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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
| Home & Garden readers might also want to read Keep it Green, a gardening column by Michael Womack. |
Saturday, July 28, 2001
Majestic mesquite
Prune with purpose, secure wayward limbs with bolts on these stately Texas trees
By Mike Bratten
Caller-Times
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| Photo ilustration by Paul Iverson and Crystal Rittgers/Caller-Times |
| This mesquite tree was overgrown (left) before being thinned out by Woodstock Tree Surgeons (right). The trimming allows full sun to reach the entire crown of the tree. |
Liz Lee's father, a Texas farmer, once told her that when mesquite trees reveal their foliage for the first time each spring, you can bet there won't be any more frosts. From such tales, Lee came to appreciate and respect the trees whose thorns prevented climbing or building a treehouse among its branches.
Now, as a seasoned tree-trimmer at her home, Lee knows a few things about keeping her two mesquites looking as stately as they were in her memories of youth.
"We do a major trimming in the spring and late winter and throughout the summer as they need it," said Lee, who lives in Flour Bluff with her husband, Windle.
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| Mike Bratten/Caller-Times |
| Cabling:
Drill a hole through the center of the hanging limb and another limb that can support it. Insert an I-bolt in each of the holes with the loop end facing inward. Connect the loops with a high-tension steel cable. Fasten washers and nuts to the other ends of the bolts, which will allow you to make the cable taut. |
"In the summer we trim the little branches that get in our face when we mow the grass. We just try to keep the trees nice looking."
Trimming, or pruning, a mesquite tree isn't a complicated process, Lee said.
Summertime pruning
The ritual is repeated year-round by homeowners in South Texas who take pride in their mesquites. And while one person's pruning style is usually as correct as the next, there are several tips that can make the process easier.
Summertime pruning is common and often necessary in order to keep branches above head level, out of the driveway or off the house. The ideal time for major pruning is during the winter months because it puts less stress on the tree and results in less sap flow, said Carl Palmer, sales manager at Turner's Gardenland, 6503 S. Padre Island Drive.
Setting goals
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| Mike Bratten/Caller-Times |
| Bolting:
Drill a hole through the center of two branches near the V-shaped ‘crotch’ where they join. Insert a single long, all-thread bolt (1/2- or 5/8-inch thick) through both branches. Secure the bolt on each end with standard washers and nuts. |
Do not prune more than 30 percent of a mesquite at one time, especially in the summer months.
Joe Nye, owner of Estate Tree Service, says he never prunes more than 10 to 15 percent at a time.
Set a clear goal for pruning. You may want to trim your mesquite to remove dead wood or thick growth. It's important to thin mesquites out if they become too thick. Besides maximizing sunlight to all parts of the tree, this could prevent disaster.
"If it's too overgrown, it'll have a sail effect, and if the wind is strong enough, something's going to give."
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| Mike Bratten/Caller-Times |
| Posting:
Lift the limb and prop it on top of a vertical wooden post. The post should be placed in a pre-dug hole, and the hole should be filled with concrete. |
Once the pruning plan is established, proper tools should be used for the job. For new growth or thinner limbs, use standard garden pruners. Use lopping shears for thicker branches and a chainsaw or handsaw for substantial sized limbs.
Limbs that are high off the ground can be cut with specialized pole-saw combinations that are sold at home improvement stores. When using a ladder, tie yourself to the tree with a rope or chain for safety.
"You have to be careful," Nye said. "Sometimes a professional should do this, especially for older people."
When removing a branch entirely, a proper cut is everything. Rather than cutting it flush, leave the collar - the ring from which the cut limb grew - intact, Nye said. That prevents damage to the live tissue within the tree and allows the cut area to callous over and heal properly.
Oozing sap, which Lee said makes a mess on the plants beneath her mesquites, is an inherent part of summertime pruning. According to Nye, there's no sure-fire product that will stop the bleeding and seal a cut.
"A regular cut should heal over in time without sealant," he said.
Palmer agrees, but if there are signs of insects invading the cut, he recommends applying pruning paint or aerosol sealant manufactured by Ferti-lome.
Bolting and Cabling
A low, thick limb that droops closer to the ground as the tree grows can be stabilized by rigging it to a supporting branch with a bolt and cable system. Or the sagging branch can be propped up with a post, which is a temporary fix.Installing bolts near V-shaped "crotches" in mesquites is a method that prevents limbs from splitting apart.
Hardware for these projects are sold at most home improvement stores.
It's important, Nye said, not to girdle branches with cables, ropes or chains because they cut off the tree's circulation.
Why spend all the time and effort maintaining mesquite trees? On the average, well-maintained trees add value to your property, said Bob Steel, Realtor and co-owner of Coldwell Banker Pacesetter Steel Realtors.
"A house with landscaping and trees is going to sell before an equal house that doesn't. And they could add $4,000 to $5,000 to a house selling for $100,000. Trees pay for themselves over and over again."
Besides monetary value, Steel said, mesquite trees provide people like himself with an easy, pleasurable pastime.
"I enjoy trimming them. They don't take much attention, really."
Liz Lee agrees. When mesquite surgery is necessary, she recommends wearing gloves and shoes for protection from thorns. Get ready to work up a sweat, too, she said.
"You get a good workout, believe me."
And what to do with those trimmed mesquite branches? Any South Texas resident with a barbecue grill knows the answer to that.
Contact Mike Bratten at 886-3623 or brattenm@caller.com
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