Caring for your tree takes time and effort. You may see neighbors call experts, or they may DIY tree maintenance and research tree care tips in Alpharetta, GA, on their own. For example, many people look up how much pruning is too much, sometimes to no avail.

Our team at ATL Tree Work helps with tree removal in Alpharetta, GA, and nearby cities. We also know the answers to many other tree care questions. So, can over-pruning kill a tree?

What Is Pruning?

Pruning means removing dead, dying, or diseased branches from a tree or other woody plant. It maintains and improves the health and wellness of the plant.

Even so, can over-pruning kill a tree? Well, too much of anything is never good. Overwatering, overfertilizing, and, of course, over-pruning can kill even the healthiest trees.

A Few Tree Pruning Damage Symptoms

Since leaves absorb sunlight for photosynthesis, they need healthy branches. Pruning should remove unnecessary or detrimental branches, but over-pruning can stunt overall growth.

You should never prune more than 25% of a tree’s canopy in one session. Doing so can lead to various negative outcomes over time, such as:

  • Sunscald: Excessive pruning can overexpose the tree’s bark to sunlight, causing burns and injuries. This problem occurs most in southern states, such as Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
  • Starvation: Without enough leaves or branches to produce, store, or transport usable energy, the tree may die of malnutrition.
  • Overall weakness: Malnutrition-related complications may kill the tree before starvation does. For example, a wind storm that may not have blown a tree over before may cause it to fall because it was weakened by over-pruning.

Three Primary Pruning Rules

Can over-pruning kill a tree if you’re following other pruning rules? Yes, but you should still keep other pruning rules in mind since they are helpful.

Always Clean and Sharpen Your Tools

When pruning a tree, your tools will encounter diseases. They may also dull with use.

Keeping your pruning shears clean and sharp goes a long way in preventing tree death from pruning. You don’t pass on communicable diseases from tree to tree, and you won’t leave wounds in the branches from dull tools.

Cut the Branch at the Right Spot

You shouldn’t prune haphazardly. Doing so at the wrong spot can leave wounds behind that may not heal properly. Learn how to make a proper heading cut and a thinning cut, as well as when to use each technique, for optimal results.

Time Your Pruning Carefully

Prune most trees during their dormant season, usually around late fall to early winter. However, depending on the plant, you may want to prune after the buds sprout. Dutifully research which trees to prune at what time in Georgia’s various microclimates.

Leave the Pruning to ATL Tree Work

Can over-pruning kill a tree? Absolutely, and though understanding tree pruning isn’t rocket science, it’s not elementary math, either. If you don’t have the time or energy, rely on ATL Tree Work.

Avoid the effects of over-pruning on trees without the hassle of learning new equipment or paying exorbitant fees. Call (470) 357-3741 for a free consultation today.