Pruning shade trees can cause future problems
Question: I have a Modesto or Texas ash tree that was planted seven or eight years ago in my lawn. Do you think if I prune it back this winter that it would grow in to be fuller? If so, how much should I prune off?
In the early years, I would let ash trees go and not prune them unless there were branches that were crossing, growing downward, too close together and the like. These are problem branches. Otherwise, let them go and grow into their natural form. Once you start pruning a shade tree and changing its form, it can create future pruning problems for you. If you begin to cut them back, it may do what you want and create a fuller tree but at the expense of faster growth.
Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.