In the early days of video, Blair decided to make 1,000 TH-cam videos for just that purpose. A visual legacy which informs, educates and gives pleasure to viewers. If he also ‘has a book in him’ (as they say!) all power to his elbow. In the meantime his videos are well catalogued in his playlists. The one called ‘Arborist Blair Glenn’ contains some good introductory information.
My hopes were dashed. I thought were going to explain how to do it right. This channel would explode if you would teach proper tree care. Everybody loves trees. We WANT to do the right thing.
Learning the right way BEGINS with knowing and understanding why certain things are wrong. If I start with correct pruning procedures, you won’t know your mistakes.
Drop crotch pruning.. You prune it to similar size branch instead of leaving a stub to 'explode' out. The branch has to be big enough/enough foliage to prevent epicormic growth.
Really looking forward to these future videos you mention. Been a subscriber for a good long while now and really a lot of what you present is stuff I've been practicing for years. But it is always a pleasure and an education to hear it framed in a different way, seeing you work with trees that are pretty alien to my day to day climbs here in the UK.
My first trip to the UK was thirty years ago. Went to an International Tree Conference in Coventry. Alan Mitchell was a speaker. Being the sole attendee from California, I was given a lot of attention. I felt out of place at Kew gardens until I went into the temperate zone greenhouse. Knew all the trees in there. I’m now married to a Brit and have been to England a few more times since that initial visit. Very different
I'm in Tennessee and my property is loaded with pin oaks among other species, They have never been pruned. The central trunk on most of these are 20-25 feet up before it get's to branching out. I'd imagine these oaks are 75-80 feet tall and are close to 75 years old.
Midwesterner here, and pin oak is one of my favorite species. They don't always conform to the ideal structure with one central leader, but when they do, and when they're not butchered, they are gorgeous. I've noticed they tend to harbor various defects and pathogens, many of which I don't understand as well as I'd like, but some of that is down to their longevity. Some of my favorite climbs ever have been in pin oaks roughly 80-100 years old, and I expect to see at least one noteworthy cavity from a long-ago limb failure in most specimens. I have a couple of them on my property, around here (SW Indiana) they tend to be infested with wasp galls that slowly damage a limb from the tips on back. The taller one is about 100 feet tall, roughly 60 years old, and after I did away with the hateful vines, the wasp damage, the storm damage, and the dead wood, it's a joy to behold, defects and all. One other note-in the fall they refuse to give up their dead leaves. There'll be a lot on the ground through fall and winter, but it's not until early spring that the tree dumps the lion's share in a short period. I used to find this annoying, now I find it to be good fertilizer.
Another excellent video Glenn. I love that you always show the damage on a real tree. We've had a couple of arborists come and visit our property and I don't think there has been a single tree they didn't recommend pruning: Thin the crown. Better air circulation. Reduce wind sail. Improve clearance. Or my favorite: Cut any limbs that point downward. Our trees are healthy and clearance is not really an issue. I personally prefer to let nature be nature and only remove dead branches. With pollution, warmer weather, and the increase in invasive pests, these trees are already under enough stress that they don't need anyone hacking at them for no good reason.
I have seen a lot of mistletoe on the Australian Southern Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta) as well. Thanks for ALL these important and informative videos!
I live in S.B Indiana and currently have 5 red and white oak trees. We’ve had to take down three large trees in the past 15 years. My neighbor has one of the largest pin oaks in town. The trees all grow about 20-25 feet before single branching starts. Our trees are all 100 plus yrs. One that had to be removed because it was growing out over the house was 187 yrs old and about 90 feet in height. I haven’t seen any Mistletoe growing on the oaks here in northern Indiana SW Michigan. I’m assuming this tree in California grew the way it did because of different rainfall. Interesting video. I see so many tree workers just butchering trees in what they called pruning, and you are right. The trees start to decline pretty quickly. Drives me nuts.
I would have loved to see some actual cuts you made to that oak, correcting previous pruning cuts and hear your thoughts on why, especially in regards to physiology, tree-hormone response to pruning etc. Thanks as always for your sharing and education.
Someday, I will ask for help with a camera person so I can focus on building a video like that. As it is, I do all my own camera work and I guess I need to think more about how to mount a camera on a helmet or chest harness. It is still a lot of work.
i live in tucson arizona and i have never seen mistletoe that looks like that before and we have tons of it all over the place. its more stringy, no leaves and when they seed? tiny red balls appear. you did a wonerful job on the tree, that clip where you can see the light threw the canopy is amazing!
There are ninety or so native species of mistletoe in Australia. I've seen it growing on London plane trees, you'd call it a sycamore. Though that tree is not native to Australia. I use the root ball of mistletoes for wood turning. It's all over the place in Victoria, where I live, in eucalypts and acacias.
In the midwest and southeast, I've loved how pin oaks hang onto their brown leaves in winter because they add such interest in a bleak landscape. I'm currently training three young pin oaks to the west of my house in Virginia. Mainly this involves removing extra leaders and reducing low branches so pruning wounds will be small when I must remove these low branches.
