aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
That's about all I can handle at once too George but you are younger lol. I hopefully will finish next week
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Maya
5 year old buck +
I'm going to do a little more this morning. Then I'm going out for a shed hunt w/ my nephew this afternoon. I need to get these big trees done soon. I hate getting up on the ladder....Much younger! ;) But my back feels much older!
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
Wow George you really give them a good trimming. I am always worried I am cutting all the blossoms off for the upcoming growing season. I really need to take a pruning class so I know what k am doing. Those are some big trees wow
Matt it sure will save you a lot of ladder time
Matt it sure will save you a lot of ladder time
Maya
5 year old buck +
It's hard to see in that pic, but there are plenty fruit buds. These trees are for commercial sales, so I want good color and return bloom, so I like branches spaced out well. You can go a little heavier with deer trees.
When pruning think sunlight, airflow and return bloom. 2-4 year old wood is your main fruiting wood, so rotate that out. I use diameter based pruning and keep things as simple as possible, one main branch and several side branches for fruiting wood. Very few if any complex branches, especially at the tops of trees. Make as few cuts as possible. Pruning will invigorate trees, so if you make a ton of cuts, expect a lot of growth, and if your trees are not fruiting much you will get a ton of growth. So, I do very little pruning on younger trees.
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
Thanks for that input George so my thinking about cutting a lot of blossoms off the tree is valid I will heed the advice of not pruning my younger trees too hard
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
If you have all those tools why do you need loppers ????
CrazyEd
5 year old buck +
Well the saws I kind of bought for other tasks. I like the easy of use with loppers and wouldn't mind buying a quality pair to have them in my toolbag.
2ndHand
5 year old buck +
Ed, I bought Bahco loppers last year from the following vendor (good prices): http://m.protoolwarehouse.com/cat-93-1-429/loppers.htm
John-W-WI
Administrator
I own 2 or 3? Felco loppers (searching for the best way to harvest the nursery). All are good tools.
The longer ones can really take a big bite, but the arms have to be open up so far it's kind of a pain to do a lot of cutting.
aerospacefarmer: another reason to use loppers rather than a saw is that you generally get a cleaner cut with loppers rather than a saw. Maybe not completely, but a saw tears, and typically rips some bark with it. Loppers slice clean and IMHO are easier on the tree you are working on. Just my .02, your mileage may vary.
-John
The longer ones can really take a big bite, but the arms have to be open up so far it's kind of a pain to do a lot of cutting.
aerospacefarmer: another reason to use loppers rather than a saw is that you generally get a cleaner cut with loppers rather than a saw. Maybe not completely, but a saw tears, and typically rips some bark with it. Loppers slice clean and IMHO are easier on the tree you are working on. Just my .02, your mileage may vary.
-John
Maya
5 year old buck +
Pruning out some of the branches is no big deal, it's your first thinning. You just need to be cutting it out to allow more light and airflow. If everything is getting good light, leave it. In that case just take out uprights and pendant wood.
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
Thanks George I think that's what I have been doing
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Thanks for the info, Maya. I'm in the same situation as Aero - younger trees - 2, 3, 4 years old. Still working on the framework of the trees.
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
I like the fact that it's a thinning process which I did on most of the trees that were overloaded last year. Thanks George
CrazyEd
5 year old buck +
What size/style did you get? This site is way cheaper than amazon. I'll see what they charge for shipping. Thanks!
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Check out AM Leonard for price comparison as well I ordered a pair of Bahco loppers from there just a couple of weeks ago and free shipping. I would have to check what I paid. I believe they are 28" ones.
2ndHand
5 year old buck +
I don't recall the exact size of the two loppers- don't have access to them until spring. I bought one smaller size (which I use a lot) based on a prior post from Maya. Most of my trees are within their 5th leaf. Plan on buying larger sizes as needed. Here's a photo of what I purchased to get free shipping:
