# Pruning Oak Sapling



## sam36 (Apr 14, 2020)

I've decided on planting a couple of Bur Oak trees around my property. They are native to Texas, but somewhat unorthodoxed in my area. I opted to get some 1 year old saplings shipped from up north to me back in April 2020. I didn't want to get the ones from a local nursery since Bur Oaks have a tap root which if grown in a pot, will never end up right.

It is growing good, but I am wondering how best to prune it? It already tried to shoot out some branches horizontally from the middle of the trunk which I snipped off a couple of months ago. That seems like the correct thing to do, but I'm confused how best to handle the top if it starts to fork or split? Should I let it fork at the top or if it does snip one side off? I originally thought I should try to keep it as a single stalk until 6 foot tall or so, but the more I think about it, the more I am not sure (on top of realizing I have no idea what I'm doing). I just don't want to spend 5 years growing a sapling only to ruin it in the end and have to dig it up...


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

@sam36 With shade trees you always want to maintain a central leader. At some point the tree will get too big to do that. So you need to train it until you can't reach the upper branches.


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## nnnnnate (Apr 23, 2020)

I think you are on the right course to clip any branching at this point since that will all end up needing to be removed at some point. You clip them early and you don't have the "wasted energy" if that make sense.

I don't know what your property is like but I'd consider putting a fence or tube around it to keep critters from chewing on it and stunting its growth. I planted something similar I got from the U of Idaho years ago and my dog figured they were sticks to play with. That was less than ideal. I can't say what they look like now cause we moved but good luck and keep an eye on them.


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## dicko1 (Oct 25, 2019)

I use these tree shelters
https://terratech.net/products/seedling-protection/3-25-x-18-mesh-vexar-seedling-protection-tubes-250box/

I didnt buy them from this place though. Its nothing more than a flexable plastic mesh but deer wont touch them. Deer can easily chew right through but they dont for some reason.

As for pruning, you have to allow the tree to have some leaves. You cant keep cutting branches off. I wait until the branch is about 1/2 in diameter and then snip it. As the tree gets taller, I snip the bottom row of branches off each year up until I cant reach them anymore. This allows for a leave canopy that supports tree health yet allows pruning of branches without creating very large wounds.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

As already stated, a central leader is critical for any tree that will grow large. You don't want the tree to develop co-dominant trunks. Co-dominant trunks create a narrow v-shaped crotch which is weak and can fail. You want to encourage wide strong branch angles, not narrow weak branch angles.

Other than training the tree to a central leader, I would not trim off any low branches. You are best off leaving as much green foliage as possible as leaves are food for the tree. Lower branches will eventually die on their own when they become shaded by branches above them. You should also never prune more than 25% off a tree in any given year.

Lastly, only prune an oak when dormant. Pruning during the growing season can attract insects to the wounds and can spread oak wilt and sudden oak death.


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