I’m from Connecticut and my Uncle VIC told me due to having clusters of trees together the trunks grow much larger due to competition for getting sunshine and they are competing. Since your tree is all by itself they spread out with a much shorter trunk height before branches starting to sprout out. My Uncle VIC had to prune fruit trees for a fruit orchard years ago for almost 20 years. So I’m no expert and would want your recommendations on a excellent pruning book and I’ve noticed many enormous white oaks trunks. Any tree I noticed the trunk height diminishes greatly before branches are starting to form is because it is a loner all secluded from any competitive growing tree species. A example is my parents property in Connecticut where they only have 1/2 acre of land and red oak tree species grown within 10-15’ apart have thick diameter trunk heights of 35-45’ tall before branching begins.Trees are 75’-80’ tall. I love the thick gnarly bark of the chestnut oak is unbelievable. We have one scarlet oak on my parents property and lightning has struck that poor sole for decades and will never forget seeing a bolt of lightning cause a 12’ high sphere of orange and it has healed up nicely and very tall now. No pin oaks on my parents land here. Acorns on the white oaks are good and with the reds your supposed to soak them quite a long time for acorn flour.
Blair I'm in Rhode Island and Quercus Rubra are literally in almost every yard. They will grow to 100 feet easily and have a straight single central leader ( mostly) that is usually at least 30 feet before branching at full maturity.. You have the best videos Thanks
I see a lot of "this is what wrong looks like" videos, and they are very helpful. But what does right look like? Is it dependent of the type of tree or is it solely on placements of cuts? I'm excited to see the proper methods and the reasons behind them.
@@arboristBlairGlenn there all great. One question. Do you use pruning sealer when removing a limb on a Burr Oak? I know these sealers aren't recommended being used on other trees.
Mistletoeing kept me fed in winter in Texas yanking it from mostly hackberry's. Tough work, mostly pole pruning, but it gave me strong arms, lol. Once it's in the trees, it's there forever.
I read an article once about wrapping an infestation with black plastic to cut out the sunlight. Tried it once but the tree now is owned by another homeowner behind a gate.
> blair i been a subscriber for a number of years and watch with interest this sort of topical video. living in the philippines, if a tree/shrub here isnt uprooted it grows back and usually fairly gregariously. the place we're renting they cut down a duhat tree (philippine black cherry) before we moved in @ about waist high (28"dia); its grown back a few times, even bearing fruits @ one point. i cut it back and after about 5 years it seems to be in remission even though some minor branching still occurs around the base near grade. originally from illinois, i never seen a red oak branched so near grade like the one in this video.
Amazing, while in Texas, we had tons of mistletoe, here in Michigan, a tiny sprig is 3 dollars? Thank god for all of the native and paper shell pecans I always had in grocery bags up the yahoo!
In New Hampshire, one of the most common trees is red oak (Quercus rubra). It is a wonderful tree, and one of the most environmentally friendly (or "ecologically beneficial) trees. However, I've noticed that they tend to develop multiple trunks, which is often a weakness. They tend to grow with a straight trunk for 20 - 90 percent up the tree, at most. Even though this species (and others) often develop multiple trunks, is it possible to keep them single-stemmed, even when they are large? Thanks Blair and have a great day!
Very nice video I agree with you. you could make a whole series of probably 70 videos or more on how to properly pruned trees. On another note what's the reach of your small bucket truck?
A series on “how to prune” would be a serious undertaking and the criticism would be interesting. Small bucket? About 40 feet. 48 if I stand on the edge and lean out😁. (Kidding)
I have a cedar tree on my property and the top died out should I just cut it down or should I just top it and see if that works first? And one more question I want to plant a coastal redwood when is the best time of year to plant one I live in the Pacific Northwest?
Blair, that is true for red oak species gown in multi-tree or shady conditions however when grown in an open environment they turn into short trunked and oval crowned trees with a central leader but sometimes the crown looses the leader when they get very big.. The bigger they get the more rounded they become. (I'm from New England by the way)
My parents live on a farm in WV. They have White Oak, Walnut, Persimmon, Black Locust, Shagbark Hickory, Maple, Sycamore, Poplar and I might be forgetting something...Oh well back to what I have noticed about the trees in WV. The trees at the bottom of the hills have the longest tree trunks (50' to 70' on average) and the trunks get shorter when you get to the top. (30' to 50' on average) Note: I think the wind makes them grow shorter and they get less water on the top of the hills. I have also noticed that the Poplar trees get really big in WV with big tree trunks. The only tree that likes to spread out it's canopy fast , (a little bit like the Oak in the video) is the Live Oak. But there's not a lot of them by the farm. I think the soil has a lot to do with how the trees grow in WV. Most of it is red clay. As always, Thank You for the video's @Blair
The Red Oak around here, Pennsylvania, are as you described with the central leader. My sister has an easily 100 foot tall Red Oak that has the resemblance more to an old-growth Douglas Fir than the Pin Oak you showed. Your Pin Oak has more of the structure of a Sugar or Silver Maple would around here.
I live on the east coast and am a arborist and the pin oaks out here grow really weird. Especially during the winter they are a mess with little twigs also our red oaks usually grow as one large stalk with maybe the occasional co-dom, but that pink oak in the video looks beautiful compared to east coast pin oaks
In Ohio, I have a 15 foot tall weeping willow. I bought it in a container and planted it last year. It’s growing well, but I am curious as to whether you think it would be a good idea or not to prune/top the tallest branch/shoot of the tree to better achieve a fuller, round shape as it continues to grow and weep
Blair did you go over the "remove no more than 25% of the canopy at one time rule" on that Pin oak? If so, why. Also, is your "dormant" season in California dormant enough to prevent oak wilt when pruning east coast oaks?
