Why trees fall during heavy monsoon?
A number of tree fall incidents have been reported in the city since the onset
of the monsoons. It seems the trees were not properly pruned or trimmed plus
there was concretisation done around some trees. All these factors led to trees falling
during the rain. It is necessary to give the trees a balanced cut. Haphazard cutting results in tree falls.
How do you prune trees? Prune trees using cutting tools appropriate to
the size of the tree or shrub in early spring or late summer. Pruning is done
to maintain the health of the tree, direct growth and increase fruit production
when applicable.
Small shrubs and young trees are easily trimmed using lopping shears or
pruning saws. Trees or mature shrubs with branches exceeding a 2- to 3-inch
diameter require pole pruners or a chainsaw, using necessary safety equipment.
Disinfect tools with full-strength mouthwash or rubbing alcohol to avoid
spreading disease amongst the trees.
To prune the tree, identify any broken branches on the tree and any
branches that are growing in opposition to the desired tree shape. These
branches need to be removed to maintain the safety of the area beneath the tree
and ensure tree health.
A foot from where the branch meets the tree, make a small cut in the
underside of the branch a third of the way through. Make a second cut into the
top of the branch an inch further from the tree than the first cut. Keep
cutting until the branch snaps off of the tree. With the weight of the branch
removed, cut along the trunk to remove the remaining part of the branch.
After broken and crossing branches are removed, look for water sprout
limbs that grow straight up from the trunk and branches. Removing these
protects the tree from disease.
The best time to prune a tree depends on the reason for pruning it.
Removing dead branches can be done any time of year, but live shoots and limbs
should only be cut when the tree is moving into a dormant phase.
Trim summer branches and blooms at the end of the growing season but
before fall. Pruning during fall months invites disease, as freshly cut wounds
heal more slowly on trees and plants. Winter or very early spring is the best
time to prune most trees. Cool, crisp air helps trees heal more quickly, and
trees that bloom in the spring produce more flowers after a winter pruning
Pruning is a horticultural and silvicultural practice involving the
selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or
roots. Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by
controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing
risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and
both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.
The practice entails targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead,
non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from crop
and landscape plants. In general, the smaller the branch that is cut, the
easier it is for a woody plant to compartmentalize the wound and thus limit the
potential for pathogen intrusion and decay. It is therefore preferable to make
any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to young plants, rather than
removing large, poorly placed branches from mature plants.
Specialized pruning practices may be applied to certain plants, such as
roses, fruit trees, and grapevines. It is important when pruning that the
tree’s limbs are kept intact, as this is what helps the tree stay upright.[1]
Different pruning techniques may be deployed on herbaceous plants than those
used on perennial woody plants. Hedges, by design, are usually (but not
exclusively) maintained by hedge trimming, rather than by pruning.
In nature, meteorological conditions such as wind, ice and snow, and
salinity can cause plants to self-prune. This natural shedding is called
abscission.
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