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Pruning a Shade Tree

  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated time: 2 hours
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BLACK+DECKER B+D Contributor 187 Projects

Shade is a hard thing to plan for. Trees that were relatively young when your lawn was planted often grow to become incredible sun blockers. Or you may have made your lawn-care plan in the winter, when the trees surrounding your yard were bare of leaves, not realizing that in season they were going to create dense dark areas inhospitable to grass growth.

Areas of deep or persistent shade call for a change in lawn-care tactics. The challenge is changing the way you care for one small area of lawn, while maintaining the proper maintenance for the rest of the yard. That can be a bit of bother, but if you’re going to keep shaded grass healthy, you need to make adjustments.

How to Prune a Shade Tree

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    Start by undercutting from beneath the limb with your bow saw or chain saw.

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    This keeps the bark from tearing when the limb breaks loose.

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    Trim the stub from the limb so it’s flush with the branch collar, but do not cut the collar, which is responsible for healing the wound.

  4. Prune Tree Lopper

    An electric alligator lopper makes quick work of fallen tree branches. Remove branches quickly; if they’re allowed to sit on the lawn too long they can kill the grass underneath and spread diseases.


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What You'll Need

Tools

Black and Decker - 20V MAX Lithium Pole Pruning Saw - LPP120 20V MAX* Lithium Pole Pruning Saw Black and Decker - 20V MAX Lithium Alligator Lopper - LLP120 20V MAX* Lithium Alligator® Lopper Black and Decker - Adjustable Temple Safety Glasses - BD220 Adjustable Temple Safety Glasses