25% rule is an interesting topic. The city requires a permit for pruning more than 25% so the public believes it’s okay to take that much. A tree that was topped in the past may become so overly heavy that a harsh reduction may be required to save the tree.
The way that oak has grown is more typical of the way maples and honey locust grow here in the east. Here in MI oaks are straight single leader, broad pyramidal shaped in urban and in the woods more upright and less "fluff" or bushy width. Very much depends where they grow in an open field with nothing else around I've seen especially white oaks will grow only 50-60ft tall and double or more that in width, where as in the woods they are very tall and straight
I thought you were going to get into it at the end, and there was a 'drop crotch pruning' flash mid-video, but it'd be nice if you demonstrated how to properly prune trees like this that have been mis-pruned in the past.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Actually, I was thinking you could use your helmet cam and narrate as you prune (assuming the helmet cam gives an accurate view), but you're right, another person running the camera would be better.
I don’t mill but I do live in the south. From the looks of the video the tree gets sunlight on all sides. Which will make a tree sucker out. I suspect it might be a different story if it was in a forest and had to grow up for light. Just my opinion
Here in Ohio reds and pin oaks do the same thing when in town, outside of town they grow normally as you say. Biggest problem here is oak wilt/blight. People will just cut the ends of a branch which in turn kills the whole branch, this has been my experience anyways.
On that cut limb you showed with the 5 heavy limbs coming off, won't the limb blow out where you cut it off? Or will you do something in the future to prevent that?
Sometimes when dealing with past mistakes, my options for “fixing” a problem tree is limited to getting the weight off and telling the client to get it worked on again an 3 to 4 years.
This would seem to me to say a proper pruning series is coming. PLEASE DO! Perhaps with good and bad examples, terminology with definitions, and the like. Where I am we have a selection of conifers, here at the north end of the Sierras. One of our prime maladies is the "Dwarf Mistletoe". It is a very damaging parasite. We do not expect a mistletoe treatise, but a couple of basics would be helpful. Would you care to talk on this some time?
A proper pruning video is hard for a number of reasons. Different trees require different procedures. Most of the trees I end up working on were pruned in the past (often incorrectly). Also seasonal decisions, fruit decisions, location decisions, and customer requirements all have a part in how a tree is pruned. So, where do I start?
@@arboristBlairGlenn Where to start? Anywhere! I think you can do untold numbers of videos on what was wrong and what should have been done on each type of tree as you go along and find them. Each in its own right would be a resource of useful information.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Hello Blair, Where to start? •introduce the branch bark ridge. •show the three step cut. •talk on the folly of flush cuts. •"keep every cut as small as you can." •talk about wound paint omission. Summarize overall, include the fact of exceptions in pruning. Invite feedback. Thank you. Michael.
I have spoken of all these topics in past videos but I think what you are suggesting is more of a combined how to on each of these topic in one video. I will work on it.
I've started learning about pruning so I don't butcher my own trees, and I'm curious about how those branches that had previously been chopped and subsequently water sprouted seem to have been cut the same way again? Like you've just gone 6 inches back and cut it the same way. Is this the only option on branches like these? Do you just have to accept that this limb is going to be a burst of water sprouts forever more (unless you completely remove the whole thing)? Or was there more work done to remedy the problem after the weight was chopped off that we didn't see?
When you start a problem with a poor cut, the added weight becomes a new problem. Weight reduction now becomes needed where if the tree was left alone, might not need anything.
@@arboristBlairGlenn So this is the best/only way then? You need to keep cutting it slightly back from the previous cut when the weight becomes a problem again? I'm not trying to criticize or anything just to be clear, in case it came across that way. I want to make sure my understanding is correct that once you have a limb that was cut this way, there is nothing you can do apart from keep chopping it again when the water sprouts have grown too much (and the weight becomes a problem). That is unless you remove the whole limb (which is infeasible if every limb on the tree was cut like this). Basically, if someone hacked the end off of every limb the tree is a lost cause as far as proper pruning goes?
@@arboristBlairGlennso, in other words: job security for the arborists 🤨 Sneaky buggers. Seems there's enough naturally dead branches in trees to keep the career going. I try to keep the dead out and along the driveway: prune back enough for a dump truck to come through, ( propane, gravel, electric company trucks). You call it Lions Tail, I've always called it Witches Broom, either name denotes: Caution, be wary of.
Even in the midwest it would grow a taller center trunk, I belive it grew like that becuse it got a lot more sunshine on the west coast and a warmer climent and longer growing seasons. Branches tracked the sun less becuse all that tree had to do was send up a second main trunk and by the looks of it this tree did it a bunch. On the eastern coast it would grow taller to get more sunlight. So a taller main trunk. It would even grow like that in Southern stats with a lot of sunlight like Texas Alabama flordia and so on it is in the wrong planting zone. It needs to be in zone 6 or I belive up where we get shorter growing seasons and colder temptures.
