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Old timer at the shop showed me why my pruning cuts looked terrible
I've been pruning trees for about 8 years now, and I always thought my cuts looked decent enough. Then last month I had to work with a retired arborist named Bill on a big oak job in north Austin. He watched me make a few cuts and just shook his head. He pointed out that I was leaving the collar way too long because I was scared to cut too close. Bill showed me his method where he makes a small undercut first, right at the branch collar edge, then cuts from the top. The difference was night and day. The wounds closed up way better and the tree looked cleaner. Has anyone else had an old pro show them something that completely changed how they work?
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bennett.vera23d ago
Oh man, that undercut trick is a game changer! What nobody talks about though is how much your saw choice matters for those collar cuts. I had a guy show me that using a really sharp, smaller pruning saw for the final cut gives way more control than trying to do it all with a big handsaw. You can feel the bark much better and stop right where you need to. Plus it leaves a smoother surface for the tree to heal over. I bet a lot of folks focus on the technique but forget the tool matters just as much. Your old timer Bill sounds like a real treasure of knowledge!
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