Trimming Oaks and Pines Around Tyler: Mistletoe, Low Limbs and Summer Heat

Tyler gets long, hot summers, sudden storms and the occasional ice event, and the trees take all of it. The big oaks in an older neighborhood have probably seen three decades of that. A trim every so often is one of the few things that helps them handle it.

But "trim" covers a lot of ground, and the difference between a good one and a bad one shows up for years. Here's what's actually going on up there.

Thinning is not the same as topping

Thinning means taking out specific branches: ones that cross and rub, ones that are weak at the fork, ones growing straight down into the canopy. Done right, the tree keeps its shape and ends up more open, so wind passes through instead of pushing on a solid wall of leaves. The usual rule of thumb is not to take more than about a quarter of the live canopy in one visit.

Topping, which means cutting main limbs back to stubs, is the thing to avoid. The tree answers with a thicket of weak, fast shoots that break easily and look worse than what you started with.

Mistletoe

If you look up in winter, when oaks and other hardwoods drop their leaves, mistletoe stands out as dark green balls high in the branches. It's a parasite. It taps into the limb and pulls water and nutrients out of it. A few clumps won't hurt a healthy tree, but heavy infestations weaken the limb they sit on.

Pulling the ball off at the top doesn't fix it, because it grows back from the part inside the wood. The better fix is cutting the infested limb back past the point where the mistletoe is rooted. Dan Herrin hired JR Tree Service to trim four large trees he had planted about 27 years earlier, and his review lists "removing mistletoe" right alongside thinning and removing low hanging branches.

Raising low limbs

Low branches get in the way of mowers, trucks, kids on bikes and the roofline. Raising the canopy means removing the lowest limbs so you can walk and drive under the tree. It also lets light through to the grass, which helps if your lawn is struggling in the shade. Take them off a little at a time over several trims. Taking off too many low limbs at once leaves a tree that's all top and no trunk cover.

A word on timing and sealing cuts

Dan Herrin's review says Jesus sealed the cuts "to help guard against insects." Opinions about sealing vary among tree people, and the answer depends on the tree and the season. In Texas, oak wilt is the big reason. The disease can spread through fresh wounds on live oaks and red oaks when the beetles that carry it are active, so the usual advice is to avoid pruning those trees in the warm part of the year, or to seal cuts right away if a job can't wait.

You don't have to memorize any of that. If you're having oaks trimmed, ask when the best time is and whether the cuts will be sealed. A crew that has an answer ready is a good sign.

What about pines?

Pines need less pruning than oaks. The usual jobs are removing dead limbs, taking off low branches, and clearing anything hanging over the roof. Once a pine's top starts to brown out, a trim won't fix that, and it may be time to talk about removal instead.

Why a yearly trim works for some yards

Billy Haskins wrote that Jesus and his crew got all 25 trees across the yard back in shape in one day, including the overhang from the neighbors' trees over the fence, and that the family plans to book a yearly trim to keep everything under control. Small, regular trims keep every cut small too, and small cuts heal faster and cost the tree less than a big once-a-decade cleanup.

What good cleanup looks like

A trim isn't done when the last branch is cut. Dan Herrin noticed the chipper and the commercial leaf blower the crew used to clear the lawn, and joked that his lawn guy doesn't like sticks left on the ground. Gwen Thompson said the crew blew out all the leaves. Ask what cleanup is included before the work starts.

Before the crew shows up

• Walk the yard and point out which limbs worry you most.
• Move cars, patio furniture and anything fragile out from under the trees.
• Tell the crew about sprinklers, fences and anything else that's easy to damage.
• Ask about timing, especially if the trees are oaks.

If you've got trees around Tyler or Chandler that are due for a trim, call Jesus at (903) 952-7502 for a free estimate.