California has a bad reputation and some of it is justified. For the most part, folks around here are alright. Too much money can be a blessing and a curse. For me, the money means folks spend it on tree care.
I wanted to slap u every time u said pin oak because in Texas it is an actual name for a specific type of tree 😂 but whatever it’s just a name. I will say u are so right people just wanting to make a quick buck make stupid pruning decisions. Great video 👍
Im learning that trees are about same as other plants: folks from Alll over have different names for same plants. One teacher said That's why we should learn the Scientific Names, which I've heard Mr. Glenn do. But dang, I can't hardly Say alotta those words let alone Remember! Reading on Mrs. Julia Childs, she tried to bring the world's different names for fish together but had little luck doing so. People get to wanting to slap ea. other over Changes. 😁
Most times, I see rocks around a tree as a mistake. However, if the right rocks are used (large rivers rock), and lot in excess, some rocks can be an asset. Prevents impacts from lawn mowers for instance. Large areas of rock on young trees can heat up and hyper dry out the root zone (which can be very bad).
On the East Coast you'll see trees grow as you stated. You can also see a difference between trees in the North East versus trees in the South East. Trees of the same sp. North tend to be strong and with skyward branching. Suffering sometimes from winter freeze explosions. While Southern sp. tend to have weak punky wood and branches growing toward the ground. Humidity and high heat. Much hacking done on the Southern trees due to the weakness (fear of falling) and branches getting in the way at ground level (Fast). There are tree people that preserve trees and people that make money with a chainsaw. It's not just education that is needed. You actually have to give a damn.
Pin Oaks here on the east coast the leaves are orange in color before they go brown. Yes they are very tall, straight tree. Looks like you have butchers out there too that call themselves landscapers.
@@arboristBlairGlenn I wonder why must be your weather that changes them. I have on across the street from here in Alabama that is just starting to change and the trunk is 4ft across and perfectly straight never been pruned.
The family of trees called “oak” is Quercia. There are however many trees with the word oak in the name. Tan oak is not a true oak. She oak is not an oak. Silk oak is not even slide to looking like an oak and the wood also has no similarities. Hope that helps.
Unfortunately in this area, re-educating people about proper pruning is difficult and slow to be accepted because 'the old ways' of doing things is the norm. 'Topping' trees is still common and the most common pruning-damage is the result of that practice. Crepe myrtle bushes here are another victim of the practice. Crepe myrtle bushes in the garden club-sponsored area are - to my disgust - topped annually.
It would be helpful, to those who don't know what you do, for you to write a small book. You're so informative. Thank you for sharing
In the early days of video, Blair decided to make 1,000 TH-cam videos for just that purpose. A visual legacy which informs, educates and gives pleasure to viewers. If he also ‘has a book in him’ (as they say!) all power to his elbow. In the meantime his videos are well catalogued in his playlists. The one called ‘Arborist Blair Glenn’ contains some good introductory information.
@@briankennedy1313That’s a very Pithy Point. I might need to compartmentalise it though.
@@briankennedy1313 as for Blair Glenn, never heard of the guy. Problably not made enough videos.
My hopes were dashed. I thought were going to explain how to do it right. This channel would explode if you would teach proper tree care. Everybody loves trees. We WANT to do the right thing.
Learning the right way BEGINS with knowing and understanding why certain things are wrong. If I start with correct pruning procedures, you won’t know your mistakes.
Drop crotch pruning.. You prune it to similar size branch instead of leaving a stub to 'explode' out. The branch has to be big enough/enough foliage to prevent epicormic growth.
Really looking forward to these future videos you mention. Been a subscriber for a good long while now and really a lot of what you present is stuff I've been practicing for years. But it is always a pleasure and an education to hear it framed in a different way, seeing you work with trees that are pretty alien to my day to day climbs here in the UK.
My first trip to the UK was thirty years ago. Went to an International Tree Conference in Coventry. Alan Mitchell was a speaker. Being the sole attendee from California, I was given a lot of attention. I felt out of place at Kew gardens until I went into the temperate zone greenhouse. Knew all the trees in there. I’m now married to a Brit and have been to England a few more times since that initial visit. Very different
I'm in Tennessee and my property is loaded with pin oaks among other species, They have never been pruned. The central trunk on most of these are 20-25 feet up before it get's to branching out. I'd imagine these oaks are 75-80 feet tall and are close to 75 years old.
Midwesterner here, and pin oak is one of my favorite species. They don't always conform to the ideal structure with one central leader, but when they do, and when they're not butchered, they are gorgeous. I've noticed they tend to harbor various defects and pathogens, many of which I don't understand as well as I'd like, but some of that is down to their longevity. Some of my favorite climbs ever have been in pin oaks roughly 80-100 years old, and I expect to see at least one noteworthy cavity from a long-ago limb failure in most specimens. I have a couple of them on my property, around here (SW Indiana) they tend to be infested with wasp galls that slowly damage a limb from the tips on back. The taller one is about 100 feet tall, roughly 60 years old, and after I did away with the hateful vines, the wasp damage, the storm damage, and the dead wood, it's a joy to behold, defects and all.
