The plant can become extremely weak, allowing the invasion of a variety of pathogens and insects. Therefore, although pruning may not kill the plant directly, overpruned trees and shrubs may die as a long-term result of the associated stress. Pruning cuts can stimulate new growths that, unfortunately, will die as temperatures drop to zero. Trees and shrubs reduce their energy production as the growing season ends, so new crops in autumn will use the plant's stored energy reserves.
Death from a freeze means that the energy used for this growth was wasted. Damage caused by tree bark is serious and can be fatal to your tree. Damage to the bark from pruning branches can be avoided by not pulling or dropping branches through the crown of a tree, and using the appropriate three-step pruning method for branches. You may be tempted to prune trees heavily to provide more growing space for lawns or other plants.
However, excessive pruning is very unhealthy and, in fact, can kill a plant. As a rule, you prune no more than 15% of the foliage. If you have to leave room for other plants, it is better to remove a tree altogether than to risk pruning it excessively. The lack of foliage and the large number of wounds will make your tree vulnerable to pests and diseases.
Excessive pruning can kill your tree over time. It could be that all the branches where the new growth would sprout were cut. If so, this may cause a delay in the response of the tree. Removing branches by pruning normally wouldn't kill a tree in a round.
However, anything is possible if the cuts were severe or were made in such a way as to damage the tree's ability to recover. Without seeing the tree it's hard to say. Winter is the dormant season for plants and trees in northeastern Ohio and is an excellent time to prune most trees and shrubs. Now, at about 9 feet tall, the tree is a very bushy branch, but totally bare all the way to the top of the tree.
Pruning large tree branches, with diameters greater than 3 or 4 inches, can create wounds too large for the tree to seal. I was thinking of cutting off the big shrub growth close to the ground as it is absorbing all the nutrients from the tree, so the nutrients will rise to the tree. By getting rid of some of the dead, crossed and unwanted branches of a tree, you will help improve the health of the tree and strengthen its roots by eliminating excess weight that can be a strain on the tree. Trees are flexible by nature and have endured the weather for millennia, but a tree with a lion's tail has lost its protective and flexible shape and can be more easily damaged in winter.
However, my goal for the time being was to highlight the terrible practice of cutting down trees by people who have no idea what they are doing, and hired by people who have no idea why they really need to have their trees cut in the first place. While I understand that these trees are already there, it is a common problem for people to plant the wrong type of trees to begin with and not consider their mature size before planting them. If I had to cut the lower shrub area, I would send nutrients to the tree to grow, or if I had lost it altogether. In your case, there are many varieties of fruit trees and regular trees that are still quite small, or at least very slow growing.
Because tree pruning can be a difficult task, calling a specialist like Martin's Tree Service can save you time and frustration. Passing the strait of a chainsaw through the crown of a tree is not the best practice for the appearance or health of any tree. .
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