Hi everyone. I'd like to prune a 15' Magnolia tree I planted in my yard a few years ago. I would like the tree to have an established trunk, somewhere around 5-10' high before any branches start. There is a very solid branch towards the bottom, as seen in the picture. The branch extends very high, almost to the top of the tree, and holds probably 20% of the total leaves. Would it be a mistake to cut that entire branch off at once? Should I trim it down and cut off the top half of the branch this year, and the rest next year?
Thanks for your help.
Pruning Southern Magnolia
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The rules for pruning are
Not to prune more than 1/3 of a tree at a time
Prune just after flowering
Take out dead wood first, then crossing branches, then thin to open up the tree.
Remember as the tree grows the lower limbs will end up much higher up the tree. If you take a mature limb out you might leave a hole in one side of the tree and make it look lop sided. you can take the limb down in steps and see what the overall effect on the tree will be.
Before you cut, step back and see what you might be cutting out especially if it is a large branch.
Always stop before you think you are done. You can always come back, later and fine tune. It will be less stressful for the tree, and you cannot put back what you have cut off.
Never top a tree. It will never look good after that and you will spend a lot of time cutting out suckers. Always leave a leader.
Not to prune more than 1/3 of a tree at a time
Prune just after flowering
Take out dead wood first, then crossing branches, then thin to open up the tree.
Remember as the tree grows the lower limbs will end up much higher up the tree. If you take a mature limb out you might leave a hole in one side of the tree and make it look lop sided. you can take the limb down in steps and see what the overall effect on the tree will be.
Before you cut, step back and see what you might be cutting out especially if it is a large branch.
Always stop before you think you are done. You can always come back, later and fine tune. It will be less stressful for the tree, and you cannot put back what you have cut off.
Never top a tree. It will never look good after that and you will spend a lot of time cutting out suckers. Always leave a leader.