One other note-in the fall they refuse to give up their dead leaves. There'll be a lot on the ground through fall and winter, but it's not until early spring that the tree dumps the lion's share in a short period. I used to find this annoying, now I find it to be good fertilizer.
Very informative. Every gardener and arborist should see this.
Help me spread this
There's a mistletoe for almost every major tree in the western US. The ones that grow on conifers are this cool orange color. love them hemiparasites.
Sounds like you need to add more to this flow of comments. Enjoy hearing from someone who knows the subject. This community needs more feedback.
Another excellent video Glenn. I love that you always show the damage on a real tree.
We've had a couple of arborists come and visit our property and I don't think there has been a single tree they didn't recommend pruning:
Thin the crown. Better air circulation. Reduce wind sail. Improve clearance. Or my favorite: Cut any limbs that point downward.
Our trees are healthy and clearance is not really an issue. I personally prefer to let nature be nature and only remove dead branches. With pollution, warmer weather, and the increase in invasive pests, these trees are already under enough stress that they don't need anyone hacking at them for no good reason.
Hope my videos speak truthful to you.
I have seen a lot of mistletoe on the Australian Southern Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta) as well. Thanks for ALL these important and informative videos!
I have not seen mistletoe on Gravellia before.
@@arboristBlairGlenn I must admit that it was in a high rainfall region of southern Rwanda.
I live in S.B Indiana and currently have 5 red and white oak trees. We’ve had to take down three large trees in the past 15 years. My neighbor has one of the largest pin oaks in town. The trees all grow about 20-25 feet before single branching starts. Our trees are all 100 plus yrs. One that had to be removed because it was growing out over the house was 187 yrs old and about 90 feet in height. I haven’t seen any Mistletoe growing on the oaks here in northern Indiana SW Michigan. I’m assuming this tree in California grew the way it did because of different rainfall. Interesting video. I see so many tree workers just butchering trees in what they called pruning, and you are right. The trees start to decline pretty quickly. Drives me nuts.
I would have loved to see some actual cuts you made to that oak, correcting previous pruning cuts and hear your thoughts on why, especially in regards to physiology, tree-hormone response to pruning etc. Thanks as always for your sharing and education.
Someday, I will ask for help with a camera person so I can focus on building a video like that. As it is, I do all my own camera work and I guess I need to think more about how to mount a camera on a helmet or chest harness. It is still a lot of work.
i live in tucson arizona and i have never seen mistletoe that looks like that before and we have tons of it all over the place. its more stringy, no leaves and when they seed? tiny red balls appear.
you did a wonerful job on the tree, that clip where you can see the light threw the canopy is amazing!
I was not aware of different types of mistletoe
Thank you, that was a very nice sample of drop-crotch pruning.
Not all drop crotch due to poor past pruning but to the best of my ability.
There are ninety or so native species of mistletoe in Australia.
I've seen it growing on London plane trees, you'd call it a sycamore. Though that tree is not native to Australia.
I use the root ball of mistletoes for wood turning.
It's all over the place in Victoria, where I live, in eucalypts and acacias.
In the midwest and southeast, I've loved how pin oaks hang onto their brown leaves in winter because they add such interest in a bleak landscape. I'm currently training three young pin oaks to the west of my house in Virginia. Mainly this involves removing extra leaders and reducing low branches so pruning wounds will be small when I must remove these low branches.
A key to developing a quality tree is the early training and keeping wounds small. Good job!
I’m from Connecticut and my Uncle VIC told me due to having clusters of trees together the trunks grow much larger due to competition for getting sunshine and they are competing. Since your tree is all by itself they spread out with a much shorter trunk height before branches starting to sprout out.
My Uncle VIC had to prune fruit trees for a fruit orchard years ago for almost 20 years. So I’m no expert and would want your recommendations on a excellent pruning book and I’ve noticed many enormous white oaks trunks.
Any tree I noticed the trunk height diminishes greatly before branches are starting to form is because it is a loner all secluded from any competitive growing tree species. A example is my parents property in Connecticut where they only have 1/2 acre of land and red oak tree species grown within 10-15’ apart have thick diameter trunk heights of 35-45’ tall before branching begins.Trees are 75’-80’ tall. I love the thick gnarly bark of the chestnut oak is unbelievable. We have one scarlet oak on my parents property and lightning has struck that poor sole for decades and will never forget seeing a bolt of lightning cause a 12’ high sphere of orange and it has healed up nicely and very tall now. No pin oaks on my parents land here.
Acorns on the white oaks are good and with the reds your supposed to soak them quite a long time for acorn flour.
What a beautiful view you have !
Thanks, it is my own piece of paradise up here.
Blair I'm in Rhode Island and Quercus Rubra are literally in almost every yard. They will grow to 100 feet easily and have a straight single central leader ( mostly) that is usually at least 30 feet before branching at full maturity.. You have the best videos Thanks
Thanks Jim. The oaks grow very different on the West coast
I see a lot of "this is what wrong looks like" videos, and they are very helpful.
But what does right look like?
Is it dependent of the type of tree or is it solely on placements of cuts?
I'm excited to see the proper methods and the reasons behind them.
Thanks. Great info.
Glad to see you working your way through some of my older videos. Some are pretty good!
@@arboristBlairGlenn there all great. One question. Do you use pruning sealer when removing a limb on a Burr Oak? I know these sealers aren't recommended being used on other trees.
Looking forward to your future best pruning practice videos. Would like to listen to your exposition of drop crotch pruning. Thanks Blair
Doing a series on “how to” pruning needs to start with what not to do. I’ll get there
@@arboristBlairGlenn I am also looking forward to best pruning practice video.
Kind regards
Great story about your younger brother and you!
Brian and I were always the young entrepreneurs. Never got an allowance so we fought for all we could earn.
Mistletoeing kept me fed in winter in Texas yanking it from mostly hackberry's. Tough work, mostly pole pruning, but it gave me strong arms, lol. Once it's in the trees, it's there forever.
I read an article once about wrapping an infestation with black plastic to cut out the sunlight. Tried it once but the tree now is owned by another homeowner behind a gate.
> blair i been a subscriber for a number of years and watch with interest this sort of topical video. living in the philippines, if a tree/shrub here isnt uprooted it grows back and usually fairly gregariously. the place we're renting they cut down a duhat tree (philippine black cherry) before we moved in @ about waist high (28"dia); its grown back a few times, even bearing fruits @ one point. i cut it back and after about 5 years it seems to be in remission even though some minor branching still occurs around the base near grade. originally from illinois, i never seen a red oak branched so near grade like the one in this video.
Never heard a tree being described as “gregarious”. You live in a wet tropical area where plant life dominates and thrives.
My pinn oaks at my house are very old and are beautiful. The one tree though has always had a lean to it.
In Connecticut Pin Oak is so consistent in single leader growth, and distinct branching you ID at a distance.
Identifying trees from a distance by form is a good skill to have. When I visit different areas with different species from my area, I feel confused.
Oh yeah, I wouldn't have thought that was a pin oak. Very different shape and pattern to that species here in Illinois
Good Show !!
Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest of my videos as well.
Amazing, while in Texas, we had tons of mistletoe, here in Michigan, a tiny sprig is 3 dollars? Thank god for all of the native and paper shell pecans I always had in grocery bags up the yahoo!
Always appreciate your consistent interaction with my channel. 👍🏻
In New Hampshire, one of the most common trees is red oak (Quercus rubra). It is a wonderful tree, and one of the most environmentally friendly (or "ecologically beneficial) trees. However, I've noticed that they tend to develop multiple trunks, which is often a weakness. They tend to grow with a straight trunk for 20 - 90 percent up the tree, at most. Even though this species (and others) often develop multiple trunks, is it possible to keep them single-stemmed, even when they are large?
Thanks Blair and have a great day!
Very nice video I agree with you. you could make a whole series of probably 70 videos or more on how to properly pruned trees. On another note what's the reach of your small bucket truck?
A series on “how to prune” would be a serious undertaking and the criticism would be interesting. Small bucket? About 40 feet. 48 if I stand on the edge and lean out😁. (Kidding)
I have a cedar tree on my property and the top died out should I just cut it down or should I just top it and see if that works first? And one more question I want to plant a coastal redwood when is the best time of year to plant one I live in the Pacific Northwest?
Blair, that is true for red oak species gown in multi-tree or shady conditions however when grown in an open environment they turn into short trunked and oval crowned trees with a central leader but sometimes the crown looses the leader when they get very big.. The bigger they get the more rounded they become. (I'm from New England by the way)
Understand.
My parents live on a farm in WV. They have White Oak, Walnut, Persimmon, Black Locust, Shagbark Hickory, Maple, Sycamore, Poplar and I might be forgetting something...Oh well back to what I have noticed about the trees in WV.
The trees at the bottom of the hills have the longest tree trunks (50' to 70' on average) and the trunks get shorter when you get to the top. (30' to 50' on average)
Note: I think the wind makes them grow shorter and they get less water on the top of the hills.
I have also noticed that the Poplar trees get really big in WV with big tree trunks.
The only tree that likes to spread out it's canopy fast , (a little bit like the Oak in the video) is the Live Oak.
But there's not a lot of them by the farm.
I think the soil has a lot to do with how the trees grow in WV. Most of it is red clay.
As always, Thank You for the video's @Blair
One more note. The White Oak is the most dominant tree on the farm. All the other trees have to fight them for the sun light.
We get mistletoe in oaks a lot in Florida
The Red Oak around here, Pennsylvania, are as you described with the central leader. My sister has an easily 100 foot tall Red Oak that has the resemblance more to an old-growth Douglas Fir than the Pin Oak you showed. Your Pin Oak has more of the structure of a Sugar or Silver Maple would around here.
I live on the east coast and am a arborist and the pin oaks out here grow really weird. Especially during the winter they are a mess with little twigs also our red oaks usually grow as one large stalk with maybe the occasional co-dom, but that pink oak in the video looks beautiful compared to east coast pin oaks
Good afternoon enjoying your videos
Thanks Todd
In Ohio, I have a 15 foot tall weeping willow. I bought it in a container and planted it last year. It’s growing well, but I am curious as to whether you think it would be a good idea or not to prune/top the tallest branch/shoot of the tree to better achieve a fuller, round shape as it continues to grow and weep
Can’t and shouldn’t advise without seeing the tree
I just trimmed our 100+ year old pin oak had to rent 100ft lift and it took 4 days its absolutely massive
Blair did you go over the "remove no more than 25% of the canopy at one time rule" on that Pin oak? If so, why. Also, is your "dormant" season in California dormant enough to prevent oak wilt when pruning east coast oaks?
25% rule is an interesting topic. The city requires a permit for pruning more than 25% so the public believes it’s okay to take that much. A tree that was topped in the past may become so overly heavy that a harsh reduction may be required to save the tree.
The way that oak has grown is more typical of the way maples and honey locust grow here in the east. Here in MI oaks are straight single leader, broad pyramidal shaped in urban and in the woods more upright and less "fluff" or bushy width. Very much depends where they grow in an open field with nothing else around I've seen especially white oaks will grow only 50-60ft tall and double or more that in width, where as in the woods they are very tall and straight
I thought you were going to get into it at the end, and there was a 'drop crotch pruning' flash mid-video, but it'd be nice if you demonstrated how to properly prune trees like this that have been mis-pruned in the past.
I have been thinking about (how to) pruning videos but it requires someone working the camera for me. I’ll work on it.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Actually, I was thinking you could use your helmet cam and narrate as you prune (assuming the helmet cam gives an accurate view), but you're right, another person running the camera would be better.
I don’t mill but I do live in the south. From the looks of the video the tree gets sunlight on all sides. Which will make a tree sucker out. I suspect it might be a different story if it was in a forest and had to grow up for light. Just my opinion
Here in Ohio reds and pin oaks do the same thing when in town, outside of town they grow normally as you say. Biggest problem here is oak wilt/blight. People will just cut the ends of a branch which in turn kills the whole branch, this has been my experience anyways.
Oak wilt is not an issue here (yet) but I’m sure it will be.
In Arizona near Prescott, Juniper has Mistletoe occasionally. Are they parasitic or saprophytic?
It is a parasite
On that cut limb you showed with the 5 heavy limbs coming off, won't the limb blow out where you cut it off? Or will you do something in the future to prevent that?
Sometimes when dealing with past mistakes, my options for “fixing” a problem tree is limited to getting the weight off and telling the client to get it worked on again an 3 to 4 years.
How’s the woodworking going, Blair? Do you often find burl’s to turn bowls while cutting trees?
Not too often with burls. Did you see my recent video on the tool chest I’m building?
@@arboristBlairGlenn not yet but I will look right now
This would seem to me to say a proper pruning series is coming. PLEASE DO! Perhaps with good and bad examples, terminology with definitions, and the like.
Where I am we have a selection of conifers, here at the north end of the Sierras. One of our prime maladies is the "Dwarf Mistletoe". It is a very damaging parasite. We do not expect a mistletoe treatise, but a couple of basics would be helpful. Would you care to talk on this some time?
A proper pruning video is hard for a number of reasons. Different trees require different procedures. Most of the trees I end up working on were pruned in the past (often incorrectly). Also seasonal decisions, fruit decisions, location decisions, and customer requirements all have a part in how a tree is pruned. So, where do I start?
@@arboristBlairGlenn Where to start? Anywhere! I think you can do untold numbers of videos on what was wrong and what should have been done on each type of tree as you go along and find them. Each in its own right would be a resource of useful information.
@@arboristBlairGlenn
Hello Blair,
Where to start?
•introduce the branch bark ridge.
•show the three step cut.
•talk on the folly of flush cuts.
•"keep every cut as small as you can."
•talk about wound paint omission. Summarize overall, include the fact of exceptions in pruning. Invite feedback.
Thank you.
Michael.
I have spoken of all these topics in past videos but I think what you are suggesting is more of a combined how to on each of these topic in one video. I will work on it.
@@arboristBlairGlenn
Hello Blair,
Yes I think that is a good idea.
I have a silver tip that needs thinning out. How would I do that? I live in Southern California.
Need to see the tree to advise
I've started learning about pruning so I don't butcher my own trees, and I'm curious about how those branches that had previously been chopped and subsequently water sprouted seem to have been cut the same way again? Like you've just gone 6 inches back and cut it the same way.
Is this the only option on branches like these? Do you just have to accept that this limb is going to be a burst of water sprouts forever more (unless you completely remove the whole thing)? Or was there more work done to remedy the problem after the weight was chopped off that we didn't see?
When you start a problem with a poor cut, the added weight becomes a new problem. Weight reduction now becomes needed where if the tree was left alone, might not need anything.
@@arboristBlairGlenn So this is the best/only way then? You need to keep cutting it slightly back from the previous cut when the weight becomes a problem again?
I'm not trying to criticize or anything just to be clear, in case it came across that way. I want to make sure my understanding is correct that once you have a limb that was cut this way, there is nothing you can do apart from keep chopping it again when the water sprouts have grown too much (and the weight becomes a problem). That is unless you remove the whole limb (which is infeasible if every limb on the tree was cut like this).
Basically, if someone hacked the end off of every limb the tree is a lost cause as far as proper pruning goes?
@@t_z1030 not a lost cause but will require continued maintenance
@@arboristBlairGlennso, in other words: job security for the arborists 🤨
Sneaky buggers.
Seems there's enough naturally dead branches in trees to keep the career going.
I try to keep the dead out and along the driveway: prune back enough for a dump truck to come through, ( propane, gravel, electric company trucks).
You call it Lions Tail, I've always called it Witches Broom, either name denotes: Caution, be wary of.
It seems like mistletoe almost exclusively grows in Texas red oak here in central Texas.
HACKBERRY!
Lateral leads/lateral leads/lateral leads!
Even in the midwest it would grow a taller center trunk, I belive it grew like that becuse it got a lot more sunshine on the west coast and a warmer climent and longer growing seasons.
Branches tracked the sun less becuse all that tree had to do was send up a second main trunk and by the looks of it this tree did it a bunch.
On the eastern coast it would grow taller to get more sunlight. So a taller main trunk. It would even grow like that in Southern stats with a lot of sunlight like Texas Alabama flordia and so on it is in the wrong planting zone. It needs to be in zone 6 or I belive up where we get shorter growing seasons and colder temptures.
You are correct!
Sometimes it’s just better off to leave the trees, actually, most times.
It becomes clearer to me when I go to the woods and see the trees that have never been touched. Thanks Sam
People grow differently in California too............Not in a good way, for most of them. Nice video.
California has a bad reputation and some of it is justified. For the most part, folks around here are alright. Too much money can be a blessing and a curse. For me, the money means folks spend it on tree care.
I live in Indiana and the pin oaks grow in a cone like shape
And please talk about people planting roots on top of roots meaning putting plants on top of the root buttress roots
That is an interesting topic to consider.
I wanted to slap u every time u said pin oak because in Texas it is an actual name for a specific type of tree 😂 but whatever it’s just a name. I will say u are so right people just wanting to make a quick buck make stupid pruning decisions. Great video 👍
A Pin Oak is a member of the Red Oak family as is the Scarlet Oak. Not too common here.
Im learning that trees are about same as other plants: folks from Alll over have different names for same plants. One teacher said That's why we should learn the Scientific Names, which I've heard Mr. Glenn do. But dang, I can't hardly Say alotta those words let alone Remember!
Reading on Mrs. Julia Childs, she tried to bring the world's different names for fish together but had little luck doing so. People get to wanting to slap ea. other over Changes. 😁
@@arboristBlairGlenn yeah it’s funny how many people confuse pin oak and water oak in Texas.
@@Paislywalls4767 it is also a big gap in common names state to state I was making small joke of it being frustrating 😂
Can you do a video about people putting rocks all around the root flare I believe that it causes heat and water absorption is this true 🌳🤢🙈
Most times, I see rocks around a tree as a mistake. However, if the right rocks are used (large rivers rock), and lot in excess, some rocks can be an asset. Prevents impacts from lawn mowers for instance. Large areas of rock on young trees can heat up and hyper dry out the root zone (which can be very bad).
On the East Coast you'll see trees grow as you stated. You can also see a difference between trees in the North East versus trees in the South East. Trees of the same sp. North tend to be strong and with skyward branching. Suffering sometimes from winter freeze explosions. While Southern sp. tend to have weak punky wood and branches growing toward the ground. Humidity and high heat. Much hacking done on the Southern trees due to the weakness (fear of falling) and branches getting in the way at ground level (Fast). There are tree people that preserve trees and people that make money with a chainsaw. It's not just education that is needed. You actually have to give a damn.
One of the reasons for this is the shallower sun angle at higher latitudes. A tall canopy is useful when the sun is shining almost sideways.
Also, on each coast - watching out for sudden death oak wilt disease particularly among red oak species.
Pin Oaks here on the east coast the leaves are orange in color before they go brown. Yes they are very tall, straight tree. Looks like you have butchers out there too that call themselves landscapers.
Here, they go straight to brown with little fall color.
@@arboristBlairGlenn I wonder why must be your weather that changes them. I have on across the street from here in Alabama that is just starting to change and the trunk is 4ft across and perfectly straight never been pruned.
Is the word oak actually a family of trees or is it a description of the wood?
The family of trees called “oak” is Quercia. There are however many trees with the word oak in the name. Tan oak is not a true oak. She oak is not an oak. Silk oak is not even slide to looking like an oak and the wood also has no similarities. Hope that helps.
@@arboristBlairGlenn ❤ 🤍 💙
Even i know how to prune better then some you showed here.
Hopefully my videos will continue to help you understand better
why are deciduous oaks popular?
A lot of reasons for a large deciduous tree. Fall color. Winter sunlight. .
Unfortunately in this area, re-educating people about proper pruning is difficult and slow to be accepted because 'the old ways' of doing things is the norm. 'Topping' trees is still common and the most common pruning-damage is the result of that practice. Crepe myrtle bushes here are another victim of the practice. Crepe myrtle bushes in the garden club-sponsored area are - to my disgust - topped annually.
And now you understand my reason for this channel
Everything is different in California
Understatement for sure
Unfortunately these people just thinking of money do the job get paid never see the tree again I see that too much here where I live
I try to educate on seeing the trees clearly
Just what you've been wanting, Blair. Ask Santa for one! Start at 3:20 and it's done in about 30 seconds. th-cam.com/video/7BkqsacRAUE/w-d-xo.html
These people don't understand industry standards
Or don’t care