By: Stephen S. Harris, County Extension Director
It bothers me to drive through Coffee County and see many trees that have been topped. The process known as topping is the indiscriminate removal of a tree’s crown, cutting off large branches and the main stem of the tree, leaving large branch stubs. These stubs often die back, are vulnerable to decay and result in a profusion of unsightly and weakly attached branches. Topping also may result in the sunscald of the upper branches due to the sudden removal of the leaves and branches above.
The reason for this improper method of pruning is often based on the mistaken fear that tall trees will fall on homes and other buildings during storms. In some areas `topping’ is such a common procedure that it appears the correct method of pruning. In fruit growing areas, where orchard trees are topped on a yearly basis to keep them at a height for the easy harvest of fruit, area residents often mistakenly believe this same technique should be used on ornamental trees as well. This belief is strengthened by those who either know no better practice or find topping the easiest and most profitable method to use.
Large, sound limbs are not dangerous in unseasonable snowstorms or windstorms. Large limbs become unsafe when decay enters as a result of past pruning neglect or improper pruning as results with topping.
Tree topping results in the development of internal rot on many trees. The cylinder of rot that develops in the tree is often the same diameter as the main stem that was removed. In other words, a main stem that is twelve inches in diameter at the time it was cut can lead to twelve inches diameter of rot that extend for many feet inside the trunk of the tree. Such internal rot creates a tree that may become a hazard in later years.
The branches that develop around the stubs left from improper pruning develop from latent buds that are buried deep beneath the bark. These new branches give the tree the appearance of a porcupine. This new succulent growth is not properly attached to the tree and very susceptible to wind breakage.
Good Time to Add Lime
Reports from the University of Tennessee Laboratory in Nashville show that growers are doing a good job of maintaining soil ph levels on about half of the state’s cropland. But, that leaves half of the acreage needing lime before planting crops next spring. Add lime now if your soil is in the 50 percent needing adjustment. Liming will produce benefits next growing season. For example, in UT research three tons of limestone applied to soybean fields with ph values of 5.1 to 5.5 increased yields an average of 11 bushels per acre.
In addition, lime applied to acid soils prevents manganese toxicity in crops. It also increases the availability of secondary and micronutrients, enhances micro-organism activity and improves the effectiveness of many herbicides and fertilizers. So, find out with a soil test if your land needs lime. This is the first step in your fertilizer program. If your land needs the pH raised, now is a good time apply it while it is dry and easy to get in the field.