs have weak attachments and, when cultivated, tend to break easily. The dense foliage pushing these many germs tends to give the tree a form of unattractive “lollipop”. This structure submits the tree to break when exposed to the wind. A well -developed tree will have an open canopy which allows the wind to pass, while the dense canopy of an overcome tree will catch the wind and will cause a broken main trunk.

The garnish is carried out for several reasons. If a tree is planted under a power line, the crews will garnish to keep it away from the wires. This situation can be avoided by not planting a tree just under an electric line or planting one that will not become too large. A large tree that has not been properly maintained often ends up overcoming because the corrective pruning is delicate while the garnish is easy. The size of a newly planted tree to shape it for symmetry and an open canopy will greatly help keep a healthy tree that does not need radical pruning later.

The size of fruit trees to reduce size is another matter. Most fruit trees are grafted on a dwarf root stock, which means that their size will be automatically limited. When planting a fruit tree, you will want to cut it for symmetry and openness (like any landscape). This is particularly important for fruit trees due to the additional stress of a heavy fruit load can easily break the tree. Once you have this basic form, maintenance will be easier. During the pruning of fruit trees, first remove all dead or crossed branches as well as all the emerging dragees from the base of the plant. Once the tree is dormant, shorten the branches until the tree is the desired height. This should not involve changing the shape of the tree at all. I call it “give the tree a haircut”.

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County of Los Angeles

mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/uc_master_gardener_program/

County of Orange

ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/

County of Riverside

anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/riversidemg/

County of San Bernardino

mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu