My Tree is Getting Too Big How Do I Stop Tree Growth
Most homes have trees in their yards. Trees add life to our landscaping. They provide us with shade on hot days and shelter in the rain. Sapling trees will grow to a towering height in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, trees will grow so big it may leave you wondering if there’s a way to stop tree growth. Large trees may have a beautiful, sprawling canopy, but this same canopy may also block sunlight from the garden or grow too close to power lines. Sometimes, it’s preferred to keep fruit trees shorter to make the fruit more accessible. Whatever the reason, it’s possible to stop tree growth with some time and patience.
Pruning
Keeping trees at their current height by pruning is the healthiest way to maintain tree size. Pruning your trees while they’re young is better than trying to prune a mature tree since as trees age, they have less energy to recover from a large pruning. Mature trees can be pruned to their preferred height over the course of a few years. When pruning, don’t just chop off the top of the tree, as the branches will just grow back but weaker than before the chopping.
As a rule, you typically don’t want to remove more than a quarter of a tree’s canopy in one pruning because that will limit the tree’s ability to produce the food it needs to survive. It’s best to prune the tree a little at a time, over a three-year period.
To best preserve the natural shape of the tree, using a trimming method called drop crotch pruning is most effective. To perfect this method, you must first understand tree structure. Your local arborist, such as Mr. Tree, is well-versed in tree structure and can help properly prune your trees. Remove too much of your tree, and you risk losing the tree.
Tree pruning is typically done during the winter months, when they’re dormant. You can continue pruning until the trees begin to flower, but watch out for bees. Pruning trees in the summer will restrict the tree’s ability to produce nutrition, starving the tree, so it isn’t recommended.
Growth Regulators
Tree growth regulators have been developed to slow tree growth by treating the tree with a growth inhibitor chemical. By applying tree growth inhibitor directly to the soil surrounding the tree stem, the tree then absorbs the chemical, and it spreads throughout the tree and into the crown. The crown of a tree refers to the above-ground part of the tree, from stem to canopy. Growth regulators don’t stop tree growth, but they do significantly inhibit growth for a period of approximately two years.
There are other benefits of using growth regulators as well as managing tree size. Growth regulators can help lower the water requirement for the tree, making the tree more drought resistant. It can also help trees that suffer from chlorosis, which is a condition where a plant cannot manufacture chlorophyll. Chlorosis can be caused by nutrient deficiencies from the surrounding soil or other factors. This deficiency causes the leaves of the tree to turn a pale green. Growth inhibitors help the trees obtain nutrients from the soil, making the leaves a darker green color.
Plant Smartly
When choosing a tree for your yard, it’s important to consider its expected size when it reaches maturity—prior to purchase. If you don’t research the future growth of the tree selection before planting, you may be forced into a lot of tree maintenance and frequent pruning, which isn’t ideal. Without knowing the mature size of your chosen tree, it will also be difficult to select the appropriate location for planting. You could run into problems with power lines, or the branches of your new tree may inhibit the growth of other trees nearby.
The Arbor Day Foundation has a tree-choosing guide to help find the perfect tree for your location, which includes maturity size listings for each suggestion. Many nurseries have bred miniature tree varieties to accommodate today’s smaller yards. Consult with your local nursery to see what miniature tree varieties they offer, as these trees will stop growing while still small, rather than reaching their full height, which may outgrow your yard.
Removal of Sucker Roots
Suckers are a tree’s attempt at growing more branches. Suckers usually appear when there has been some type of damage or stress to the affected area. Suckers typically grow at the base of the tree. Sometimes they’ll have completely different leaves than what’s found on the tree. This is because many trees are actually two different types of trees that have been grafted together at a nursery. Grafting is often used to produce dwarf trees, and it can be used to strengthen a tree’s ability to resist certain diseases or to promote certain desired characteristics in a tree.
Suckers found higher on the trunk of the tree are called water sprouts. Water sprouts usually grow in areas that have a pruning injury. Both water sprouts and suckers should be removed to promote tree health, as the energy that goes into these growths takes away from the energy to support a healthy tree. It’s important to remove these suckers and water sprouts early, while the growth is new and soft. Once the sucker or water sprout grows a thick bark, pruning a large, woody sucker will cause another pruning injury, causing the tree to potentially grow even more suckers or water sprouts.
Suckers can be a sign of old age, as trees tend to grow more suckers as they get older and start to break down. Suckers can also be a sign of disease or infestation. If the tree’s ability to get water and nutrients to its branches is hindered due to disease or pests, the tree may divert its efforts to growing suckers instead.
When a tree outgrows its space, you’ll need to decide which method is best to decrease its size. Contact your tree experts at Mr. Tree or consult Glendale, CA tree service experts for all of your tree trimming needs or
